Ladies and gentlemen, step right up, cast your vote and pick a winner. To help you with that decision, let us introduce you to the contenders.
In the incumbent’s seat is Joni Gray, having served the 4th supervisorial district in Santa Barbara County for 14 years. The Orcutt native graduated from Cal Poly in SLO and took the state bar exam without going to law school and practiced law locally. She’s running for reelection because she believes she still has work to do. She said, having spent time in office, she’s learned where to go for funds and has built connections.
“The longer you are in the office, the more you can get for the district,” she said. “The experience is just invaluable.”
When she’s not working for the people of the 4th District she’s pursuing other recreational activities: “I like car racing, baseball, football, and I love to read. I’m in the process of reading the Guilty Wives—and whew!”
Running against her is former Lompoc mayor Joyce Howerton, who said she doesn’t believe the majority of the 4th District has had good representation.
“We need a supervisor who is in front of the issues, not running to catch up,” she said. “I’m reminded of a saying: ‘If the people lead, the leaders will follow.’ This holds true for the 4th District. Add to that the homeless housing mess in Lompoc and the lack of support for the Orcutt community plan; I believe after 14 years, it is time for a change.”
When she’s not fighting for a better 4th District, Howerton is the executive director of Santa Barbara County Action Network who likes to ocean kayak, camp, hike, and just hang around with her family. She said something most people would know about her is that she’s also shy.
Finally, there’s Peter Adam, whose generations of family have farmed in the Santa Maria Valley. He’s running because he sees an immediate need for change, he said.
“It’s just an accumulation of this attitude that you are stuck where you are,” he explained. “If something’s not working, fix it. These guys continue on their merry way as if it’s going to fix itself.”
He said there’s not a lot left to know about him that’s surprising: “I think everybody knows I’m outspoken. I like making my own bacon.”
Adam said he goes to Masatani’s Market in Guadalupe for pork bellies, which he preps and smokes himself.
“It’s sooo good,” he said.
Your vote will put one of these candidates in office to represent your voice in county government.
So without further ado, here are the candidates’ thoughts on some questions the Sun thought pertinent to this campaign.
Joyce Howerton
Some people have expressed concern that many of your connections/supporters are Santa Barbara-based and fear that you’d be just another Santa Barbara seat on the board. What do you say to those people?
“I have lived and worked in North County for over 50 years. I have been a strong advocate for the people and consistently worked on the issues facing our community. I served three terms as mayor of Lompoc and have fought for our community when these talking heads were busy doing their spin. I think that tired, old rhetoric has run its course and people are tired of it. I know I am.”
What do the people of Santa Barbara County/4th District want?
“They want what everyone else wants: to live, work, and play in their community. To make a fair wage so they don’t have to work two-plus jobs to make a house or rent payment. In Orcutt, they want to see less housing projects and more commercial development. In Lompoc, with a 20 percent unemployment rate, they want more job opportunities.”
In what ways do you represent or speak for the people of this district?
“I have been actively involved with all areas of the 4th District. I worked to establish a rape crisis center and a senior center. I challenged the city of Lompoc when they wanted to move on to prime farmland for housing. I led the effort to stop state water, saving millions of dollars for the Lompoc Valley, and supported the Orcutt Community Plan. I worked for a community foundation that gave thousands of dollars to the 4th District with my encouragement. I have been a small business owner, an elected official, and headed a nonprofit. I know what works—and, more importantly, what doesn’t.”
You have said some of the challenges facing the county include the economy, unemployment, and pension issues. How do you think the board of supervisors can remedy some of these issues?
“The board needs to aggressively look at new business opportunities while protecting existing business. Clean cottage industry, new technology that is creating many start-up, new businesses, is a start. Current pensions are an integral component of an employee’s total compensation and as such are included in the collective bargaining process. As such, they cannot be changed. The county needs to look toward the future hires and develop a system that will work for the workers and the county.”
During a recent forum about pension reform, you said something to the effect that, “We need to talk about everyone—including the supervisors.” Can you elaborate?
