The impact of re-districting the supervisorial districts in Yolo County is about to be put to a test. Woodland’s Mayor Artemio Pimentel, 32, has announced that he will challenge longtime Supervisor Duane Chamberlain, 74, for the 5th District Supervisorial Seat.
In an interview with the Vanguard on Thursday afternoon, Artemio Pimentel directly challenged the policies and approach of the incumbent.
“I can do a better job with regard to being a supervisor that represents the 5th District,” Mayor Pimentel told the Vanguard. “The issue for me comes down to being able to be a collaborator and an effective communicator between the city of Woodland, the rural communities and the County of Yolo.”
Artemio Pimentel specifically mentioned what he called a lack of leadership by Supervisor Chamberlain on the water project.
“It’s a very important project for the city of Woodland. It’s an important project for agriculture in my opinion because the sooner that the cities get off of pumping ground water the more availability,” he said, there will be of groundwater for agricultural purposes.
The other issues he cited involved projects that reflected economic development for Woodland – the Gateway I and Gateway II projects.
“Both of those he’s opposed continuously,” he said, “I feel that that is the wrong approach especially when he’s representing such a large portion of the city of Woodland.”
He also cited Clark Pacific, which he believes has the ability to create 250-300 jobs in the City of Woodland. According to Mr. Pimentel, Duane Chamberlain has repeatedly opposed the project.
The project, he said, has wide support, and Mr. Pimentel said further, “That’s something that I just don’t understand, where his position is coming from and why he’s taken the position of opposing job development and job opportunities for the residents of Woodland.”
Artemio Pimentel also took issue with Mr. Chamberlain’s opposition on redistricting.
“He fought for Woodland to basically be broken up into three supervisorial districts when the Woodland City Council unanimously voted against it. We wanted to have two strong members of the Board of Supervisors – he disregarded our request.” Mr. Pimentel told the Vanguard that Duane Chamberlain fought for basically the preservation of the current district, which he considered a move for self-preservation over democracy. “I just don’t understand why some of the positions that he has taken have not been in the best interest of the city of Woodland.”
One of the critical positions that Duane Chamberlain has taken over the years has been his steadfast and consistent support for the preservation of farmland in the rural portions of Yolo County.
Artemio Pimentel argued that he and Duane Chamberlain “would be on the same page on that particular issue.” He said that he has advocated for “the protection of prime ag-land within the city of Woodland. I will continue to push for that and that will be one of my main goals as a county supervisor.”
When pressed as to whether his voting would be more similar to that of Supervisor Chamberlain or some of the other members of the Board of Supervisors on such issues, he acknowledged it would depend on a “project by project” basis.
“The issue for me is effectiveness,” he said. “Yes, you can have a county supervisor who votes against every single development and gets absolutely nothing for the rural communities and the locations where some of these projects could potentially be developed. That is easy to do.”
“What should be done and what Mr. Chamberlain and any supervisor should be doing is looking at ways of where we can compromise to make sure that we provide the most effective plan to actually preserve agricultural land while balancing some of the needs of the cities and some of the needs of the communities within the rural area,” he responded.
“It doesn’t do anyone any good for a county supervisor to just oppose a project and not be able to work with the rest of his colleagues,” Mr. Pimentel added. “That is going to be a big difference between Supervisor Chamberlain and myself.”
While the preservation of agricultural land and Mr. Pimentel’s challenge about Mr. Chamberlain’s alleged inability to work with others and compromise on economic development and other projects seems to be the primary issue that Mr. Pimentel is running on, there are other critical issues that face Yolo County as a whole and Woodland in particular.
One of the big issues that has occurred, with the budget crisis affecting Yolo County and state cutbacks to social services, has been the provision of social services.
Mayor Pimentel said that is one of the areas he needs to review: “As a county supervisor I’m going to review to prioritize what the biggest needs are especially within the situation that every agency is facing in every county, in every level of government.”
He spoke of the need to “leverage and build relationships with other agencies within the county to be able to properly serve the residents of not just the 5th District, not just the city, but the entire county as a whole.”
The other huge issue is the impact of AB 109 – the prison realignment bill – on local county resources.
