Oscar Salazar Rodriguez

WILDFIRE AND OTHER EMERGENCIES: What would you do to reduce wildfire risks in our neighborhood, with its heavy tree cover and extremely limited egress? Will you actively support improved evacuation routes/strategies, use of wildfire spotting cameras and other advance warning systems? The creation of safe areas for sheltering if evacuation is not possible? What about flood risk?

Rodriguez: First, I would re-dedicate to wildfire emergency planning and mitigation the $2 increase in the monthly environmental services fee that was instituted 14 years ago under the sponsorship of Councilor Rosemary Romero. This fee increase came to generate more than $700,000/year for upstream watershed projects, like deadwood and underbrush removal, fire-spotting and advanced flood warning technology and the creation and maintenance of safe evacuation areas. Apparently, the city re-purposed the revenue even before any plan for its use was approved. I would direct that staff work with the eastside neighborhoods to draft a plan for protecting the upper watershed from wildfire and flooding and then present it to the City Council for approval, along with the re-dedication of the revenue stream.

I would also offer city financing of special assessment district projects so neighbors could pick and pay on their own for more localized public improvement projects in the upper watershed and forest, like local (i.e. unconnected) roadside hike and bike trails and emergency access only right-of-way to roads, again, through the utility billing system.

I would also organize city road maintenance to ensure that best practices for wildfire mitigation were part of the work effort, like road and utility line right-of-way clearance and fire fuel reduction (i.e. dead wood and brush piles). And I would work with the neighborhood to develop a formal emergency evacuation plan for flood and wildfire situations and focus on city facilities like Nickols Dam and water plant campus as emergency safety zones. This plan would be communicated to all the residents via mail, email, texts and on the website, with occasion city-led public drills to continually refresh the emergency plans in the minds of the residents.

ROADS: How could you as Mayor keep our residents safer while walking, biking, or driving on our very old, narrow, and overused roads? And from the impacts from runoff and erosion?

Rodriguez: While it is certainly true that many of our roads are quite deteriorated, better maintenance can improve their state and utility. I would reform the current road maintenance model of patching road potholes and institute a comprehensive road maintenance regime oriented toward preventing potholes and base erosion. This would involve regular and scheduled maintenance of all the roads according to their current state. It would also involve regularly surveying and rating road surface conditions and early detection of potholes, cracks and erosion through monitoring by all city crews as they went about their normal business, like garbage and recycling collection. I would also make sure that the maintenance of road shoulders would be an integral part of road maintenance, as stable shoulders are key to preventing erosion and cracking of the road surface.

LAND USE: Even without any zoning changes or variances, if undeveloped lots in our neighborhood were built upon, housing density could double, overwhelming our crowded roads and other infrastructure including water and sewer. How could you as Mayor mitigate this problem, from limiting density to improving infrastructure, to short-term rental regulation and beyond?

Rodriguez: Without rezoning, the only strategy for mitigating growth on Canyon Road and elsewhere involves upgrading the infrastructure to keep up with growth. I would push for upgrading of the infrastructure along Canyon Road as density increased as part of the capital improvement budgeting process. I would also push for capital recovery practices, like capital recovery fees and oversizing requirements, where new development paid its fair share of the investment in the infrastructure it tapped into and sized its tap/connection in anticipation of eventual upgrading of that infrastructure. Any revenue recovered would then be dedicated to timely upgrade the infrastructure.

I recognize the inherent conflict between the overall need for more density and housing in the city and private property rights of the owners vs. the limitations of the existing infrastructure, including roads and water lines, both their size and their difficult location—physical and historical. Known solutions for ameliorating conflicts like these are policies that require new homebuilders to build sufficient off-street parking and ample line-of-sight driveways to improve egress-ingress safety. Another more experimental practice I would support is the establishment of a local density credit market place managed by the city, where builders in other parts of the city could buy density rights in the upper watershed and sell or use those rights elsewhere in the city.

TRAILS: With a robust public trail system and popular informal trails that often cross private property, how can you help us remain welcoming to hikers without losing quality of life for our residents?

Rodriguez: I would support more robust public education and signage informing hikers they were on a trail made possible by private property owners. I would also support more frequent patrolling of the trails by park rangers and regular maintenance by city parks crews. I would also try to formalize the arrangements with the private landowners so it was clear what they could expect from the city when they were confronted with any problem related to the trail and to set use standards, limitations and periodic consultations.

WATER: How would you maximize environmental and public benefit from the Two Mile Pond complex without sacrificing downstream water users or the acequias? Will you support restoring a pond ecosystem fed by Living River water, by dredging, or other means?

Rodriguez: I would support restoring the historic pond, including critical dredging, by diverting the current path of the Living River and providing the means for traditional scheduled acequia draws for irrigation. I would also support contracting with a capable local non-profit organization to control, maintain and promote the pond to the public and ensure it is never overburdened.

OTHER: What else can you do as Mayor to help preserve and improve life in the Canyon?

Rodriguez: I would offer the same I’m offering the rest of the city: much better basic services. That means reliable garbage and recycling collection, well-maintained roads and public spaces, and a stronger sense of safety. But for the Canyon specifically, I would make sure those services are delivered in a way that respects the unique character of the area — from protecting its natural beauty and open space, to ensuring that emergency response times are fast and effective given its geography. Preserving quality of life in the Canyon is about the basics done right, with the added commitment to protect the landscapes and community that make it so special.