Fort Bragg City Council race features four political newcomers, one veteran

FORT BRAGG, CA.,  9/30/24 – Mendocino High School seniors Kyle Villagomez and Frej Barty have been learning about the politics of elections in class. To see that process close up they helped with the League of Women Voters of Mendocino County candidates forum on Sept. 19 at Fort Bragg Town Hall.

They were pleasantly surprised to see how the five candidates for Fort Bragg City Council worked to unify, not divide. “There is so much division nationally,” said Barty. “I didn’t see that here. They were nice to each other and as a result, they were able to spend more time discussing the issues.”

Barty affirmed that he had favorites but he kept his choices to himself.

Five candidates—Bethany Brewer, Ryan Bushnell, Scott Hockett, Lindy Peters and Mel Salazar—are running for the two open four-year seats on the City Council. Each Fort Bragg resident registered to vote can choose two of the five.

“It seemed like all the candidates at this forum are doing this to make the town better,” Barty said. He thought it was good that the candidates promised to support whoever won and said he saw more cooperation, respect and less ego than is often the case in national politics. But in a nod to a frequent voter complaint, Barty said he would have liked more specifics about policies.

Four new candidates are running alongside incumbent Lindy Peters. In addition to serving on the council, Peters has been a volunteer member of the town’s fire board, a coach, and a local broadcaster. Although none of the four new candidates have experience as elected officials, each has a background in community service. Bethany Brewer has worked with the police department and schools on a grant program designed to battle the fentanyl problem and also as a personal trainer. Scott Hockett has been involved in the city’s blue economy initiative, which seeks sustainable development involving the ocean and has supported community efforts. He owns seven businesses and has been involved in fishing organizations. Equipment operator Ryan Bushnell worked for the city as a community service officer and in the county public works department, where his advocacy as a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) member won him the endorsement of the union. Mel Salazar said she and her husband moved here to be involved in the community. (Salazar’s husband is assistant brewmaster at North Coast Brewing and serves on the board of the Mendocino Coast Humane Society.)

Town Hall was packed full with over a hundred people attending in person. Some had to stand along the side to fit in. By the following day, the recording of the forum, posted on the city’s Facebook page, had received more than a thousand views.

Moderator Pat Dunbar asked questions, most of which came from members of the audience, who wrote them on paper before handing them to the two high school seniors to ferry them up to Dunbar. Dunbar said the forum was not intended to be a debate, and candidates should not interrupt or respond to others in their closing statements.

Issues that came up for discussion included annexing Noyo Harbor (which is in an unincorporated zone but takes advantage of Fort Bragg city services), cannabis dispensaries, the conflict in Gaza, and the impact of short-term vacation rentals on local housing. But the biggest issue by far was what is now happening with Skunk Train operator Mendocino Railway and the mill site property. After decades of planning for Fort Bragg’s waterfront after Georgia-Pacific shut down the lumber mill that took up most of the oceanfront property, the city is embroiled in litigation with the railroad, which acquired most of the property, an acquisition concluded in 2021. That issue overwhelmed all other audience questions by a wide margin, organizers said. All five candidates were asked if they had taken money from Mendocino Railway and all said no. In the subsequent discussion, each candidate said he or she would like to see development move forward on the mill site, although their approaches were different. 

Lindy Peters, who has served 22 years on the council, gave a lengthy explanation involving the status of city zoning efforts and litigation with the Skunk from the city’s perspective. Afterwards, Mel Salazar said those not on the council could not weigh in on the details, adding a caution:“I feel we don’t have all the facts here as candidates except Lindy,” she said. “And I believe it is a little bit unreasonable for the community to expect that any of us will have clear answers before being elected. The litigation hearings are in closed sessions, and until two of us are in office, we won’t have access to the full scope of this situation. Only then we can make informed and thoughtful decisions.”

Bethany Brewer added, “I’ll be happy when litigation is done and everybody can be in the same room and have a more cohesive conversation. I do think there is light at the end of this tunnel.”

Scott Hockett was focused on getting businesses established on the old mill site. “I would like both sides to come to the table and put the swords down and settle this thing for the better of the community, rezone it and we could create housing, aquaculture and put some jobs out there, serious paying jobs for our youth to be able to stay in this community and work out there. And the sooner the better, to settle this disagreement.”

Ryan Bushnell quipped, “I have not received any money from this company, but I do believe the only people winning right now are the lawyers.”

The scene was far different in 2022 when the League held a similar forum. Then 11 candidates vied for three four-year seats, with Jason Godeke and Marcia Rafanan topping the vote and incumbent Tess Albin-Smith also winning narrowly, despite running as a write-in candidate due to a filing mixup. At that election, Peters ran unopposed for a single two-year seat; now he is running for one of the two four-year seats.

At that 2022 forum, many of the candidates expressed strong opposition to the Skunk Train’s purchase of the property and how the railroad was dealing with obtaining permits from the city for renovation and repair of long dilapidated buildings. Two years later, the mood had clearly changed, and Peters and the rest were taking a more neutral approach to the dispute between city and railroad. The candidates were focused on progress at the mill site, not on who was to blame. Beyond the mill site legal issues, the lack of affordable housing garnered the most audience comments and questions. None of the candidates commented on efforts underway, such as the Newsom administration’s efforts to force more second units, the city’s innovative but stalled Mendocino Coast Housing Trust or even the Plateau, an affordable housing development led by Mayor Bernie Norvell and the city.

