This article is part of Folsom Times’ 2026 Coffee with Candidates series, featuring one-on-one conversations with candidates in key local races. Through video interviews and accompanying digital coverage, candidates respond to a series of questions developed with input from the community, giving voters an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking office on issues important to the region.
In this segment, we sit down with Justin Hurst, candidate for Folsom City Council District 5. Hurst serves on the Folsom Planning Commission and works as government relations and advocacy manager for the California Student Aid Commission. He holds a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Sacramento State and degrees in evolution, ecology and biodiversity and international relations from UC Davis. His previous experience includes working for the California Department of Finance and serving as president and CEO of the Associated Students of UC Davis.
Q: Folsom continues to grow, particularly south of Highway 50. While the city also faces aging infrastructure and maintenance needs in established areas, do you believe Folsom’s infrastructure is keeping pace with its growth? What would you do differently, if anything, and would you ever support slowing or delaying development until necessary infrastructure is in place?
Hurst: This is a good question. I appreciate that it’s a multi-part one. Currently I sit on the Folsom Planning Commission, so I see several projects come before me, and as a part of that, I’m familiar with, I will just say, the time scale of development. A lot of the planned development that is currently happening south of 50 in particular, that has been more or less a decade in the making.
To the extent that there are levers as a City Council person to deny projects, usually it has to be tailored to a very strongly supported community need or, if for example there was a demonstrated threat to the community health, then that’s a reason to deny a project.
That said, there are a couple of different ways that I feel like I can directly answer this question. One, there’s the micro scale of approving existing projects that are currently consistent with what is a part of the Folsom Plan Area Specific Plan, and then there is the prospect of new and future growth for the city.
I would be against expanding the city any further than the Folsom Plan Area at this point in time. I do think, to your point in the question, that there has been a lot of conversation, and I’ve heard this extensively from voters, that infrastructure is not keeping up with the pace of development.
Part of that is, I will note, there is currently no grocery store south of 50. So all the folks that live down there and all the new developments are having to come to Costco, other grocery stores north of 50, and it’s impacting the density of just your typical parking lot. If you wanted to go to Costco, it’s pretty hard to find parking nowadays.
So I don’t think that infrastructure is keeping pace with that. And if I were to get into the reasons, I think part of it is also the city is just operating in a different fiscal environment than it was at the time where this new growth was planned.
For context, we primarily rely on two main sources of revenue for the city: property taxes and sales taxes. Sales taxes, the projected revenue really tapered off around 2017. You can really think about the growth of online sales, and because of that, the city has less money to work with.
In addition, with all of this new development, it’s happening in an area where there currently was zero existing infrastructure, with the exception of what was then Scott Road and Prairie City Road. Those were the main thoroughfares that went to White Rock Road south of 50.
So now as the development is coming, developers as well as the city are having to invest a lot of resources into getting this infrastructure going. So I think that to the extent that there are already planned projects, they are going to go forward whether or not the council has something to say about it or not, in one form or another.
But I think that there is an opportunity for the City Council to really prioritize the infrastructure catching up as opposed to planning for future expansion.
Q: Traffic congestion remains a major concern, particularly around East Bidwell Street and Highway 50. What do you believe the city can realistically do to improve traffic over the next four years? And where do projects such as the Empire Ranch Road interchange, Alder Creek Parkway, and improvements to existing roads rank among your priorities?
Hurst: Thank you for the question. I would say infrastructure improvement, specifically for these roadways and some of the ones that you listed, the interchange being top of mind within that list, probably rank within the top three priorities for me.
I think it’s very closely associated with growth. And as a part of that, I would say if there was a single greatest complaint that I hear from residents, it is East Bidwell traffic, which is something that I drive on a daily basis.
I live on Creekside Drive, which is right near East Bidwell. I think that some of the trouble with infrastructure is it takes a lot of time, and funding is also a key component of it.
For the Empire Ranch interchange, I will say one of the things that the city has done is it’s already set aside some land, as opposed to just waiting for the money to come in. So there is active work being done for that interchange.
But the funding element is also super tricky. So there’s a lot of coordination that has to happen with the state. Projects have to get approved by Caltrans, as well as oftentimes there’s federal funding involved in these projects. So even if all of the plan is there, it’s likely still several years out before this is ready to go.
In the meantime, it’s a little quicker for the city to think about roadway widening. For example, there’s one project coming up with the Iron Point and East Bidwell intersection where there’s some planned active transportation in the area. So there’s going to be a walkway that’s going to be built out.
