Three La Habra council members are looking to win a return to the dais over three challengers.
Rose Espinoza, Daren Nigsarian and Carrie Surich are facing challenges from Michelle Bernier, Delwin “Del” Lampkin and Susan M. Pritchard for the City Council.
Bernier, a small business owner, has been a member of the city’s Planning Commission and touted her role in the “successful approval of an inclusionary housing ordinance in 2021” when asked by the newspaper’s voter guide about meeting demands and mandates for housing.
A big need she sees in the city, she said, is helping families struggling to secure housing in town and providing options for single women and families “who might feel a general population shelter isn’t the safest option for them.” She said she would also like to see the city building on the existing framework of its climate action plan and “foster a more sustainable community.”
“I prioritize empathy, inclusivity and effective communication,” she said, “ensuring that every decision I make is well-informed and community-centered.”
Espinoza, who grew up in town, was first elected to the City Council in 2000.
“As a lifelong resident of La Habra, I’ve never felt a reason to leave this city that is often described as a city with a small-town feeling,” she said in her candidate statement for the ballot. She’s also known for creating Rosie’s Garage, the afterschool tutor program that grew from her garage.
Espinoza touts the recreational opportunities, theater, concerts and other activities for the community the city offers and the development that has happened in the years she’s been on council, such as the stores and restaurants that have opened at Westridge Plaza, and attracting businesses such as the CVS Distribution Center, Costco and a Trader Joe’s.
“Housing stock is growing and homeless issues are staying steady in La Habra,” she added in her campaign statement.
Lampkin, a deputy sheriff, said he wants to be a leader who empowers people, “fostering collaboration, creating a shared vision for the future and conveying a message that those I inspire can too someday become a council member.”
He called, in response to the voter guide question about the big needs in town, for more transparency and specifics in city spending as the city asks residents to approve a half-cent increase to the local sales tax.
“As I continue to learn more about the internal processes of the La Habra city government, I will seek alternative sources of revenue in the form of use fees and investment of building city-owned amenities, such as marquee boards that allow businesses to advertise at a cost,” he said, adding renegotiating contracts, implementing energy-saving initiatives and looking to consolidate serves with other municipalities are other opportunities in response to a question about helping the city’s financial stability.
Nigsarian, a retired sheriff’s deputy and a former planning commissioner, was appointed to the council in February 2022. He then won that November. He raised in his voter guide response a concern about “rampant redevelopment” and its impacts on the community’s character.
“Although our housing element is compliant with state law, we must carefully manage the impacts of new redevelopment,” he said, also warning of the need to address aging infrastructure, “where some water mains are 100 years old.”
He also talked about the “extra step” the city took with the addition of an affordable housing ordinance to include lower-cost options in developments of 10 or more units. Traffic mitigation with new development will need to remain a priority, he said.
Pritchard has served on the La Habra City School District board and spent more than 30 teaching science in town.
She raised a concern about the cost of lawsuits the city is fighting when asked in the voter guide about big needs in town. “These costly legal entanglements need to be resolved,” she said.
To further help with financial stability, she said the city could consider legalizing safe and sane fireworks sales, and “other possibilities to explore could include cannabis storefronts, safely located away from schools, and strategically placed mixed zoning, combining living units with commercial storefronts to spur economic development,” she said.
She said businesses should have an “understanding and supportive City Council, a council that keeps all chains of communication open and cooperatively linked.”
Surich was appointed to the council in April and previously served on the planning and community services commissions.
She said in her campaign statement for the ballot that priorities for her will include supporting public safety, expanding open space and park options and working “to promote and attract quality businesses.”
“La Habra deserves every voice at City Hall that stands against rampant redevelopment, protects public safety and finds solutions for the unhoused,” she said. “Together, we can fight increasing traffic, stand for local control and protect our quality of life.”