So I've been married to my
husband Chris for 24 years.
We have five kids.
They range in ages from 19 down to
13 and probably about six years ago.
I became a little bit more interested
in local government because our kids
are getting a little bit older and I
had a little more space than my life
to get engaged and I think I always
have this perspective that if you
wanted to make a difference in politics,
you had to be a Congress
person or an assembly person.
And I think the more research I did,
I realized it really is
about the local level.
You know, the things that impact
you and I on a daily basis.
Like our roads and our public
safety and parks and trails,
all of that is their decisions
that are made right here.
So I decided I wanted to run for
county supervisor and knowing that I
didn't have any experience at the time,
I reached out to the sitting
supervisor Robert Wynn,
who I didn't know at the time and just
asked if he would let me shadow him.
I told him I was willing to work
for him for free full time.
I just wanted to learn the job
and when he said I would have
limited access as a volunteer,
I asked if he would be willing to hire me.
This is district director because he
was the only one that didn't have
one at the time and so thankfully
he said yes and he hired me.
And so it's been five years now and
it's been an incredible learning
experience and I've had the
opportunity to essentially mirror a
supervisor for the past five years.
I'd help with everything from policy
development constituent relations,
talked to legislators,
and really kind of helped solve problems.
It's a big part of my job,
and so moving forward.
Kind of looking forward into
the next few years.
If and when I I were to become supervisor
a couple things that I'm focused on.
First and foremost is the balancing
of growth and development with
our agriculture and conservation.
Here in Placer County.
As you know,
we're going to continue to grow
by leaps and bounds over the next
few decades and so making sure
we're being really thoughtful and
cognizant about how we do development.
And I was able to participate
in bringing the plaster county
conservation program into
implementation and so making sure that.
That gets implemented well and that we
have someone on the board who is willing to,
you know,
make sure that development
is paying their fair share,
and while at the same time doing everything
we can to streamline our processes
without compromising our standards.
And then secondly,
public safety is at the forefront.
I think.
Again,
as we grow in our population,
it's vital to me that we make sure
we have fire and police services
that are going to meet the needs
of our growing population,
and to make sure we're paying our deputies.
Firefighters above market rate so
that we can recruit and retain quality
candidates and then thirdly I would
say economic development and small
business is really important to me.
Small businesses comprise 91%
of business in Placer County,
and so really making sure that
at the local level we're doing
everything we can to kind of get
out of the way of small businesses.
It's already hard enough to
operate a business in California,
so making sure that we are doing what we can,
whether it's deferring fees or
providing incentives for small
business streamlining our processes,
auditing our processes just to
see what we can be doing better.
And then lastly, I would say.
This is kind of just a personal
passion of mine,
so four of our kids we've adopted
from foster care and so the topic of
early childhood interventions and wrap
around services are really important to me.
And as someone who's fiscally conservative,
I would say to me, true,
fiscal conservatism is investing in
kids and families early on so that
we can help break cycles before they
get to be adults and and then end up
being a burden on society, right?
So those are some of my focus.
Areas.
For sure,
the future growth is that probably
the biggest issue that probably goes
hand in hand with traffic I have.
I don't think I've ever supported
a tax increase before,
but I am supportive of a potential
sales tax measure that would provide
funding for the widening of Hwy
65 and that traffic and growth
are probably first and foremost.
I would say homelessness is
an emerging issue.
It's not that we have a super high density
population of homeless in District 2,
but because it's a county wide.
Issue,
I would consider that an
emerging issue as well.
So you know the the PCP,
the plaster county Conservation
program really is essentially a
build out vision for plaster county,
so it lays out where the
development will happen and where
the conservation will happen.
So it kind of takes a lot
of that guesswork out,
and so as long as you have a strong
Board of Supervisors that aren't going
to continually rezone the rural areas to be,
you know denser populations,
and then I think we have a pretty
good build out vision of what
things are going to look like.
So and so I think that's taken
a lot of the the workout.
For future boards, for sure,
well,
you know,
since as a county we don't have
jurisdiction within the city limits and
you know I would say an area that's big.
Focus is the sunset area.
That's where the casino is right now,
and there are thousands of acres
that have been set aside by
the county for jobs creation.
And it was originally manufacturing,
but that doesn't really exist
here in California anymore,
so you know,
I don't think we're going to be
recruiting a lot of businesses
to come here from class to class
or county from out of the state.
However, I do think.
We could recruit quite a few businesses
within California to relocate here
to Plaster County because we really,
truly are kind of in awasis
here in the state,
and it's been great to be involved
in the conversations when it comes
to the SAC state satellite campus
that will hopefully be launched
here in the near future and as well
as the regional university project
of Hillsdale and some exciting
projects that are out there Carvana,
which will be employing about 800 people
once they're up and running. And then.
That the plaster commerce center,
which just recently submitted
their application and will
be a couple thousand jobs,
and when that is at full build out.
