City Council District One Candidate Questionnaire: Mariela Salgado

What is your background and how does it inform your decision to run for election?

In 2019, I ran for City Council and experienced first-hand the process by which political insiders pick a candidate. City Hall insiders chose a candidate and spent over $200,000 of special interest money to win that election. By contrast, I raised over $20,000 through the help of family, friends, neighbors, small businesses, and kind individuals who supported my campaign. The result: I lost by 163 votes.

I’m running for City Council because we need public servants not politicians. I’m a dreamer before there were dreamers and earned the right to vote in 2012.  I’m a proud mother of two daughters, a small business owner with a Master’s in business administration and vice chair of our Parks and Recreation Commission. I serve on a number of boards and am of service to this city because I believe in service and the power of education: How we make decisions, how we invest, and how we uplift.

For far too long this district has been historically underserved and why I ran for office two years ago. The inaction by our First District council office and lack of an independent voice in City Hall have let our needs fall by the wayside.  Having been a resident of this district for over a decade, I know first-hand the economic, safety and quality of life issues impacting us.   Our community deserves a Councilmember who will work for them.  We need a leader who will serve the residents of this district and why I’m supported by our neighborhood leaders not special interests because I’ve been part of the work serving our City and children. 

I am an independent leader and problem solver who will move Long Beach forward. My  broad network and experience provide a unique perspective to move Long Beach forward. Despite the pandemic challenges, I have been an active member of the community and support our most vulnerable and why I have the support of the community and neighborhood leaders across the First District.  I am an independent leader who is focused on stabilization and recovery in a post-pandemic economy.  We need a voice on Council who will lead and be in community not bought by special interests.  It’s time to restore public trust in City government.

According to the city’s latest Housing Element, the City Council could take up the issue of creating a rent stabilization ordinance next year. What are your thoughts on a citywide rent stabilization ordinance in Long Beach?

During my entire childhood, we rented and very seldom moved – as I grew older, I understood why. The rents were cheaper in old-er properties and my parents couldn’t afford much with 4 children. Six of us lived in a 1-bedroom apartment.  It was small but we called it home.  As I grew older, my parents finally moved into an apartment on their own and we thought they’d live the rest of their years there except the Los Angeles ordinance allowed the rents to consistently increase up to 8%.  For my parents, it increased by 7% year over year. 

Eventually the rent increases surpassed their fixed income – and after 10 years they could no longer afford the $1700+ rent. They were priced out of a neighborhood my mother called home for over 30 years.  From a property owner’s standpoint, when the market restricts their investment, they’ll sell and for our city, it removes old housing stock to current market value. 

What does this mean for renters?  Simple math. Higher rents. As a small business owner, we deal with many property owners and management companies and have learned the unintended consequences of these types of policies. As a city we want to maintain small property owners and disincentivize corporate buy-outs.  Instead we should be looking to incentivize affordable housing options, leverage city/LBUSD property assets to repurpose or purchase to convert to townhomes and condos and add to the housing stock.  We need to build more resilient households – pathways to home ownership are key and allow first-time homebuyers to enter the market. 

Would you support the creation of a citywide rental data registry that would require landlords to report lengths of tenancies, rent amounts collected, and whenever they begin, alter, or end a tenancy?

No.

These items are of utmost importance and don’t believe a yes or no encompasses the nuisances of each item and impact to our communities. While I may have answered each question, please note I intend to make an informed decision not pushed by special interest to serve the people of the First District and Long Beach.

Tenants rights advocates across the country have called for a codified right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction and have been successful in San Francisco and New York. Would you support a right to counsel ordinance in Long Beach?

Yes.

These items are of utmost importance and don’t believe a yes or no encompasses the nuisances of each item and impact to our communities. While I may have answered each question, please note I intend to make an informed decision not pushed by special interest to serve the people of the First District and Long Beach.

Is housing a human right?

Yes.

These items are of utmost importance and don’t believe a yes or no encompasses the nuisances of each item and impact to our communities. While I may have answered each question, please note I intend to make an informed decision not pushed by special interest to serve the people of the First District and Long Beach.

Tell us about an approach, policy, or program that has been successfully implemented in another city to reduce homelessness that you would like to introduce in Long Beach.

In business, we test the customer experience to address service gaps, build efficiencies etc — but how often have we (City) tested the process by which someone experiencing homelessness receives our services? Is it disjointed, are there service gaps and duplicative services?  We have to (be) willing to ask the tough questions and change direction to address the needs of this population. 