“I was trying to make a point—which I don’t think I did very well—that whenever the board talks about cuts in wages and health benefits, the board should take the same percentage of cuts. I know they do to some degree, but I am talking about everything, including added benefits. I think they should lead by example.”
In regard to the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation issue, Supervisor Joni Gray failed to recuse herself from voting on that—and allocating money—until last year, even though her husband and law partner represented LHCDC. Could that have been handled better? What should have happened?
“Yes, it could/should have been handled differently. After 14 years on the board, I was surprised the supervisor didn’t understand the ethical rules, which are given when you first enter office. Each time there was a conflict with LHCDC and her office, she seemed surprised, and is once quoted as saying, ‘Gosh, I didn’t know that was what they were doing.’ Well, she should have known; everyone else in the community did.”
You have mentioned streamlining some departments, like permitting. How plausible do you think that is? And how necessary?
“After the forum, I looked into this and found that actually the county does have a pretty efficient system. I think the problem exists because a lot of people don’t understand it. A way to solve that is to have a sheet printed up with all the steps that need to be taken, who the county contact is, and how long the process will take.”
Do you agree that the county needs to be more business friendly? In what ways is the county not business friendly?
“Yes, of course the county should be business friendly. By making the process more user friendly, it would help business and individuals.”
What about oil companies? Do you think the county is particularly unfriendly to those kinds of companies?
“No, I think the county has looked at the oil companies as well as other businesses, such as hotels, as a way to generate added income. They would be criticized if they don’t look at every opportunity. I was part of the PXP/Tranq Ridge agreement team that would have erased our debt county and statewide. Sadly enough, it died at the state lands commission.”
What would be your first order of business?
“Meeting with each county department to have a working understanding of their responsibilities, the number of employees in the department, and what their current budget is.”
Peter Adam
You don’t have prior experience holding public office, like the other two candidates. What will you bring to the table?
“Well, we’ve got someone with 14 years of experience in office right now and look
where that’s got us. I’m not sure that’s what’s recommended at this point.”
Adam added that he’s had a lot of real-world experience, like running his family’s farm, participating on the West Trails Homeowners Board, and handling fees administration between all the lawsuits he’s been involved in.
What issues do you believe the 4th District faces?
“My focus is definitely with the budget and pensions; I feel strongly that we’re going to have to renegotiate the pension. If we can’t, we’ll have to find another way around that. That’s what’s breaking the back of the General Fund. The union has done too good of a job, and the other side of the table are people who don’t care.”
He said dealing with the budget takes consideration of two sides of the equation—the liability side and the revenue side: “If some of those liabilities come off, it will enhance revenues.”
How business friendly is the county, currently?
Adam said that red tape in the planning and development department is killing business in the county. He said building contractors are subject to the approval of planning and development staff, who don’t have contractor licenses and
“a lot of times don’t know what they are looking at.”
“There’s people who have to say ‘Mother may I’ in order to practice their profession. There are large inefficiencies to the system, and it’s costing us more. We’ve got to pay for this infrastructure, pay pensions, pay contractors. They take no liability, yet they have their fingers in your transaction.”
He suggested the county streamline the planning and development departments, hire a licensed and bonded contractor or building inspector to add value to transactions, and make it a one-check process.
“People may take issue, but all I can say is, let’s try it this other way for a while.”
What about oil companies? Do you think the county is particularly unfriendly to those kinds of companies?
Adam said the county is unfriendly to such business as the oil industry, and much of that has to do with the confusing process at planning and development and the existence of an energy division within that department.
“We are the only county that has an energy division of [planning and development],” he said. “You need to make it easy, and you need to make it friendly to where the worst part of the project is building the project instead of going to get the permits. It’s a nightmare. They make it a horrible experience.”
How can the board of supervisors remedy some of the issues the county is facing?
“We’ve got to stop paying for nonsense. The government has a trend of cutting public safety and infrastructure and then offers you measures to pay for it. The question will be to the people: Do you want your public safety or not? I like Joni—she’s a nice lady, but she never once said ‘Stop it.’ She’s not aggressively attempting to change things.”