In addition, there’s also going to be an additional turn lane coming north on Iron Point, turning onto East Bidwell. That will be a part of an expansion for the roadway.
I think the question of deferred maintenance is important. One of the things that I really care about in this campaign is thinking about not building out to the point where we’re not addressing our existing infrastructure.
So one thing in particular that I’m passionate about is, I think as a city, we really need to be thinking about our deferred maintenance needs and allocating more money to that in the city budget on an annual basis.
Q: Do you believe new development should pay for the full cost it creates for the city, including roads, parks, public safety and other services, as well as the long-term maintenance and eventual replacement of that infrastructure? Would you support adjusting development and permit fees if studies show current fees don’t fully recover those costs?
Hurst: Unfortunately, I think that the answer to this one is a little more nuanced than the average voter might want. I think it is primarily incumbent upon the new growth to pay for itself in the long run.
At the same time, the city does need to consider existing needs for the rest of the residents of the city, as well as for some of the additional projects that may not be covered by existing development or new development.
To your point, I think that the developers can continue to do more to support the growth, specifically in looking at development fees. If there were to be a study that would show that it’s not really keeping pace with the needs of the city, I would be in favor of revisiting that, whether that be a change in the amount or a restructuring in the way that they operate.
One of the other things that’s tied in with that is affordable housing, and the city has special funds dedicated to that that it can dip into. So I think that is a very particular area where the city can utilize existing resources rather than necessarily waiting for that funding to come in from the new development.
Q: Folsom faces increasing costs for infrastructure and city services while also having to maintain a balanced budget. Would you support asking voters to consider another local sales tax or other revenue measure in the future? If not, how would you address the city’s long-term infrastructure and service needs without additional taxes?
Hurst: This is a question that actually is near and dear to me. It’s something that motivated me to run for this position in general. I have a background in public finances. I used to work for the Department of Finance for a few years, and I got really involved in Folsom politics at the point of the last election with Measure G in particular.
Seeing how resoundingly that failed, that sales tax measure — it was something like three-fourths of voters shot it down — the one thing that I heard consistently when I was chatting with people who were on the pro and against side of Measure G were a lack of trust in City Council and the way that they allocate resources and the budgeting process in general.
So, in my mind, while I would be supportive of something eventually like Measure G coming back to the ballot, I don’t think that’s something that’s possible in the next few years, and I don’t think it’s something that residents want, particularly as they’re facing increased cost of living and focusing on their own daily life at the same time. Other fees are increasing. There’s just not an appetite for it, and I don’t think it would pass.
I think that there’s a lot of work to be done to gain that trust so that it could pass in the future. Whether or not that’s a 1% tax, a half-percent tax, ongoing, one-time, limited term, I’m somewhat agnostic on and willing to have that conversation.
But I think that the big thing for me and one of my biggest platform issues is reforming the budgeting process. I’m really passionate about community engagement within the budgeting process, and I think that there’s a lot of existing models that Folsom can build on.
I’m really interested in — probably my number one priority would be establishing a budget commission so that the average residents of Folsom can have more of a say in what the recommendations are that are presented to council for the budget, especially at a time where cuts are having to be made so we can balance the budget.
Q: Residents in established areas of Folsom frequently raise concerns about aging streets, parks, trails and other infrastructure. How should the city balance maintaining and improving existing neighborhoods with spending on infrastructure needed to serve newer development? What should be fixed first when there isn’t enough money to do everything?
Hurst: In terms of prioritizing, I think that it’s a bit of a balancing act for the city. As there is new growth and new need for parks, for example, Prospector Park south of 50, a lot of that has been planned for a while and it’s servicing a large populated area. So it makes sense that that was a park that was most recently built.
That being said, I would juxtapose this with some of the aging infrastructure that exists north of 50, using a very specific example in Kids Play Park, or Castle Park.
This is a park that I grew up with. I remember going to visit it when I was 5 years old, and it’s really fallen into a state of disrepair up until very recently.
Then when it became apparent that it was no longer safe for kids to play on, the City Council had to step in and provide some funding for addressing those needs through a complete reconstruction.
And then on this one in particular, the community really stepped in as well to raise a lot of funds in a way where the city really wasn’t able to foot the cost of the entire bill, partially because of the lack of financial planning for it.