Separately, we often talk about transitional housing and housing with wrap-around services but what about increasing the amount of permanent housing through developing new properties, renovating old buildings, and giving landlords incentives to accept rental vouchers like a master lease with the city and not the individual.  This removes liability for the owner and adds permanent housing for individuals. I believe homeless systems can remain successful only if they get continual financial investment, regular data analysis and ongoing coordination among stakeholders.

With NEW and independent leadership, we have the opportunity to find creative solutions and monitor our efforts consistently.    

As part of a plan for all new buildings to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, the Los Angeles City Council is considering a proposal to bar all new commercial and residential construction projects from including gas line hookups in favor of all-electric appliances. Would you support a similar undertaking in Long Beach? Editors’ Note: Since the asking of this question, the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of banning most gas appliances in new construction. 

Yes.

A recently drafted city memo proposes to end oil drilling in Long Beach by 2035, when local oil fields will no longer be financially viable. Should the city end oil drilling operations before 2035?

Yes.

Have you taken campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry and, if so, do you plan to continue taking contributions from that sector?

No.

The Long Beach Police Department currently employs approximately 800 sworn police officers. Do you think the current number of sworn police officers should:

Stay the same.

A city-hired consultant recently recommended changes to the Citizen Police Complaint Commission that would create an inspector general position to investigate the LBPD. However, the inspector general could only investigate police shootings, in-custody deaths, and complaints against command staff with the approval of the City Manager. Past commissioners and community members have argued that the CPCC’s current subordination to the City Manager has rendered it toothless. Would you be in favor of an Inspector General position with the unfettered authority to investigate officer misconduct and use-of-force?

Yes.

Please explain what changes, if any, you would like to see implemented to better hold LBPD officers accountable for misconduct and/or excessive force?

First and foremost, I think our officers need more training.  We need more trained and diverse officers in the community.  Secondly, as a small business owner, I’m responsible (for paying) for countless types of insurance to protect our assets and reduce our liability  – I think there is an opportunity to change the way we protect our taxpayers while also holding our officers to the highest standards of service. The city pays insurance to protect itself from these misconduct claims, but I’d like to see, similar to doctors, for insurance rates to be tied to the individual. This places ownership on the individual ensuring that like doctors, they go above and beyond to err on the side of caution and two, educate themselves to serve the community better.  

Long Beach has been working to implement an alternate crisis response (ACR) program that dispatches mental health professionals instead of police officers to calls for service related to mental health crises. Would you support expanding the criteria for the ACR to divert calls away from LBPD beyond mental health crises? If so, which types of calls for service?

I’d have to see the data before deciding to ensure we are meeting the needs of the community and secondly if it’s also safe for our mental health professionals to expand criteria.

The city’s Technology and Innovation Commission recently issued a full-throated recommendation to put a citywide moratorium on the use of Facial Recognition Technology until privacy and civil rights safeguards are put in place. Do you agree with this recommendation?

Yes.

Have you taken campaign donations from the Long Beach Police Officers Association and, if so, do you plan to continue taking their contributions? 

No.

According to county data, accidental overdose deaths have spiked over the pandemic, especially in Long Beach. Harm reduction has become a key public health intervention in preventing overdose deaths and cities like New York and San Francisco have opened safe consumption sites to address the problem. Should Long Beach open a safe consumption site?

No.

Several cities have decriminalized psilocybin mushrooms, otherwise known as ‘magic mushrooms,’ including Detroit, Santa Cruz, and Oakland. What are your thoughts on decriminalizing magic mushrooms in Long Beach?

I am not versed on this item enough to take a stance yet. 

Long Beach’s minimum wage is currently $14 an hour for businesses with 25 or fewer employees and $15 an hour for all other businesses. Los Angeles’s minimum wage, which increases annually based on the Consumer Price Index, will rise to $16.04 in July. Should Long Beach adopt an annual minimum wage increase to keep pace with cost of living?

Yes.

Fare collections accounted for 12-15% of Long Beach Transit’s operating revenue pre-pandemic, totaling roughly $14.8 million. Should Long Beach consider investing more funds into LBT in order to transition it to a fare-free transit system?

No.

Seeing as councilmembers are only employed part time, what would be your other area(s) of employment if (re)elected?

Small Business Owner.