Governing Philosphy / Issues

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Spotlight on Jobs, the Economy and the Environment

I am proud that our Board of Supervisors has focused on job creation and environmental protection during my time on the board. During recent months, our board has:

• Approved two solar-power generation plants in my district, each bringing more than 600 skilled worker jobs to San Luis Obispo County residents;
• Worked with the County Administrative Office, the City of Atascadero and the Atascadero Friends of the Library to secure a new building in the heart of Atascadero to relocate and expand the library and keep county offices in the city’s core.
• Worked with CDF/County Fire and the Creston Community to build – with a local construction company – a new, larger fire station, which will enhance fire protection and emergency response services to the community and the surrounding area.
• Approved a long-awaited sewer project in Los Osos, bringing several hundred more skilled jobs for local residents;
• Approved the Willow Road Interchange, a major highway improvement project along Highway 101 in Nipomo, adding still more jobs;
• All of these approvals came with the maximum level of environmental safeguards, proving that economic growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive.

With these decisions, the Board of Supervisors has laid the foundation for the creation of more than 1,000 head-of-household jobs in San Luis Obispo County during the next several years. This is no small accomplishment, particularly when viewed in the context of a state-level unemployment exceeding 10 percent.

Sound Fiscal Management

When I first became a Supervisor, I worked with the County Administrative Office to initiate open, public Strategic Planning sessions. These sessions provide the opportunities to focus on long-term planning and various policy issues and have become a regular part of the Board’s meeting schedule.

One critical issue has been the county’s fiscal health. Even before the 2008 economic crisis, our Board had approved a financial management plan to lead our county through the forthcoming economic contractions.  We instituted a hiring freeze and negotiated with our employees, which allowed us to reduce the size of county government without requiring any direct layoffs, and reduce the long-term cost of government through shared contributions to employee pensions and a 2nd-tier pension plan for new hires.

Our county employees are committed to the public services they provide and have unselfishly stepped up to share the burden during these difficult economic times.  I commend them for their willingness to share the pain and be part of the solution.

Public Health and Safety

The singularly most important role of county government, in my view, is the protection of our families, neighborhoods, and communities. Public safety – law enforcement, fire protection and public health – are my highest priorities. We absolutely must honor that obligation, even in the face of shrinking resources.

To this end, I’m pleased that we are in the process of building a new fire station in Creston, a project long in the planning for a community long in need of it. Moreover, I will continue to fight for adequate, logical funding for sheriff’s protection for our communities while implementing budgetary efficiencies wherever they can be found.

And I will always strive to strengthen the partnerships and find the money necessary to support appropriate levels of service at our primary health clinics and for other health services that care for the most vulnerable members of our community.

We cannot and will not balance the books of county government on the backs of the weakest among us. We are better than that. We can find a way forward.

Water Resource Management

While not always a “hot topic,” one of the county’s most critical concerns has been understanding our many complex water resource issues and finding ways to address them.  Water is what allows us to grow our food, work our farms and build our communities.  This year, we celebrated the completion of the Nacimiento Water Pipeline Project, which will bring additional water supplies to the communities of Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo and Cayucos.

To better understand our water resource needs and supply, the Board directed staff to update the County Master Water Plan.  The plan will identify our water resources and project our needs into the future.  Additionally, the county is working with north county water users to implement a Groundwater Management Plan for the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, which is nearing its safe annual yield.

Seismic Safety at Diablo Canyon

There are some aspects of “public safety” that are unique to San Luis Obispo County. As a result of the nuclear calamity in Japan, my colleagues and I are working to re-examine every assumption about the safety of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. The Board has thoroughly reviewed the plant’s emergency response and evacuation plan in the event of an accident or unforeseen natural disaster.

I also worked hard to make sure our voices were heard in demanding that PG&E slow down its effort to extend the operating license of Diablo beyond 2024-25 until a comprehensive analysis of Diablo’s seismic safety was completed. Our Board agreed, but not without some controversy. Now, that study is going to happen, thanks to our Board and a non-partisan effort by state and federal elected officials.

I hope you agree that – in terms of political leadership – nothing matters more to the residents of San Luis Obispo County than our health and safety.

The View Forward

Even with these many accomplishments, as I look ahead, there’s much still to be done:

We must keep the Board’s focus on calm, steady, competent decision making as our county – like the rest of the nation – navigates troubled economic waters.

The Board of Supervisors must continue to:

• Nurture an economic environment in which more jobs are created, our environment is protected and public services are maintained.
• Move forward to implement smart growth strategies to protect precious natural resources that support our treasured agricultural land and scenic open spaces and our quality of life. I will continue the fight to protect our incomparable natural areas and critical watersheds.
• Move quickly to increase renewable energy sources and improve energy efficiency through green building and public transit.
• Ensure that San Luis Obispo County can and will lead the region, the state, and the country in the area of green energy and technology job creation.
• Adapt county government to new and difficult budget realities. We must carefully and efficiently apply scarce funds to critical infrastructure projects, as well as continue to provide crucial county services. I will continue to work with county supervisors from around the state to advocate the reform of state government and to bring resources and authority home to the local level.