Retired law enforcement officer Rick Loeffler was appointed to fill a vacant seat in a 3-1 vote by the remaining four San Clemente city councilors during a special meeting on May 23.
Loeffler promised city councilors that he would treat the appointment as a placeholder and would not run for reelection in 2024.
“The position should go to a qualified placeholder until the voters have the opportunity to decide who will fill the seat for the full term at the next general election,” Loeffler said during the meeting. “All the candidates in 2024 should start on an even playing field and not have the advantage of running as an incumbent based on the vote of three councilmembers.”
Loeffler said his focus as a councilman will be to make decisions without bias as a non-party registered voter, to commit to doing the work and responding to all citizen’s concerns, and to take action instead of pushing off important decisions which could help the city.
During the meeting, councilors asked him about how he would address crime, homelessness, sand retention at their beaches, and national issues on a local level—such as critical race theory (CRT) in schools.
“We have to get away from what the concepts that are national, because Congress and Senate all have their opinions, and we need to keep that out of the city,” said Loeffler. “Our issues are local issues, sand, beaches, homeless, and how we manage that.”
Loeffler said he believes city deputies are doing the best they can to combat crime with the restraints they have, and that they should continue working to enforce the city’s laws.
Regarding CRT and whether the city should invest in it, Loeffler wasn’t in support.
“CRT doesn’t have a place in schools,” said Loeffler. “When you’re talking about critical race it should be addressed at home because it’s a difficult curriculum—it depends on where you live and it’s different everywhere you go.”
Regarding the homeless situation, Loeffler believes the city needs to take action to provide shelter access as the first step to reducing homelessness.
He retired from law enforcement in 2011 after nearly 38 years of service. Following retirement, he became active in city functions to improve the quality of life for residents, according to his application.
Loeffler is currently the president of the Beaches, Parks, and Recreation Foundation, a nonprofit organization in San Clemente which organizes fundraising events and donates the money back to the city.
He is also the chair of the Public Safety Committee which serves as an advisory committee to the city council to recommend ways to enhance law enforcement, fire, and marine safety.
