If Republican candidate Fred Strong gets elected to the 33rd District Assembly seat, it won’t be his first time representing Central Coast citizens at the state level.
The Paso Robles mayor pro tem has spent several decades in Sacramento, first as a lobbyist and then as a member of two League of California Cities committees: the Revenue and Taxation Policy Committee, and the Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee.
And last month, Strong gave a presentation on the state’s water crisis at the 2009 annual League of California Cities Conference. As a member of that organization’s water task force, he’s spent years helping create California water usage policy.
In a recent interview with the Sun, Strong said it’s his familiarity with—and understanding of—California legislation that sets him apart from the other Assembly seat contenders.
“I’m the only candidate who has extensive working experience at the state level, writing state legislation and seeing it get passed,” he said.
Strong also has a considerable amount of experience at the national level.
As a teenage farm boy from Wisconsin, Strong joined a college political group and became involved with the Democratic National Committee. Through connections with that group, he was asked to write the Agricultural Act of 1954, which established government subsidies for crops at a post-World War II rate.
His work on that bill opened the door to his penning other legislation, including one of the first integration bills, and campaigning and staff positions under multiple politicians, such as John F. and Robert F. Kennedy.
Eventually, Strong made his way to California, where he continued to be politically active—but on the other side of the ideological aisle.
“I found out a Democrat in California is not the same as a Democrat in Wisconsin, so I had to become a Republican,” he said.
But Strong said his change in party affiliation didn’t stop him from representing all kinds of people, first as president of the largest home owners’ association in Santa Clara County, and then as a land use expert and CEO of Citizens for Environmental Balance and Economic Stability chapters in San Luis Obispo and Sonoma counties.
“I think the labels are overrated because you really have to look at the person,” he explained. “My whole history has been to ignore the parties because I’m an issues guy. It’s probably not the thing to say since I’m seeking a party nomination, but I’ve found it’s worked for me.
“Most of the issues we have are people issues, not party issues,” he continued.
[image-2] In San Luis Obispo County, Strong served as a consultant to the area’s pioneering ranching families and other officials, working on dozens of land use and water projects, and educating locals about the pros and cons of the Williamson Act.
In 2004, he ran for and was elected to the Paso Robles City Council, and became mayor pro tem in 2008. Also during that time, Strong served on various local and statewide committees and boards, such as San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Committee.
Now Strong said he wants to use his knowledge of government to strengthen policy and procedure in Sacramento.
“The California Legislature is broken for a number of reasons,” he said. “Mainly, the public has lost confidence in their officials—in their government—who don’t seem to listen to them.
“Those [officials] came from here. They didn’t get issued new brains when they crossed the border into Sacramento,” he continued. “But they seem to forget that one size does not fit all, especially in a state as large and complicated as California.”
Strong also said it’s important that legislators adhere personally and professionally to the laws they pass, and take responsibility for their actions by having a viable budget and paying their bills without taking money from local governments.
As a member of the League of California Cities, Strong recently worked on the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety, and Transportation Protection Act.
“It says that there will be no new taxes, and it protects city and county tax money so the state can’t steal it anymore,” he explained.
That initiative is currently slated for the November 2010 ballot.
Overall, Strong said, his broad understanding of the issues facing California, and his ability to listen to people, will make him a more effective representative.
“I always listen and think, ‘OK, how can I put these pieces together so everyone is satisfied?’” he said.
Contact News Editor Amy Asman at aasman @santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2009.