[image-2] It’s that time again: The posters are up, the TV and radio ads are running, and election season is upon us. One of the choices voters in Northern Santa Barbara County will have on the June 8 ballot will be for 5th District County supervisor. Current 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno is retiring after two terms; Santa Maria City Council member Alice Patino and Steve Lavagnino, deputy chief of staff to Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura/Santa Barbara counties) are vying for the seat.
The Sun asked the two candidates to participate in an e-mail Q&A on their campaigns and the issues facing the 5th District. Here are their responses:
Sun: Why are you running for 5th District Supervisor?
Patino: I am running for the 5th District supervisor because I truly care about the residents in this district. For years, I have been involved with different organizations, education, nonprofits, and have run a small business. All of this experience gives one a good perspective of a community. I care enough and have a passion for our communities to represent them, as I am one of them.
Lavagnino: I’m running because as a taxpayer I’ve watched our board majority enact policies that have driven us close to bankruptcy. Now as we approach the day of reckoning, I don’t see any urgency on the part of the board to make the tough decisions that will be required in order to make the proper course corrections. I’m also a parent, and the last thing my wife and I want to see is our kids being forced into moving away from Santa Maria in order to find good paying jobs. I’m running so I can help create a better life for our children and grandchildren.
Sun: What makes you qualified for the position of 5th District supervisor?
Patino: Being involved in so many facets of the 5th District and my experience as assistant in the 4th Supervisorial District, serving on the Santa Maria Joint Union High School Board and Santa Maria City Council, as well as a small business owner. I have had to balance budgets not just as a business owner, but also on a school board, City Council, and nonprofit boards, each with their own unique issues and local economic impacts.
I see people get caught in the web of government bureaucracy far too often. I have taken the time to work with local farmers and ranchers on their own particular land-use issues and water issues, business owners looking to expand their operations locally on zoning and building issues in the county as well as the city. I am a strong proponent of private property rights.
In addition to the aforementioned, here is a list highlighting some of my contributions to Northern Santa Barbara County:
• small business owner
• teacher, Santa Maria /Bonita School district (1972-1982)
• School Board member (1972-1991)
• councilwoman, Santa Maria City Council (1999-present)
• administrative assistant, 4th District supervisor (1998-
2009)
• Santa Barbara County Human Services commissioner (1996-1999)
• California Coastal Commission, alternate (2004-2006)
• past president, Marian Medical Foundation
•chair, Educated Communities and Professional Task Force (2008-2009)
•president, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley (anti-drug coalition)
•4-H leader
• FFA Booster Club
Lavagnino: I think I have the right combination of business and government experience. For 15 years, I worked in the aerospace industry, learning and thriving in the private sector, and for the last 12 years I’ve been a senior staff member at both the state and federal levels of government. Since close to 75 percent of the county’s budget consists of pass-through funding from the state and federal government, I have precisely the résumé that will allow me to hit the ground running.
Sun: What are your plans to address the budget deficit?
Patino: Raising taxes is not an option and not something I want to do, nor is it something our residents can afford. We really have no other option but to spend less. The challenge is to cut back those expenses that have the least impact on the delivery of services to our residents. The focus should be on cutting overhead expenses. For example, in the county’s 2009-10 budget, $287 million of total expenditures of $780 million are designated for services and supplies—that’s about 37 percent of the county budget. This dollar amount includes money for office supplies, consulting services, advertising, etc.
For starters, I would ask the county auditor-controller, an independently elected official, in conjunction with the Board of Supervisors, to conduct a thorough line-by-line analysis of these expenditures to prioritize those items that could be eliminated with the minimal impact on service deliveries. On the revenue side, about $223 million of the county’s total estimated revenue comes from charges for services. We need to look for efficiencies in all of our internal county operations. Also, we need to look at cutting vacant positions that have remained unfilled for extended periods of time. Pensions are a budget item that will have to be dealt with in a pragmatic way. We can no longer sustain the pensions that have been promised and are legally binding. We may have to have a second tier and a graduated process so we can be at an acceptable level that the county can afford.
On the revenue side, we need to look at small business, agriculture, and the oil industry. Small businesses are eager to be part of the growth of Santa Barbara County, but feel the assault of regulation, increase in fees, and an unfriendly business climate. I have seen firsthand the frustration of many business people spending money, energy, and time on the planning process without tangible results. It should not take years to go through a process that will bring jobs and revenue to the county. We want businesses to invest in our economy … and invest in our tax revenue.
