Our forests and the management of our lands are at the forefront of my agenda. I know that reducing fuel loads in District 5 will protect the housing market, help us address the insurance crisis, increase public safety, create better paying jobs and ensure that our lands remain a place to live and recreate for generations to come. I have an ambitious plan that will bring millions of dollars to the area. Part of the plan, which is currently underway, will create both a Fuel Reduction District and a Parks & Recreation District at no expense to residents in the area.

It is no secret that we are experiencing a housing shortage in Eastern Madera County. Every week I receive calls from residents in the area that can no longer afford to live here or that are desperate for an affordable place to live. I have helped establish partnerships with local non-profits that will bring more workforce rentals to the area and help stabilize the market. Still, the work does not stop there. Behavioral health and substance abuse issues run rampant in our homeless communities. I am committed to working with the state and bringing forth “Care Courts” that will provide these individuals with the long-term care that is needed to get them off the streets.

I am committed to working with County Fire and the Sheriff’s Office on ensuring that our emergency responders have the greatest opportunity for success. This means ensuring that they have the right tools, equipment, and adequate staffing to safely help protect us in an emergency. I will always be willing to meet with and work with both leadership and operational staff to ensure that these needs are met. More than anything, I am available to talk things through, explore ideas, and lead change in the name of public safety. It is this commitment to public safety that has earned me the endorsement of both the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association as well as CAL FIRE Local 2881.

We all know that it’s not IF fire comes, it’s WHEN fire comes. We must do everything in our power to prepare and ensure that we are able to quickly respond and quickly extinguish fires when they occur. Strategic fuel breaks, roadside vegetation management, and fuel reduction efforts in the wildland urban interface will all play a part, however, these efforts will be for nothing if we are unable to improve and staff our county fire stations. Area stakeholders are currently conducting millions of dollars of projects and there are two county fire stations under construction in Madera County. These efforts will help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and decrease response times in District 5, but we still need to do more. Improving staffing along with continued investments in our infrastructure and lands will help us further mitigate our risks and improve public safety in the region.

Safer communities will come as a result of proper planning and coordinated efforts among area stakeholders. While we can’t stop moving forward with the great work that is currently underway, coordinating efforts among private landowners, land managers, private enterprise, and the county will help make the best use of our scarce resources. The county is in the process of revising both the county safety element as well as the community wildfire protection plan. These documents will help develop programs and policy while driving projects implemented by the county, the state, forest services, as well as our private partners. I will ensure that these plans receive robust community and stakeholder input that will result in safer communities throughout the county.

The County will soon be revising its safety element which will provide updates on wildfire mitigation to the County’s General Plan. I will take a three-step approach to this update: (1) Outreach and engagement; (2) The development of a Comprehensive Fire Hazard and Risk Assessment; (3) The creation of actionable goals and programs that will help reduce risks identified in step 2. I believe this update will be key in working with the rest of the board on directing funding that will help reduce the risks of wildfire in our community.

The Madera County Office of Emergency Services (MCOES) has just recently updated the County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan. This document is now available for public review. I am thrilled that MCOES took the time to develop a comprehensive document that will help drive funding for years to come. Still, I believe there is more work to be done. I would like to expand upon this update to identify more projects that will help keep communities in wildfire prone areas safe. I understand that successfully securing state/federal funding will require the community to develop a pipeline of projects that are at various stages in the planning process.

The County is currently building two new fire stations in Madera County. One in North Fork and one on Avenue 26, that will reduce response times in Madera Lakes as well as Raymond. Both stations are being built in partnership with area stakeholders. In the near future, additional stations will be built in the communities of Riverstone and at the Preserve at Millerton. The costs of these stations, and subsequent staffing, will be borne by development in the area, however, they will service residents throughout the County. I hope to continue this positive momentum by improving our volunteer fire stations in Bass Lake as well as Yosemite Lakes Park. Upgrading these stations to house full-time firefighters will be a top priority for me.

Over the past 6 years the County has been engaged in a Vehicle Replacement Program which is funded through the General Services department. Through this program, the county has been able to update its fleet of fire engines as well as command vehicles. While this has been successful, there is still much work that needs to be done to ensure that our firefighters have the resources they need to be successful. As Supervisor, I will continue to make investments in our County Fire that help keep us all safe.

