CARLSBAD — Once again, residents packed the house on Oct. 8 to watch and listen during the final stretch for the highly contested mayor’s race between incumbent Matt Hall and Councilwoman Cori Schumacher.
This marked the third large-scale public forum or debate between the two, which was hosted by the Carlsbad Police Officers Association. The finale will be from 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 23 at Pacific Ridge School, 6269 El Fuerte.
But during Monday’s forum, Hall and Schumacher laid out their visions for the city.
Schumacher made clear her desire to invest and cultivate green and clean technology as a method to supplement revenue instead of relying on developer fees. She noted since the city is close to build out, another source of revenue must be found, as green energy and battery storage can provide big money.
“Carlsbad has the opportunity to be a leader,” she said.
Hall, meanwhile, said the success of the city has been due to the 1986 Growth Management Plan, as voted on by residents, and the 1988 General Plan, both of which he worked on prior to his election to the City Council in 1994. He said developers, not residents, have paid for the infrastructure and amenities for the city, adding the future of the city has been well planned and financed.
“The city is successful because of that plan,” Hall said. “Carlsbad has never been stronger.”
But being a forum hosted by the police union, the candidates were asked about their commitment to public safety, staff recruitment and retention and California Assembly Bill 931 (use of force).
Hall said he will continue to provide competitive pay, benefits, training and technology to the Carlsbad Police Department. Public safety, he said, is his top priority, noting the city is the “sixth or seventh” city of its size in the U.S., depending on the survey. Buisnessinsider.com recently ranked Carlsbad the sixth-safest city in the country.
Schumacher, though, said increasing staff is important, despite claims the department didn’t need more personnel, adding in the last budget cycle five positions were added.
Hall said the police department has been given more tools, such as the license plate readers, to combat crime. He noted the city’s pay and benefits perks as some of the best in the county, which leads to retention.
Schumacher said housing is an issue for officers and police department staff along with the 2010 passage of Proposition G, a reform requiring a public vote on city pension increases, being a challenge. In addition, she said it is critical to retain officers since it costs about $200,000 to train them.
Both candidates, meanwhile, do not support AB 931, which limits the use of deadly force, among other actions for an office in a dire situation.
Hall said it is hard to understand why officers are restricted from making life-or-death decisions in a span of two seconds.
“I have full faith in each and every one to have the right to do their job,” he said.
Schumacher said the law was a result of poor thinking driven by politics in Sacramento.
“Proactive policing is the best way to deter crime,” she said.
17 comments
Also interesting to note is that Hall backs Busta. Try searching San Diego Superior Court records for “Corrine Sale” which is Busta’s name from her first marriage then tell us why we should trust her to handle our money. Ironic when one considers that the primary attack levied against Cori is that she doesn’t know how to handle money.
Want to know where Cori stands on the issues? Attend one of the remaining forums or go here:
https://www.coriforcarlsbad.com/issues
DON’T listen to the liars…Arnie, Larry, Brian aka Matt Hall’s 3 Stooges. Actually there are many more stooges out there peddling their lies, but these get top billing.
I dare anyone to do the following:
1. Read through all of Hall’s Financial Campaign Disclosures listing the names of all his donors
2. Read through the Rotary Club/Hi-Noon Rotary membership/officer list both current and past
3. Read through the list of all Planning Commissioners both current and past
4. Read through the list of all Hall’s supporters and those who post on social media
THEN, explain to me if you think what you see is just a coincidence.
