Mayor John H Linn

1. Leadership that creates results.

I am your 60 hour a week Mayor with over 11,000 hours serving Lompoc. I am only a cell phone call away for every resident and business that needs help. I have lead the council and staff in changing theatmosphere of the City to providing outstanding customer service and becoming the most business friendly city in Santa Barbara County. Workshops at the beginning of each council term provide council members a place to bring in resident’s ideas to improve Lompoc. Thanks to everyone who brought their ideas to me.

2. Economic Development that creates jobs.

Each day 6,000 workers leave Lompoc. Workers who commute lose valuable time with their families and time to be part of our community. Many commuters often shop where they work depriving the city of sales tax revenue for essential services. I have worked continuously to facilitate the creation of new local businesses and the expansion of existing local businesses. The results are over 1,100 new jobs. I am particularly proud that my direct assistance helped Grocery Outlet, DenMat and Chrysler Corporation open in Lompoc. The result of new local jobs and stores shows 12 consecutive quarters of sales tax increases since the second the quarter of 2011. The City Of Lompoc sales tax revenues now exceed the previous best year in 2007. Increased sales tax revenue has provided substantial funds for City services such as Police, Fire and Parks and Recreation.

3. Budget changes that reduce costs.

In each of the two year budget cycles I have made specific recommendations that have resulted in substantial savings. These savings have allowed us to maintain our Police and Fire services during the economic downturn.

4. Government that includes citizens.

The 10 day council advance agenda I proposed now allows residents time to review and intelligently comment on items before and at the council meeting. II have never had a ‘small group of advisors’. Instead I have reached out to knowledgeable individuals in the community on each subject including many of you.

5. Accountability for council and staff.

First, as the City Council Chairman, I extended Oral Communications to 5 minutes so that all residents could provide their detailed input. Second, I opposed and continue to oppose putting items residents need to know about and understand on the Consent Calendar. Third, I frequently challenge Staff to take customer service to the next level.

       6. Adequate Police and Fire Services.

The City has been successful in receiving grants that have returned our police to full staffing. Fire grants have added an additional 6 fire fighters. The $65,000 raised by the Fire Foundation allowed the City to add Rescue 1, a multi-purpose quick response unit. Now the City will have THREE response units on duty. This has reduced response time and is saving lives in Lompoc now and for the future.

Future financial challenges.

Review of the 2015/2017 budget cycle in early 2012 made it very clear that the City would have a 4 to 5 million dollar shortfall. I knew the City needed to have a plan. The causes of the anticipated budget deficits are the rapidly escalating pension costs from the state fund, the council’s decision to end furloughs using one time reserves funds, and the expiration of the police and fire staff funding grants. Today the shortfall is estimated at 4.2 million dollars.

The long range plan I formulated in 2012 to increase city revenues includes:

1. Increasing sales tax by adding stores and creating jobs in Lompoc so workers shop in Lompoc. To date we have added 7 large retailers along with many smaller ones.
2. Establishing a Hotel Improvement District that is now taxing room stays. The revenues generated are then used for advertising and promotion of Lompoc. The goal is to provide additional bed tax and sales tax revenues. The District was formed and already has collected over $110,000 to promote Tourism in Lompoc.
3. Assist local Vintners with the establishment of an upscale hotel in the Wine Ghetto. Council Member Holmdahl and I have worked with the Ayers Hotels for almost a year. I recently provided ideas to City Staff that solved the last two remaining issues which will allow the hotel to proceed.
4. The establishment of a Four Star Hotel in Lompoc so that upscale customers who visit Lompoc and work in our area will stay in Lompoc rather than in Santa Maria or Buellton. Plans for this hotel are now proceeding.
5. It became clear in early 2012 that available vacant industrial buildings were becoming very scarce. I then began a two year effort to assist the owners of the forty acre parcel at Central and V Street to re-start their project. They had tried to start the project in 2005 but stopped as a result of City actions. The owners of the industrial project have now submitted their plans for City approval which include about 800,000 square feet of buildings that will accommodate 500 to 2,000 jobs.
6. The Economic Development Committee identified the need for a gathering place, such as a brew pub for locals and attendees at the Hancock College Public Safety Training Center. Working on a referral from the Mayor of Solvang I assisted a new restaurant-brewery in coming to the forever vacant Beattie Ford buildings at Chestnut and H. Street.
7. Joe Lazaer and I envisioned and founded the Lompoc Valley Parks Recreation and Pool Foundation in 2008. Since inception the Foundation has completed the dog park, operates a radio controlled car track, is near completion on the River Bend BMX bicycle park and plans are now ready for submission and environmental review on the Motor Sports Park at the Lompoc Airport. Design work is also nearly complete for the Fallen Warriors Committee memorial to all those that have served and died in the United States Armed Forces. The facilities created by the Foundation will increase tourism dramatically.
8. Other projects are in the works including over 44 acres of new industrial space in the Bailey Corridor project. This industrial space will ultimately provide over 2 million square feet of buildings to provide more jobs and bring more of our 6000 commuting workers home.

Please make checks payable to, and mail them to:

The Committee to elect John H Linn 2014
PO Box 2525
Lompoc CA 93438

We do not accept donations over $500.

Donations of $99 or less, by law, do not appear on campaign disclosures.

I am a 32 year small business owner. In small business, to survive, we must constantly adapt and move forward. I was elected to bring my small business mindset to city government and move the city forward. Not everyone agreed with the direction that the city council and I have taken the city. With all that has been improved, it is difficult to criticize the results. Instead, allegations have been made without supporting facts.

Lompoc Record July 25th 2014-negative points brought out by Bob Lingl

“Leadership style”

I was elected in 2010 and 2012 with a mandate from the community to take a proactive role in creating a customer service oriented city for residents and businesses. Today we are a truly customer service oriented city. Residents have their issues addressed in a friendly and professional manner and businesses are locating here as a result of our positive reputation.

Each week I help Lompoc residents and businesses resolve issues with the city and solicit new businesses to open in Lompoc to provide shopping choices and jobs.

At council meetings I have always worked with all council members to form compromises on matters before us that we can all support. The results are that over 85% of the time we have unanimous votes. On some issues we can not all agree and all of us have been on the losing end of votes at one time or another.

“Lack of Transparency”

No examples of my lack of transparency were given. In addition to the ten day advanced agenda and the five minute oral communication period, I have welcomed public comment from both sides of issues. Many times public comments have provided ideas to improve the action the council was considering. I invite you to go to the City web site, select council agendas and view the video of past council meetings to draw your own conclusion. At the end of the meeting, listen to my report of my meetings and events that I am sharing with the council and public. The council meeting is the only time I can legally share this information with more than one council member. On a daily basis I brief the City Administrator on my work during the prior day so that staff is fully informed and I can receive staff input.

“Micromanagement of City Staff”

I discussed this with the City Administrator. He stated that he did not feel I micromanaged City Staff. Remember, that the only city staff members that work for the Council are the City Administrator and City Attorney. Other than asking staff for documents or facts, Council Members and I talk with the City Administrator before discussing an issue with Staff.

I do follow up with the City Administrator to be certain that council decisions are implemented in a timely manner.

“John is disruptive and counterproductive, adding last minute data and proposals that hinder the Staff and public”

After reviewing Staff reports, I alert Staff to any errors or omissions so Staff can correct them at the council meeting. Some Staff reports lack information that I feel will help council in making decisions. Well before the council meeting I provide my list of questions to the Staff so they can be prepared to answer. The Brown Act open meeting law only allows a council member to provide information or documents to one other council member except at a meeting open to the public. On complicated issues I do extensive research and review to assure I make the best decision. When the item is heard at the council meeting, that is the only time I can present what I have learned to the council members and public either verbally or with documents. Bob questions the validity of the information I have presented calling them “John Facts”. Like all other testimony and documents that a council member or member of the public presents at a meeting, each council member must decide what value to place on the information they receive. Any council member can move to continue an item if he or she feels information is incomplete or needs independent verification. This council has always preferred to consider all information presented and make a decision whenever possible.