And I think part of that ties into my earlier answer with deferred maintenance needs. I think that there needs to be more spent on that so the city does not end up in a similar situation with the community needing to effectively bail out the city.
But I think a part of that also is thinking about how the city obligates funding for these projects. As I’ve come to discuss with park staff and other folks that work within the city, my understanding of the city budgeting process and planning for these projects is largely that they’re done in phases, but the funding is usually only ever set aside for phase one, with the phase two funding coming along when it comes along.
I think that that is a practice that the city can address at the local planning level that can provide for more reliable updates to projects, in addition to obligating more funding for deferred maintenance needs.
And I think the two of those things together will result in a better scenario where the city is not having to ask residents to contribute more funding for what they’re coming to expect in their own neighborhoods for their parks and their trails.
Q: As Folsom’s population and developed area continue to grow, what should the city be doing to ensure police, fire and emergency medical services keep pace? Do you believe current staffing and funding are adequate? And if not, how would you pay for additional resources?
Hurst: Thank you for the question. I appreciate this one. I think between the Police Department and the Fire Department, there’s a slightly different answer for each.
I think that the staffing levels for the Police Department in general are adequate for where we’re at in the city. It’s been keeping pace with the long-term plan. That being said, the allocation of the police coverage perhaps is what could use some tweaking.
So, for example, I’ve heard, even though this is not in my district, I know folks who live south of 50 who have talked about a lack of support from the Police Department, not because they’re not there, just because sometimes coverage is limited.
And as you can imagine, it’s hard for any given police officer to respond when there’s not a police station south of 50. So I think that thinking about area of coverage is something that can be considered more for the Police Department.
Part of that could be an expanded volunteer program. Part of that could be working more with the police chief to talk about staffing resources and what would be appropriate, maybe other areas where coverage can be provided that would not detriment the rest of the city.
And then looking at the Fire Department, I think that there are a couple of different opportunities. I would say by and large that there’s not enough staffing for the Fire Department.
Part of that was because the station south of 50 was browned out for a while. Currently they just brought a fire engine back in the last couple of weeks.
But at a time where homeowners are really facing a crisis with insurance in the state because of wildfire risk and the obvious psychological impacts that may have for someone who’s worried about their home burning down, I think not having adequate fire coverage is sometimes a more pressing issue.
I think part of that can be addressed through working more regionally. So, for example, Sac Metro Fire, the city has been exploring different ways to partner with them in terms of training, but I think that there’s more opportunity there to have a longer-term partnership such that our coverage can be supplemented by Sac Metro Fire’s coverage, which surrounds us largely on all sides.
And in addition to that, I think it’s also thinking about the way that we fund the growth for fire stations, prioritizing that, prioritizing those staffing needs perhaps over some other departments, and really just consulting with the Fire Department.
And I know that the chief of the Fire Department has also been instrumental in the recent staffing change to get that fire engine back. So that sort of creative thinking is something that can lead us into the future.
Q: Housing remains one of the more difficult issues facing California cities. Within the authority Folsom still has under state law, what kind of housing growth do you believe is appropriate for Folsom? Do you believe the city currently has the right balance of apartments, higher-density housing and single-family neighborhoods? And where should future housing be concentrated?
Hurst: This is something that I feel like I deal with on a somewhat regular basis in the Planning Commission. And as I’ve been exposed to more projects and thought about this more, I’ve heard a lot about, for example, our RHNA allocation, which is really just the affordable housing element that we’re required by the state.
Folsom generally is doing pretty good on the higher-income housing. So, you can think the larger footprint, single-family homes. We’re meeting expectations there.
But a lot of what the state wants to see from Folsom is the lower- to middle-income housing that we’re currently not meeting. Part of that is because as we are presented projects, we approve them, and they may not necessarily address those demographics because the city will say, “Well, we still have existing growth that’s expected. We can effectively build it later.”
Well, eventually the buck comes due, and in my mind there has not been enough of this south of 50 with the new development. So I think that those types of projects should start looking more like the rest of the city moving forward.
And in particular, if I were to highlight one type of development that I would like to see a lot more of, it is the missing middle housing that you hear about. This could be condos, a little higher density, something like a starter home for someone.
For example, I’m a renter. I came here after college after moving back. Even though I grew up here, I could not afford a home here. And I don’t necessarily want to live with my mom the rest of my adult life.
