Meet the candidates: Barstow City Council District 1, Carmen Hernandez vs. Martha O’Brien

Charlie McGee, Victorville Daily Press
·10 min read
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Two of the five seats on Barstow’s City Council are up for election on the Nov. 8 ballot, with early voting having already begun. The race for District 1 pits Barstow Community College trustee Carmen Hernandez, a former councilwoman who’s spent decades in local government and activism, against Martha O’Brien, a licensed marriage and family therapist who runs a local private practice called Barstow Psychotherapy.

Both candidates are vying for the seat held by Councilman Tim Silva, who plans to end his stint as an elected Barstow official at 16 years. Hernandez and O’Brien also ran on the 2020 ballot in a tight three-way race for District 4 that saw current Councilwoman Marilyn Dyer-Kruse win her first term with 37% of the vote, edging out then-incumbent Hernandez at 36% and O’Brien at 27%.

Hernandez is running on a pitch of transparency, accountability, and wisdom built by decades in which she and her husband, Mike Hernandez, have become known as the locals who never miss a City Hall meeting.

O’Brien has focused largely on a pitch to meet demands for higher pay from the Barstow Fire union, which has endorsed her, and describes herself in Facebook posts as a “pro-business candidate” and “fiscal conservative,” recently featuring in a “California Tax Reduction Committee Newsletter” with Republican U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte and State Assemblyman Smitty Smith.

The Daily Press asked each candidate for their perspective on a few points of interest to local parents, students, and residents more broadly. Below are Hernandez’s responses, with minor edits in the name of length. O’Brien didn’t acknowledge multiple requests for comment. In lieu of a response, excerpts of a campaign speech she read at a City Council meeting in September are used to respond to the first question.

  • Daily Press: Please explain your philosophy on the job of a Barstow City Council member and the relationship that should exist between the Council, city staff, and the general public. Why are you the best candidate to fulfill this role?

Carmen Hernandez: “The role of a council member is to serve the public with accountability, transparency, and integrity. Council members need to explain to the community their actions and, listen to their concerns, respond to the public’s questions. There should be mutual respect and a positive working relationship with fellow council members, staff, and the public. Council members need to set aside their differences and work as a team for the betterment of Barstow.

I am the best candidate to fulfill the role because I have the experience, knowledge, commitment, and integrity. I have no learning curve; I know how government works and currently serve as a Trustee at Barstow Community College. I served eight years as a Council Member, seven years as a Barstow Planning Commissioner, 10 years as a Board Member of Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino, 34 year County Employee, and 40-year business owner. Desert Manna Board Member, 42 years as Community Activist and continue to attend council meetings to voice the public’s concerns.”

Martha O’Brien [speaking at a Sept. 19 City Council meeting]: “As a counselor and psychotherapist to our men and women in military facing PTSD issues, I have devoted my life to make certain that they know they are not alone and that we can work through any challenge. […] I counsel families every day that are struggling throughout our community […] through problems of addictions, poverty, and mental health issues. If elected[,] I will challenge us to unite as a Council and as a community to find the common ground needed to solve our city’s problems [and] put aside our personal differences.

I am proud to announce that I have been officially supported by our Barstow firefighters, and tonight I stand with them and with our police department to ask this Council to ensure our tax dollars are prioritized to support public safety. […] They need our support, not empty promises. Over 10 years ago, my husband passed away, leaving me a single mom to raise my family. I knew then that I had to find the strength and the courage to guide my family, not giving up or giving in to roadblocks ahead. To our firefighters, our police officers, our dispatchers, and the many employees of this city, you’re not alone. […] Over the last two election cycles, the voters have spoken. They demanded change. They demanded the ability for more elected officials to move us into future. Not be stuck in the past.”

Hernandez: “The city’s approach has been fair in regards to legalizing commercial cannabis. Meetings were held regarding the ordinance for public input, and the Council voted to legalize cannabis. A process was established, and applications taken and processed. At present, six applications have been processed, and five are awaiting state approval. Only one has completed the state process and is operating in Barstow in our green zone. It is not possible to know at present if it is positive for Barstow as a whole because no assessment or report has been made. One business does not reflect how the cannabis business impacts Barstow.”

  • DP: Explain what your priorities for the Council would be in relation to BNSF’s Barstow International Gateway Project. With years of construction, land deals, and economic change tied to the project, how should Barstow balance growth with the interests of its current residents?