Agriculture cannot be hampered by government intrusion. We need to take a stand and not let the state and federal government intrude on private property rights. If we don’t support the industry that is the economic engine of the 5th District, we won’t have a tax base.
We have an opportunity to extract oil from along our coast, which will bring $100 million to the state and to the county.
Lavagnino: The county is facing close to a $40 million budget deficit, and there are no easy solutions. Although we’ve seen this train wreck coming for some time, it has been the board’s unstated policy to ignore many of the warning signs and bore full steam ahead with their spending and giveaways. I have a four-pronged plan of attack to rectify this budget disaster.
1. No plan for budget reform can even be discussed unless step one is to reform the county employee’s benefit and retirement plan. Costs have skyrocketed, rising more than 100 percent over the last five years, a completely unsustainable pattern. Promises have been made to existing long-term employees, and those promises must be kept, however we must move all new non-public safety employees into a defined contribution plan similar to a 401(k). The private sector realized this fact years ago and has steadily moved most employees away from defined pension plans and into more cost-controllable defined contribution plans. I understand this is a highly controversial subject and many have told me that the county’s unionized employees will come after me for this statement. First, you will come to find out I don’t back away from my convictions, and secondly, I am looking forward to sitting down with each union’s representatives to reach a workable solution that saves jobs and returns the county back to financial security.
2. We must increase the revenue flowing into the county. For decades, Santa Barbara County has continually placed hurdles in the way of smart development, and they’ve treated our oil and gas companies as second-class citizens. So now we’ve reached the point in which business has been driven out, untapped oil and natural gas sit right at our fingertips, and we have to decide between cutting public safety or mental health because we refuse to access the resources we’ve been provided. It’s like stumbling across a house in which all the occupants are starving but when you check the refrigerator it’s completely stocked! Developing the Elwood Field off the coast of Gaviota through slant drilling from an existing platform would bring $15 to $20 million per year for 20 years straight into the coffers of Santa Barbara County.
3. A recent audit done by San Bernardino County revealed they are spending $38 million a year providing benefits to those who are in this country illegally. Santa Barbara County has no idea how much we are losing through fraudulent social service requests since our board has not even taken the first step in requesting an audit. Once elected, I will push for an electronic verification system to ensure that taxpayer-funded services and benefits are for legal residents only.
4. Finally, we need to streamline and consolidate our county departments. I want us to move toward a smaller county government that is less intrusive but more responsive.
Sun: What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing the 5th District?
Patino: The most pressing issues facing the 5th District are:
• Jobs retention and creation—15.6 percent unemployment rate
• Public safety, juvenile and gang violence, traffic issues (hit and run, DUIs), drugs, and alcohol
• Education
• Preserving our farmlands
Lavagnino: Well, all of the budget issues I just highlighted directly affect 5th District residents. Unfortunately, the economy is at the forefront of most people’s minds. Many of my friends and neighbors are struggling to find work or they are underemployed. I will work to make Santa Barbara County more business friendly. As an example, we all know the horrific last few years our construction industry has fought through. Right about the time they may be seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, our board raised the fees for a building permit by 18 percent! This is obviously not a decision that will stimulate activity, rather it will curtail it. I’ve seen this play out too many times with business and jobs always on the losing end—that needs to change!
I’m also very concerned about the increase in gang crime in the Santa Maria area. There has been a 213 percent jump in these types of crimes over the last five years throughout Santa Barbara County. Currently, our public safety officers have been cut to the bone. They are continually being asked to do more with fewer resources. Once again, if the board continues to deny revenue sources from moving into our county, the result is fewer dollars we can spend protecting our families. We need to fully fund public safety so that criminals know with certainty that if they commit a crime in this county they will be arrested, incarcerated, prosecuted, and there will be someone to follow up on their probation once they are released. I am proud to be endorsed by the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association as well as the Santa Barbara County Fire Fighters Association.
Sun: Given the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, do you still support the Tranquillon Ridge drilling project?
Patino: The Gulf of Mexico scenario is very different from any oil acquisition here in Santa Barbara County. Our safety check and double-check system is spearheaded by extremely conscientious companies. The Clean Seas program is a state-of-the-art oil spill response system. The Clean Seas response program is ready to respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with equipment and trained personnel in planned expertise techniques. These two vessels, Mr. Clean and Mr. Clean III, are on standby and are ready to immediately respond to a spill. Each is equipped with approximately 4,500 feet of boom, advancing oil recovery systems, high capacity stationary skimmers, and storage tanks for recovered oil. They’re specifically equipped with “Forward Looking Infrared Radar” (FLIR), and advanced electronic equipment for directing and monitoring oil spill response activities.
