Candidate faceoff: 4 debate Auburn's important issues

Four Auburn City Council candidates met face to face in the council chambers Tuesday night to debate "Important Issues Facing the City." The forum, sponsored by the Greater Auburn Area Fire Safe Council, consisted of moderators Carol Guild and Daniel Berlant posing 14 questions to candidates in a rotation-style forum. The answering candidate had two minutes to speak with the remaining three candidates being provided one minute to respond followed by the initial candidate having 30 seconds for rebuttal. The candidates were posed with topics of high interest to Auburnites, including priorities for the police department, ensuring local control, annexation, ideas for bolstering the economy, the city's budget, addressing vacancies in Old Town and Downtown as well as their views on cannabis dispensaries and Placer County's rezone project. Asked whether they felt the Auburn area has taken a disproportionate impact with the homelessness issue and how they plan to address it, current Mayor Rachel Radell-Harris said the city has taken the brunt of it due to being close to the county's service hub in North Auburn and that resources should be spread out throughout the county. "We've (the city of Auburn) been working to reach out to people more often, partnering with health and human services to reach our local homeless residents and getting them the services they need; sometimes, it's just an address and a driver's license so they can get jobs," Radell-Harris said. Councilwoman Alice Dowdin Calvillo confirmed she agreed with Radell-Harris on the city's burden. "There's no easy solution," Dowdin Calvillo said. "It's an incredibly difficult problem we're facing statewide, but certainly continuing to work with the county on our efforts to help address the issues in our community is key." Michelle Sierra-Sammons said Auburn is seeing "much more than our fair share" due to being right off Interstate 80 and State Route 49. "It is hard because you want to balance being compassionate with protecting your city, protecting your citizens," Sierra Sammons said. "And so I'd like to see more of a wrap-around approach and really push our county supervisors and our fellow cities to work with us because they weren't homegrown here; they were brought here." Kelley Davis, director of the Auburn Trails Alliance, said, "You can't escape having homeless; some people have been in our community forever," but noted the rates have decreased. "What's working is that they are providing resources and they're providing them a way out of homelessness," Davis said. "... And I think we need to continue that, continue supporting the police department so that they can help the people out of it and not push them away." Another question provided the candidates with the opportunity to speak on the city's relationship with the Gold Country Fairgrounds and how they plan to assist with said relationship. Sierra-Sammons said regardless of who is running the fairgrounds, the city needs to be mindful in that it doesn't fail because "we need the fairgrounds to be successful in order for Auburn to be successful," as well as the fairgrounds needing a vibrant city. Sierra-Sammons noted the city needed to keep working to repair that relationship and grow further together. Davis agreed the city and fairgrounds need to work together and find ways to communicate and proposed finding ways to incorporate the fairgrounds as an open park where people can move through. Radell-Harris noted the importance of having and recognizing support to move forward together and the need for the city and fairgrounds to be good neighbors to each other to foster a positive relationship. Dowdin Calvillo said continuous communication would assist in repairing the relationship, and she continuously recommends transparency to fairgrounds CEO Don Ales so policies are more comprehensive for the community. The candidates also addressed Measure F, a proposed 8-10-percent increase to the city's Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), or traveler's tax, in an attempt to catch up to nearby cities' TOT levels. Radell-Harris said she strongly supports Measure F, as it will help cover the amenities visitors access, like public safety, while in Auburn and, "It's really just getting that tax revenue that we should be getting but we've been missing out on for the last several years." Dowdin Calvillo admitted she did not feel it was the right time to put it before the voters due to the city's fiscal situation when first broached to the council, but is now supportive. "We do need to level our playing field," she said. "The statewide TOT averages 12 percent and we're 8 percent. Up in Tahoe, it's 14 percent." Sierra-Sammons confirmed she was in support of the measure, noting it was time to make it right. "We've been below the average for quite some time now, so what we're really doing is something that we should've done years ago," Sierra Sammons said. Davis said she was also in support of Measure F, stating the city could bring in extra revenue on busy event weekends. "We already have the infrastructure, we just need to benefit more from it," Davis said. Following the debate, the candidates were given two minutes for closing comments. "I'm grateful to give back to my beloved hometown," Dowdin Calvillo said. "In the last four years, we've accomplished a lot. We've helped our businesses recover from COVID. We've refinanced our PERS unfunded liabilities, saving the city more than $2 million so far. We've increased public safety, began updating our more than 30-year-old general plan, and we've partnered with several nonprofits to bring new life into old public spaces. But there's still so much work to be done." Radell-Harris also shared the city's accomplishments and work still in progress, noting, "That's really why I'm running for reelection, because the job isn't done. The pieces that I wanted … are still not quite done and so I'm hoping to really start to diversify that revenue and get us to be ready for that financial flip as it comes in the next 10 years." "I firmly believe Auburn will come through this and it won't be easy," Davis said. "I want to be part of the solution. I want to see Auburn thrive. I want to be here for decades to come, and I want to see all individuals – families, youth and children – thrive here. We are a resourceful and hard-working community and that is what you deserve working for you on city council." Sierra-Sammons stated, "I want to be a council member that I think everyone deserves. Someone that is open minded. Someone that will work with others. It's what I do in my normal job. I don't look for anything other than what the issue is and how I can help. That's always been my approach in my job, in my life and on council I'll continue to do that." Radell-Harris and Dowdin Calvillo are running unopposed for their council seats. Sierra-Sammons and Davis will face off for the two-year term vacated in late 2023 by Daniel Berlant after his State Fire Marshal appointment. According to Berlant, the candidates will be upcoming guest speakers at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce's Meddlers Forum, which occurs every Tuesday in the Rose Room of City Hall at 7 a.m., with guest speakers beginning at 7:30. The candidates are scheduled as follows: Michelle Sierra-Sammons: Oct. 1 Alice Dowdin Calvillo: Oct. 8 Rachel Radell-Harris: Oct. 22 Kelley Davis: Oct. 29