Carlsbad Rocks, you couldn’t be more wrong. Cori has done nothing since she started but try to bring people together. She is consistently inclusive, patient, and willing to listen to all sides. She has endured attacks upon her based on false and misleading (and sometimes just plain incorrect) information yet has remained positive in her attitude. Hall, on the other hand, has made it clear that he only speaks for those who already agree with him and has no interest in listening to anyone else. Have you ever attended a city council meeting? His disdain for those who dare oppose him is patently obvious. His followers similarly display an arrogance as if to say, “How dare you challenge us? We’ve run this city for the last 50 years and no one is going to stop us. We know best.” Frankly, this attitude is what is divisive. And the fact that Hall takes his marching orders from the SD County Republican machine doesn’t help. It’s ridiculous that people such as Michael Schumacher, appointed by Hall, claim on their filings that they are “non-partisan” when they are so partisan that they wouldn’t even consider hearing Cori’s arguments during meetings. That will change when we have people serving on City Council who do not follow Hall in lockstep fashion but who think for themselves. Good riddance to Hall, Packard, and Michael Schumacher who have done little to improve our quality of life and seem to only look out for themselves and their donors.
You must be joking. Who is attacking whom? Hall’s supporters and hired PR people attacked Cori mercilessly and duplicitously when she ran for City Council. They also acted like thugs during the entire Measure A debacle. So be careful what you say when you make your supposedly reasonable argument. All I do is point out facts. Matt Hall takes money from developers: FACT. Matt Hall’s mailers contain lies: FACT. Matt Hall speaks on behalf of his buddies claiming to be a private citizen but bringing along other city officials when he attends BOS and CA Coastal Commission Meetings: FACT. Try arguing facts rather than opinion if you want to debate. And I won’t argue about how “well-run” our city is. Most of the employees do a great job; in fact, we have a weak mayor system so for Hall to take credit for all this is laughable. He’s been responsible to wasting our money and a ridiculous turnover in city managers under his tenure. Sorry, but the facts speak for themselves. Hall has been a sorry excuse for a mayor. He lacks leadership; he refuses to listen to his own citizens (unless they belong to the Rotary Club, evidently). He represents his donor class above all else. It’s time for a change. It’s time for someone who will take Carlsbad into the future and not dwell on the past. Matt Hall needs to retire and spend more time with his grandchildren and stop trying run Carlsbad like it’s his personal fiefdom.
Carlsbad has been one of the best run cities in the state for the past 15 years or so. It is fiscally sound and prudent, it is progressive, it is thoughtful in its planning, and the list of good things can go on and on…. The Council/Mayor have done a nice job over many years. While not perfect and I don’t always agree, overall Hall and the Council have done a nice job for Carlsbad. When I take a step back and look at the big picture, I see a good healthy community and a city that is well managed, and I am certainly proud to be a Carlsbad citizen. When talking to residents in other neighboring communities, they don’t speak in the same positive way about their own city/community as Carlsbad residents do.
I enjoy healthy good discussions, but I am concern about Cori and her supporters bringing too much negative/aggressive attitudes that will change Carlsbad for the worse. We can already see the trend occurring with negative and personal attacks on candidates and supporters (see Addie comments above). It is too easy to go negative and be like every other community/organization (Oceanside, Escondido, Tri-City, and etc.) that just attack people and don’t look for common solutions for the good of the residents. That is not helpful or productive.
More lies in the most recent expensive glossy mailer from Matt Hall and his stooges. Because Cori didn’t support the cameras, he claims she is AGAINST public safety. Sure, but why not tell the truth? She supports hiring more police rather than wasting money on cameras. When the truth conflicts with your agenda, go with the lies, right Matt?
Carlsbad has been one of the best run cities in the state for the past 15 years or so. It is fiscally sound and prudent, it is progressive, it is thoughtful in its planning, and the list of good things can go on and on…. The council/mayor have done a nice job over many years. While not perfect and I don’t always agree, overall Hall and the Council have done a nice job for Carlsbad. When I take a step back and look at the big picture, I see a good healthy community and a city that is well managed, and I am certainly proud to be a Carlsbad citizen. When talking to residents in other neighboring communities, they don’t speak in the same positive way about their own city/community as Carlsbad residents do.