So I’m renting an apartment here in Folsom, but I would love to buy my own home. And with the housing market as it is, I think that that missing middle housing can provide people like me with more of an opportunity to do that.
Q: Folsom residents value the city’s parks, trails and open spaces, neighborhoods, and overall sense of community. While issues such as e-bikes, homelessness, code enforcement and neighborhood safety continue to generate concerns, which quality of life issues do you believe require greater attention from City Hall? And what specifically would you do about them?
Hurst: Quality of life is something that I feel like can be applied to a lot of different topic areas, to your point and some of those examples that you gave.
I think with regards to the e-bike issue, it’s less about changing the code and more about enforcement. That’s one of the things that I’ve been hearing from residents.
I remember growing up on the bike trails and there being very clear signage, hey, no electronic vehicles on the bike trail. And yet the e-bikes are on the bike trail. So I think that’s kind of going back to the earlier question of allocation of resources, working within existing means.
I would say if I had to pick a single area to focus on, I do think it is that deferred maintenance for parks and trails.
I know from growing up in the Parkway that the trail system is really extensive in Folsom, and we talked about the parks a bit, but I think the trail system in particular is interesting because that’s one of those amenities that’s really unique to Folsom and one of the things that I think people think about when they want to move their family here.
So keeping that up will really be important for Folsom to maintain its status as one of the best places in the country to raise a family, in conjunction with things like enforcement on the trails so people feel safe when they do move here.
Q: What should Folsom be doing to attract employers, restaurants, retail and other businesses that strengthen the city’s economy and generate revenue? At the same time, what could City Hall do better to support existing locally owned businesses?
Hurst: I definitely will have a longer answer for this one. Economic development is interesting to me because there’s different ways to attack the issue.
On the one hand, I will note that the city of Folsom does not have a dedicated economic development staff person, which is somewhat unusual because you look at a city like Elk Grove, which there’s a lot of differences between Folsom and Elk Grove, but they have a much more robust economic development department in their city staff.
We do a lot of work currently with the Chamber of Commerce, which is an organization where I actually had my first job. And I think that they do a lot, but they’re working with a hand tied behind their back and not having a better partner in the city.
So I think that there is opportunity there for us to restructure the way that we work with the existing resources and the Chamber of Commerce.
But in addition, I think it’s also thinking long-term perspectively. The city of Folsom, in my mind, has been really responsive rather than proactive with the way that it’s planned economic development.
And I think there’s a couple of ways that we can kind of flip that on its head and become more robust and at the forefront of the region when it comes to attracting new businesses.
There’s some existing models that I’ve seen in my day job that I would like to build on here in Folsom.
If I could go to one such example for a moment, Sierra College in Rocklin, they established a partnership with a local city and Chamber of Commerce and then Bosch manufacturing, where they were essentially able to attract Bosch to invest in the city in developing a plant, and at the same time Bosch donated heavy equipment to Sierra College’s mechatronics program.
It’s a CTE course where students would be able to learn how to use this equipment and then get a certificate at the end of it.
And the advantage to Bosch is that they would then have essentially a ready-made workforce for their new factory when it comes online, whereas the college itself is able to establish this competitive CTE program and the local economy is stimulated as a result.
So that seems to me like a win-win-win model that can be built on here in Folsom. We have Folsom Lake College. It’s a place that’s exactly within my district. And I think that we also have a lot of new investment coming in from the medical industry in particular.
So the state of California, at a time where we have a nursing shortage, and then there’s existing state resources to fund expansion of nursing-related programs. I think there are lots of conditions that are right for this where we can work with, and I would hope to do this in my capacity as a City Council person, partnering with Folsom Lake College as well as local health facilities to find nursing placements, build out those programs and really stimulate the local economy and create jobs for folks that grow up here in Folsom.
Other than that, I think that there’s also opportunity to look at the growth of the city and be strategic about our sales tax revenue.
So, for example, as I mentioned earlier in a question, the sales tax revenue growth has dropped off in the last decade. A part of that is just the way that online sales are scored for sales tax.
So, in the current situation, Rancho Cordova gets arguably a disproportionate share of the county sales tax. Well, that’s because they have a warehouse. So all of the Amazon sales that are made in the region ultimately come from that warehouse.
Folsom can consider something similar where if we want to develop a warehouse here, we capture more of that sales tax revenue.
In addition, I think that there’s opportunity to think strategically about what kinds of industries that we want here in Folsom.