Mr. Pimentel said that he is familiar with AB 109 and its impact on our communities, as well as the conversation that is going to take place on January 10 and discussion about whether and how to utilize state money to expand our current capacity of our county jails for the release of inmates through AB 109.
On the other hand, he does not have a clear position at this point, stating to the Vanguard, “I need to look at that issue a little bit further and study it further to see what’s going to be in the best interest of the county of Yolo.”
In concluding our interview, Artemio Pimentel reiterated, “One of the main reasons that I am running is that I believe that again, I can be a more effective County Supervisor for the 5th District and really facilitate and build on the relationship that has to exist between the cities and special districts and the county of Yolo.”
“I know that I can do a better job in that regard,” he said.
He also highlighted his agricultural background.
“Every opportunity that I have been given has been based on my parents and the work we have done in the county of Yolo for 33 years,” he said.
He added, “For someone to tell me that I don’t understand the importance of agriculture is incorrect.”
—David M. Greenwald reporting
It strikes me as interesting that you cite Mr Chamberlain’s age, and not Mr Pimentel’s… ageist? As far as integrity, my opinion is that we are lucky to have these two vying for the position. I may have political views that will lead me to vote for one rather than the other, but no matter who wins, I believe that the public will, as a whole, be well served.
Second sentence: “Woodland’s Mayor Artemio Pimentel, [b]32[/b], has announced that he will challenge longtime Supervisor Duane Chamberlain, [b]74 [/b]for the 5th District Supervisorial Seat.”
Looks like I cited both.
With all due respect to Mr. Pimental, this County needs at least one Supervisor on the Board who is intimately familiar with farming. Duane Chamberlain absolutely fits that qualification. Art Pimental . . . not so much.
“”The issue for me is effectiveness,” he said. “Yes, you can have a county supervisor who votes against every single development and gets absolutely nothing for the rural communities and the locations where some of these projects could potentially be developed. That is easy to do.”
“What should be done and what Mr. Chamberlain and any supervisor should be doing is looking at ways of where we can compromise to make sure that we provide the most effective plan to actually preserve agricultural land while balancing some of the needs of the cities and some of the needs of the communities within the rural area,” he responded.”
I do not know anything about Woodlands political scene so I could be way off base here. These two quotes taken together sound like a call for more development both within the city and in small rural communities at the cost of agricultural land but posed in the language of compromise and balance. Does anyone have any specific examples of how this might or might not reflect Pimentel’s position ?
medwoman, I don’t know Pimental’s position well enough to comment, but I can say with great confidence that Duane Chamberlain looks at each proposal with a very balanced perspective and the people in his current district are incredibly supportive of him.
My understanding is that Mr. Chamberlain has been a fierce defender of farm land and has voted against any project that encroaches onto it. I know one of Mr. Chamberlain’s colleagues believes that Mr. Chamberlain has been to extreme to be effective and that seems to be where Mr. Pimentel is going. My take is that Mr. Pimentel will look more like either Rexroad or McGowan than Chamberlain on growth and development issues.
medwoman,
Read “2011 in review: Pimentel takes lead in clearing path for Petrovich projects” at WoodlandRecord.com.
“2010 proved to be no fluke, as it was business-as-usual in 2011 for our council led by Art Pimentel (the council-appointed honorary mayor). Pimentel and fellow council members Skip Davies and Martie Dote made sure that their previous work was not in vain as Petrovich gained advantages for his Third and Main multiplex project and gained approval for his Gateway II annexation with the Pimentel/Davies/Dote vote.”
“A January 18 Woodland Record article describes how his property – known only as AP 057-170-04 in closed session agendas – is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Petrovich projects in Woodland. Woodland Record readers are reminded in the article that Pimentel received a disproportionate amount of contributions for his 2008 city council campaign from Petrovich – under four different LLC aliases – and his employees.”
http://woodlandrecord.com/in-review-pimentel-takes-lead-in-clearing-path-for-petrovich-projects-p2379-1.htm
Matt
From your point of view, would it be safe to say that Mr. Chamberlain’s current district is so predominantly rural that he is supported primarily by those who may not truly have a grasp of the needs of Woodland, but are primarily concerned with preservation of ag land and their lifestyle ?
