CFTA Council Unanimously Endorses Joaquín Jiménez and Harvey Rarback for HMB City Council
With the many and varied ways that the City Council can and does improve the lives of Half Moon Bay residents, we believe it is particularly important for the City Councilmembers to share its vision of a Coastside where differences are celebrated and all people feel welcome, supported, and empowered to be active in the community: we need City Councilmembers who are working for a diverse, progressive, sustainable, and equitable Coastside. In Harvey Rarback and Joaquín Jiménez the City Council has two members who actively embody that mission, and we wholeheartedly endorses their respective campaigns for re-election. Half Moon Bay is a better place for having them on the City Council.
Read the full endorsement statement below, or in this PDF document. You can find out more about 2024 HMB City Council candidates Harvey Rarback and Joaquín Jiménez at their campaign websites:
Harvey Rarback
Harvey Rarback has been a consistent supporter of progressive causes and a force for change during his time on the City Council. Often the most progressive of the five councilmembers, especially when it comes to environmental issues, Harvey does the Coastside a great service by pushing his colleagues to consider bolder action than they might otherwise. His responses to our questions were down to Earth and straightforwardly articulated, a reminder of the clarity of thought that Harvey brings to council deliberations. As a good example of this, here he is on the basic justification for the City’s current approach to building low income housing, and his own votes in favor of it: “We need to protect our open space from sprawl. In order to do this, we will need to increase the density of development in the downtown.” Endorsed by the Sierra Club, Harvey is a climate champion who brings a care for the environment and an awareness of the need for sustainability to all of his positions.
Harvey Rarback, often partnering with fellow City Councilmember Joaquín Jiménez, has been one of the driving forces behind the push to improve public safety in Half Moon Bay in his most recent term in office. Following the deaths at the hands of the Sheriff’s deputies of Yanira Serrano and Sandra Harmon, they led the way in advocating for stronger oversight of policing in the city and a paradigm shift in how 911 calls are responded to. Harvey and Joaquín’s leadership led to the establishment of the CARES program, which provides mental health professionals in support of the deputies.
Joaquín Jiménez
Joaquín Jiménez has proven himself to be an engaged, solution-oriented, and creative member of our City Council and a strong representative.
Joaquin has been a committed leader for increased housing options for all lower income members of our community, a long-standing struggle on the Coastside that has become a bonafide crisis in recent years. He has addressed the serious problem of housing with care, making sure that proper process is followed and everyone has had an opportunity to weigh in on this remarkably controversial topic, and has either proposed or advocated for a number of thoughtful solutions.
Joaquin intentionally makes himself available to all his constituents to learn about our concerns and priorities. He is well known and can frequently be found downtown and at community events engaging with constituents, and, to provide even more avenues for engagement, he initiated public office hours when he became Mayor. In addition, Joaquin is the first Latino member of the Half Moon Bay City council and the first Mexican immigrant Mayor of Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay’s population is about 30% Latino. No group of people are a monolith with a single set of priorities or viewpoints and Joaquin is an active and long-time member of the Half Moon Bay community with a long history of community work and farmworker outreach that gives him a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the concerns and priorities of all members of our community.
