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: John Stephens

Current job title: Mayor, Attorney at FBFK Law

Political party affiliation: Non-Partisan

Incumbent: Yes

Other political positions held: Costa Mesa City Council (2016-2020), Mayor (2021 to present)

City where you reside: Costa Mesa

Campaign website or social media: www.stephensforcostamesa.com

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.)

More supply is needed. Costa Mesa has a 2% vacancy rate, which puts upward pressure on housing costs. In Costa Mesa, we have two projects underway north of the 405 for rental housing (approximately 2,000 homes), and at Fairview Development Center, planning is ongoing for at least 2,300 homes (rental to ownership ratio TBD). An ownership project is planned for Trinity Broadcasting Network. The FDC development will be mixed-use, capturing car trips within the development. Rental housing projects will have an affordable component under our affordable housing ordinance. We have allocated $2.5 million in an affordable housing trust fund and part of our cannabis tax revenue to a first-time homebuyers’ fund.

We must preserve existing residential neighborhoods while developing housing opportunity sites that are near jobs and transportation hubs and improve our infrastructure with the developer fees from specific projects.

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.)

Environmental sustainability is a high-priority council goal. Costa Mesa is a LEED Gold City and a Tree City. Costa Mesa has hired a full-time energy and sustainability services manager who heads up our efforts in this area.

When we make facility improvements and maintenance, we always consider environmental impacts. We have encouraged travel mode shifts from cars to biking and walking by adding protected and marked bike lanes, crosswalks and implementing Lead Pedestrian Intervals at crosswalks to improve bike and pedestrian safety. When possible, we have sifted our fleet to electric vehicles and have numerous EV chargers at City Hall, which are open to the public. We are committed to continuing to improve parks and open space. We are developing a climate action plan to coordinate all of our efforts and collaborate with our regional partners. We have also started a Green Business Program through the California Green Business Network to help our private sector businesses reduce their emissions.

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.)

Strong fiscal health is critical to Costa Mesa as it is any city. Costa Mesa has a balanced budget and has built its reserves to $59 million, which is $4 million more than our goal set by ordinance. We were one of the only cities in OC to increase reserves during the pandemic. Costa Mesa’s highest source of revenue by percentage is sales tax. We are blessed to have approximately 12,000 businesses in Costa Mesa, creating a strong sales tax base. Property taxes have increased with the increased housing prices, and our hotel tax has rebounded since the pandemic. Travel Costa Mesa promotes our city very well. I sit on the TCM board.

We have also added new city revenue streams, such as ambulance transport and our cannabis tax. Our golf course revenue has increased and enhancements to the course are in the works. Our primary expense is our city workers, including our police and fire departments. We have worked well with the employee associations on collective bargaining agreements that promote recruiting and retention while being fiscally responsible. As for pensions, we pay our annual pension bill in advance, saving $1 million annually, and we have contributed to a 115 Pension Trust that can be used to cover pension expenses.

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.)

Public safety is always the most important priority. Of course, an important aspect of public safety is fully funding our police and fire departments with sufficient staff compensation, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. For instance, we just remodeled our indoor firing range, and on Sept. 6, we are breaking ground on a new fire Department training facility. We invested in a Mobil Command Unit for our police department, an armored rescue vehicle and fire engines. We deployed Flock cameras at entry points to the city to recover stolen vehicles and solve (and prevent) crimes.

In addition to our police and fire departments, we have one of the best pavement condition indexes in California. Smooth roads, crosswalks, well marked and protected bike lanes and traffic calming keep those in transit safe.

We have also aggressively addressed homelessness. We have a 100-bed shelter with 15 beds for substance and mental health treatment and a street medicine program through CalOptima. We have found permanent housing for 380 people in five years. We aggressively enforce our anti-camping ordinance to restore parks to the public.

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.)

My leadership has been proven through my years of service. I started serving on City Council in 2016, and have been mayor since 2021. In all these years, I have never missed a City Council meeting. Our meetings, over which I preside, start on time. We debate and decide issues in a civil, respectful tone. We have been through a lot during my time in office, including a pandemic. Through it all, I have provided thoughtful, reliable leadership. I’m recognized for strong leadership regionally as a board member of the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Transpiration Corridor Agency (toll roads). My network of connections through these boards and elsewhere benefits my constituents. I am also accessible. Everyone has my cell phone number, and I answer my phone. This allows me to help constituents with specific issues they encounter as well as address policy issues with my council colleagues. In my 35 years living in Costa Mesa, I’ve met thousands of residents and business owners. I adopted a servant-leader mentality to my work as mayor and will continue to do so throughout my next term.

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