Candidate for
City Clerk; City of Oceanside

As an archivist, records manager, and municipal clerk for over 25 years, my philosophy of government has been strongly influenced by the laws that I work with on a daily basis. Preambles to some of these laws have shaped by philosophy, which I will share with you. As I carry out my duties, I try to stay mindful of these tenets of our democratic society.

California Open Meetings Law - The Brown Act [California Government Code, Section 54950]

"In enacting this chapter,the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils and other public agencies in this State exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.
The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created."

California Public Records Act [California Government Code, Section 6250]

"In enacting this chapter, the Legislature, mindful of the right of individuals to privacy, finds and declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state."

California Political Reform Act of 1974 [California Government Code, Section 81001 (a) & (b)]

"The people find and declare as follows:
(a) State and local government should serve the needs and respond to the wishes of all citizens equally, without regards to their wealth;
(b) Public officials, whether elected or appointed, should perform their duties in an impartial manner, free from bias caused by their own financial interests or the financial interests of persons who have supported them;"