Hernandez: “First, we have established a collaborative relationship with BNSF, which has been an ongoing process since the city was made aware of the project years ago. The railroad has been buying land for quite some time, so many residents in the area of the project were aware. , We as a Council will need to be informed as to the five-year project plan, and the priorities will be to have input from stakeholders and have a network of resources in place. For example, permits needed, zoning changes, [and] mitigations to lessen impact on the community.

We need to jointly form a game plan regarding each other’s needs and have public meetings as the project develops to deal with issues and resolve problems. The need for employee training can be a collaborative project with our local Barstow Community College. We have a record of success with the railroad with the Hump Yard already and our intermodal. Keeping the public informed and being proactive will balance the interest of current residents. Barstow has the jobs, and the High Desert has supplied the labor force.”

Hernandez: “Measure Q was a general tax passed with the intent of hoping to bring stability to our Barstow Fire District and provide added revenue for police, public works, parks, youth programs, and seniors. The majority of the revenue is for public safety. How funds are spent has not been transparent because of the method our [interim] Finance Director [Marc Puckett] uses.

I fought as a council member to establish a Measure Q oversight committee to meet quarterly to ensure the public was informed, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Misinformation has created issues as to who is entitled to the funds. Regarding the criticisms by fire personnel, the last Council worked with the firefighters when their paychecks were cut due to pension obligations to restore the income they had lost. The last Council of whom I was a part worked with the Fire District to put Measure J on the ballot to increase the tax for the benefit of stabilizing the district, but it failed. Our Mayor [Paul Courtney] campaigned against Measure J.

Next, I worked as part of the prior Council with the firefighters to put Measure Q on the ballot, which passed. Our Mayor campaigned against Measure Q. There are currently opposing sides regarding the fire district. The public rumor is some want the county to take over for ulterior motives, but the community wants local control. No one is considering the consequences to our community.”

Hernandez: “I agree with the critiques. City officials have not been transparent as to the cause of the hefty legal fees due to lawsuits by prior employees and how it affects our liability and insurance rate. Has this placed the City of Barstow at financial risk?

Regarding the subsidy of $2.4 million in the future to the Marriott, it had been requested by the developer to prior Council and had been rejected. The City had not given any other hotel a subsidy. Facts of this project are that both the developer and city officials misrepresented the facts. Verification is available that shows the developer, Mr. Patel obtained funding for his project on 5/7/21 […] Why was the subsidy placed on the consent calendar on the 5/17/21 agenda? […] Why were council members not informed that the project had already been approved by the City?

I agree that the city was not transparent in informing property owners of their intent to impose mandatory rental inspections. The Council passed the ordinance without input. They went ahead and created a requirement without explaining the need and expected the fee to pay for the work. Property owners repeatedly objected and finally had a meeting. I asked the city to inform the property owners beforehand, to no avail. Landlord/Tenants Rights exist to deal with some of the justification after the fact the city stated. Who wins here? The landlord that follows the rules and yet has to pay, the renter with no complaints whose rent will increase, or the city that doesn’t have the staff? It’s a no-win situation.”

Hernandez: “I feel the City could do more. It should have passed a resolution in support of the residents’ complaints and sent it to all relevant agencies involved in overseeing Synagro. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and Mojave [Desert] Air Quality [Management District] should have received our formal complaints. This is a problem that started back in 2006 when Nursery Products purchased the land to create a composting facility in Hinkley, just after the PG&E fiasco. The company originally was in Adelanto and were sued and settled in 2005 and closed its facility there. They tried Newberry Springs but were rejected. Norman Diaz of Hinkley and the residents fought to prevent what is happening today. I was part of that protest group. Unfortunately, the San Bernardino Co. Board approved Nursery Products while Bill Postmus was chair. We fought for the facility to be covered as South Coast Air Quality [Management District] requires to no avail. Today‘s health issues could have been avoided. […] There has been negligence by all parties involved. We as a city still have the opportunity to defend our air quality.”

Charlie McGee covers California’s High Desert for the Daily Press, focusing on the city of Barstow and its surrounding communities. He is also a Report for America corps member with The GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and worldwide. McGee may be reached at 760-955-5341 or cmcgee@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @bycharliemcgee.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Meet the candidates: Barstow City Council, Hernandez vs. O’Brien