Meet Marcus Partin for Redding City Council

This story is part of Shasta Scout’s citizen-powered election coverage. For the November 8, 2022 general election, we’re focusing on three races: the Redding City Council, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, and the Shasta County Board of Education. View all of the Meet the Candidate interviews.

Ten candidates, including one incumbent, are running for three open seats on the Redding City Council this fall. Our elections reporting flips the script by asking candidates to answer questions from the community. We’re conducting long-form, in-person interviews that last about an hour each and utilize questions drawn from you, via our Scout reader survey. Candidate responses have been curated and paraphrased for this format.

What should we know about you?

My wife Kelly and I moved up here 20 years ago because we love the area. I’ve owned my own business for 40 years. My work background primarily has been in large real estate transactions, which involve due diligence, disclosure, contract law, things like that. The city’s sales of property have been in the news lately and I think my experience in this area is one way I could help Redding. 

I’ve also held three appointed positions. One was with the Charter City Commission, learning how to run a city more efficiently and cost effectively. As part of the Community Development Advisory Committee, we would analyze individual nonprofits applying for funds and use a matrix to look at how effectively they met the needs of the community. That provided insight into how to distribute a shrinking amount of dollars into a growing amount of need. But probably the most highlighted appointment, and the most work intensive, was with the Redding Electric Utility Commission. Part of my work there was holding public hearings to create REU’s first strategic plan. That included attorneys, accountants, engineers, and other business professionals who all got involved to the nitty gritty of of how that business operates. I’ve also been on the board of the Colt 45 collegiate baseball team for the last eight years. It’s a nice example of public private partnerships can work, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars for Tiger Field and the nonprofit League.

Why did you decide to run for city council?

I think my background has prepared me well for the city’s current challenges. I’m working on a project right now called the Lowden Lane Senior Apartments, 96 units of affordable senior housing that took eight years to put together, including the financing. I’ve been in front of the council many times both for my projects and for others and I know how much goes into those presentations. Some people on Council might not even look at the 500 pages of agenda for an item and instead just look at the final page, which is the staff recommendation. But it’s important to go in having prepared well, knowing the questions to ask and be able to make sure we get the answers we need to make important decisions. 

Do you think the city needs to be more open and transparent? If so, how would you work towards that?

I think transparency has been a problem for a considerable period of time. When a sales tax increase was proposed some time ago I think it was a lack of trust that kept voters from approving it. And in the case of the recent Bechelli land sale, the Redding Rancheria had the wherewithal to go through the system and bring certain things to light. I think the more transparent and open we can be about what happened with that, the better. We also have to hold city staff and administration accountable. We have a great staff, but its important that they take direction from the council, who sets the agenda.

What is the City of Redding doing well? What can they do better?

I think it’s important that the council has pushed forward police funding and having neighborhood units involved in responses. Crime deters the people and businesses who want to come here, so while it’s good to see movement, there’s a lot more to be done. We especially need to deal with people that are homeless but that aren’t looking for a solution to their problems, and don’t want housing.  

As far as what they could do better, I think the recent Bechelli land sale was a tremendous mistake. Only one of our council people voted against that sale. But when you read through the judge’s opinion on it it’s clear the city admits to breaking the law. And as a result, there has to be some repair to the relationships. 

If you are affiliated with a religious community how would that affect your role on the City Council?

It is interesting that so many of the candidates are from Bethel. But as I look at Bethel, I think that overall they are more of a positive than a negative influence on our city, largely because they believe in giving back to the community. I am not involved in Bethel and I don’t bring religious beliefs into this. I did used to sing in the church choir.

What is the Redding Police Department doing well? What can they do better?

I believe in the direction that the police department is going and I want to ensure that we can maintain our staffing levels even if we have an economic downturn. Right now we have an opportunity to hire police away from other parts of the state that don’t value law enforcement as much. But we have to show, not only in our compensation, but also in our actions, that we are behind them and we protect them. The department is offering $40,000 signing bonuses, which is good but we also have to ensure that there are consequences for people who violate the law and put lives and property at risk because that helps our local police do their job.

