Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Fresno; Supervisorial District 3

AIR QUALITY

We all breathe the same air. Ten years from now, our air will be cleaner than it is today. Our choice is the direction we will take to accomplish the goal. I see two primary options:

1. Further legislation, more severe to the SB700 series, which will force the valley to change behavior by imposing new laws and penalties to people and businesses that exceed the standards for clean air. Or,
2. People of the San Joaquin Valley, including Fresno County and the Cities of Fresno, Clovis, Selma et al, determine to be leaders in the area of air quality management and voluntarily prioritize air quality and community health over personal convenience.

Neither choice is pain-free. We can choose to be proactive or reactive. I choose to be proactive.

I am committed to:

• Use my communications and marketing experience to put forth an Air Quality Stewardship Program that will focus attention on our daily air choices.
• Purchase clean air vehicles for the Fresno County fleet
• Lobby for Valley roadside smog checks to catch the worst 2% of gross polluters
• Support reclassification to "Extreme Non-attainment" for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Re-classifying will require our air to be 3% cleaner in years 2006-2010 than the current "Severe" status.*
• Use alternate or public transportation or carpooling to the Hall of Records two days per week.
• Reclassification is more than another delay. The delay will happen with or without the change in status. The additional five years will allow the San Joaquin Valley timeline to coincide with the South Coast basin (LA) timeline, around which fuel companies are working to reformulate cleaner burning fuel. This in turn, should improve air quality by lowering the emissions of the diesel burning engines, part of the 60% mobile sources in the valley, not governed by the local Valley Air District.

Premise: Healthy air quality for our Valley requires that EVERY resident, business and visitor make daily choices to reduce or eliminate behavior that harms the air we breathe. It's no longer about what "THEY" do, it's about what "WE" do.

The Goal: Entice all community stakeholders to participate in a community-wide effort to improve our air quality. The plan should be voluntary, exciting, competitive and measurably improve our air quality.

The Plan: Develop a formula to calculate a "Personal Pollution Index" (PPI). The idea is to give people a tool to estimate the amount of pollution they vent into our air and establish an index. This index may be based or personal behavior or a community-wide average, to be determined.

Simultaneously, develop a formula for businesses to calculate a "Business Pollution Index" (BPI), giving business owners a tool to evaluate their business. Add to their formula a factor for employee participation in the PPI program.

The Reward: Once a baseline is established, develop a community wide contest for "Clean Air Stewardship". The contest may award the lowest emitters, an improvement ratio, the largest improvement etc. Plan an awards banquet with media support to publicly recognize these Clean Air Stewards and reward them with one or more of the following:

• Hybrid vehicle
• Fee abatement
• Free downtown parking pass
• Publicity
• Plaques
• Other?

Benefits

• Clean air
• Community pride
• Leverage to gain assistance at the state & federal levels

The city of Fresno calls itself "The Capital of Central California". Downtown should look like a capital site. Current redevelopment efforts have resulted in many construction projects, primarily for government workers. The next steps will be improving services for the downtown workers and increasing the number of downtown residents. I will:

• Ensure that Fresno County offices stay downtown.
• Facilitate grants for downtown revitalization with city, county, state, federal and private sources.
• Implement a plan for the County owned buildings downtown that are currently empty.
• Work with the City of Fresno and owners of derelict buildings to entice building renovation or removal.

Many of our regional issues such as poverty and crime are the result of double-digit unemployment. The newly released Implementation Plan of the Regional Jobs Initiative is a tremendous tool that includes business, government, labor and community groups in solving our region's unemployment and underemployment. The comprehensive nature of the RJI addresses physical needs like matching workforce training to job openings, reintroducing vocational education for students not attending college and addressing government roadblocks to attracting new business. RJI also addresses invisible barriers to our community's success such as the pervasive mood of resignation, the negative attachment to "small town" and "underachiever" image, regardless of evidence to the contrary. I support and will work to implement the RJI plan as proposed. Additionally, I will encourage inclusion of the agricultural community in the next phase of the project.

MEASURE "C"

We need improved public transportation. We need properly maintained roads and highways. Our current highway system will need expansion. We need Measure C. Period.

Within the next 20 to 30 years, I will work to slow sprawl; promote infill and higher density growth. Concurrently with planned infill, I will promote a higher percentage of Measure C funds spent on public transportation. While I would like to see light rail immediately, it is economically infeasible without higher density population.

PUBLIC SAFETY

The budget crisis in California has left funds for public safety in jeopardy. When the economy weakens, crime rises and law enforcement is imperative. I will protect funds for the Sheriff's Department, County District Attorney, Probation Department, Jail and Juvenile Hall. Our safety as a community is a top priority.

RAIL CONSOLIDATION

Yes! I support rail consolidation. We just need to find the money to pay for it. Given that this idea was first introduced in 1918, it is obviously complicated. It would support our Air Quality and add green space to our community.

COUNTY EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT

The county has sued the commission to add the word "consecutive" in front of "12 months", the formula upon which retirement wages are based. The missing word "consecutive" has resulted in retirement pay that exceeds actual pay for work. This gross misconduct of (former) government workers and board appointees in making retirement a "get rich quick" scheme requires censure and repayment. I fully support the current Board of Supervisors in reclaiming taxpayer money.

LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

I believe the County Board of Supervisors has done a good job recently in following the updated general plan for land use and development. I will continue to uphold the general plan. My priorities are infill development, revitalization and blight elimination and minimal sprawl.

CITY/COUNTY CONSOLIDATION OF SERVICES (Fresno metro area)

On the surface, consolidation of police and fire services in the Fresno metro area makes sense. The process of consolidation has consistently broken down around the question "who's in control". I will promote a continuing conversation to focus on improvement of services, rather than who's in control.

COUNTY CUSTOMER SERVICE

Some county departments have dramatically improved customer service, streamlined processes and trimmed budgets. Other departments continue to be dysfunctional, inefficient and poorly managed. With the impending budget shortfalls, departmental reorganization is already underway. I will work the County Administrative Officer to support all plans to improve county customer service, streamline processes and cut costs.