So, we could develop a comprehensive economic vision that takes into account some of the growth in the region, not just in Folsom, but maybe how we can play off some of the investments that are being made in Rancho Cordova.
A lot of people who live in Folsom, I want to say it’s something like 70% to 80%, don’t actually work in Folsom. I know I myself work in Sacramento because I’m a state worker.
But at the end of the day, I come back to Folsom and hope to see a lot of the same services here in my local community that I would be able to benefit from in Sacramento.
So I think it’s thinking about what’s missing as well as what the economic opportunities are for creating additional jobs, particularly at a time where the economy is somewhat uncertain and there is shifting resources and there are folks that are not able to keep a business here in town.
To the last part of your question that I don’t think I’ve gotten to yet, keeping businesses once they are here, I think part of that is thinking about what’s competitive.
And that’s more work with the Chamber of Commerce. I won’t pretend that I have more expertise than them. I think that they would be the experts on that.
But I think it’s also doing more as a city to support our businesses and not just saying, “Hey, we’re excited to have you here in the city,” and then not checking in with them on a regular basis after that.
Q: If elected, what would be your three highest priorities during your term? And four years from now, what measurable results should voters use to determine whether you were successful?
Hurst: If I had to rank them in order, I would say my number one priority is establishing a budget commission because I think that that is important for the long-term trust of the residents and their City Council.
Number two would be doing more to address our deferred maintenance needs, both in terms of roadway infrastructure as well as parks and trails.
And then I would say number three is thinking about that economic development component that we just spoke about. I think that’s crucial for the future of the city and would be important for underpinning the resources that the city would need in order to accomplish the other priorities.
I would say that in terms of accountability, one of the things I hope to do in this position is I would like to have regular town halls with the residents.
So I’d be getting continuous feedback ideally and checking with different communities and seeing how they feel within the district as well as within the city.
And that way, if there’s something that I’m not addressing or doing a good enough job as a City Council person, then I’ll hear about it and hopefully be able to work on it.
I would say at the end of this term, should I choose to run for reelection or if I choose not to, obviously there’s the voting mechanism by which people can hold me accountable.
But I think in addition to that, I care about the city because I grew up here. I’m raising my daughter here. And I think that feeling like I’ve done this city a service is another way that I can be held accountable.
If people are coming up to me while I’m out and about and saying, “Hey, I don’t like the way that you’re running the city,” I’m going to feel that in my daily life. And I take that very seriously.
And I want to do the best job that I can, not just for me and my family, but for the different residents that I’ll be serving in this position.
Q: In closing, is there an important issue facing Folsom that we haven’t asked you about or something about your candidacy that you want voters to know? This is also your opportunity to discuss your qualifications, endorsements or community support, and to tell voters why you believe you are the best choice to represent your district on the Folsom City Council.
Hurst: I think we covered a lot of ground here, so there’s not a whole lot else that I have to add. I’ll just do a final plug for who I am as a person and as a candidate.
I was born down the street from where I currently live at Mercy Folsom, and I was raised here in the community and I came back here after college to raise my family.
So Folsom is really important to me personally, and I’ve seen a lot of growth in my time here. I think that there are challenges that come along with that that we’ve addressed, particularly for infrastructure, but I think there’s a lot of opportunities as well.
So I’m hoping to bring more than just being a responsible council person who can meet with the community and have a voting position one way or the other on different things that come before the council.
I think I also need to bring a vision of the future, and I hope to do that as a part of this position and be really responsive to the community as a result.
My background consists of financial planning in a state capacity. My background consists of community engagement in a volunteer capacity. And I think those are two strengths that I really bring to this position.
In addition, I’ll mention that I would be the only member of the council, if elected, who would be a renter. I would be the only person who represents my age demographic with a young family in particular.
And I think that those are important for representation on a citywide basis, not just for my district where there are a lot of people who are very similar to me in that regard.
And I think at the end of the day, too, because of my extensive history in the region, both in my day job, my education — I went to UC Davis and Sac State — and then also just in the volunteer opportunities and relationships that I’ve been able to develop over a few decades, I have a lot of existing connections in the region that I’m hoping to leverage in this position where Folsom cannot just be responsive to the rest of the region, but we can also be at the forefront of it.
And I think these relationships are going to be crucial for accomplishing all of the goals that I want to in this position.
And if you want to learn any more about me and my platform priorities, you can go to justinhurst.org. Justin Hurst’s website is www.justinhurst.com.
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