On cannabis, the four new candidates said they would not support making Fort Bragg a cannabis tourist destination. Peters said it already is but said he wants to limit the number of dispensaries in town to four and no more than two on any block. The views there had changed as well. Earlier in the century, cannabis was more accepted as a fact of life in the county. Now the opposition to cannabis dispensary expansion was strident, and the candidates showed zero affection for an herb widely used and grown locally.

“I was here when it was legalized,” Brewer said. “There are rules now, and I appreciate that, but I’d like to see more. I think we have too many dispensaries here. I think that those storefronts could offer something way more beneficial to our town.”

Peters backed the idea of annexing Noyo Harbor, saying city services were already provided and the area could benefit. He also backed plans to use an existing road as an exit from the harbor on the north side of the Noyo Bridge.

Hockett, whose businesses are located in the harbor, said annexation should wait until the mill site property is developed. Brewer said annexation was not a priority for her campaign. Bushnell said he was opposed but his mind could be changed over time. He said it was up to the people and businesses in the harbor. Salazar said she would listen to what townsfolk said before making a decision.

Peters also broke with the other four on the issue of Gaza. The others said the conflict was beyond the scope of the council or had no opinion. “This issue was brought to the Fort Bragg City Council in petition form,” said Peters. “It asked us, in very neutral language, to write a letter to ask for a ceasefire in Gaza and ask for peace. We had public input, we took a vote and we sent a letter for a ceasefire. It came to us through a petition signed by city residents, and that’s what councils should do. In certain instances, I think it’s okay for the city to take positions on national and international issues, especially when they affect us. This is a small community with few options, and our high school students were more likely to join the military than other communities because there weren’t too many options here.”

All five candidates said they would support a crackdown on illegal vacation rentals operating in the city as well as enforcing that all short-term rental landlords pay the city’s transient occupancy tax. 

“I absolutely would support that,” Bushnell said. “I do know that Airbnbs are currently only allowed in the central business district, but let’s be honest, they’re everywhere.” 

Peters agreed. “When they stay in an Airbnb, no money is going for a police call, no money is going for a fire call, no money is going into our our water enterprise fund, so that’s lost money that the city should have available to them to spend.”

Each candidate was asked to list endorsements. Bushnell had the SEIU endorsement, and Hockett was endorsed by Anderson Logging. Peters described his endorsement. “The only organization that has officially endorsed me so far is one of the organizations I answered questions to, and that was the Mendocino County Democratic Central Committee, and they have officially endorsed me as a candidate,” Peters said. “I also had every other council member that I served with as a team sign my nomination papers [and] that should tell you something there.”

At the end, Bushnell noted that voters have a choice among “five great people.” He promised to “support whoever wins and do what I can to help them. If I do win, then I will work as a team to make Fort Bragg better. I think that Fort Bragg does better when we all do better.” As the event concluded, the candidates gathered amicably for a group photo and exchanged smiles and even hugs.

This race will have two winners and three losers. Peters, 71, is a generation older than Brewer, 44, Hockett, 43, and Bushnell, 38. Peters came to Fort Bragg after a career in the Bay Area.

Salazar, 32, and her family moved to the area several years ago. The candidates, like many on the Mendocino Coast, have had multiple careers and jobs over the years. Bushnell is a Caltrans equipment operator and volunteer firefighter. 

Brewer said she is running to give back what the town has given her. “I am a third-generation Fort Bragg resident, and I grew up an at-risk teenager,” she said. “Raised low income here, I have been a recipient of the resources and the love that this community has to offer. I have eaten at the food bank, I have slept at the hospitality center, and I know and understand at the deepest level what the heart of Fort Bragg truly means.

“I’m running for a seat on city council to give a voice to the underprivileged, specifically the youth in our community,” she continued. “I want them to be seen and heard, because I am proof that success is the result of this support for more than 10 years.”

Salazar came to town a few years ago and doesn’t plan to leave. “I wasn’t born and raised here, but Fort Bragg has become my home,” she said. “Like many who have transplanted to a beautiful town, I’ve invested my heart and time in this community from volunteering at local events and youth sports. Planting roots [in the community] is essential as it shapes the future you’ll be a part of for years to come.”

Hockett briefly described his family’s long history in Fort Bragg that extends back a century. “My history is in 1999 I graduated from Fort Bragg High School,” he said. “I started commercial fishing right away. And since then I have opened a host of businesses, seven of which are currently active. I have had lots of employees, 36 or more currently.” Hockett also has led fishing organizations, especially during the pandemic

While there have been candidates in the past who took pride in dressing down, or dressing up like former Mayor Will Lee, the five were all dressed in business casual, with all three men wearing baseball caps. At the end of the forum, Peters asked for a moment to remember Jane Person, an important player in the League of Women Voters for many years as well as other coast organizations. She recently died in a fall at her home at age 82. A moment of silence followed.

(Correction- an earlier version of this story failed to mention that Jason Godeke was among the winners of the four year seat in 2022).

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