Supervisor hopefuls debate priorities VOTE 2008

Three candidates for an open seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors wrangled over priorities for county program cuts during a forum Wednesday in Santa Rosa.

To balance the books, Santa Rosa Councilwoman Veronica Jacobi said she would favor halting road construction, limiting work to resurfacing and even making residents "pay for their own" repairs.

She would look for ways to make government more efficient, possibly encouraging leaves of absences, even mandatory leaves to save money.

Shirlee Zane, CEO of the Council on Aging, said she wouldn't cut mental health, substance abuse programs or retiree health benefits, all of which the current board has done or is considering.

She would merge the separate departments of human services and health services and "cut administrative overhead, not line staff."

Tim Smith, a Rohnert Park city councilman, dismissed Zane's and Jacobi's proposals as "pipe dreams" because county program reductions most often originate with cuts in state funding over which supervisors have little control.

He said "there is not a lot of overhead to cut, there is not going to be a wholesale getting rid of staff."

The exchange on budget-cutting priorities was more pointed than most during the forum sponsored by the Santa Rosa Democratic Club.

A fourth candidate, former Santa Rosa Councilwoman Sharon Wright, did not appear at the forum as a result of a dispute. A longtime Republican, she switched her registration back and forth in recent years, registering as a Democrat in 2004, a Republican in 2005 and a Democrat in 2007.

Club officials said Wright was given a verbal invitation; Wright said she was not.

Wright said she understood that her Republican affiliation would make her unwelcome at the event. Club officials said they were late getting all the candidates written confirmation and denied that they attempted to exclude Wright, who attended a fund-raiser Wednesday evening.

All four are seeking a board seat now held by Supervisor Tim Smith, who is stepping down after 20 years.

All three candidates at the forum said they would support a living wage ordinance -- setting a threshold higher than the state minium wage for county employees and contractors -- if it came before the board and agreed they don't want a casino built in an unincorporated area west of Rohnert Park.

The current board recently agreed to a set of mitigation measures on a Geyserville casino that guarantee the county about $100 million over 12 years, and allow the Pomo Indian tribe to expand its facility and obtain a liquor license. The agreement, some feel, could set a precedent for a similar pact with the Graton tribe planning the Rohnert Park facility.

Zane praised the use of union labor at the casinos, but she said she remains opposed to gambling because "it preys on seniors on fixed incomes."

Smith called a mitigation agreement Rohnert Park officials struck with the Graton tribe "flawed and mishandled." He noted it was adopted before he took office and added, "I prefer it not be located there."

Jacobi, who said she views many local issues in terms of global climate change, said supervisors should oppose the Rohnert Park casino because it "has a massive carbon footprint." She said supervisors should hold up the state liquor license as a means of discouraging the Rohnert Park casino.

The election for the 3rd District seat is June 3, with the top two finishers advancing to a November runoff if no candidate gets a majority of the vote.

You can reach Staff Writer Bleys W. Rose at 521-5431 or bleys.rose@pressdemocrat.com.