BRENTWOOD — This city will elect a new mayor and decide between candidates running for council seats on Nov. 5.
Mayor Joel Bryant’s decision to not seek reelection has left the seat open to District 3 Councilmember Susannah Meyer and Planning Commission member Gerald Johnson. The District 1 council seat is between Planning Commissioner Chairperson Anita Roberts and law enforcement officer Faye Maloney, while District 1 voters can elect either Councilperson Jovita Mendoza, who was moved out of District 3 after redistricting, or Oakland fire Capt. Brian Oftedal.
In the mayor’s race, Meyer and Johnson agree on increasing the number of affordable housing included in new home projects, saying Brentwood has become too expensive for teachers, first responders, and people who grew up there and are trying to buy their first homes.
Meyer wants slower growth, after a quick rise in population resulted in crowded schools and roads.
“This council raised the affordable housing (allocation) to 13%; at one point, it was zero, meaning developers would come in and build a community that did not provide any affordable houses,” she said, adding there is an agenda item pending for future city council meetings to raise the percentage.
Johnson said he believes in a conservative increase in the availability of affordable housing to 15% and 17%.
“If you increase it (too high), then the builders might raise the prices of the houses because they want to make the same amount of money,” he said, adding that even his two college graduate sons are unable to afford a home in Brentwood.
Meyer, who is the executive director of the nonprofit Empowered Aging, also hopes to create more affordable housing and programs for adults or seniors with disabilities to make Brentwood a more inclusive community.
Johnson said his business and consulting background can help the city focus on its long-term goals. His vision for Brentwood is rooted in the acronym THRIVE, which stands for togetherness, housing, recreation and culture, inclusion and engagement, volunteerism and the economy.
Both the candidates also want to protect Brentwood’s agricultural sector.
Johnson is endorsed by Brentwood’s District 4 Councilmember Tony Oerlemans, Fremont City Councilmember Teresa Cox and former Brentwood Vice Mayor Johnny Rodriguez, among others.
Roberts, Maloney, Mendoza, and Oftedal are running for District 1 and District 3 races in Brentwood.
In the District 1 race, Roberts believes her experience on the planning commission will help her provide better input on land use and development. She said that while the planning commission makes recommendations, there are limits to what can be decided.
“The city council has the ability to review and amend (municipal codes). There’s a lot that the city council can do that the planning commission can’t,” she said. “I want to be on the other side of the absolute change.”
Her top priority would be to increase the percentage of affordable housing to 20% of overall projects, and ensure that developers do not cut corners by splitting single-unit housing into smaller townhomes to meet the quota.
Roberts also wants to focus on ensuring residents have enough local jobs and advocate for controlled growth for …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
