Since his election as the city’s first directly-elected mayor in 2022, Austin Lumbard has provided steady, competent leadership in Tustin.
We endorse his re-election.
Lumbard, who was previously on the city council and before that the city’s planning commission, is a sensible fiscal conservative who has helped keep the city on a sustainable trajectory. California Policy Center’s Local Fiscal Health Dashboard grades the city’s finances an “A,” with top marks for the city’s relatively low debt burden and healthy level of reserves, among other measures.
“Tustin consistently ranks among the top cities in Orange County for fiscal management and financial strength. That is not by accident,” he told us. “Cities can maintain solvency by using realistic revenue projections and conservative cost forecasts. This can and should be done without raising taxes. Instead, cities should focus on excelling at the basics: public safety, reliable infrastructure, and cost-neutral customer service. This is exactly what Tustin has done by prioritizing law enforcement and emergency services, making smart capital investments in roads, parks, and public spaces, and providing efficient services to business and residential customers.”
These common sense instincts were reflected in his response to Assembly Bill 1383, a push by public safety unions to allow cities to boost pensions and lower the retirement age. “Cities across the state are still struggling from the financial burdens realized through heightened pension benefits,” Lumbard noted. “And while many cities in Orange County are facing fiscal uncertainty, or worse, Sacramento (in its “wisdom”) has introduced a measure that will likely exacerbate poor city finances.”
Fortunately, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 1383, so cities across the state are safe, for now.
Lumbard is also rightly proud of his city’s ability to attract businesses of all sizes to set up shop. “Tustin is increasingly attracting regional and national businesses. We have welcomed corporate headquarters (Virgin Galactic, Advantech, and Schools First) and other dynamic companies to town (Anduril and Rivian) and continue to strive to support our existing businesses,” he told us.
And, while he’s no fan of the state ordering cities how many housing units they must plan for, he’s embraced the opportunity to revitalize the city with an array of new housing, saying, “In Tustin, we have leveraged new and vibrant housing as an opportunity for refreshed and revitalized corridors in town.”
But perhaps Lumbard’s leadership was on its best display during the 2023 north hangar fire, which resulted in debris strewn across the city. “The city was not required to step in,” he pointed out. “But if the city would have waited for the Navy, and relied on legal authority to do nothing while we waited, our community would have suffered even more than it did. We decided to act. We were able to expedite immediate response, get personnel on the ground, and manage a long-term recovery process that best met the needs of our residents and businesses.”
We remember well Lumbard’s determination to clean up the city and try to get help from foot-dragging state and federal authorities, and think he earned re-election with those efforts.
Lumbard does have a serious challenger in Letitia Clark, who previously served on the council and as mayor under the prior process by which council members named a fellow council member the mayor. She vows to promote economic opportunity, fiscal responsibility and public safety in the city.
Like Lumbard, she argues the city must maintain its conservative revenue forecasts and remain committed to structurally balanced budgets. However, she wasn’t as concerned about AB 1383 as Lumbard. “It’s a serious response to a recruitment and retention problem cities across California are facing,” she told us. “I understand why [the Tustin Police Officers Association] and other public safety organizations back it as a tool to negotiate retirement benefits that fit their workforce.”
Ultimately, we don’t see a plausibly convincing case for ousting Lumbard in favor of Clark.
Re-elect Austin Lumbard as mayor of Tustin.