Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Arcata

As a resident of Sunny Brae I know that the people of Arcata want their local government to concentrate on local issues. Arcata residents deserve first-rate city services; we need to make sure our roads are repaired and maintained and we need to expand bike lanes in this town and provide zero-emission transportation whenever and wherever possible.

There is a shortage of quality daycare in this city and we need to do what we can to provide affordable or free daycare to our working families. More people would recycle if we had free curbside pickups of mixed recyclables. We need affordable housing, an entirely new zero-emission public shuttle service throughout the city, and we need and have an obligation to take care of our homeless people, it will help them and help us.

But I know if we want to improve the quality of life for Arcata residents we need to find ways to increase city revenues. How can we do that? One way would be to encourage ecotourism and to become the world's hub for environmental technology. I don't understand why we sat back while the City of Eureka debated whether to approve a cheap motel or an eco-tourism environmental center. We should have gone to the backers of the environmental technology center with open arms and found them a place in our town, perhaps near the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary or the Community Forest.

We could also do more to promote cultural tourism. When we hold events like Shakespeare in the Park people come to Arcata, eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores. By supporting our local businesses we help generate sales tax revenues. And we can also take more advantage of the state-funded university right here in our town to elevate culture and entertainment.

As an attorney, I believe Arcata needs to fight for all the funds we are entitled to. We have to make sure that outside government agencies and private companies pay their fair share and obey the law. We shouldn't allow the county, the state, the federal government or corporations to tap our resources without a beneficial return. If we're entitled to county, state or federal monies, I'm determined to fight for it. If contractors are overcharging us, I want to make sure they won't work here again and that they'll pay back any overcharges. If corporations are polluting our air I'll fight them on our own turf and our own terms to stop them. I don't think we should rely on some ineffective, federal or state bureaucrat to tell us that "they are in compliance."

We hear too often that things can't be done because there isn't enough money. But I think many Arcatans would be willing to contribute more toward improving the city if given the chance and if they knew their money would be used efficiently. Why can't we follow the example of socially responsible companies like Working Assets, which lets its customers round up their bills and gives the spare change to worthy causes. In Arcata, local businesses could give customers a similar opportunity to round up their bills, so that the spare change goes into a fund devoted to beautifying the city and improving the quality of life in Arcata.

We need to work more closely with Humboldt State University and insist that the school prioritize Arcata when it gives out contracts from food services to construction. Why should a Houston, Texas company provide the food services to the students when we have healthy organic food service suppliers right here in Arcata who can serve the students for the same cost? Should an out-of-county contractor grade a building site when we have contractors right here? HSU must prioritize Arcata.

I can bring new concrete plans to Arcata that will actually change the city and make it what people expect a progressive town to be in the 21st century. It is disappointing that we don't have a zero-emission car share program--a car lending library, real affordable housing that emphasizes walking, biking and public transportation and solar panels everywhere, public and private.

I am dissapointed that our progressive environmentally conscientious community with a brain trust of environmental technology at a university within our borders has not turned Arcata into the world's headquarters of cutting edge environmental techonolgy and innovation. What Stanford is to Silicon Valley, Arcata should be to green technology. The health of our economy depends on environmental innovation and local implementation.

It is time to stop thinking green and start acting green. I hope and expect we'll be on our way to make Arcata the progressive town for this century, not last. Check out my blog for the details on how I plan to do this: http://www.jeff4citycouncil.blogspot.com.