By Collin Breaux | Email: cbreaux@picketfencemedia.com | Twitter: @collin_breaux
John Alpay is one of two candidates running for the District 5 seat on the San Juan Capistrano City Council. The seat will be decided during the November general election.
Alpay is a businessman, resident of the Meredith Canyon community and has previously served two terms on the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) Board of Trustees. He is also currently Chairman of the Board for the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce and has recently attended ribbon-cuttings for new businesses and schools in this capacity.
Alpay is motivated to run because of his strong commitment to community service. He announced his campaign in July.
“I have a strong track record of doing that, going back a good number of years,” Alpay said. “I have a real commitment to improving the community which I live in and providing a better quality of life for my children, their friends and my family.”
Alpay feels his experience with CUSD makes him a “turnkey” solution for the city council, because there are similar aspects despite some different nomenclature. Alpay noted that both CUSD and the City of San Juan Capistrano work with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
“It’s local municipal government,” Alpay said. “I understand all aspects of it from personal experience, but also from an educational experience, given my post-doctoral work at USC in local government.”
Alpay said he loves the quality of life and commitment to open space, reflected in the preservation of the city’s Northwest Open Space.
“I live in the south part of town and (have) the access to the trails,” Alpay said on local amenities he likes. “I’ve got the ridgelines surrounding my house, the nature. I can go out my front door and see the hawks. It’s just a great place to be.”
Alpay says he loves the small-town feel of San Juan and the downtown area which he said needs to be “protected, preserved and enhanced.” Alpay said there are parking concerns downtown that need to be addressed, and there is opportunity to build additional parking structures that are non-obtrusive. Alpay also said the city could work with CUSD to relocate and rebuild San Juan Elementary School, away from the freeway.
Mission San Juan Capistrano should be supported as a huge vehicle for economic activity in the community, Alpay said. The Chamber has done a great job stepping up and supporting local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
Howard Hart is also running in the District 5 election.
The District 5 seat is currently held by Councilmember Brian Maryott, who is campaigning in the 49th Congressional District race against incumbent Mike Levin, which is also on the November ballot. The District 1 election was recently canceled by the city council, because incumbent Sergio Farias was running unopposed.
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