Showing posts with label Visalia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visalia. Show all posts
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Join Me at the 2016 Roosevelt Gala
I'm inviting my friends to the 2016 Roosevelt Gala at the Visalia Convention Center on April 9. At this banquet I'll be receiving an honor for my many years of work for progressive causes and candidates, and I would love to share the evening with you. California State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon will be the keynote speaker. I've posted the flyer below. I would love to see you there! Reserve your tickets, let me know you are coming, and I will ask the organizers to seat us at the same table.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Greg Collins Comes to COS
Visalia City Councilman Greg Collins paid a visit to the College of the Sequoias Young Democrats meeting and had some prescient observations to go along with giving the group some insights into his common sense approach to city governance. Greg brings the training and experience of a professional urban planner to his decisions and votes on the council.
He emphasized his long-held view that infill, or developing vacant and unused land within the built-up parts of town, needs to provide the basis for short-term growth. It's more efficient in a number of ways. First, it saves the city money because necessary infrastructure, such as water, sewer, roads and electrical are already in place. Second, when development is compact it reduces driving mileage, cutting down on air pollution and the frequency of traffic accidents. Third, it reduces emergency response times. Finally, avoiding sprawl saves Valley farmland.
Greg pointed to new projects underway. One of these is an arrangement to return 13 million gallons of city-treated sewage water to agricultural use in exchange for 6.5 million gallons of new clean water. The pure water will be pumped into local ponding basins to recharge the city's falling water table. As Greg said, "We live in a desert. If we don't protect our water resources the cost will be more than we can afford to pay." Visalia is the only local city to have a project like this. He also indicated his support for a city legal action to oppose Cal Water's plan to drastically increase water rates for Visalia residents.
Councilman Collins is a registered Democrat but the ballot is non-partisan and Greg agrees that's how he sees his service. "There's no Democratic or Republican way to fix a pothole," he explains. He described himself as fiscally conservative, insisting on balancing the city's $250 million budget. The city did a lot of belt-tightening during the Recession, which Greg points to as the main reason the city is in strong fiscal shape now, unlike some other California cities that have or may face default.
Yet he is at the same time liberal on his commitment to quality of life issues. With revenues returning, he now sees scope for some improvements. A new animal shelter will soon go out to bid, and is expected to cost $5-6 million. Bids for a new water treatment plant have come in up to $30 million under expectations. He wants to give city employees a raise, feeling that their willingness to accept pay cuts while taking on additional work during recent lean times has earned them a well-deserved reward now that financial conditions are improving.
Greg became the youngest Visalia City Councilman ever when he first got elected back in the 1970s. He was spurred to do so because as a recent college graduate in urban planning, he and some friends decided to attend a council meeting and saw them approving projects that went completely against the principles and industry standards he had learned in school. Instead of going along with the old boys network he walked the city door to door and got elected.
Greg Collins has been on and off the council over the past thirty-plus years, serving as mayor at times but also sometimes facing strong political and monetary opposition from developers who want every project approved no matter what. His principles, track record and common-sense approaches indeed mark him as a fine leader who can resist pressure and is truly the "quality of life candidate." He richly deserves re-election to the Visalia City Council on November 5.
He emphasized his long-held view that infill, or developing vacant and unused land within the built-up parts of town, needs to provide the basis for short-term growth. It's more efficient in a number of ways. First, it saves the city money because necessary infrastructure, such as water, sewer, roads and electrical are already in place. Second, when development is compact it reduces driving mileage, cutting down on air pollution and the frequency of traffic accidents. Third, it reduces emergency response times. Finally, avoiding sprawl saves Valley farmland.
Greg pointed to new projects underway. One of these is an arrangement to return 13 million gallons of city-treated sewage water to agricultural use in exchange for 6.5 million gallons of new clean water. The pure water will be pumped into local ponding basins to recharge the city's falling water table. As Greg said, "We live in a desert. If we don't protect our water resources the cost will be more than we can afford to pay." Visalia is the only local city to have a project like this. He also indicated his support for a city legal action to oppose Cal Water's plan to drastically increase water rates for Visalia residents.
Councilman Collins is a registered Democrat but the ballot is non-partisan and Greg agrees that's how he sees his service. "There's no Democratic or Republican way to fix a pothole," he explains. He described himself as fiscally conservative, insisting on balancing the city's $250 million budget. The city did a lot of belt-tightening during the Recession, which Greg points to as the main reason the city is in strong fiscal shape now, unlike some other California cities that have or may face default.
Yet he is at the same time liberal on his commitment to quality of life issues. With revenues returning, he now sees scope for some improvements. A new animal shelter will soon go out to bid, and is expected to cost $5-6 million. Bids for a new water treatment plant have come in up to $30 million under expectations. He wants to give city employees a raise, feeling that their willingness to accept pay cuts while taking on additional work during recent lean times has earned them a well-deserved reward now that financial conditions are improving.
