Millions of our Contra Costa property tax dollars which should be returned to local government has been retained by the state.  Property taxes have traditionally been returned to local agencies to provide local services such as roads, libraries and police. Over $115 million has been 'retained' by the State of California in the past year.

As our county's former representative to the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Board of Directors,  I worked at the state level to stop this financial drain.  I believe that the taxpayers of each county should have a say on the use of their property taxes for general state obligations at the expense of local government.  A ballot measure is the only way where the people can express their opinion as well as amend the State Constitution to prevent the further diversion of your property tax dollars from providing local services.  Once our current fiscal crises has passed, I will continue to work for a statewide ballot measure on this issue.

Good  communications are at the heart of emergency response. Currently I serve on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Regional Interoperable Communication System to develop an effective and workable system for use of fire and police personnel response. I have also advocated for a countywide emergency plan and will continue to work on this issue until a final plan is adopted. I believe that our citizens rely on government for services that individuals cannot provide for themselves - one of the most serious of responsibilities of government is the need to provide emergency response services for catastrophic events whether they are large or small. A good communication system is integral to the public safety net.