So while we may not,
you know be super focused on housing
development within the county and that area.
Economic development is
a big thing out there.
You know,
I think we should have a wide
variety of educational opportunities,
and so the fact that Sierra College
and the CSU Sacramento campus
have been such great partners,
I think that's an incredible
opportunity for public education.
Here in Plaster county.
Those partnerships,
when it comes to the crime lab
that they want to have on campus,
and some of the biomass stuff
that they're talking about,
is pretty exciting.
And for their firefighter program.
But then, you know,
we also have William Jessup University,
which is.
Obviously a private Christian college and
and serves a certain demographic of people.
Of course, you know not everyone.
There is a Christian actually quite a
few people who go there are not Christians,
but but they do provide that opportunity
and and he'll style to me is just another.
Another form of education and you know,
I I wouldn't designate them
as a Christian college per se,
and I know they have some Christian roots,
but I would just consider them
really kind of teaching,
critical thinking and and.
And encouraging students to
think for themselves about why
they believe what they believe,
so I think it's a pretty cool opportunity,
so you know.
Personally,
I think as much Urban Development that
can be done within the city limits,
the better, I think.
And you know,
there are some larger projects that
were approved decades ago that you know,
I, I can't.
I don't have any control over that now,
but when it comes to the
affordability a couple years ago,
the county partnered with a nonprofit
called Housing Trust Classer,
which you've probably heard of,
and I personally believe.
That model is much better than having
the government be the ones to try
and construct housing and or to
have government subsidized housing.
For instance,
because I just think the private
sector can do such a better job
of actually getting things done.
So I know the board approved and
it may have
been 18 months ago.
Now $500,000 to put into that fund.
And so all the stakeholders are
pouring into the same fund,
which I think will help be able
to get opportunities out there for
affordable housing projects and or.
You know, deed restricted homes,
that kind of thing and and
the the Board of Supervisors.
Actually I think they have their ribbon
cutting for the mercy housing project here.
Shortly in a couple of weeks
and up in Auburn.
And that's 70 plus units and
that were just constructed right
by the government center.
And so I think we're going to
continue to see opportunities like
that come up and and and I'm I'm
more than happy to stay engaged
on those types of things as well.
Well, this is another issue that's
kind of near and dear to my heart
because my my own dad was schizophrenic
and he died homeless and it wasn't
because for lack of you know,
services or family members that
were willing to take him in.
We he had many family members who
would have taken him in and he just
because of his mental illness chose and I,
you know,
use air quotes with the word chose
to to live on the street and so.
I think most people now recognize
that just housing people is not a
solution to the problem that we really
have to go to the core issues which
are often drug addiction and mental
illness and address those issues.
And housing is definitely a
piece of the puzzle and you know,
I I would love to see a collaboration
between all of the cities and
the county and where we're all
stakeholders and all kind of
contributing financially as well as
having seats at the table and so.
As he has been two years now,
maybe a year and a half ago that
the county kind of put together
this homelessness task force that
consists of a couple people for me,
to the cities and the Board
of Supervisors as well.
And so the goal of that task force
was really to have conversations
around what do we want?
Our long term strategy to be when
it comes to homelessness and so the
board is actually hearing that on Tuesday.
You're going to have an update on
that homelessness task force and
and then they'll hopefully have
a little bit more.
Correction about where they want to go.
What are the next steps?
But whatever we do,
I think again has to be collaboration
and it also has to be a, you know,
beginning to end and beyond services you
know it's got to take someone off the street,
put them through treatment if needed to
get them through therapy and counseling.
Get them job training,
help them to get connected with the
job and then not just bail on them.
At that point they would.
You know we need to have to.
We need to continue to stay
engaged with those people
even once they're on their feet.
And just to make sure that they don't
resist recidivism back into homelessness,
right? And and so, yeah.
So those are some of my thoughts.
Well, you know,
I think there are a couple things that
distinguish me from others in the race.
I mean first and foremost,
and I'm I'm the only one that
has school aged kids at home.
I think that's something that's missing
on the Board of Supervisors right now.
We have a great board, I think,
but there is something to be said
about having the perspective of a
parent whose parent parenting kids
in this kind of crazy world that
we're living in and having a voice
on the Board of Supervisors to
represent that segment of people.
And, you know,
my my job as a district director.
Really,
I think has set me apart as someone
who could walk in on day one with
virtually no training I I really would
walk in and just kind of continue
the job that I'm already doing,
except that I would just be on the Dias
instead of sitting in the audience.
You know, and you know.
Lastly,
I would say I think I just provide
a different fresh perspective.
You know, I'm not a politician,
I'm I'm just a mom and I'm
someone who cares so much about
our community and I just want to
protect the quality of life.
That we have here in Plaster county
and make sure that it's a great
place for my kids and maybe your kids
and future grandkids to to enjoy.
And I I want them to be able to
enjoy the same quality of life
that we get to today.