Redlands Councilman Eddie Tejeda said the best reason he can give for the voters of District 2 to retain him on the Redlands City Council is his maturation while in office.
“When I began my city council term in 2016, I thought I knew what the job and responsibilities of a city council member entail,” Tejeda said. “However, I have learned that what I once believed was true is not close to the actual duties and responsibilities of a council member. Prior to this term, I did not have any government experience. I have learned a great deal about government and how it works during my time on the city council.”
Four years ago, Tejeda was elected in a nine-person race for two positions on the city council. Since that time, Redlands has dispensed with at-large elections and now elects its council members by district. Tejeda said, “My term expires in November and I am seeking election to serve as councilmember to represent District 2 on our city council.”
Tejeda said the dedication he has demonstrated over the last three-and-a-half years is something the voters of District 2 should consider in making their selection in November.
“On top of my job working with Rialto Unified, I work an average of 24 hours on my city council duties,” he said. “There are several meetings that must be attended by council members at the regional level to represent the city’s interest. Council members also serve as liaisons on local committees and commissions. Council members also make themselves available to constituents. These may seem like small jobs in the grand scheme of things. However, each job consumes time on an average work calendar and must be planned for.”
Tejeda said he is distinguished from his colleagues on the council, most city council members historically and the other candidates vying in this year’s election in that he holds office representing that section of the city which has traditionally gone unrepresented.
“In 2016, I was elected at-large and am the first city council member elected in an at-large election to live in the north side of town,” Tejeda said. “My campaign then was intended to provide Redlanders living on the north side a seat on the dais to represent them by communicating our issues, concerns and priorities regarding community development. My campaign priorities remain the same for this election.”
Indeed, the only other Redlands council member from the city’s north end over the last half century was Gilberto Gil. Gil was not elected in an at-large election but rather when Redlands in the 1990s was experimenting with by-district elections, which were subsequently discontinued until they were readopted two years ago.
Somewhat modestly, Tejeda referenced the electoral outcome in 2016, which enabled him to become someone who is shaping the community, as his major accomplishment, as that is what enabled him to stand by the commitments he had made when he ran for office.
“I believe my greatest accomplishment was being elected in 2016, which gave me the opportunity to accomplish the goal of representing the constituents of the north side of town and keep my campaign promises of maintaining our quality of life, supporting local small businesses, maintaining our public safety, and making improvements to our community facilities and infrastructure,” Tejeda said.
At present, Tejeda said, “The greatest issue facing the city is the reduction of revenue to our city budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on all our businesses. Our budget is impacted for this year, and if the economy remains slow, it will require the city council to make drastic cuts to services that will significantly and negatively impact our quality of life.”
Tejeda said, “If the economy does not improve, our budget next year will require the further reduction to city staff, fire and police included, the closure of some city facilities such as the community center or even our library. There are a few ways to address this issue. One way would be to estimate what our budget revenue would be for the next fiscal year and prepare a budget that reflects this. However, this will cause the greatest negative impact on essential city services such as fire and police. It would mean a reduction to staff in these departments, thereby putting our residents at the greatest risk of harm or loss of some kind.”
Accordingly, Tejeda made his pitch for city residents to pass the one percent transactions and use tax – in common parlance referred to as a sales tax – which is to be applied to the cost paid for goods and services in the city that will be on the ballot in November.
“The fairest solution, in my opinion, would be for our residents to pass the proposed measure for a 1 percent sales tax increase, which would prevent the previously mentioned budget scenario,” Tejeda said. “Passing the sales tax would also allow the city to add staff to the fire and police department, which have been temporarily unfunded, due to our current budget position.”
Tejeda has lived in Redlands for the last quarter of a century, since 1995. He attended and graduated from San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino. Tejeda graduated from Cal-State San Bernardino, where he majored in education and from which he has also obtained a master’s degree in moderate to severe disability special education. He has parlayed that into a position as a special education teacher with the Rialto Unified School District.
Tejeda is remarried and has three children from his previous marriage.
Tejeda said, “I would like the Sentinel’s readers to know that I am very grateful for the time I have served on the city council. I recognize that I serve at the pleasure of the voters in my community and I am prepared to accept the outcome of the election, whether favorable to me or not.” He said, “I have worked to be as informative to my constituents as I possibly can without running afoul of any laws that hinder my ability to do so. I recognize that many voters are tired of partisan politics and am committed to working with my city council colleagues to focus on the betterment of our community. I strongly believe in term limits and will work to incorporate this within our municipal code.”
-M.G.