LWV League of Women Voters of California
Contra Costa County, CA November 7, 2000 Election
Smart Voter Political Philosophy for Ralph Hoffmann

Candidate for
Director; San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

The position for which I am a candidate is a non-partisan contest. I have been registered in the State of California in both major political parties at varying times. I consider myself to have a bipartisan, pragmatic, and eclectic political philosophy.

I strongly favor Measure S in Danville and urge other voters to vote for it on November 7.

While I have been critical of the incumbent Board of Directors for their tendency to operate in relative secrecy, lack of candor in truly describing the agendized items, which are to take place at Board of Directors Meetings, in overzealousness to take credit for the District's 4-5 minute response time and national rating in the top 5% of the nation for Districts, there is some creditable actions of particular Board members.

As I have said before the enviable statistics of the District are the result of hard work by the management team and the firefighters themselves. There are some members of the Board of Directors who I hold in high regard. Roxanne Lindsay, who served as President of the Board, deserves special recognition for her efforts to guide the Board toward setting effective policy. Former Danville Chief of Police, Ken Sandy, even though he is one of my opponents, contintually contributes insights to the Board of Directors because of his lifelong residency in the San Ramon Valley. I look forward particularly to working with these two individuals when elected.

I believe we are a Country in which the rule of law, promulgated by officials elected by the People. is paramount. No person, or group of persons should be persecuted, bypassing that body of law and its due process, whether it be persons arbitrarily labeled as mentally ill, persons of color, or persons who wish to peacefully practice their religious beliefs, such as the Falun Gong. It is of deep concern to me that next to the Former Soviet Union, the country with the highest percentage of its residents incarcerated in prisons and jails is the United States. Most of these incarcerated prisoners have not committed any violent act and have not received a legal trial. Our system of Justice is rightly under criticism by the rest of the World.

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