Do you think the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation issue could have been handled differently?
“This is the kind of stuff I don’t think it’s appropriate for the county to be involved in it. Even staff recommended against taking the Marks House. Staff said, ‘You’ve spent $8 million on this; you really don’t have to do this.’ There’s a whole bunch of unknown liability in that project. Now they’ve taken it; as that liability becomes apparent, we’re going to have to pay for it. This kind of stuff has got to stop. It may sound cold, it may sound hard, but this is where we are.”
In what ways do you represent or speak for the people of this district?
“I think they want somebody who has the ability to say things that are un-sayable. I think it’s time for politicians to say those things that aren’t popular.”
What would be your first order of business?
“I think over time eliminating the building department [of planning and development] and move on to the energy division. Maybe there will be some projects that come before us because I’m there. Don’t know how it’s going to play out. I’d like to see.”
Joni Gray
In every political race, there are always people who say incumbent X hasn’t done anything. As an incumbent, how do you answer that?
“I’ve done a lot, and it’s because we have a really good team of community members, a professional staff, and I have a good relationship with other board members.”
Gray said her accomplishments include the Union Valley Parkway and US Highway 101 interchanges and securing $6.1 million from Caltrans to do that project; implementation of monthly mayors meetings and including Vandenberg Air Force Base in those talks; repairs to Clark Avenue; repairs and maintenance to the Lompoc Veteran’s Memorial Building; forming the Orcutt Trails Committee; appointing an Orcutt Sports Commission to work on a sports complex in Waller Park; improving the animal control shelter facility in Santa Maria; and getting the process of improving the Lompoc shelter started, among other things.
What do the people of Santa Barbara County/4th District want?
“I know this sounds glamorous, but it’s the county’s job to keep the streets maintained, well paved, and accessible.”
She said they also want public safety maintained and well equipped.
What are some of the issues the 4th District is facing, and how do you think the board of supervisors can remedy some of these issues?
The biggest issue is the budget, Gray said. She said the county is faced with downsizing, which is comprised of two elements: decreasing staff and services or cutting back on salaries and benefits of the people providing those services.
“The other side of it is the county needs to increase revenues—not through tax increases, as I’m opposed to tax increases, because I don’t believe we need to do that.”
She suggested the county form closer relationships with oil companies and the wine industry.
What about oil companies? Do you think the county is particularly unfriendly to those kinds of companies?
“I think we can do more to make it easier. The best thinking would be an onshore oil desk at the department of planning and development.”
She said most of the complaints her office gets from oil companies are that one project will get one set of requirements, and another time, for a similar project, they’ll get a totally different set of requirements.
A lot of candidates mentioned streamlining some departments, like permitting. Do you think county processes can be streamlined?
“I think if the board would reflect a very business kind of approach, encouraging our staff to bend over backwards to get the business through, then we’d have the revenues to fund the services we need.”
In regard to the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation issue, you failed to recuse herself from voting on that—and allocating money—until last year, even though your husband and law partner represented LHCDC. Could that have been handled better? What should have happened?
“I don’t really think there was a conflict of interest.”
Gray said her husband wasn’t paid through county funds.
As far as the county’s involvement with LHCDC, she said, “I don’t think there was any bad decision by the county.” She added that most of the votes were 5-0, and that the human services commission makes recommendations to the board of supervisors on where to spend housing dollars.
What’s next on your agenda if you get reelected?
Gray indicated she has a long list of “to dos,” such as finishing the Orcutt Library; getting more funds for the Lompoc Veteran’s Memorial Building; and working to get more traffic off of Skyway Drive and Highway 135—because it’s a dangerous intersection, she said.
“We have some really great county trails around Orcutt; I’d like to open more of them up and also continue to advocate for schools, because you can never advocate for schools enough.”
She’ll also continue her campaign to encourage people to beautify their yards. Currently, she takes the time to drop a note to people who have a nice yard.
“Because it takes a lot of effort to beautify your yard, and people appreciate that recognition,” she said.
Contact Arts Editor Shelly Cone at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2012.