Acosta Announces Bid for City Council

Glenn Acosta, who tried to become a city council member last year when Gary Thompson's seat was vacated, has decided to launch a full-fledged campaign for one of three council seats on the line in November.

Acosta is one of four people who have indicated their intention to run, but only he and Kenney Hrabik have made "official" public announcments. City planning commissioner Peter Whittingham and councilwoman Carol Gamble have also filled out documents necessary to launch a campaign.

A 10-year resident of Rancho Santa Margarita who lives in Dove Canyon, Acosta is a senior civil engineer for Los Angeles County. He has been married to his wife, Ann, for 20 years and has two children, Christine, 17, and Matt, 13.

A native of New York who grew up in the low income housing in the Bronx, Acosta says he has fulfilled a small portion of the American Dream and wants to work toward providing that opportunity for local kids as well.

"I want to preserve those opportunities for the kids in the city and help them achieve their own American Dream, and I want to make our city the best and safest community possible and help them achieve that," Acosta said. "Because of that, I've been motivated to be involved in the community the last eight years."

Acosta says the platform he's running on will largely be based on kids and economy.

He says he will put his council salary and benefits toward scholarships for local students. At the current rate, that would about $22,000 annually. 

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"There are a lot of kids who get accepted to really great universities—Harvard, Yale, Stanford—but may not have the financial wherewithal to make it happen," he said. "This is my contribution so they can become leaders in our community."

Acosta also has eyes for Chiquita Ridge and the area's business climate. Chiquita Ridge is 92 acres between the 241 toll road and Antonio Parkway at Tijeras Creek; if the land is developed, at least 23 acres must be sports park, and 32 acres can be other development. 

He wants make sure that Chiquita Ridge is "successful financially so it creates a sustainable tax base to help finance new sports parks for our kids," he said. "Part of the land is meant for sports facilities, but financing those facilities is really key. I want to help make that happen."

Chiquita Ridge goes hand-in-hand with the business climate that Acosta hopes to foster.

"I want to create new businesses in RSM by making our city an outdoor destination," Acosta said. "The surrounding mountains are a natural resource that we should take advantage of. If we set aside part of Chiquita Ridge for BMX and equestrian activities, that's going to create opportunities for small businesses to start and serve those activities and sports, and will create new customer traffic to stores and restaurants. It's a synergistic way of building new business in our community.

"Ball fields are part of it, but there will be land available that we can tie into county parks, create horse trails. People come in and use stables and facilities. What I've found is there is a shortage of horse stables in the county."

Acosta sits on the board of the Trabuco Canyon Water District, an elected position, and is a director for the South Orange County Wastewater Authority, and Joint Powers Insurance Authority, and is a commissioner on the Santiago Aqueduct Commission. He previously has been a director on the Dove Canyon Master Association, andd Chair of the Waste Management Commission of Orange County. The latter is an appointed position by county supervisor Pat Bates.

His website is Glenn4RSM.com. He says he will serve no more than eight years and will not seek higher office, if elected.