Candidate for
Recorder-Clerk; County of El Dorado

I was first elected as El Dorado County Recorder-Clerk in 1994. I am asking to be re-elected on June 6, 2006, so that I can continue to bring excellent service to the public. Since taking office in January 1995, I have instituted many technological advances in the office to enhance service to the public. An award winning Website provides access to our indexes from your home or office and online PC terminals in our office. This also allows other county offices to have instant access to all those documents.

The office of the Recorder-Clerk performs many services including recording, filing and safekeeping of documents establishing ownership of land in the county, as well as those pertaining to liens or encumbrances on land. We register and file marriage, birth and death certificates; financial statements and related papers required by the uniform commercial code. The Recorder-Clerk also administers the real property transfer tax law.

In 1990, the offices of the County Recorder and County Clerk were integrated into one office. The Clerk portion of the office performs functions such as marriage license issuance, confidential marriage notary licensing, and civil marriage ceremonies. We process passport applications, ficititious business name statements, and the licensing of photocopier,process server and unlawful detainer assistant.

One of the goals I set when elected was making the office more technologically efficient. This has been accomplished by installing a completely new computer system that includes recording, indexing, imaging and cashiering. The results have been dramatic. Documents now have preprinted, bar-coded labels which enhance not only the way we do business in the office, but the way the public now has access to this information.

In cooperation with the Information Services Department, the Recorder-Clerk website was created in October 1999. This site offers many features such as being able to look up birth, deaths, public marriages and fictitious business names. The site is an index of all recorded documents, including over 26,000 maps, that have been recorded dating since the year 1850. California law prevents placing images on the internet, but the indexes provide a wealth of information. The website has received two awards: in August 2001, Dottie Awards finalist in the category Government & Law, Northern California; and in December, the 2001-2002, 2003-04 and 2005 Golden Web Award.

I am seeking re-election because I have a real desire to ensure the public continues to be served in an efficient and economical manner. I have been in supervisory or leadership positions for over 35 years. I enjoy helping solve problems and providing leadership as a public servant. There is a need to continue staying current with technology and utilizing those features that enable cost-effective applicatons which allow easy public access to the recorded documents.

During the calendar year 2004, the office recorded over 130,000 documents breaking a previous high of 86,000 recorded documents. This was accomplished with no additional staff by the implementation of modern technology and training. In addition, the Recorder-Clerk website has been accessed over three million times to date.

In 2004, I was appointed Registrar of Voters. We are in the process of changing the voting system to meet Federal mandated HAVA requirements and that are certified by the California Secretary of State. The requirement to be ready with new equipment and procedures by the June 2006 election will be met. I want to thank all the staff, my assistant Norma Gray and consultant Bill O'Neill for their supreme efforts in this accomplishment.