While staffing is at an all-time high in Madera County, great deal of improvements are still needed to get our services up to recommended levels. With increased staffing, the County was able to staff each paid fire station with two full time firefighters. This means two firefighters on duty at each station, 24 hours a day. This equates to about $2.5 million in staffing per fire station. Improving staffing to the recommended level of 4 firefighters on duty 24-7 would require a substantial investment from the community. I am optimistic that residents in the area are ready to support an initiative that would bring more firefighters to Madera and would support a citizen-led initiative to do so.

After a period of being inactive, the Eastern Madera County Fire Safe Council is in the process of reorganizing its board and mission statement. Their goal is to work on community level projects that help harden homes and neighborhoods against wildfire. As Chief of Staff, I have successfully secured funding to help the Council work towards these goals. I understand that successfully mitigating the risks of fire will require each of our community partners to work hand in hand. As Supervisor, I will continue to work with these agencies and ensure that they receive the support they need to continue the great work that is already underway.

Madera County currently operates 7 paid fire stations which are staffed 24 hours a day as well as 6 stations that are exclusively staffed by paid on-call firefighters. When wildfire strikes, staff at these stations jump into action regardless of where their station is located. Additionally, there are 5 state run Cal Fire Stations located in the state responsibility area which work in partnership with the County through Amador contracts and mutual aid agreements. As Supervisor, I will continue to build upon this foundation to ensure that our state, county, and wildland firefighters have the tools, equipment, facilities, and staffing to get the job done safely.

Reducing fuel loads in the area will require a multi-pronged approach by area stakeholders. As Chief of Staff, I have worked to build workforce capacity at our local Resource Conservation Districts, Yosemite Sequoia RC&DC as well as the Eastern Madera County Fire Safe Council. These organizations are better equipped to work across jurisdictional boundaries and manage projects to the benefit of the community. As your Supervisor, I will continue to invest in our local partners and ensure that we are able to develop more projects like the Strategic Wildfire Mitigation Project and the Firewise Madera Program that are helping improve public safety in our communities today.

While volunteerism is down throughout the country, I believe that we can increase volunteerism within our volunteer fire departments by improving compensation and modifying training requirements. Currently compensation is among the highest in the state however, the County is working to increase the pay scale for our PCFs. In the near future we will likely see pay increase to $25 per hour for a fully credentialed PCF. While this is a great improvement, I believe the key to increasing participation in the PCF program is the training. As Supervisor, I will work to simplify this process for residents in the area and create new classifications of PCFs that have variable training requirements. Making training modules more accessible and lessening training requirements for individuals that would like to support our Paid Firefighters will help improve participation.

An Amador contract is a cost sharing agreement between the State and the County to provide additional fire protection services at state run facilities. Three of the five state run stations in Madera County operate under Amador Contracts. This means that the Rancheria Station, Bass Lake Station, and Ahwahnee Station are all funded in partnership with the County of Madera and CalFire. The County can stretch our tax dollars and improve staffing in the area by working through these partnerships. As Supervisor, I will strengthen these partnerships by working with our state legislators to ensure that our State Fire Stations are equipped and staffed in a manner that helps keep us safe and is recognized by insurance providers.

Our Sheriff’s Deputies are frequently being asked to do more and more without additional support to get it done. I have been happy to work with the Sheriff and our CAO, Sheriff Varney, over the past several years to help bring them more resources to get the job done. Still, the board needs to understand that maintaining law and order in Madera County requires that each department involved in the process gets the resources they need to function properly. This means ensuring that the DA’s Office, Probation, and the Department of Corrections have the facilities and equipment to operate effectively as well. I am confident that a well functioning system will help keep us all safe and yield returns on the back end. As Supervisor, I will work to ensure that our public safety officers get the support they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.

In the past CRCD was a driver for much of the prescribed burning that has taken place in Eastern Madera County. Currently, the organization manages the Firewise Madera Program which is being funded through Federal Title III dollars and State Firesafe Coordinator funding. As Chief of Staff, I was instrumental in developing and designating this funding as well as ensuring that the initiative received the full support of the Madera County Board of Supervisors.

