For the first time, San Clemente voters will be picking the city’s mayor, and three candidates think they should be it.
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As the city continues its transition to district elections, the mayor’s seat finds a place on the ballot. In the past, the councilmembers chose from among themselves someone to handle the gavel and lead the meetings for the next year.
The mayor will be chosen by all voters; council seats are now being chosen by geographic districts.
Running for mayor are Victor Cabral, who has been a councilmember since 2022; Shane Hirschman, an art director who has served on the city’s Arts and Culture Committee; and Kathy Ward, who previously served on the council for two terms.
We asked the candidates questions about housing, city finances, transparency, and more, which you can read in our voter guide.
Here are their answers to a couple of questions.
In your opinion, what is the biggest need your city faces, and how would you address it?
Cabral: In my opinion, one of San Clemente’s most pressing needs is restoring and preserving our beaches for future generations. Our coastline defines our community and supports tourism, local businesses, property values, and our quality of life.
The underlying problem is the continued loss of dry sand. Repeated emergency permits and additional rock armoring may temporarily protect the railroad, but they do not address the long-term disappearance of our beaches. I have personally watched this happen at Cypress Shores, where a once-wide beach has nearly disappeared as the revetment has expanded. Protecting the railroad and restoring the beach are not competing goals — they are inseparable.
As mayor, I would advocate for the immediate placement of sand to protect the railroad while requiring meaningful beach nourishment and mitigation for additional armoring. We should continue pursuing federal, state, and county funding while exploring efficient ways to locate and place more sand on our beaches.
Restoring our coastline would remain one of my highest priorities, along with public safety, a business-friendly climate, fiscal accountability, reducing homelessness, and addressing the proposed expansion of the Prima Deshecha Landfill.
Hirschman: Sand depletion, ongoing oil spills, pesticide usage near our creeks, wildfires, and landslides are all major threats facing the prosperity of San Clemente.
The best geographical and climate attributes that make our city such a beautiful, high-quality place to live can also become environmental vulnerabilities to our coastline. Our shrinking beaches, disruptions to our natural ecosystems, offshore drilling and other geological variables will drastically affect our quality of life and local economy if we don’t take steps to adapt to these new realities.
Funding will need to be secured, and we’ll need creative solutions to preserve our high standards of living.
Ward: Increased spending without taking into account future needs of the city has placed the city with reduced general fund discretionary balances. I will work with the council to ensure we follow good governmental practices for budgeting so we can regain our footing and spend responsibly.
If there are items in the budget we are spending too much for that could be more efficient, we will encourage staff to pursue those so we are not wasting any revenue.
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We need to return to a City Council that works efficiently and only on city business and stays out of national politics so we concentrate on the business at hand to deliver a safe and productive city for our residents and business owners. I believe that is what our residents expect.
How should the city balance rising costs, paying off debts, such as pension liabilities, and building reserves, all while meeting residents’ needs? Should a solution involve finding new revenue, economic development, trimming the budget, or something else entirely?
Cabral: As a fiscal conservative, I believe the city must live within its means, prioritize essential services, eliminate waste, and ensure every taxpayer dollar is accounted for. We also need a responsible plan to address the city’s $40-plus million unfunded pension liability.
While rising property values should support revenues in the near term, we must maintain adequate reserves and plan for future economic downturns. We should also reduce unnecessary costs and barriers for local businesses, strengthen revenue sources such as Transient Occupancy Tax revenues, and regularly review budgets and forecasts to identify efficiencies, leverage technology to create savings, and protect essential services.
It is also critical that the city continue to seek out federal and state grant dollars.
Hirschman: Most pertinent to this election is Measure M, which proposes raising our city’s sales tax an additional 1%. Sand replenishment at our beaches and fire mitigation are top concerns, so I’m in favor of this measure as a means to not impact other separate fiscal responsibilities to our residents.
However, aside from this measure, San Clemente is in dire need of additional funding sources for a variety of other city services. For example, unlike many larger cities, we do not have dedicated funding for arts, amphitheaters, large-scale cultural events, or even beautification projects. As a mayor, I’d like to explore a modest event or venue tax that captures more visitor spending from weddings and corporate events, especially as San Clemente has such a high concentration of wedding venues that are regularly booked through the whole year.
Lastly, I’d also consider looking into one or two recreational cannabis dispensaries that could be opened in our city, as a means to fund our arts programs, not unlike Costa Mesa, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from cannabis taxes.
Ward: The City Council should prioritize providing the best services to the residents as possible while following a long-range financial plan.
This would guide budget decisions that will not deplete the general fund and protect city reserves for future needs. If there is a clear trend that costs are projected higher in future years, then discretionary spending should be trimmed, if possible, to meet lower revenue balances.
There should always be an eye toward economic opportunities, but those are not endless, and a council cannot overspend and expect that money will be available to cover the deficit created by their decisions.
Read more of the voter guide, including what the candidates said would make them good leaders and how they would represent the city’s diverse community at ocregister.com/voter-guide.
Ballots may be returned by mail (must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received within a week of Election Day) or to the OC Registrar of Voters’ drop boxes around town now, and the first vote centers will open for casting ballots in person on Oct. 24.
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