Greg became the youngest Visalia City Councilman ever when he first got elected back in the 1970s. He was spurred to do so because as a recent college graduate in urban planning, he and some friends decided to attend a council meeting and saw them approving projects that went completely against the principles and industry standards he had learned in school. Instead of going along with the old boys network he walked the city door to door and got elected.
Greg Collins has been on and off the council over the past thirty-plus years, serving as mayor at times but also sometimes facing strong political and monetary opposition from developers who want every project approved no matter what. His principles, track record and common-sense approaches indeed mark him as a fine leader who can resist pressure and is truly the "quality of life candidate." He richly deserves re-election to the Visalia City Council on November 5.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Local Election Endorsements for November 8
After extending invitations and holding candidate interviews, the Tulare County Democratic Central Committee has made its local candidate endorsements for the November 8 election. The recommended candidates for Visalia City Council are Amy Shuklian and Raymond Macareno. The recommended candidates for Visalia Unified School District Governing Board are Lucia Vazquez in Area 6 and Lita Reid in Area 7.
Visalia City Council members are elected at large throughout the whole city. Since three seats are up for election, voters will be able to cast three votes, and the top three vote getters in the six-candidate field will be elected to four-year terms on the Council.
Amy Shuklian is an incumbent council member and the Vice Mayor of Visalia. She has a deserved reputaton as an extremely hard worker and is known for her openness. Amy got her start advocating for a dog park and recreational facilities, and has helped bring both to fruition. She has never missed a Council meeting, and is known throughout the area for her accessibility and effectiveness in working together with city, county, state and federal agencies and electeds to get things done for Visalia. Always attentive to the voice and concerns of the people, she intiated a monthly open house where she makes appointments and meets with citizens to hear and help with their issues. Amy well deserves a second four-year term.
Raymond Macareno is currently a service center Director and the former Executive Director of the Tulare County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Raymond combines a strong service ethic with a knowledge of the needs of small business. As such, Raymond would provide a voice and sounding board for communities that currently are not represented on the Council, particularly in the Hispanic community. Raymond's multifacted talents and experience merit his election to the Council.
Lucia Vazquez is running unopposed in Visalia Unified School District Area 6. The School Board has for the first time gone to area elections, and Lucia will be representing a heavily Hispanic and low-income area that has not had representation before. A Consultant and Researcher for Proteus, Inc., Lucia is not content to rest on her laurels as an unopposed candidate. She is running a vigorous campaign to get her name out and meet her constituents. She believes that education is the means up the ladder for today's youth as it was for her, and feels that parent outreach and involvement is a key to fostering an attitude of success. That is something she intends to work hard on.
Lita Reid is our choice for the School Board in Area 7. Lita has a proven record of community involvement and the commitment to make a difference. She is a practicing attorney and was a longtime newspaper editor. She realizes the constraints current budgetary realities impose, but has a systematic approach to keeping funding where it will have the most impact, in the classroom. Her dedication to the education of the whole child, rather than simply teaching to standaridized tests, marks Lita as worthy of support.
Visalia City Council members are elected at large throughout the whole city. Since three seats are up for election, voters will be able to cast three votes, and the top three vote getters in the six-candidate field will be elected to four-year terms on the Council.
Amy Shuklian is an incumbent council member and the Vice Mayor of Visalia. She has a deserved reputaton as an extremely hard worker and is known for her openness. Amy got her start advocating for a dog park and recreational facilities, and has helped bring both to fruition. She has never missed a Council meeting, and is known throughout the area for her accessibility and effectiveness in working together with city, county, state and federal agencies and electeds to get things done for Visalia. Always attentive to the voice and concerns of the people, she intiated a monthly open house where she makes appointments and meets with citizens to hear and help with their issues. Amy well deserves a second four-year term.
Raymond Macareno is currently a service center Director and the former Executive Director of the Tulare County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Raymond combines a strong service ethic with a knowledge of the needs of small business. As such, Raymond would provide a voice and sounding board for communities that currently are not represented on the Council, particularly in the Hispanic community. Raymond's multifacted talents and experience merit his election to the Council.
Lucia Vazquez is running unopposed in Visalia Unified School District Area 6. The School Board has for the first time gone to area elections, and Lucia will be representing a heavily Hispanic and low-income area that has not had representation before. A Consultant and Researcher for Proteus, Inc., Lucia is not content to rest on her laurels as an unopposed candidate. She is running a vigorous campaign to get her name out and meet her constituents. She believes that education is the means up the ladder for today's youth as it was for her, and feels that parent outreach and involvement is a key to fostering an attitude of success. That is something she intends to work hard on.
Lita Reid is our choice for the School Board in Area 7. Lita has a proven record of community involvement and the commitment to make a difference. She is a practicing attorney and was a longtime newspaper editor. She realizes the constraints current budgetary realities impose, but has a systematic approach to keeping funding where it will have the most impact, in the classroom. Her dedication to the education of the whole child, rather than simply teaching to standaridized tests, marks Lita as worthy of support.
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