Over the past year the organization has been able to help certify 11 communities and is working towards certifying several more. These communities have developed risk mitigation plans that will help keep their homes safe, receive discounts on their homeowner’s insurance, and have access to multiple funding sources to help them better manage their lands. Additionally, CRCD has been able to build upon the County’s investment by securing additional grant funding that will expand upon their efforts. Just recently they were awarded a $1.3 million dollar grant from CalFire that will help them reduce fuel loads on private lands. As Supervisor, I will continue to help CRCD build upon this success and help them renew their commitments to safe and effective prescribed burning.

Yosemite Sequoia RC&DC is a local non-profit that serves the four-county area of Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, and Tulare. The executive board is made up of representatives from each county Board of Supervisors and is currently chaired by Supervisor Wheeler. The organization has an agreement with Forest Service and Madera County that helps them streamline projects that include public lands. Their ability to conduct great work for the community is highlighted by their strategic wildfire mitigation project, which is creating shaded fuel breaks around Bass Lake, reducing fuel loads in the communities of Sugar Pine and Cedar Valley, and developing a strategic fuel break on Goat Mountain. I am committed to working with Y/S and believe that their continued partnership with the county will help us increase the pace and scale of projects in the area. As Supervisor I will leverage the organization to bring forth more great projects and will expand their work to include advocating to the state and feds for better land management policy and improved access to our forests.

Using state funding (Regional Early Action Planning and Community Development Block Grant) the County will be updating its Housing Element in the coming months. It will examine employment and housing trends, considering existing inventory, available sites, and constraints on the market. The study will be used to create effective plans and programs to develop more housing in the County.

As Supervisor, I will require an analysis and evaluation of building and planning fees. The County must ensure that our fees are not only competitive with neighboring counties but are crafted in a manner that helps people realize their dream of home ownership. I will work to differentiate small projects (parcel maps) from larger projects (subdivision maps). This will help improve our housing stock and reduce the cost of housing.

We will not address housing shortages in the area by just building more housing. Affordable rentals, workforce housing, starter homes, family homes, and retirement communities all make up important components of the housing portfolio. As Supervisor I will continue to work with developers that offer to bring more work force housing and permanent rentals to the area. I am committed to the idea of creating pathways to homeownership for our residents.

For nearly a decade I have worked to improve community facilities and services that support tourism. My experience working alongside volunteers in the community combined with my knowledge of local, state, and federal processes makes me the ideal candidate to ensure that our tourism industry receives the support it needs. Tourism is our primary economic driver. I will work to create and improve community facilities, infrastructure, and services that encourage our visitors to stay longer and more often.

The Eastern Madera County Foundation has worked to beautify the mountain area for over 30 years. After learning that the organization was at risk of dissolving, I rewrote the bylaws to create an organization that was more inclusive of all residents. The organization’s board is now made up of representatives from each area chamber of commerce (Bass Lake, Coarsegold, North Fork, and Oakhurst), Visit Yosemite Madera County Visitors Bureau, and 6 community representatives from different geographic areas. The organization has now been able to hire a grant writer and submit requests for over $8 million in state funding. This funding will make trail improvements in North Fork and Oakhurst, improve the Fresno Flats Historic Village, and create sidewalks and bike paths in Indian Lakes.

As a former insurance broker, I know how the rising cost of insurance affects residential property and commercial property owners. It is a very complex issue however at a local level the answer is simple; we need to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. We can do this. By improving our County Fire equipment and facilities, increasing staffing, managing vegetation, and hardening our structures we can reduce our risk of disaster. I will also work to make changes at the State level. While some change is underway, the state needs to create more competition in the marketplace, and we need legislative action to make it happen. I understand what needs to be done and I have the connections to help make it happen.

