Five candidates are competing for two seats on the San Fernando City Council

On Nov. 5, San Fernando residents will head to the polls to elect two city council lawmakers from five candidates vying for two seats in this working class, Latino-dominated city of about 25,000 residents in north San Fernando Valley.

The candidates are Patty Lopez, Victoria Garcia, Sean Rivas, Sylvia Ballin and Jason Strickler. The two top vote-getters will win a seat on the dais.

One of the two seats is being vacated by Mayor Celeste Rodriguez, who was elected to the San Fernando City Council in November 2020 and is running for state Assembly District 43 on Nov. 5.

The other open seat on the San Fernando City Council is held by Victoria Garcia, a construction attorney and Republican in a primarily Democratic community who, in a special election in March, filled the empty seat of the widley admired late Councilwoman Cindy Montañez.

There is a twist on Election Day, Nov. 5: Garcia is running for city council and is also running against Mayor Rodriguez for the open state Assembly District 43 seat.

In this unusual tussle, if Garcia wins both the state Assembly District 43 and a seat on the San Fernando City Council, she would then decide which position to take.

If Garcia wins Assembly District 43 and chooses to take the legislative seat in Sacramento instead of the council seat, the San Fernando city council could appoint someone to fill her shoes at a minimal cost, or the city could hold a special election costing up to $650,000, or, according to city records, the city could consolidate its special election with an upcoming county election.

Under law, Garcia is allowed to run for both the city council seat and the state assembly seat at the same time, but cannot serve on both. She has not revealed which seat she’d keep if elected to both.

“I will let the voters decide where they need me most,” she told the Los Angeles Daily News recently.

Here is a look at the seven candidates in the order they appear on the Nov. 5 ballot:

Patty Lopez

Patty Lopez is a commissioner for San Fernando Parks, Wellness and Recreation Commission; executive director of La Voz de los Inmigrantes; founder and CEO of Mujeres Alfa Internacional, a nonprofit; and director of MAI Magazine.

Lopez, who has lived in San Fernando for 35 years, sees public safety and affordable housing as top priorities in the small foothill city.

There has been an uptick in robberies and Lopez is concerned because most of them have targeted family-owned businesses.

“I believe we can do better,” she said. Lopez wants to bring her experience to the table and connect businesses and families to government services. “Sometimes the businesses that have been in San Fernando for one decade, two decades or three decades don’t connect with the government. I feel that not too many people listen to the small businesses or the (need for) housing.”

Lopez says some business owners don’t feel comfortable speaking in English and the information they need is not provided in Spanish.

She would also like to see a special department that would focus on getting residents help with affordable housing.

“If elected I will do something in that area,” Lopez said. “Sometimes there is a state program and the city can get funding, like Section 8 (housing). And I don’t see our community benefiting from Section 8.”

Lopez would give good grades to a few members of the current city council, but she said others use their seat as a stepping stone to higher political office.

She declared that all people are welcome in San Fernando, and she believes different groups should work together instead arguing. “Everyone wants the best thing for the city and families,” Lopez said.

Lopez served in Sacramento as a District 39 assembly member from 2014 to 2016. This is her first campaign for San Fernando City Council.

Victoria Garcia

Victoria Garcia, a San Fernando city council member, construction attorney, and mother of three, filled the seat of the late City Councilmember Cindy Montañez in March. Garcia’s temporary term ends next month.

Since stepping into Montanez’s shoes she has focused on public safety and concerns about burglaries and shootings.

Garcia is also running for state Assembly District 43 and hasn’t revealed what she will do if she wins both seats on Nov. 5. San Fernando residents could face significant costs if they have to replace her in a special city council election. That’s up in the air, depending on her election results.

“When I ran the first time, what is still pressing and number one is public safety,” Garcia said. “Since that time, we have had a shocking number of burglaries and shootings in the city. My priority is to increase the number of patrols. We (added) $50,000 to the police fund budget about two months ago.”

Public safety officials asked for funding to pay for investigations, but Garcia says the community wants patrols.

“I think the deterrence factor is a big impact and I have spoken with a lot of police officers and associations and the chief, and they are all in agreement,” Garcia said. “I would like to continue to prioritize that for sure.”

The second issue Garcia would tackle is repairing the city’s broken sidewalks and aging streets.

She and her colleagues were able to move designated home rehabilitation loans to finance the repairs of sidewalks in the worst condition.

“I wanted to do streets, but public works (staff) were telling me $500,000-plus won’t make an impact and … would lead into millions of dollars,” she said.

While all of the candidates would agree that the downtown corridor has been the heartbeat and major revenue source for the city, many want to see it modernized. Garcia sits on the Downtown Master Plan Committee which she said is reviewing a master plan.

As an example of a basic issue they are dealing with, she said “The trash cans and dumpsters are getting … disgusting and smelly. We are working on enclosures (for them). And while not sexy, smelling dumpsters have been a stinky problem the city is working to solve.”