“The information John presents hiders the council’s ability to make an informed decision”

On the contrary, I believe that having more information leads to a more informed decision. Each council member can choose to rely on the information or not rely on the information.

To add an item to a future meeting takes three council members and this most frequently occurs at the end of the meeting under Council Requests and Meeting Reports. I have not counted to see which of us makes the most requests but we have all made many and usually have the support of two other council members which is required to hear the item. I have been the second or third vote to hear an item that another council member wanted even though it was not an issue I wanted to hear and I am certain other council members have done the same for me.

Bob’s Campaign Literature states:

“The Mayor is disruptive of the City process.”

When I ran for election in both 2008 and in 2010, one of the key issues was that the Staff ‘led’ the council. Under my leadership, the council now leads the City and Staff is doing an excellent job of implementing the Councils decisions. I also challenge the conclusions and data in Staff reports if I believe it is incomplete. The City Administrator runs the City and the issues I find, I bring to him for resolution.

“The Mayor is disrespectful to fellow council members and community members.”

Again, I invite you to go to the City web site and watch council meetings and form your own opinion. You will notice that I take notes on most public members who speak and I use that information in forming my decision or amending the item we are considering. In making decisions on council, I do rely more on the input from council members with experience in the area of the item we are considering.

“Over the last two year we have lost valuable members of City Commissions and to our city council as a direct result of the action by the Mayor.”

In 2013, Ron Fink, who I appointed to the Planning Commission resigned because of my vote on Safe and Sane Fireworks and a tense exchange Bob and I had during the discussion of Safe and Sane Fireworks. Bob and I talked and shook hands the next day. This occurred during the second reading for the item which we had approved at the prior meeting. After Ron’s resignation, Bob came to me and said he did not want to lose Ron’s experience on the Planning Commission and neither did I. Bob stated that he had talked with Jack Rodenhi, his commissioner who was willing to resign. That would allow me to appoint Jack and Bob to appoint Ron and retain Ron’s experience on the Planning Commission. I agreed with Bob’s plan and that is what we did.

In 2008 I supported Cecilia Martner as one of the two best candidates for City Council because she had a positive attitude and promised to bring her experience from the high tech industry, where she worked, to help create jobs in Lompoc. Cecilia brought a combative style to council meetings with constant negative comments on staff reports. In 2010 Cecilia ran against me for Mayor and was defeated. Cecilia said in an August 2, 2012 Lompoc Record article that the reason she will not seek a second term is that she and Ashley “have routinely ended up on the losing end of a 3-2 split vote” with Linn, Lingl and Starbuck in the majority.

In 2010 I supported Ashley Costa as one of the two best candidates for City Council because she was a lifetime Lompoc resident, had a degree in Political Science, was tech savvy and brought youthful ideas to the council. Ashley listed multiple reasons in the May 18, 2014 Lompoc Record article for not running again, none of which involved the Mayor.

“No one has drawn more negative attention to the City than our current Mayor.”

This is a very subjective statement referring to the District Attorney’s review of Council actions regarding the Mosby Sports Fields. I chose to support the Mosby fields because after reading the county ordinances, I felt Mr. Mosby was entitled to and would receive a conditional use permit from the county. The Mosby fields provide a variety of youth activities at no cost to the County or City. The three south county supervisors voted to deny the permit even though the county staff had recommended approval and three environmental reviews had been conducted with the same conclusions. Mr. Mosby sued the county and the court issued a restraining order preventing the county from closing the Mosby fields. The court found that the Board of Supervisors by not granting Mr. Mosby the permit had either violated the county land use ordinances or the ordinance was in violation of state law. The Mosby fields included two soccer fields, two paintball areas and a radio controlled car track operated by a non-profit committee.

