The newest candidate for Honolulu City Council tells Inside Honolulu he’d oppose the controversial bill that would allow the city to remove personal belongings left or kept on sidewalks and in parks.

Former state Rep. and Democratic Party Chair Alex Santiago announced Saturday he’s running to take Tom Berg‘s District 1 seat. Santiago, 54, is executive director of PHOCUSED, which advocates for “underserved” people. The organization has issues with the proposal.

“On this particular issue, we are very concerned about how that will be enforced,” Santiago said.

Calling from his cell phone, he said he wants to keep his candidacy and his day job separate.

“If I were sitting on the City Council and this issue came up, i would be raising the same concerns that Council member (Nestor) Garcia is raising right now,” he said, referencing the only Council member to vote against the bill so far. “The homeless situation is huge. This is not going to solve it. This is not going to have the kind of long-term impact.”