As Chief of Staff for District 5 I have helped bring millions of dollars into the community to help address vegetation issues. I have advocated for the continuation of the County’s Fire Vehicle Replacement Program. I worked with the North Fork Rancheria on bringing improvements to station 11 in North Fork and worked with staff on ensuring our new fire station on Ave 16 stays within the budget. I have helped to identify and create funding that will bring full time firefighters to North Fork. I have also advocated to the state for more discounts through the County’s Firewise Madera Program which is currently saving homeowner’s money on their insurance. As your Supervisor, I will continue to advocate at the State level to create more competition in the marketplace. Additionally, I will insist that improvements to the Yosemite Lakes Park and Bass Lake stations are completed and the stations staffed.

Preventive care reduces the risk of chronic medical conditions as we age. Improving access to essential medical services will help keep our community healthy and happy. I will improve access to medical services for our youth, seniors, veterans, low income, as well as the community at large.

We need to ensure that our seniors have ample transportation opportunities to seek services. Our current system is ineffective and inefficient. We can improve it by creating ride share programs and expanding our public transportation system through partnerships with private enterprise.

With my help Camarena Health increased their presence in North Fork and Raymond. Their mobile health clinics reduce travel times and provide an option for those communities. I have helped ensure Madera County Public Health maintained a strong presence in the mountain communities throughout the pandemic. I intend to build upon this work by creating a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club that will enable parents to set appointments where their children receive after-school care.

The County must do a better job helping our Veterans access care. I will reorganize our Veteran Services Office to increase support for our veterans. The County has recently secured funding to expand their office, but I believe we can stretch those dollars and further reduce caseloads for those serving our Veterans.

I have been a proud board member and President of the Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst for nearly a decade. We were able to expand our daily attendance from 30 kids a day to upwards of 130. We have expanded our services to include youth athletics, leadership programs, and in person learning services during the school closures in 2020/21. I am currently helping to nurture partnerships with our local school districts that will culminate in additional club sites throughout the mountain area. As Supervisor, I will continue to build upon these partnerships to create more dynamic and affordable youth programing. I am committed to building great leaders for tomorrow.

I will create better paying jobs in the County and ensure residents have a pathway to obtain them. I will take a proactive approach to bringing in more industry, building upon the industry that we already have, and helping to create an educational system that gives people the tools and skills they need to work in our community

Telecommuting has become commonplace since the pandemic. Many people can now work from home. I know several that commute to work once a week but enjoy working from home the rest of the week. The county can nurture this industry and attract more professionals to the area by improving broadband infrastructure and our public transportation system.

I have worked to help secure funding and partnerships that will culminate in better broadband services throughout the district. In partnership with the San Joaquin Rural Broadband Association, I have designated the communities of Oakhurst, North Fork, and Coarsegold as priorities for last mile infrastructure. I have also helped “bird dog” funding that will coordinate efforts among Internet Service Providers (ISPs), local municipalities, and other area stakeholders. The state and the feds are making unprecedented investments in broadband infrastructure and I will ensure that these tax dollars are wisely spent in Madera County.

The county is redeveloping our public transportation system. We will soon be able to take public transportation from Oakhurst to a new Amtrak Station being built next to the new Madera College on Avenue 12. I have been able to strengthen our private and public partnerships so we can apply some common sense to our bus routes. We need more short-range transit between the mountain communities and the valley. As your Supervisor, I will ensure that this plan comes to fruition.

Education is the key element to securing better paying jobs and building wealth. I will work proactively with the College District, the Yosemite Adult School, and our local school districts to create more educational pathways and job opportunities. We need to train our youth to work within our economy. I support programs to train linemen, arborists, foresters, firefighters, public safety officers, and more.

I will help reduce the rising cost of living by addressing the insurance crisis, encourage higher paying job opportunities, increase affordable youth services, expand medical services, and economize the use of our tax dollars. I want to make government more efficient and business friendly. By helping to control costs and creating higher paying jobs, we will improve our quality of life.

My stance on public safety has earned me the support of Sheriff Tyson Pogue, District Attorney Sally Moreno, the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the Madera County Prosecutors Association, Cal Fire Local 2881, and the Madera County Peace Officers Management Unit. I am firmly committed to supporting our public safety officers and am excited to continue working towards improving public safety in the area. The list of supporters is long and keeps getting bigger, so I would like to thank every resident, community leader and organization for energizing me with even more courage, strength and wisdom for the challenges ahead.