If Garcia wins and chooses to remain on the San Fernando City Council, she said she would continue to improve her direct contact with residents. “Whatever we can do to tell them it’s their city and a voice matters, get involved,” she added.

Garcia was raised in Sun Valley. Her grandparents moved to San Fernando in 1950 and she said were the first Mexican family on their block.

Sean M. Rivas

Sean M. Rivas wears several hats: educator, teen sports coach, chair of the city’s planning commission and chair of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley.

After the special election to replace late Councilmember Montanez, “Unfortunately, we had a rash of break-ins in our businesses and our residents felt a dire need for an increase in public safety,” Rivas said.

“One of the biggest things I hope to do is answer that call,” he said. “If I’m elected, I would advocate for public safety.” He said two possibilities are to add more officers and give officers more time “to maybe do walks throughout our business corridor so residents see our officers are here, present.”

Rivas said he is also committed to support small businesses that bring people into San Fernando. Along with new businesses, he wants to make sure businesses are provided the support and tools to be successful.

He said those tools include information in Spanish and other languages such as Armenian.

“I understand about 80% of the residents speak Spanish and most of that 80% is Spanish-only speaking,” Rivas said. He believes the city should to work to improve the education of residents and business owners. “Ultimately what the city needs is someone like me to go to the businesses, talk to them as an elected leader.”

San Fernando has invested heavily in small businesses, creating an economic development center at City Hall offering support on the educational side and tools and partnerships Rivas said he has seen many businesses utilize.

Rivas believes the city has tools in place but needs to promote them more.

Rivas has lived in San Fernando for two years. He has never held a political seat, but was appointed to be a San Fernando planning commissioner.

Sylvia Ballin

Sylvia Ballin is a former San Fernando mayor, former San Fernando City Council member, and former member of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors.

She served on the San Fernando City Council for 11-plus years, first elected in March, 2011.

Once again, Ballin wants to return to the dais.

The top issue she would tackle is the high cost of rent that she says requires everyone in a household to work.

She suggests that the different levels of government work together to find a way to address the high cost of living, which could include rent control.

The need to provide affordable housing has been somewhat answered with the popularity of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — small rental homes built on the property of homeowners. They are affordable because they do not require buying land and don’t require major new infrastructure.

ADUS can provide a source of income for homeowners and are plentiful in San Fernando, according to Ballin. But without restrictions they create parking issues.

“More housing on one block impacts street parking, making it difficult for the elderly, physically challenged or parents with young children to pull up to their living space without having to park blocks away,” Ballin said. “In one neighborhood they want to tear down a house and put in 10 units.”

Like other candidates in this race, Ballin has turned her attention to public safety, worsening crime, and drug and gang problems.

Since the number of residents in San Fernando has increased in part due to ADUs, Ballin believes an expansion of the police force and public works is required.

“We would have to look at the budget and figure out how to cut corners and put more money in the budget,” Ballin said, a 53-year resident. “There are ways to get more money through grants that maybe we will qualify for. The city is doing a good job looking for those funds.”

Ballin feels passionate about respecting, trusting and appreciating city staff, who have seen a turnover in the last two years. She says the city council needs to value and appreciate city management and other employees.

“You have to trust the people who will execute the work you give them to do,” she said.

Ballin believes residents should vote her into office because of her experience. She notes that she became a council member when the city “was on the brink of bankruptcy, and we were able to address that pretty quickly. Now we are in a very good financial position, and I’m committed to the city to do the best I can.”

Jason D. Strickler

Jason D. Strickler, a prevention program coordinator for the San Fernando-based nonprofit Pueblo y Salud, which translates to “community and health,” is throwing his hat in the ring for the first time.

The most pressing issue in San Fernando, according to Strickler, is public health and public safety, which he says are interconnected.

“We have a very high population of older adults — elderly — as well as a very large population of young people,” he said. “About 23 percent of our population is (under) 17. So access to quality health and quality services in the city … and walkable city and green spaces, and holistic resources in the city, is what I want to bring to the table.”

One of his first plans if elected would be set up a mobile greenhouse to educate the community on the benefits of plants. He wants to pursue a holistic way to promote wellness, in honor of late Councilmember Montanez.

“It opens up the doors for older people and younger people to get outdoors, to be in nature, and work with their hands — and to learn about the importance,” Strickler said.

He also wants more classes for older residents, such as sports, and would encourage active lifestyles and walkability. Since Strickler, a tennis player, says the courts in San Fernando have been neglected and are in need of repair.

Regarding public safety he says, “(Folks) getting their tools stolen out of trucks, the stream of business robberies happening throughout the year, as well as the growing homeless population … what is the city going to do?” He said his focus would be to address the root causes.

Strickler, a three-year San Fernando resident, says the current city council is doing a “great job” and he admires how they work together — a collaboration he would like to continue if he is elected.

“I know people have issues with me being young, but I am a coalition builder in Los Angeles County, building relationships and fostering collaboration between folks,” Strickler said.

His mantra is focused on voting for the future. He notes, “I have been active in my community for the last 10 years.”