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Unlike its South County counterparts, Pismo Beach is gearing up for a municipal election devoid of the new by-district voting system and term limits.
While the beach city differs in some ways from its neighbors, the election season holds at least one constant for all: another shot at victory.
Take it from attorney Erik Howell, a one-time California Coastal Commission member and Pismo Beach City Council member. Howell ran unsuccessfully for City Council reelection in 2020 but hopes for a better outcome this time around. He's one of five candidates eligible to run for two open spots, while current Mayor Ed Waage is running unopposed for his seat.
"You can never talk with people enough," Howell told New Times. "I think that's where my campaign last time around was really hampered. We've lost over a million people in this country. In 2020, the pandemic was raging, and you couldn't go door to door, not if you were responsible."
Now, Howell is back on Pismo Beach's political scene and mingling with the community, fresh from a trip to Africa and recovered from a bout of COVID-19.
But Howell comes with controversy.
In February 2019, Howell had his law license suspended for 60 days by the state bar for professional misconduct. Prior to that, in 2018, he belonged to a group of Coastal Commission members who were fined for failing to adhere to the rules about disclosing ex parte communications. In 2016, some Pismo Beach community members filed a complaint against him with the state's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), alleging that he improperly voted in favor of a proposed development project after receiving a hefty campaign contribution. FPPC investigators cleared Howell of the violation later that year.
He said he anticipates "dirty campaigning" in the lead-up to the Nov. 8 election.
"There are a dozen things you can complain about me on, and I'm willing to own them. But you don't need to make it up," he said. "Like, somebody came over and took stuff that was being given away that a friend left. They yanked it out of my driveway when I wasn't here, put it into the street, took pictures of it, and put it on Nextdoor saying I live like Sanford and Son! Even like that Coastal Commission stuff."
It appears that some in San Luis Obispo County are ready to move on from Howell's past. On Sept. 13, Howell earned a spot in the SLO Democratic Party's roster of 21 endorsed candidates. Party Chair Rita Casaverde said that they are still making sure each candidate is responsible for their own actions despite winning an endorsement.
"Our county party decided to not endorse him in 2020, and we stand by that decision," she said. "Since then we have seen the city of Pismo Beach gain council members who have been appointed to regional boards like the IWMA [Integrated Waste Management Authority] and 3CE [Central Coast Community Energy], where they have been on a nonstop attack to the environment and energy solutions."
If Howell wins a City Council seat, he said his first order of business would be to "get my hands dirty" and reinvigorate the local coastal plan and general plan update processes. Howell believes his knowledge of the Coastal Act gives him a leg up.
"This is our roadmap for how the city is going to grow, and the things we care about: our bike lanes, public transportation, our housing element, open space, whether or not we're going to allow sea walls," he said.
He thinks city staff needs more engagement with those who would be affected by changes to the plans, and more outreach is required to increase the number of residents who attend public meetings about the updates.
Howell's not the only one who thinks Pismo Beach could stand to receive more community input. Two-time City Council contender and professional bodybuilder Debora Lossing wants residents to have more of a voice during public comment periods so that everyone's concerns get heard.
"Specifically, with the city, I've learned that some of the issues that people may voice, they are not always completely listened to. I would like to see an even ground," Lossing said.
Lossing added that she wants to find the equilibrium between maintaining Pismo Beach as a tourist destination that rakes in considerable revenue through bed taxes and keeping it enjoyable for residents.
That balance is something another candidate, former city Planning Commissioner Stacy Inman, has in mind too.
"Especially during the Memorial Day to Labor Day time period, we're another city. There are a massive amount of people who come into town," Inman said. "I don't know that we need any more hotels. I'm concerned about the water capacity that hotels use. There's not enough parking. I just don't know that we should promote ourselves more than we do, or even lessen it a little bit."
Both Inman and Lossing would be new to City Council if they win the seats held by current Councilmembers Sheila Blake and Mary Ann Reiss who completed their four-year terms. While Reiss is running for reelection, Blake didn't turn in the signatures required to be a nominated candidate, so she's ineligible to run.
Retired Border Patrol Agent Kevin Kreowski is also running for City Council, but Kreowski didn't respond to New Times' request for an interview by press time.
Having fresh faces on the city dais is something Inman said she's looking forward to, and she added that council members who spend too much time in their position stand to contract "tunnel vision."
Reiss, who was mayor from 2004 to 2010 and then became a perennial City Council member and candidate, said that not having term limits is helpful because it takes a long time for city leaders to get seasoned on the ins and outs of local government. Yet, she welcomes change.
"I think this is what is so good about not having term limits because when you have the people who have the background, they can help orient new people who have new ideas and freshness," she said. "That's great." Δ
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at [email protected].