League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Cruz County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues County Supervisor; Santa Cruz County; Supervisorial District 3

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Santa Cruz County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Economic Situation, Important Issues Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What guidelines would you use to make decisions about the County Budget in hard economic times? Answer from Cove Britton: In the worst economy in decades as thousands of residents are cutting back, libraries are closing, and essential public services are getting cut, the Board of Supervisors voted to increase County executive salaries by 12%--which were already over $200,000 per year. I will take a stand to allocate County resources where they will do the most good. I will work to make local government more efficient. I will start by calling for an independent audit of all of the departments in the County--to improve service delivery and cut wasteful government spending. Answer from Neal Coonerty: I read the proposed budget very carefully and play an active role during the County's two weeks of budget hearings where each day the Board of Supervisors hears specifics from each County department from the Sheriff's Department to Public Works. It is a very tough year and the board will be including the work furloughs that saved the taxpayers $11 million in payroll costs last year. Every year we pass our budget on time and balanced . . . and then we wait to see what damage the State of California does to our budget and re-balance it again. No matter what the financial challenges are in our county, we need to craft a budget that provides for public safety, environmental protection, safety net essentials for our poor, and economic development programs that create good jobs for our community. Answer from Douglas Deitch: Fiscal Responsibility - 20% Pay Pension Parity Program Cut Implement pay/pension/parity cuts necessary to maintain county financial solvency and bankruptcy, starting from the top Establish new pay principle, with no one paid more than our county judges or medical doctors (around $180K/year) Emphasize real estate and other taxes and our local economy as revenue sources using highest and best use principle Recognize new financial reality + eco and poverty based state and federal funding sources are no longer available 2. In your opinion, what are the most important issues facing the County in the next five years? Answer from Douglas Deitch: Community Safety - Follow the Law Fiscal Responsibility - 20% Pay Pension Parity Program Cut Water Supply - A Full Loch Lomond Reservoir 24/7/365 Beats Desalination Community Development - "Balance For A Self-Sustaining Community" Transportation - Regional Vision With Regional Solutions Answer from Neal Coonerty: The key issues the County will face over the net five years are: 1) the budget challenges; 2) public safety; 3) jobs/economic development, and 4) the environment. It will continue to be a challenge to craft budgets that provide the services and infrastructure our community needs with limited resources. On the issue of public safety, the County needs to ensure the safety of our community amid increasing gang and drug activity. I worked with a coalition of law enforcement, healthcare professionals and community groups to initiate a program getting chronic inebriates off our streets and into treatment- freeing up law enforcement to focus on more serious crimes. Economic development is a progressive issue. We need to create more good paying jobs in our community. I helped create Solar Santa Cruz which will result in good green economy jobs while providing long term financing for some home owners to install energy efficiencies including solar panels. I am proud of the work I have done on this innovative initiative. The environment remains a key concern for our community. Not only must we protect our local environmental resources but our County should play a leadership role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Solar Santa Cruz program is an important step in that direction but additional programs are needed in the near future in order for us to meet our emission reduction goals. Answer from Cove Britton: The Board of Supervisors has gotten away from its core mission, which is to provide services for Santa Cruz County residents. My goal is to make sure that taxpayer dollars are allocated where they will do the most good. I will start by calling for an independent audit of all County departments. This will allow us to improve service delivery and cut wasteful government spending. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.