Jim Katapodis' Position on Huntington Beach Issues

By Jim Katapodis

See Jim's position on pension reform, new Senior Center, the Downtown, Poseidon, Bolsa Chica, City Charter changes, and others.

Downtown Bars - City Council should closely monitor the downtown bar scene. While I am not opposed to restaurants serving alcohol, I would think twice before approving new alcohol licenses in the downtown area.

Downtown Development - I am a strong advocate for managed growth and support the Beach Edinger Corridor Project and Pacific City.

Poseidon Desalination Plant - I initially supported the Desalination Plant on the premise that it will create much needed jobs and will provide a reliable source of water to Huntington Beach and the Orange County. However, after further study of the technology currently proposed by Poseidon, a more up-to-date technology should be put on the drawing board that is both environment-friendly and more cost-effective. The negative impacts far outweigh the positives in its current form.

Beach-Edinger Corridors - I support improvement of these two vital corridors specially when jobs are few and the City is threatened with budget cuts and layoffs. The new businesses in these corridors will offer new employment opportunities and boost tax revenues to fund City core services without raising taxes.

City Infrastructure - I will work hard to ensure that critical upgrades and improvements are made to our infrastructure. We should be proactive rather than reactive in this area.

Mobile Home Park Conversions - The 2004 Ordinance provides for a sensitive relocation of residents affected by mobile home park closures and conversions. In partnership with the residents of mobile home communities, I will work hard to ensure they are treated fairly by park owners, and afforded remedies in a timely manner.

Bolsa Chica - The Bolsa Chica Wetlands is a tremendous natural asset to our City. The City should work in partnership with state and local agencies to protect the wetlands from pollution, sensitive habitat degradation, and damage by humans. I will ensure that any proposed development will not have a negative impact on the protected Bolsa Chica areas.

Pensions - Pension Reform is a must for the City's employees. All public employees should pay their fair share of their pension contribution. Constitutionally, we cannot rescind commitments to current public employees who have paid into the pension system. However, HB citizens cannot continue providing these type of pensions to its newly-hired employees without raising taxes and fees. We need to look at other government pension options such as the two-tier system for new-hires, thus avoiding further burdens on the taxpayer. However, Measure Z should not be confused with pension reform, and is not the fiscally-responsible way of addressing this issue.