Our community needs a Supervisor who will make sure the unique character of our neighborhoods is protected.
I chose Live Oak as the place to raise my family. I'm the only candidate who’s actually lived and worked in the district continuously for over sixteen years. I’ve been a Live Oak Little League coach, led the bond effort to preserve the Soquel schools, and represented the area on the Cabrillo College Board. These efforts have allowed me to work with my neighbors to make the 1st District a better place to live and work. Through my volunteer efforts, I have brought together the people and resources needed to create solutions that best serve our community.
In eight years as an elected Cabrillo College Trustee, I’ve helped upgrade the Stroke Center, expand the nursing program, and improve the Cabrillo Public Safety Program to make sure our Sheriff’s Department has enough trained deputies to tackle our crime problem - all while strengthening the College’s financial reserves.
As your Supervisor, I’ll continue to fight to keep our streets safe, strengthen mobile home rent control, protect our environment, and preserve the character of our neighborhoods.
I will not be beholden to anyone but the people of the 1st District. You'll always have my undivided attention. Here is where I stand on key issues:
⇒ Neighborhood Protection – The 1st District is home to some of the most unique neighborhoods in the county. I will stand up to high-density projects that are out of scale with our community. I want to preserve the character of Pleasure Point, Soquel Village and the Summit area by working with neighbors on the creation of community plans. These community plans allow local residents to identify opportunities for parks, family supporting services, youth activities and standards for development.
⇒ Public Safety – By finding places to train additional candidates to become Deputy Sheriffs, I am already working to put more officers on the streets to make them safer. We cannot stand for having only three officers cover the district while the neighboring communities of Santa Cruz and Capitola have a greater police presence. A fully staffed Sheriff’s Department is our first line of defense against crime and gangs in our neighborhoods. We also need to create successful programs for young people to give them alternatives to gangs.
⇒ Mobile Home Rent Control – I will protect the largest stock of affordable housing by strong enforcement of the mobile home rent control law at any cost. I will seek to expand mobile home repair and replacement programs and ensure that the County takes a lead in fighting “sham conversions” of our parks.
⇒ Environmental Protection – Global climate change is the single largest environmental challenge facing us today. We must curb and reduce our emissions through “green” building code incentives, sustainable urban design, alternative transportation options and renewable energy. We must also protect and enhance our natural resources by insuring our water sustainability, protecting our sensitive habits, creating greater open space and defending the health of our coast. Lastly, we must protect our community from pest and environmental solutions that have not adequately addressed the safety of the public or the environment.
⇒ Transportation – We must work to repair our local roads and strengthen our public transit system. We need to move beyond the fight over widening Highway One to fund measures that will alleviate congestion and enjoy popular support such as redesigning and metering ramps. We must prioritize adequate road repair in our community before taking over the state’s job in paying for the highway. Now that we have purchased the rail line that bisects the county we must ensure that we have a good public process to build a trail and determine the best uses for the rail line.
⇒ Redevelopment/Economic Development – I am the only candidate who stood up to prevent our redevelopment funds from being used elsewhere in the county. I will continue to fight to keep redevelopment funds for the Live Oak/Soquel area. We must identify areas where economic development can be fostered. Through neighborhood-serving retail and jobs with family supporting wages, we can further strengthen our manufacturing, arts and high tech industries.
I know that listening and being accessible are vital qualities for your Supervisor. You’ll always have my undivided attention. The proof? My cell phone is 566-0122 or email john@friendsofjohnleopold.com. Contact me any time.
To be successful in this campaign I will need your help. I am asking that you support me by endorsing my campaign and giving generously by clicking here to donate now. Together we can strengthen the representation in the 1st District and insure that all who live there have a voice on the Board of Supervisors.
