Espindola, Boomgaarden to run again for Yuba City council

Jul. 30—After Yuba City Mayor Dave Shaw recently announced his desire to seek a second and final term on the city council, two other current members of the council announced their efforts to seek another term in the upcoming Nov. 8 general election.

Current at-large councilmembers Grace Espindola and Marc Boomgaarden said they will both be seeking to represent the districts in which they reside. After officially making the transition to district-based voting from at-large elections earlier this year, this is the first time current councilmembers will be vying for seats on the council with the newly drawn districts.

With the established districts, Shaw resides in District 1. Councilmembers Boomgaarden and Shon Harris reside in District 2. Espindola resides in District 3 and Vice Mayor Wade Kirchner resides in District 4. No current councilmember resides in District 5.

As a result of the change, District 1, District 2 and District 3 representatives will be decided in November for their respective council seats, the Appeal previously reported. District 4 and District 5 elections will occur in 2024.

Because councilmembers are elected to four-year terms, both Kirchner and Harris will remain at-large councilmembers until 2024. District 4 and 5 will still be represented by Kirchner and Harris because of their at-large status.

Espindola, who said she started her career in Sutter County 28 years ago, said her focus remains the creation of a "safe, sustainable civic environment that supports individuals, families, businesses, and the community."

After legally immigrating to the U.S. at two years old, Espindola said she began working at the age of 12 in the "orchards of Colusa County." From there, she worked in various places as a fast-food worker, waitress, dishwasher, housekeeper, clerk, secretary, counselor and others. She said she has experience in fields such as retail, insurance, and home health.

With a bachelor's degree in business administration and management from the University of Phoenix and a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California, Espindola said she attributed her achievements to her parents who "set her on a path to success by prioritizing education, perseverance, and hard work."

Espindola was named Congressman John Garamendi's District 3 Woman of the Year in 2015 and was awarded the President award for 2007/08 and 2011/12, and the Outstanding Leadership Award in 2013/14 from the California Association of Supervisors Child Welfare & Attendance. The city of Yuba City recognized her in 2015 with the Exemplary Community Service Award.

Along with her current duties on the Yuba City City Council, Espindola is the CEO and principal owner of Espindola Management Group, a "leading innovative and highly experienced consulting group." With more than 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors, Espindola also is a founding member of the Sutter-Yuba Homeless Consortium.

She said she has been "working with community leaders to develop solutions to the detrimental homeless crisis facing Yuba City and Sutter County." As part of those efforts, Espindola said she supported the establishment of the Better Way homeless shelter, which she said has helped more than 100 individuals find permanent housing, and Harmony Village, a 62-unit affordable housing project south of Yuba City.

"I understand that not all are ready to accept help, though, which is why I support that Yuba City has now assigned police officers to be homeless liaisons full-time," Espindola said in a statement.

With an ongoing drought and extreme heat concerns gripping the state and nation, Espindola also has made the management of water supplies a top priority. She served as the vice-chair on the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency board, "which brought 200-year flood protection to Yuba City, reducing the overall flood risk to your home or business."

Espindola said she supports the "construction of the Sites Reservoir, which will divert and store excess water from the Sacramento River for use during a drought."

In order for Yuba City to assure residents that it has enough water during a drought, Espindola said she helped the city acquire a $6.3 million grant to achieve that goal and build an underground water storage system by 2023.

"Moreover, as a longtime local resident, I uniquely understand the wonderful community we all live in," Espindola said. "Through reaching out to our community, I have developed my core commitments: community engagement and safety; economic prosperity; and water, infrastructure and agriculture. Serving together is the value that drives these commitments. I will be a leader who is accountable, accessible, works hard, a compassionate listener, has strong integrity, and advocates on your behalf."

Yuba City Clerk Administrator Ciara Wakefield said on Tuesday that Michael Pasquale has already pulled papers to run against Espindola in the District 3 race. In 2020, Pasquale lost in a bid for the Yuba Community College Trustee Area 4 position.

Boomgaarden to run

Much like Mayor Shaw, retired fire chief and current Yuba City Councilmember Boomgaarden said he is seeking a second and final term on the council in his effort to represent District 2.

Previously, Boomgaarden said he served for more than 30 years as a Yuba City firefighter, including 14 years as the city's fire chief. Later, he went on to work for Valley Truck & Tractor, having retired as president earlier this year.

"I believe in hard work, honesty, American values and giving back to our community," Boomgaarden said in a statement. "Those values led me to a life of service — as a firefighter, fire chief, businessman and community volunteer. It has been a true honor to currently serve as your representative on the city council. It's not about politics or money — as I promised, I have donated 100% of my pay to local charities."

Boomgaarden said he's a longtime resident of the newly drawn District 2 in the northwest area of Yuba City. A map of the districts can be found on the city's website, https://www.yubacity.net.

"I have lived within the district for 40 years and have seen it grow into a vibrant commercial and residential area for the city," Boomgaarden said. "If elected, I will continue to actively represent the residents of District 2 as well as those residing in the four other districts within the city."

Boomgaarden said during his time on the council, he has worked with other councilmembers and city staff to stay focused on issues such as "completing long-overdue road projects, implementing ordinances to address vagrants and squatters," and implementing upgrades to city parks, the construction of a new park, and "maintaining and enhancing staffing of the city's police and fire departments. He said he has helped create a more "business-friendly environment" for the city.

"One can look at the new housing developments popping up and new businesses opening within Yuba City as positive results of the city's actions towards bringing much needed housing and business growth here," Boomgaarden said.

He said he would like to continue efforts by the city to retain and grow existing businesses while continuing to attract more to the city.

"I am the recently retired president of our region's largest ag business," Boomgaarden said. "I will continue to make sure the city operates more like a business, and make it easier to start, build and run a business. Businesses create the jobs that help people build better lives."

Boomgaarden said he has a bachelor's and master's degree in public administration and currently represents Yuba City on numerous local, regional and statewide boards and commissions. He said he is currently a board member for Early Risers Kiwanis and Yuba-Sutter Trauma Intervention.

"This is our city — yours and mine, so I will always be accessible and respectful," Boomgaarden said. "You can contact me anytime at 530-701-9163. I would be honored to serve a second, final term as your Yuba City representative."