Candidate profile: Dave Shaw running for Yuba City City Council

Oct. 5—Editor's note: One in a series.

Leading up to the Nov. 8 general election, the Appeal-Democrat will be running a series of candidate profiles that will allow each person running for a significant contested office in the Yuba-Sutter area the chance to either introduce themselves to the voting public or remind those who they are and where they stand.

The Appeal-Democrat sent five simple questions to candidates. Each candidate who is running has been given the opportunity to respond. Profiles will run in the Appeal in the order in which they are received.

The following are answers provided by Yuba City Mayor Dave Shaw, who is running for the Yuba City City Council District 1 seat. Shaw is facing off against Brendon Messina.

Both Shaw and Messina recently took part in a candidate forum hosted by the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Appeal-Democrat. The video of that forum is available on both the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce and Appeal-Democrat Facebook pages.

Q: What is your vision for the future of Yuba City?

A: A community that has solid financial stability that can meet the needs of those who call our city home. Quality of life is at the center of everything we do here and without a solid financial balance sheet, our quality of life will suffer.

Our residents continue to want more amenities and certain businesses to join our community. Yuba City has begun this transition from where we were just four short years ago with no growth, no jobs, and a degrading quality of life to today where the city is beginning to thrive.

We have upgraded existing parks and a new one is being built. Likewise, we have new businesses opening which brings jobs and commerce to our city.

The word balance is top of mind as we must have a balanced approach to everything we do. Thinking not only about the few, but rather about how our decisions will affect all 72,000+ residents that call Yuba City home.

And at the end of the day, we must do this in such a manner that we balance the relationship between agriculture and the city. Both need each other to thrive as we are the economic center of Sutter County.

Q: How have you helped address the homelessness issue in Yuba City?

A: While on the city council, we have dramatically increased the amount of general fund money that goes towards the homelessness issue that faces us as a community. These would include spending more than $1 million from the current year general fund.

These resources have been highlighted by the addition of two police officers that are dedicated to helping the homeless people of our community, supporting the county monetarily in a better way, seeking partnerships to address the issue, and listening to our residents and businesses who are faced with this every day.

Most recently we set aside $100,000 to help local businesses clean up from the problems that face them. I have met with local leaders and nonprofits to see what can be done together. Likewise, I have held several meetings with the local church community to see how we can support each other. This is a community issue, and we cannot police, nor policy our way through it to resolve it.

It will take the entire community coming together. During the last few months, the county proposed an overnight parking facility at the Kmart building. The city's role was purely supportive with finances and logistics. When the community had concerns, I requested the pause button be hit and asked for a community panel to work through this issue and propose a solution.

While this was a county issue, the city took the lead in reaching out to the community. I started my year as mayor continuing to focus on key strategic partnerships and I have been working to continually build those for the past three and a half years.

In short nearly everything I have done during my time as a member of the council has had an effect or been affected by the homelessness issue.

Q: What can the city do to spur more economic development?

A: The city started this journey three and a half years ago.

We first had to change the red tape process that stalled development. The city learned to be open for business to all customers both residents and businesses. The second part is we must now be open to business and discover how to spark development and not hinder it.

How do we turn a no into a yes. We have already made significant policy changes that have resulted in increased residential housing developments and new businesses opening in our community.

We have been working on the infrastructure of the city from the general and specific plans to high-speed internet throughout the city. Infrastructure is at the core of the future development of our city.

I currently serve on the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC) and I have been working with my colleague who serves on the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) and these agencies to draw up a plan of how we strategically develop our area. These two agencies are key in bringing these types of industries and businesses to our area and what it takes to be successful.

It is key strategic partnerships like these that help us be successful. We are at a crossroads of becoming a city that is thriving in order to be able to attract the amenities that our residents want or watch higher paying jobs go to other communities. The actions taken over the three years have placed Yuba City back on the right path and our best years are still ahead.

Q: How have you helped address the lack of affordable housing and/or housing in general for Yuba City?

A: The one word that is not currently associated with housing is affordable. This is not a local problem, but rather a nationwide problem.

During my time on the council, we have adjusted policies and fees that we control to make housing as affordable as possible in our city. We have land set aside in our general and specific plans that are to be used for affordable housing.

Yet, due to the rising costs of materials and general inflation, many of these sites have yet to be developed. We have partnered with local agencies such as Habitat for Humanity and are currently working on the possibility of affordable senior housing coming soon to our city.

I recently have requested that we look at an incentive program using part of our general fund money to get the developers to build the affordable senior housing as I feel that they are our most vulnerable group in our city right now due to the economic pressure being placed upon them.

The answer is not in jumping on the latest program being pushed by the state of California as many of those come with a vast number of conditions that could hurt the 72,000+ people who call Yuba City home. The one factor that would help us as a city develop more affordable housing would be increased local control of our own city. The state of California has continually attempted to take away our voice in how we address the quality of life of our residents. We have voiced our opinion, taken the fight for local to them, and will continue to do so.

Q: Why should voters choose you for the city council?

A: I am a local business owner who brings over thirty years of experience to the table with an expertise in finance.

My family and I have been deeply involved in our community far longer than I have been in office. That involvement has been from serving on local boards of schools and nonprofits to donating back tens of thousands of dollars to causes such as the food bank, K-9 association, schools, and many more.

I am an Air Force veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm who grew up on a farm and understands the real meaning of hard work and dedication. I will continue to give back to our community with 100% of the council salary going to various local nonprofits and agencies during my next and final term as a member of the city council. I seek re-election for one simple reason, I feel I have more to offer the residents of Yuba City to continue the path of the city to one of a thriving community everyone wants to call home.