Folsom is now an anti-expansion city. Developer-beholden politicians everywhere, beware | Opinion
Folsom city politics have long been dominated by council members catering to development interests — a testament to the stunning growth that continues to this day. But Folsom’s era of expansions, at least for the foreseeable political horizon, appears over.
Leading in election results are two anti-expansion candidates to the city council that portend a setback for the region’s preeminent developer, Angelo Tsakopoulos, in a rare and historic defeat. His proposal to develop 2,800 acres south of the existing Folsom city limits and in El Dorado County appears to have a majority of the next Folsom City Council squarely against it.
“I don’t think this new council will have an appetite for another annexation,” said Sarah Aquino, a current Folsom City Council member who has opposed further expansion south of Highway 50. Soon, she will appear to have two new allies on the subject on the dais: long-time environmental activist Barbara Leary and former county planning commissioner Justin Raithel. They have held steady leads since election night as ballot counting continues. Leary declared victory Tuesday night to supporters after the latest release of vote tabulations left her with a seemiingly insurmountable lead.
“I think the voters view growth and the challenges that come with it as the most important issue facing Folsom,” Raithel said.
Folsom’s political evolution regarding growth may ultimately have repercussions far beyond this one city’s borders. Developer-centric elected officials throughout the region, particularly in Sacramento County, may soon find themselves out of step with their own citizens.
Regional planners are trying to guide cities to build new housing inside their borders rather than traditional expansions outwards in order to reduce traffic, improve air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Now, even communities like Folsom — with strong expansionist traditions — are beginning to reach their tolerance limit.
Leary, in particular, was wildly outspent by development interests. Tsakopoulos and “affiliated entities” Development, donated $10,000 to a committee backing opponent Jim Ortega.
“I clearly riled up AKT (Tsakopoulos’ development company) and associates with my long history of environmental and local residents advocacy,” Leary said.
There was nothing particularly unusual about this Tsakopoulos development proposal, save for its failed outcome.
A long-time developer and father of Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Tsakopoulos has long owned 2,800 acres south of White Rock Road both south of Folsom city limits as well as within neighboring El Dorado County. He is legendary for promoting massive new projects with some bright and shiny feature, such as the promise of a university. This time, Tsakopoulos proposed a partnership with the University of California’s health system to design a modest portion of the development for a new approach to in-home senior living.
Making his pitch to the Folsom City Council and the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors earlier this year, backers talked of an “Olympic Village” of researchers from throughout the world descending on El Dorado and Folsom to advance their work studying aging in this new community.
But it was all talk. While Tsakopoulos has paid the UC for some consulting help on the project, the system hasn’t pledged a penny for a research village.
And south of Folsom, the developer was missing a key ingredient: water. It also made no geographic sense. He essentially wanted Folsom to expand based on the weird jagged finger of his parcel ownership, not some rectangle that made planning sense for a city to provide services.
The project was nowhere near ready for any jurisdiction’s attention. It’s just that Folsom has no political tradition that is accustomed to saying no.
All this growth has changed the feel of Folsom. It can be hard to find a parking place at the outlet mall, or at many other places in town. The small-town feel exists mostly in memory. And its residents are beginning to get fed up. No greater example is how Folsom voters resoundingly rejected a one-cent sales tax proposal, Measure G, to help fund city services.
“Thinking about my race and the results of Measure G, I think many voters don’t trust our local government and (feel) that our city leadership needs to increase communications and transparency especially around our finances,” Raithel said. “The growth challenges are a significant part of this distrust, as residents are frustrated with traffic, water restrictions, increased lawlessness and aging parks and trails.”
This anti-expansion movement is not some sign that Folsom politics are swinging wildly to the political left. This emerging growth attitude is a bipartisan sentiment — and it’s real. City council members who dare to champion further city expansion now run the risk of unemployment.
To Tsakopoulos and all those other landowners who own undeveloped land south of the city in the unincorporated county with no approved growth plan by anyone: You own some beautiful open space. It is neither needed nor wanted for development. It is time to work with non-profits and government to keep your land just the way it is.