The Oceanside Chamber’s Advance Oceanside Political Action Committee (AOPAC) has spent much of the last 2 months interviewing and evaluating Candidates for Oceanside’s District 1 and District 2 City Council seats.
Last week AOPAC brought its recommendations to the Chamber Board for approval. As a result, the Chamber Board has endorsed Rick Robinson for the Oceanside City Council District 2 seat. Robinson, who has served as Oceanside’s Fire Chief since 2016 will officially retire from the position at the end of July. With a desire to continue actively serving the residents of
Oceanside, Robinson decided to make a run at the Council seat in District 2, where he and his
wife have lived for many years.
In its endorsement recommendation to the Chamber Board, AOPAC noted several strengths that they saw in Robinson during the interview process. The group noted that Robinson has a strong grasp on where Oceanside’s future opportunities lie in the coming years, including continuing the strong progress we have made with the development of hotels, and influx of new businesses. He also demonstrated an understanding of the importance of marketing
Oceanside as a destination in order to drive sales tax and transient occupancy tax (TOT) to keep
our City in a strong fiscal position. TOT is the 3rd largest revenue source for Oceanside, generating over $7M annually to the general fund.
“We are pleased to put our support behind Rick Robinson for the D2 seat”, noted Chamber CEO, Scott Ashton. “Rick is a team player, and he approaches this opportunity with a sense of humility and optimism. He is genuinely focused on the Council seat as a way to continue his service to the City of Oceanside. We are grateful that Rick acknowledges that a business-
friendly climate is essential for the City to remain financially strong and able to provide a high
level of service to its citizens.”
Councilmember Christopher Rodriguez, who currently serves as the District 2 representative, is not seeking a 2nd term in the seat.
While the Chamber’s PAC interviewed several candidates for the District 1 race, the group decided not to make and endorsement recommendation to the Chamber Board and instead focus its resources on the District 2 Race.
About the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1896, the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to provide advocacy and resources that help businesses and our community thrive. The Chamber is an independent organization made up of businesses of all sizes, as well as non-profits and local institutions. We are here for pro-business advocacy, economic growth, workforce development and providing meaningful connections for our business community.
