Candidate for
Supervisor; County of San Luis Obispo; Supervisorial District 3

• Growth and Development

  Good land use planning is a permanent part of the county's political makeup and economic vitality. County government must give due regard to protecting the environment and the property values of people who live here. There is an acute need for housing within the economic reach of our teachers, police officers, nurses, young doctors and others who want to buy into the American dream based on their hard work and savings. We have to recognize that tourism is a major part of our local economy and make sure we approve appropriate visitor-serving facilities that accentuate - and not deteriorate - the natural beauty that is at the heart of why people visit us here.

• Affordable Housing

• Fiscal Discipline
  My most immediate concern is the county's budget for vital services that we know are threatened by the state's chronic fiscal irresponsibility. Now more than ever, county government must focus on fiscal discipline in order to maintain vital health care services, mental health services, law enforcement, fire protection, coastal protection, natural resource protection and economic opportunity. All of these areas of county government are gravely threatened because the state is hijacking our local revenues and leaving us with a host of unfunded mandates. It will take a steady, experienced hand to trim our costs without cutting services we all have come to expect.

  As part of this budgetary discipline, the Board of Supervisors needs to conduct a thorough review of the large financial payouts from the county's General Fund that have resulted from lawsuits against our Sheriff's Department. While the county has insurance to cover much of the cost of these payouts, we need to root out the trouble spots and see if anything can be done to prevent such liability in the future.

• Health and Safety
  Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our residents. This is the most basic function of county government. Access to health care is becoming more difficult, law enforcement is under increasing threat of budget cuts, and maintaining adequate fire protection services is getting more difficult by the day. It is the responsibility of the Board of Supervisors to find solutions to these problems. It's not acceptable for the board to merely say it's the state's fault. If school districts can maintain excellence under financial distress, our county government must do the same. Anything less is irresponsible when it comes to our health and safety.

  Under this heading, we need to maintain constant vigilance for the health and safety of county residents from any possible safety issues that may arise at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. While PG&E is a very important part of our local economy, it must be held accountable for our safety and for the environmental impact it creates. After the 6.5 magnitude earthquake of last December, county government should never be lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to the health and safety of its residents. It is not "extreme" or "emotional" to demand safety accountability. It is common sense.