Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.

MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide

Name: Zhen Wu

Current job title: Business Owner, Architect

Political party affiliation: Non-Partisan

Incumbent: No

Other political positions held: Former San Clemente Planning Commissioner

City where you reside: San Clemente

Campaign website or social media: www.WuforSanClemente.org

How can the city best meet the demand and mandates for more housing, including at lower prices, while also preserving the quality of life for existing neighborhoods and residents? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

To meet the demand for housing, there must be supply. The supply-demand balance is reached by the market mechanism, but the local government’s policy has a tremendous influence on the supply. The state mandate for more housing, including affordable housing, may be met by shifting the city’s land use and housing policy to allow more housing to be built. In response to the latest state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation number, the city adopted a housing overlay, which was incorporated into the certified housing element. The city should keep the housing element current.

The quality of life for existing neighborhoods and residents is protected or improved when we have quality housing developments sensitive to its context. The impact of traffic and building mass/height must be carefully studied and mitigated. A good model is mixed-use developments. They provide the density needed, reduce the parking demand and traffic, and at the same time make the neighborhoods safer and more walkable. My unique background as a licensed architect, certified planner and former planning commissioner would allow me to work with the rest of the council to develop nuanced and balanced solutions to this complicated issue with local knowledge, professional expertise and sound policy judgment.

California is working toward achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Where does climate change fall in your list of priorities? How, if at all, would you address this as a councilmember? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2045 is a laudable goal. The state implements its statewide energy policy and building codes to achieve it. As a local elected official, I would focus on the direct impact to San Clemente and address the opportunities and challenges it brings about. My top priorities are public safety, fiscal prudence and protecting the quality of life and small-town character of our Spanish Village by the Sea. Other priorities include specific issues such as homelessness and beach erosion.

San Clemente is a coastal community, but climate change has caused more and stronger winter storms and has accelerated beach erosion in recent years. I will prioritize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) sand project as well as the North Beach for it to receive sand nourishment and replenishment. I will use my expertise as a certified planner and my years of experience on the San Clemente Planning Commission and Coastal Advisory Committee to diligently work with partner agencies at county, regional, state and federal levels to bring the needed resources to San Clemente. I will also make sure that whatever money is available to the city for sand replenishment will be used efficiently and responsibly.

How should the city balance paying off debts, such as pension liabilities, and building reserves all while meeting residents’ needs? Should a solution involve finding new revenue, trimming the budget, or something else entirely? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

The ways to balance these needs include bringing in more revenue, trimming the budget or most likely a combination of both. My preferred way for new revenue is through economic development, not taxing the people, since I am concerned about the cost of living for our residents, especially working-class families, seniors living on a fixed income and low-income families.

As of today, the city has a $52 million unpaid pension liability. Once we bring in more revenue and get control of the spending, we should have a surplus budget. The surplus can be used to pay down the pension liability, to build a bigger reserve or to meet residents’ needs deemed important by the residents. The city’s current revenue and expenditure are on an unsustainable path; this situation must be addressed with fiscal prudence and spending discipline as soon as possible.

In your opinion, what is the biggest need your city faces, and how would you address it? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

The biggest need San Clemente faces now is to provide financial stability. The cost of everything is much higher than before. The revenue growth lags behind the inflation. People demand more public safety services. Disasters happen multiple times. To respond to the deteriorated situation on the beach and coastal bluff, the city has engaged in a list of expensive projects, many of which are considered emergency or critical. Nevertheless, this weakened the city’s financial situation. The sales tax increase measurement, if passed, may alleviate the fiscal situation a bit, but it’s far from certain that it will receive the needed voter approval. If it fails, some sacrifice will have to be made, and a great deal of soul-searching is needed to determine the priority and the future of the town.

Why would you make a good leader, and how would you represent the diverse communities of your city? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

I served on the San Clemente Planning Commission, Design Review Subcommittee and Coastal Advisory Committee for many years. I’m a licensed architect and certified planner and know something about city planning, historic preservation, parking, traffic, transportation, civil engineering, coastal resiliency and development in general, including housing. I have been a business manager for over a dozen years so I understand budgeting, risk management and the day-to-day operation of a corporation. I also graduated from the Leadership San Clemente program and learned most aspects of the city government. I can bring this pertinent knowledge and skills to help the City Council to make better decisions for the community.

San Clemente is a predominantly White community, but there are vibrant minority communities of Hispanic, Asian and Black people. As a first-generation immigrant and world traveler, I understand the differences among peoples, their cultures and lifestyles. I will listen to people and serve them as my constituents regardless of their color, gender, age, sexual orientation, educational level, marital status, home ownership and partisanship. I will hold the City Council seat as a true nonpartisan office and focus on local issues that matter to San Clemente.

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