If this is the case, I am conflicted byMr. Pimentel’s quotes. With the redistricting, it would seem that it is true that whomever is elected will have to adopt a broader perspective than Mr. Chamberlain has shown to date. But, it also seems a bit disingenuous to claim that Mr. Chamberlain has not been an effective representative if his positions have reflected the goals of the majority of his constituents. And more disingenuous still to state that he does not understand why Mr. Chamberlain would oppose development not seen as in the interests of the majority of his constituents.
medwoman,
I realize your were addressing Matt, however, Duane’s current district is the result of gerrymandering that now excludes full rural representation. Duane has been aced out of the district for which he campaigned to represent. The former 5th District included Winters and about 40% of Woodland. The BOS voted to diminish rural interests and the interests of Duane. Duane now represents about 70% of Woodland, but I can tell you that Duane will still have support from Woodlanders who still see the town as an agricultural community.
Pimentel has consistently shown that he favors Petrovich and his development projects, both in the heart of the historic downtown and in the massive and unnecessary Gateway annexations. Pimentel and his two cronies on the council ignored a thousand supporters of what would have been the locally-developed State Theatre Renovation and Expansion project in favor of Petrovich’s multiplex project in the redevelopment area. I believe you are correct when you characterize Pimentel as disingenuous to his constituents. He has proven he doesn’t listen to community members, only a developer named Petrovich.
[quote]Looks like I cited both. [/quote]Missed it… hadn’t had coffee yet. My bad.
Dino
Thanks for your input. I really didn’t intend my questions only for Matt although I know it looked that way.
I am particularly curious about this challenge, not only from the point of view of ag vs development, which seems to be what is at stake regarding this issue, but also from the point of view of social services, which is my area.
During my two presentations to the BOS regarding public health issues, Mr. Chamberlain was very quiet. I do not know if this represents thoughtful contemplation, or lack of connection with these issues, but unlike the other members, he seemed relatively detached or perhaps disinterested ? Hard to tell ?
If anyone has any insight into areas involving public health in Yolo County as it involves these two, I would be happy to hear your opinions.
[quote]With all due respect to Mr. Pimental, this County needs at least one Supervisor on the Board who is intimately familiar with farming. Duane Chamberlain absolutely fits that qualification. Art Pimental . . . not so much.[/quote]
That is my take as well. I understand Woodland’s frustration that they were represented only by one Supervisor while Davis had two. But in the new redistricting plan, the rural community in outlying areas and farmers are being left out of the equation, IMO. Yolo County is very agricultural, and representation on the county Bd of Sups needs to reflect the extreme importance of agriculture in at least one of the seats…
My concerns over Supervisor Chamberlain, would be violating due process rights and government code 27641, accusation against then county council, Steve Basha, ironically now a juvenile court judge, over the appointment of now Sacramento probation chief, Don L. Meyer, over allegations of a PC 832.5, investigation. Partly outlined in the following petition.
http://www.change.org/petitions/sacramento-county-officials-dont-deny-citizens-their-due-process-rights?te=seia
Jake,
This is Yolo County, not Sacramento, Calaveras or Alameda, so I guess I don’t understand your point or the relevance of the link you provided.
If you want to look at due process, you need to consider the many Brown Act violations, Downtown Specific Plan violations, CEQA violations and General Plan violations of the Woodland City Council led by Pimentel. I can send you a list of over 350 articles relating to collusion for the benefit of Petrovich projects. These projects include the Third and Main multiplex, the Sixth and Main Rite Aid site, the surface water intake site on the Sacramento River, Gateway I and Gateway II. Other related projects used as leverage for Petrovich projects include the New Woodland Courthouse, Freeman Park and Well site, Chase Bank, New Woodland Partners site (next to Costco), Main Street project with SACOG/Petrovich. It is really a joke about how blatant this favoritism has been, but Pimentel and his two cronies simply go arrogantly about their business.
City manager Mark Deven and two redevelopment managers have jumped ship now that there are two possible investigations by government agencies.
Jake was Chamberlain a Board member back when?