“Many people in town think that John makes up his own rules.”

The City Attorney and the City Administrator are charged with advising the Council and the Mayor on State Law, City Ordinances, The Administrative Policy Manuel, The Commission and Committee Hand Book and the Council Handbook. I have read the last three documents fully as they are the ones that most affect the Council. In the past, I proposed a number of changes to Council Handbook that the council approved to meet our current needs. I consult with the City Attorney regularly and we discuss questions of law in depth. After review of laws and policies, the City Attorney explains his interpretation. Conflicting laws and interpreting them can make it difficult to move items forward. Although I have not always agreed with the interpretation, the City Attorney has the final word.

“…his actions have delayed the general plan update by two years.”

In early 2012, I recommended to the council that the Zoning Ordinance be updated before the General Plan as that document limits the use of business properties in Lompoc. The current Zoning Ordinance drafted in 1976 is obsolete and has prevented businesses from occupying the only building in Lompoc that met their needs. The council agreed to this approach and the work was begun. Then the lobbying began and after the Zoning Ordinance update was well along the council decided to stop and work on the General Plan first. Although I recommended that we update the Zoning Ordinance first to improve our economic development results, I was only one vote. The current General Plan was begun in 1997 when Joyce Howerton was mayor. In the adopted General Plan Land Use Map of 1997, hundreds of properties were down zoned without the property owners even being notified. The property owners were not notified until 2005 when the council moved forward with the down zoning on the Zoning Map. That is when I became involved in City politics as property owners, the realty community and concerned residents went to meeting after meeting to stop the taking of property rights and values. In 2014, the council returned the property rights to 254 south side home owners after 17 years and over 20 City Council and Planning Commission meetings. Over 100 properties have yet to be corrected including 9 industrial properties with buildings that were re-zoned to residential.

“John’s misguided attempts to promise everything has created a backlash with the business community, non-profit organizations and citizens.”

I would like to address the specific issues when they are listed. I do work with businesses, non-profits and citizens to move forward and I challenge City Staff to find ways to facilitate progress within the many laws we have to deal with. As an example, after a conversation with the representative from Chrysler Corporation, Chrysler agreed to open a dealership in Lompoc. The Chrysler Representative stated it took them two to five years to open a new dealership. I committed we would be much faster. City Staff rose to the challenge and Chrysler and the Franchisee submitted their documents on time. The parallel track that Staff recommended, to work on both the Planning Commission approval and the building permits simultaneously, worked perfectly. The Lompoc contractor finished the dealership in record time. Almost exactly one year to the day from my first conversation with the Chrysler Corporation representative, the dealership was open for business providing more choices for Lompoc residents and sales tax for our Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation.

1. Assist the Fallen Warriors Committee in completing the Veterans Memorial they will build around the flag pole at Beattie Park. This will honor all Lompoc area veterans who gave their lives in the military.

2. Assist the Motor Sports Committee in completing the Motor Sports Park on unused land on the north side of the Lompoc Airport. The City has already received an almost one million dollar grant from the Off Road Vehicle Division of California State Parks for the Motocross tracks in the park. The Committee continues to raise money for the International Hot Rod Association sanctioned one eighth mile drag strip to provide legal, supervised racing and at the same time, promoting racing as a competitive sport and tourist draw.

3. Carry forward a down payment assistance program to help qualified Lompoc residents buy homes. The council has voted to use most of the three million dollar housing in lieu money we have in the bank to fund second trust deeds that must be repaid when the home is sold or refinanced. This is similar to a successful city program in the 1980s.

4. With the coming of our new industrial park next year we must develop better promotional materials and a solicitation plan to bring business and jobs to the industrial park. As in the past, some prospective businesses will want to talk with the Mayor, some with Staff and some with both. We will have an approach to meet each need.