What do you see as Redding’s most important issue or issues right now?

Crime is our biggest issue. It affects what we pay for at the store and it impacts our property values as well as how people feel about moving to the area We have an opportunity to attract remote workers with our area’s natural beauty but we have to resolve the crime issues. We want people to come here to visit and we want them to tell others about the incredible jewel our area is. If we can handle crime I think we’re going to see our area boom, which will pay for more services, including mental health. 

How would you respond to the needs of Redding’s unhoused community members?

Nur Pon Open Space has become a shining example of what a well maintained area, which does not allow camping, can be.  Before, that clean up, with all the encampments in the area, the homeless were deterring fishing tourists by throwing rocks at boats. Now it’s cleaned up. We used city outreach for weeks to get shelter and services for those who needed it. We wanted to make sure the people living there knew that they should plan to leave and get the help they needed. Some did, but many did not. We want to help those that want help and we have a legal obligation to assist in housing. The police chief has said that if we can give 100 sheltered beds to those that need housing we’ll watch local crime completely change. Unfortunately neighbors around Nur Pon are now saying the homeless have infiltrated other nearby areas.

How would you address concerns about our community’s access to water during a historic drought?

We happen to live in the Bella Vista area and the water issue is not only about water security, it’s also about the economics of water cost. The city has the obligation to provide water infrastructure and services but that can be a problem because we have 61 square miles to serve. We may have to be more proactive in making sure we have access to the water we need. Some projects, like raising Shasta Dam haven’t moved forward in spite of the tremendous need. We should also be aware that state and federal officials may try to take more control over water. I think it’s the city’s obligation to make water affordable and to preserve what we have. It’s one of the benefits of living here.

How would you address land use and development in our community?

The rodeo grounds and civic center lands are an incredible jewel of an asset that the city owns. It is troublesome that either three or four of the city council candidates publicly endorsed a sale of that property. Under state law, if you sold that land you’d have to include some affordable housing there and although I’m sure a lot of Redding citizens would love living along the river, from a tourism standpoint it’s not really the highest and best use of that land. Losing control of that asset would also be a big mistake because we have such a rich history at the rodeo grounds, which many people in our community value. I think we should utilize the riverfront as an asset but keep control of it, bring it to its highest and best use and turn it into an advantage, both from a revenue standpoint, and from an aesthetic standpoint, for the citizens of Redding. A plan for the area still has to be approved by the city but some of the development can be spurred now and I think some owners of riverfront land would like that instead of waiting for the perfect plan to be done. If we can incorporate proper planning but move ahead sooner, we would all benefit.

How would you address the need for housing in our community?

It’s been an interesting process over the last eight to nine years in the area of affordable housing. As a city we’ve gone from start to finish on some affordable housing projects from entitlements, assemblage, tax credits, needed financing alternatives, going before the council and the planning commission, and then finally having a project completed. Our recent successful efforts started years ago and we’ll have to continue to make efforts towards mor income-qualified housing.

We also need more affordable housing to continue to attract the people we need to the area and that may mean we need a reduction in building fees and permits. I also think we’re leaving behind some who need housing but don’t necessarily fit into the affordable housing category.

How would you address climate concern as a Redding leader?

Public awareness is important because climate change is impacting our fire danger.

I think the new tree ordinance is interesting. Because of my work I have been involved with building projects where we go through a property tree by tree and understand the importance of weighing those choices.

How would you help our community prepare for and reduce the risk of wildfire?

I think we’re doing a good job on fuel reduction around our trails and public areas. But I think better efforts could be made to assist property owners with reducing fuels where it’s cost prohibitive for them. I also know there are areas where it’s difficult to get fire insurance.

Thank you for your time! How can people learn more about your campaign?

They can visit our website. We’re also going out to as many neighborhoods as we can between now and the election to get the word out and leave door hangers. And I’m training to run the Honolulu Marathon in December so I’ll be getting my miles in running in the neighborhoods, meeting people. 

Additional Resources:

• Here is Marcus Partin’s form 460, documenting donations to his campaign. 
• Here is his official candidate statement.
• Here is his form 700, documenting potential conflicts of interest. 

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