I enjoy healthy good discussions, but I am concern about Cori and her supporters bringing too much negative/aggressive attitudes that will change Carlsbad for the worse. We can already see the trend occurring with negative and personal attacks on candidates and supports (see Addie comments above). It is too easy to go negative and be like every other city/community (Oceanside, Escondido, Tri-City, and etc.) that just attacks people and don’t look for common solutions for the good of the residents. That is not helpful or productive.
CORI ?????
I have to concede one point to good old Klaus. Hall is vastly more experienced…he’s a far more experienced LIAR than Cori. He’s also more experienced at taking money from developers. No doubt he’s also more experienced at eating steak dinners but that’s just speculation on my part.
I’ll take an world-class surfer who takes the time to educate herself any time over a two-bit junkyard dealer who has made a career out of taking care of himself and his pals. Listen to Hall and you’d think he’s personally run the city for the last 30 years. Fact is he’s done precious little to improve the quality of life for those who live here. Frankly we’re sick of him and sick of the status quo. He blew it with the mall. He’s blowing it with the airport. He has made clear time and again that he doesn’t care about US. Cori does!
??????✌Cori
First of all, Klaus you need to go back to trolling on Facebook where everyone knows you are a fool.
Second, the only one who stabbed anyone in the back is lying Matt Hall who goes to meetings of the California Coastal Commission claiming to be speaking as a “private citizen” when he is actually continuing to function as a lobbyist for Caruso. Cori has ethics and integrity. Hall has lots of money from the usual sources that are clear to anyone who cares to search the Financial Disclosures on the city’s website.
Also Sven, wouldn’t you agree that storage batteries on the site of a power plant are quite a bit different from approving multi-story buildings downtown? Well, not if you want to make specious arguments but then that’s what you’re doing, isn’t it, whether you realize it or not.
So basically you can vote for Hall if you like but Cori will be our next mayor. Deal with it. She represents the bright future. Hall represents the past and the dark money that is corrupting our politics at every level.
I have experienced Matt Hall and it was not pleasant. He ignored his community in favor of a billionaire developer who used his reputation to try and snow our community. While he supported and spoke in favor of a great deception perpetrated on our citizens. That kind of experience is not what we need. We need transparency and someone who will lead Carlsbad into the future with foresight and dedication to common values.
I attended a similar forum on October 1 at the Altamira Clubhouse. I will vote for mayor Matt Hall because he represents to me Experience and I take that anytime over Experiments. Miss Schumacher’s ideas are not realistic and look to me like like pipe dreams of the wishful thinking category. My vote will be recorded for Mayor Matt Hall.
Cori has proven in two debates that she doesn’t know how things work in the real world. Greenfielding energy (community choice aka local government buying your electricity) has never worked within a utility monopoly region. It ends up costing everyone much more in the long run. The utility simply jacks up their distribution charges (legally) to compensate and everyone loses. After all, they own the wires and natural gas lines. Battery storage on a utility scale requires huge facilities. Does she really want to go there? We can’t even get agreement on 3-story buildings. How are you going to get agreement on massive buildings housing highly toxic and flammable lithium or even lead-based batteries?
Cori also stabbed the City Council in the back when she went to SANDAG and made representations she had no authority (moral or real) to make. Being an ex-pro surfer is not a qualification for being the mayor of large, robust and well-run city. I see no reason to roll the dice with her. Stick with Matt Hall.
This real world you speak of must be something you think you know a lot about. Accusing someone of stabbing the Council in the back when you have the facts twisted is quite unamazing. Just what you would expect from someone who has such a great understanding of his own private real world. Which is it? “A large robust and well run city” or a once quiet laid back beach town that was sold out by the local government bowing to every developer who showed up? There should be quite a bit of money in the cities coffers when you cash in on all the open space available and cram as many homes as the law will allow on it.. That is what you are calling “well run”.
The money keeps rolling in for Hall from all the usual places and the lies keep rolling off his tongue (and those of his Rotary club supporters). Cori, in the meantime, keeps speaking the truth and winning over the hearts and minds of those who really care about Carlsbad.
Comments are closed.