Two council seats are up in Yorba Linda and one of them is an easy call.
Elected to the council in 2018, Carlos Rodriguez has been a reliable conservative leader in the city.
“Yorba Linda is one of the most financially stable cities in Orange County,” he told us, explaining the city is doing well enough that it doesn’t even need to contemplate new taxes. “We do not need new taxes. Future economic growth by focusing on small businesses in our community will help grow our local economy and sales tax revenue.”
Reflective of this is California Policy Center’s Local Fiscal Health Dashboard, which has graded Yorba Linda a “B” in every fiscal year from 2022 to 2025, with “A” grades for its debt burden, liquidity and pension debts. By comparison, nearby cities like Anaheim, Brea and Placentia have received “C” grades, while Fullerton and Orange have received “D” grades in the last year available.
Fortunately, Rodriguez also wasn’t thrilled about Assembly Bill 1383 which sought to allow cities to boost police and firefighter pensions. He said it wasn’t necessary.
As someone who in his professional life works with the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Rodriguez rightly opposes rent control. His views on housing policy are more of a mixed bag, though, given his staunch defense of “local control,” which is often the mantra of local elected officials who want to limit housing production. He said in one ad that he supports “responsible housing that reflects our local values.” Such rhetoric reeks a bit of NIMBYism, but he has to his credit voted to move the city’s housing element into compliance with state law.
Where Rodriguez has perhaps been most helpful is on the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Working with Supervisor Janet Nguyen, he has scored some wins for Orange County, including securing long-delayed landfill permits while tackling an old backlog, and negotiating a regulatory rule change that saved the county $5 million. And, concerned about the high cost of regulatory compliance, he provided a critical vote last year against proposed AQMD rules aimed at phasing out gas-powered heaters and furnaces.
Backed by the Orange County Taxpayers Association and the Orange County Business Council, Carlos Rodriguez has been a practical voice for taxpayers. While we don’t agree with Rodriguez on everything, he merits re-election.
Vote for Carlos Rodriguez in Yorba Linda.