Complimentary to the safety response vessels on our Santa Barbara coastline is the opportunity for slant drilling techniques in drilling for our oil and gas reserves. Slant drilling is completely underground and never touches the ocean floor. This is technology at its finest. Our financial and economic future can certainly benefit from these advanced technologies in Santa Barbara County.
Knowing that safety is our paramount concern, we can be additionally grateful to the many outstanding local companies that have been producing here for years with a tremendous safety record.
The Tranquillon Ridge project is estimated to bring $100 million of revenue to the state, but we don’t know what will be coming to the county. The only place where the County of Santa Barbara will realize any revenues will be from the Veneco project off of Carpenteria. That project will be put to the vote of the people on the June 8 ballot as Measure J. Veneco will have to agree to very strict environmental standards.
Yes, I support our local oil industry.
Lavagnino: The Gulf spill is definitely a tragedy and we need an investigation into what was the root cause of the accident, but it doesn’t sway my support for the development of other offshore resources. A passenger airliner crashed in Libya this week, killing more than 130 people, and yet people continued flying all over the world. Almost 43,000 people are killed every year in auto accidents, but we still take our kids to school and head to the grocery store in our cars. We as human beings will always have accidents; it’s in our nature. We must learn from them, implement procedures to reduce the chances in the future, and move forward. The differences regarding Gulf drilling and our offshore platforms are remarkable. The rig in the Gulf was in 5,000 feet of water, whereas Platform Holly is in 200 feet of water. Our wells have been drilled in very predictable fields for decades while the Gulf rig was drilling experimentally in a new location. And most importantly, our platforms are anchored deep into the sea floor while the Gulf rig was a floating platform with only the drill touching the floor. For those opposed to offshore oil, I have one question: How can we be so destitute for revenue that we will put the legalization of marijuana on the November ballot, allowing our young adults access to a known gateway drug, but we won’t allow additional slant drilling from an already existing platform? It doesn’t make any sense to me.
Sun: What are North County-specific issues you plan to address?
Patino: A North County-specific issue that I plan to address: Recommendations for the Conditional Waiver Discharges from Irrigated Agricultural Land going before the Regional Water Quality Control Board. These are ill-conceived anti-agriculture requirements that can put the farming industry out of business in our valley—not to mention six other counties north of us. We need to be pro-active in stopping appointed boards and commissions, such as the Regional Water Quality Control Board and Coastal Commission, from controlling our local jurisdictions. There would be ground lost for required buffers, farming will not be allowed within 1,000 feet from an “impaired” water body, and rain water would need to be kept separate from irrigation runoff. A fiscal analysis has yet to be done, however, these farmers know that these requirements will not compute.
Small business needs the cooperation of government, not government putting up obstacles such as regulations, lengthy processes, and additional fees. Businesses will have payrolls and bring revenue to our county. The tax base will be increased, which can be used to provide services to our district.
Public safety is at the forefront of people’s minds. We hear so much about violence in our community where people want to feel safe in their homes and in their neighborhoods and have the expectation that government will protect them. My biggest fears are that the state of California will take more money from local governments, and with cuts to law enforcement we will see early release of criminals. The county jails are going to be so filled, this will in turn have a negative impact on cities in the North County. There is a possibility that our law enforcement would have to drive all the way to Goleta for bookings. This is not the area we need to cut. I will take my experience from the city of Santa Maria to maintain or increase law enforcement.
Lavagnino: Agriculture is a $1.3 billion industry in our county, one of the few industries still managing to make a profit in these difficult times. I will work to educate our southern neighbors about the importance our farmers and ranchers play in the economic well being of our county. They are continually being harassed with intrusive regulations—the grading ordinance, the oak tree ordinance, the Endangered Species Act, and now the most recent being the proposed restrictions on water runoff. Many farmers are contemplating selling their land to developers and ridding themselves of the bureaucratic nightmare. Can you imagine how helpless our nation would be if we had to rely on other countries for our food?
Contact Staff Writer Nicholas Walter at nwalter@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 27 – Jun 3, 2010.