5. The Fire Department has had three great successes to reduce the response time to medical calls and save lives. The six additional fire fighters funded with a federal grant along with adding the third response unit, Rescue One, has made a unit available when one is needed without having to wait for County Fire to come from the Village. The new Police and Fire dispatch system will connect directly to the Mobile Data Terminals in the fire vehicles and cut response time. The last improvement we need is the automated traffic signal control system that turns lights green for approaching fire units and red in all other directions. This is our next objective to fund.

6. The gangs in Lompoc have been brought under control over the last four years by the efforts of the Lompoc Police Department. Our new Police Chief brings experience from another state that will provide new ideas to reduce gangs. The gang life takes away the life opportunities of its members and our community.

7. I have worked closely with the Hancock College President Kevin Walthers and the Petroleum Education Council to bring more oil industry training to the Lompoc Campus. We are also working together to bring some oil industry specific fire training props to the campus for additional classes.

8. Youth sports facility improvements are great for our youth to use but also provide economic benefits to the community from visiting teams. With ideas from the Economic Development Committee we have made progress but there is much more we can do. As our tourism grows we will have more funds available to expand and improve our youth sports facilities.

9. With the budget cuts of the last six years our parks have deteriorated. The gopher abatement program I lead in 2011 has helped but it is time to look at our parks and determine what changes we need to make to create more easily maintained and functional parks. The long leaning Ryon Park arch is on this list.

10. The downtown Lompoc Theater has been tied up in the State’s liquidation of the former Lompoc City Redevelopment Agency. By year end we hope to have it released and begin the restoration that will bring new life to downtown.

11. With the increase of wineries in Lompoc to 38, it is now time to work with the Hotel Association and the Wineries to increase the number of wine tourists that visit Lompoc and the number that stay here, recreate here and return again soon.

12. Santa Barbara County has an effective program for purchasing and contracting locally with little or no cost. It is time to move this forward and keep city dollars with local businesses that employ local workers.

13. Currently the city has replaced only a few hundred of its 2,297 sodium street lights with LED lights. The LED lights provide better light for residents and the police. They reduce electric consumption by over 50%. Financing is available for a replacement program that uses the electricity savings to pay for the new LED lights. Additionally, not all streets and alleys in town have the same number of lights. This upgrade will be the opportunity to provide equal lighting to all areas and additional lights in areas with gang problems.

14. The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has just completed a Regional Transportation Needs Assessment covering from now through 2040. The key concept in the assessment is to move the jobs to where the workers live. I have reviewed our future land needs. Next year the council must have a detailed discussion of the City’s future needs. We have been fortunate that decisions made by the city councils in the 1970s have provided for our needs until now. We must provide the same foresight for future councils.

I am John H. Linn and I am committed to serving the people of Lompoc. I moved here in 1982 so my son could grow up in a small town as my wife and I did. For 33 years I have operated many successful small businesses in Lompoc. Many of you have been our customers and been a part of our success and our lives.

Jonatha, my wife of 40 years, and I have raised our son here, moved both sets of parents here and we are committed to our community.

From 1983 to 1987, I co-chaired the Airport Days Trade Fair and was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1989. I have served on the tow service advisory committee to the California Highway Patrol in Sacramento for 16 years. In 1989, I became scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 103 in 1989 which I continue to lead. I am especially proud of guiding
32 scouts in earning the rank of Eagle Scout. In 2008, I have co-chaired the founding of The Lompoc Valley Parks, Recreation and Pool Foundation to create community recreation programs. The foundation continues to grow with 6 program committees and two more forming.

I have a bachelor’s degree in political science from Chapman University in Orange,  California and I understand the technical aspects of government. With my 42 years of business experience, I understand budgets and the costs of doing business, researching issues and options to make fact-based decisions.

I have enjoyed being your Mayor since December 7 2010 and we have accomplished many great things for the residents of Lompoc working together.