Election was the first time in town history that none of the council seats were contested
Morro Bay’s all-woman City Council was short-lived, as it passed the torch Dec. 10 to a new set of elected officials, two of whom are men.
Outgoing Councilmembers Laurel Barton and Jen Ford bid adieu to their posts and welcomed new members Jeff Eckles and Bill Luffee (pronounced Lou-Fey) who joined reelected Mayor Carla Wixom and mid-term Councilmembers Zara Landrum and Cyndee Edwards on the dais.
But 2024 won’t pass history as a footnote, an end to a grand experiment, but saw another historic milestone — the November election was the first time in town history that none of the council seats were contested.
No one stepped up to run against Wixom for mayor, nor Eckles and Luffee for the council seats, marking the first time that’s occurred in the 60 years since Morro Bay’s incorporation in July 1964.
In her farewell, Barton said it had been a pleasure to serve on the City Council, and was thankful for the interest the citizens have in their town government, evidenced by the many comments from the public that have been submitted on nearly every topic that arises.
Ford’s remarks took her back to the beginning, when her neighbor and friend, the late Councilmember Red Davis, asked her to take his place as he was dying.
“I did so with a heavy heart and a deep sense of responsibility,” she said. “This has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.”
Ford recalled that she was appointed during the COVID pandemic, and had to deal with all the challenges the virus response created.
Now, as a member of Assemblywoman Dawn Addis’s staff, Ford said her service to the community would continue. “This is far from the end of my service,” she said. “I believe in Morro Bay’s future. I believe in its people.”
Ever the businesswoman, Wixom said it would be good to have Ford as a direct line to the State Assembly.
City Manager Yvonne Kimball awarded both Ford and Barton certificates of service and large, crystal engraved bowls as souvenirs of their time in office.
City Clerk Dana Swanson administered the oath of office to Luffee, Eckles, and Wixom, who then took seats on stage, officially starting their tenures.
Eckles said that despite the election being a walkover, it wouldn’t lessen his dedication to the city. He’s been serving the community for 20 years in one role or another, Eckles said, and in the audience sees “the faces of my neighbors, friends, and loved ones. I am truly inspired.”
He noted the passage of Measure A-24 in November, which gives voters a say on zoning changes on the north end of the Embarcadero, as indicative of “how much the citizens love Morro Bay.”
Eckles said he doesn’t want to see the character of the city change “into something we don’t recognize.”
He pledged to use his experience in the finance world to help put the city back on sound financial footing. Indeed, budget forecasts are sounding a dire warning that the current rate of spending and revenues, isn’t sustainable for much longer.
Eckles said he would be proposing initiatives in 2025 to help the financial health of the city.
Luffee said this was “the next step in my journey of public service.”
Both Luffee and Eckles are former members and chairmen of the Harbor Advisory Board, which oversees the Harbor Department and advises the City Council on harbor projects and issues.
Neither has been elected to public office before; however, Eckles ran for the District 2 SLO County Supervisor seat in 2018, losing to incumbent Bruce Gibson, in a three-way race at the June primary.
The Harbor Board veterans take office just as the city manager hired a new harbor vitality director, whose focus will be on economic development on the waterfront.
Luffee also said he’s concerned about the town’s economy, and the lackluster revenue projections coming from the finance department. In 2022, Luffee and two other men led support for Measure B, a $10 per month parcel tax on all private property in Morro Bay. B-22 would have raised over $600,000 a year for the Harbor Department to work on its extensive list of unmet maintenance needs, but the measure was sunk at the polls, as 60 percent voted against it.
Wixom thanked the four generations of her family that attended the swearing-in ceremonies. “It’s about community,” she said. “That’s why we’re sitting here and why you’re sitting there.”
The new City Council will face some tough issues in the coming year. The city continues to deal with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project proposed by the power plant property owner, Vistra, that has now been taken away from them.
In October, Vistra notified the city that it was pulling its application and would apply to the California Energy Commission for a permit, under a work-around passed by the Legislature in 2022. Assembly Bill 205 (AB 205) gives applicants for sustainable energy projects — battery plants and other storage types, solar and wind farms — a way to get past local opposition and ask the state agencies to review and approve their projects.
Vistra is believed to be one of the, if not the first, company to take an unpopular project to the state for approval. But with such strong support for Measure A-22, state regulators would have to basically ignore the will of voters and poo-poo their wishes should the Energy Commission simply approve the project without a local vote as mandated with Measure A-22.
The city has lost its lead agency status on the BESS Project; however, the Coastal Commission is also involved in the AB 205 process and the commission staff has already cast serious doubt on whether the proposed BESS Project can be allowed in the Coastal Zone.
Last August, a staff member sent two letters to the City Planning Department critical of the BESS Project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report and commenting on the city’s work to write a Power Plant Master Plan specifically covering the 117-acre power plant property — minus the 22-acre BESS Project site.
Also, the next City Council could have to deal with another proposed project — offshore floating wind energy farms being worked on by the federal government.
The city and SLO County are partners on a study to gauge the feasibility of having Morro Bay Harbor serve as a work port for the wind farms. Upgrades and extensive improvements to harbor facilities are expected to be required if the harbor is to play a role in this brand-new industry.
The wind farms present a golden opportunity to tax these giant companies, as they will probably need to lease certain state tidelands properties or facilities, which the city controls.
However, the future of that project was cast into serious doubt when Donald Trump was elected president in November, as he stated during the campaign that he would stop offshore wind energy development.
Feature Image: Morro Bay City Clerk Dana Swanson administers the oath of office to incoming City Councilmembers (from left) Jeff Eckles, Mayor Carla Wixom, and Bill Luffee. The trio joins City Councilmembers Zara Landrum and Cyndee Edwards serving for the next two years. Photos by Neil Farrell
