Debbie Arnold for Supervisor, On the Issues

By Debbie Arnold

Agriculture is the life of our county, state and country. As your Supervisor, I will fight to protect our #1 industry. We cannot afford to become dependent on foreign countries for our food like we are for oil. Ensuring dependency starts at the local level.

The Williamson Conservation Act and Farmland Security Zones are being called into question in just about every California County. These farmland conservation contracts have successfully protected agricultural farmland for more than 45 years and must be saved. As your Supervisor, I will support this vital resource.

Fiscal Responsibility

Times are tough for everyone, and nothing irritates me more than to see our tax dollars being squandered, especially when our families are struggling to make ends meet. The county budget must reflect our household budgets, lean and focused on priorities without the extravagances that we simply cannot afford. I will, line by line, item by item, ensure that our county budget is fit and trim, without waste and focused on providing the important functions like public safety and infrastructure.

I will not support efforts to raise our taxes. With families struggling, unemployment at all time highs and businesses fleeing the state, it seems ridiculous that some want to raise our taxes. Like families, our county will have to make do with what they have.

Jobs/Economy

We are unfortunately in the middle of the biggest economic decline since the Great Depression and we can't count on the state or federal government to make things better. And quite frankly, these days they seem to be making it worse. Now is the time for us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and start the economic recovery closer to home. In the face of growing state and federal regulations, we need to be more helpful to our local businesses, many of whom would like to expand and hire more workers. In addition, we need to reach out to businesses that can relocate to our area and bring jobs with them. If our economy is going to improve it is going to require putting people back to work and we need to work with the business community to make it happen. I will oppose the overreaching regulations that are strangling local business.

Public Safety

Let's face it, when the economy suffers crime increases and we are seeing it right here in our own communities. Our public safety agencies including our Sheriff and District Attorney must have the resources to prevent crime, catch criminals and put them behind bars. I will work to ensure that our streets and schools are safe for families to enjoy.

Governor Brown and the Legislature have enacted AB 109 and as a result more criminals will be spending time in our local jails. We must get to work immediately to seek out the limited state funds that will allow us to expand our jail. Failure to do so will result in criminals being released on to our streets and we can't let that happen. This issue must be a top priority and I will get it done.

Fire Safety

I don't want to see our homes or beautiful lands devastated by catastrophic wildfires. Our County Fire Department covers almost 2 million acres of land and we count on them to keep us safe. I will work hand in hand with our local firefighters to ensure that we focus on preventing wildfires and protecting our communities. It is simply too important not to.

Tourism

San Luis Obispo County is beautiful country and each year we see thousands upon thousands of visitors come to our community to enjoy its natural beauty. These visitors spend money in our local restaurants, buy many of our local products and stay in our hotels and motels. It is essential that we support our tourism-related businesses and market ourselves to future visitors. I will work with our local wineries, restaurants and hotels to expand our customer base. Tourism can and will help turn our local economy around, and we must be willing to do our share to make it happen.

Housing

I will work hard to maintain our small towns and rural character. The current policies of the Board of Supervisors promote changing our small towns into high density urban living centers. Government is too intrusive, making it even more difficult for people to own their own home and live in the type of community they wish. One size does not fit all and government shouldn't be imposing its will on private property owners.

Sustainability

Recently the Board of Supervisors passed the Climate Action Plan, also known as the Energy Wise Plan. This plan was modeled after the state's Climate Change Bill, AB32. And while it is wise to move towards sustainable communities, this plan has too many unintended consequences that I fear will lower property values, increase costs for private property owners and force a lifestyle change upon many hard working taxpayers. We have a rural lifestyle here in San Luis Obispo County that is the envy of the state. Whatever we do, we should ensure this lifestyle for many residents is protected. This plan needs to be rethought and revamped. All stakeholders need to be invited to participate in the conversation to achieve what is right for our community, not based on some over-reaching bill created in Sacramento.

Quality of Life

The quality of life in San Luis Obispo County is unmatched in the state. From beach communities to world class educational facilities to farming in a rural lifestyle, this county has everything. We need leaders who know how to take advantage of everything this county has to offer. Government's role needs to be how do we continue to make San Luis Obispo County the greatest place to live, work and play. Even if that means leaving things alone.

Transparency

Residents need to know their government is working for them. The only way to accomplish this is to make county government as transparent as possible. County documents need to be online for residents to view. Campaign statements and statements of economic interest should be online so anyone can see what interests each Supervisor has or who is donating to their campaign before they make any decision.

Education

As a former educator, I know how important education is to our children's future. As your Supervisor, I will be a leader on educational issues, ensuring the issue is addressed by county leaders. We need a better approach to solve our educational challenges. Only by working together, both inside and outside of the educational community can we improve the quality of education for our children.