Tim Goncharoff, a resources director for the county’s Department of Public Works, has announced his candidacy for the 2014 Santa Cruz City Council race.
Tim Goncharoff only wants Santa Cruz to be the most sustainable city in the country.
“I don’t think it would be that hard to do, and I think it can be done,” says Goncharoff, who has announced his candidacy for the 2014 city council race.
Goncharoff, a resources director for Santa Cruz County’s Department of Public Works, has a pony tail, a Hawaiian shirt and a temporary tattoo with a heart and a pair of wings: it says “Born to Rideshare.” He also has an early jump on an election that often doesn’t see announcements like this until the spring and some big ideas for city government.
Goncharoff, who serves on the city planning commission, envisions a new electric trolley running from the Boardwalk that could make stops downtown, a destination tourists have been skipping for decades. This hypothetical trolley leaves from a hypothetical parking structure next to the county building—technically county property, but within city limits—with solar panels blanketing the top to charge up the trolleys while they wait.
“It doesn’t require new technology,” Goncharoff says. “It just requires some vision and cooperation.”
Yeah, and money.
Goncharoff hopes funds for such projects could come from Community Choice Aggregation, a project which would allow people with solar panels and windmills to sell energy back to a countywide grid. Goncharoff’s friend Virginia Johnson, former director of Ecology Action, is currently studying that concept, which also has the backing of local politicians like county supervisor John Leopold and supe hopeful Ryan Coonerty.
There’s another possibility too, he says. The state’s new cap and trade emissions program’s revenue could make hundreds of millions of dollars available each year for grants—assuming Californians’ emissions fall slowly enough to face sizable taxes. Goncharoff says if the city starts planning for sustainable projects now, they could be eligible for some of these grants.
There will be three open seats in the 2014 November election. Mayor Hilary Bryant and councilmember David Terrazas are both considering running for re-election. Vice-mayor Lynn Robinson will term out due to temporary term limits.
Grant writer Steve Pleich, an activist for the poor and homeless, will run in his third straight election, and has also announced his candidacy. “It’s all about raising money, and I’ve had a hard time with that. That’s why I’m starting early,” he says.
Robert Singleton, chief marketing officer for Civinomics, is considering running, as is Cynthia Chase, program director for nonprofit Gemma.
Richelle Noroyan, who finished fifth last year when she ran for one of four seats, might toss her hat in as well. “I needed to start a little bit earlier in terms of visibility and fundraising,” says Noroyan, who’s gauging how much support she has for another run. “I’m hopefully not going to make the same mistakes if I decide to run again.”
CeCe Pinheiro, who ran in 2012, has decided she can “win big” by sitting this one out and throwing her support behind Goncharoff.
“He has this experience that’s right for a Santa Cruz, he’s nationally know as the plastic bag-ban guy, and he’s a considerable environmentalist,” says Pinheiro, a former Community TV administrator and school board member. “That’s what he we need in public office, who know how they can make a difference for the environment and for Santa Cruz.”
Goncharoff admits some of his ideas sound difficult to accomplish but notes Santa Cruzans played a pivotal role in getting Cold Stone Creamery to rethink polystyrene cups and getting Best Buy to update its E-Waste program.
“Sometimes we think we’re a small town and we can’t make a difference with these global problems, but there’s power in a good example,” he says.
Goncharoff, who would plan to continue working for the county, would also like to see the city start replacing its fleet with electric vehicles, put solar panels pretty much “everywhere” and start composting, too—as big cities like New York, Seattle, Portland and Boulder do. The father of three says he wants to do it all for his kids.
“I think a lot about their future and the future of their kids,” he says. “I want to create a city that they can live in and they can thrive. I feel like telling a joke right now because that was so heavy. We could use the Great Morgani to lighten things up. I love that you can walk up the street here and see so much creativity.”
