Jack and the Beanstalk Friday, June 29, 2007 :: 2 Comments So I am now a regular consumer of books written primarily for kids.  [Please hold jokes about the Board of Supervisors.] Previously I posted about Snow White and the violence.  Today I am hacked off at Jack and the Beanstalk. For those of you that don’t remember, Jack is not a good character.  He makes a bad trade for a cow when he gets 5 beans.  Later he steals the gold that belongs to the Giant.  Then he spends all of that money and goes back up the beanstalk to steal the hen that lays golden eggs.  Even though Jack and his mom are doing great with the stolen hen he goes back for more and steals the singing harp. If that isn’t enough, Jack kills the Giant by cutting down the beanstalk and then is able to live “happily ever after” with all of his stolen gear. I might be missing something but these don’t seem like very good role models for my kids. If I lost everything and stole to provide for my family I am sure that some of you might excuse that behavior.  But I seriously doubt anyone would be writing children’s stories about me if I was able to provide for my family but then went and broke into Flory’s Jewelers to take more stuff and then shot the owner when he tried to get his stuff back.

Research Facility in Yolo County Thursday, June 28, 2007 :: 0 Comments The Sacramento Bee today has an article about the possibility of a stem call research facility being located between Davis and West Sacramento. This story was bound to break for months. Right about now I am sure the people of Davis are losing their minds.

6 Years and Jenn still loves me Thursday, June 28, 2007 :: 0 Comments Six years ago today Jenn and I eloped. We got married in Napa with three other people in the church.  Then we called our parents to let them know on the way to the San Francisco airport.  We spent 10 days in Spain. She has put up with more than any sane woman would.  1 War in Iraq 2 beautiful kids Campaign for City Council Campaign for Supervisor (she was actually responsible for that) Starting a new business Living with me I am a lucky guy. We are going to play with the kids this afternoon and then get a babysitter so we can head out for a real nice dinner.

Abbie and the Sopranos Thursday, June 28, 2007 :: 0 Comments Abbie was busy looking for a Journey song.  Now that she is no longer reading Snow White, she thought the Sopranos conclusion turned out great and that everyone was happy after it was over.  She also felt strongly that mustard does not go with onion rings. She later commented that if Senator Hillary Clinton could do a clip with a Sopranos theme then she had every right to do the same thing.

Woodland Christian School -- Big Friday, June 22, 2007 :: 0 Comments The Sacramento Business Journal this week ranks the Private Schools L-12 in the area. The 13th ranked school was Woodland Christian School with 380 students.  As an alum, I am quite proud of my former school. Jesuit High School was the largest school in the region with a total of 1,096 students.

This is just wrong Friday, June 22, 2007 :: 1 Comments Abbie is only three years old but Lord help the man that is 27 now that will be 40 when he comes in my door 13 years from now attempting to marry my 16 year old daughter. See the story here. I don't think the jury will actually convict me.  My legal team will be looking for a jury of parents that will actually send me a thank you note.

Public Employee Retirement Initiative Thursday, June 21, 2007 :: 0 Comments A new ballot measure has surfaced to deal with the issue of public employee retirement.  You can read more about it here. I am not a huge fan of former Assemblyman Keith Richman. This was a guy that argues for local control on one hand yet votes for Cache Creek Wild and Scenic designation -- an effort that is in direct conflict with the idea of local control. Yet I think he brings up some good points in this debate.  Thoughts?

Davis inferno is extinguished Wednesday, June 20, 2007 :: 0 Comments I guess the person in charge of the Davis Inferno either inhaled way to much glue or decided to move on. The website is gone. Bummer, I was kind of looking forward to reading that from time to time.

It is confirmed.... I am a huge dork Tuesday, June 19, 2007 :: 2 Comments For my birthday in April I got a bike. Bought it used at Foy's. It is perfect.  21 speeds. Basket.  Perfect for what I need to get around town on short trips.  I ride it to the gym every night. My problem is that I refuse to wear the helmet Jenn got me. I grew up here in Woodland and have ridden thousands of miles on Woodland streets without one...and I just don't like them.  A couple times I have put it on to wave good bye to Abbie only to take it off a block from our house.  Lame example...I know. I've agreed to wear the reflector vest Jenn got. I have a red flashing light on the back and I wear my head lamp at night.  People know when I am coming in the dark. I am like a rolling light house. So Sunday night at around 9:30 pm I dropped some stuff off at the county office and am cruising Heritage Plaza headed to the gym.  Head lamp is on.  Red light flashing on the back of my bike.  Reflector vest on fire.  Helmet in my day pack sitting in my basket.  I am just thinking what a great night it is and how many pull-ups I am going to try to do when I get to the gym. I notice two women about my age sitting on a bench in front of the Opera House.  One sees me and says, "Wow. Look at this." as she pointed at me.  It was clear to me that she did not think I was hot. Many times in my life I have been ridiculed and deserved it.  Many times. This may be the only time in my life when I was being ridiculed for something I was very proud of....my bike. As it has been explained to me by my friends and family this makes me a complete dork. Oh well. Doesn't look like Bachelor of the Year is coming in 2008 either.

Budget Hearings Today -- Recap Tuesday, June 19, 2007 :: 0 Comments Today the budget hearings went from 0900 until just before 1700. Some would say that this is a status quo budget but the increase is about 8%. I think that is significant. The county staff often discuss the county as a $300 million organization. It is that big in terms of the whole budget but  unlike the City of Woodland much of the money is just distributed by the county to individuals. If you want more information on the budget I encourage you to look at the county website.  Look in the lower left hand corner.  You will have more information than you ever wanted.  Pat Leary is the Deputy CAO for the County. She is excellent and proved it again today with the budget stuff she and her teeam put together.  It was really well done. From my notes and memory.... County Assessor Joel Butler reqeusted more staff for his department.  He was going to have four more people assigned to his office but wanted more.  He is going to work some things out with the CAO. When we went into General Services most of the comments were about buldings and fleet services. The county does not do a very good job right now managing the fleet of vehicles it controls.  That is about to change. We are budgeting $73,517 to hold a special election in February 2008. What a waste. The IT budget did not generate much discussion except from Helen Thomson.  She wanted to put another body in there. That may happen later but not now. IT blocked 4,521,233 spam e-mails last year.  Woodland has a City Library but the other parts of the county have county library services.  We do spend some General Fund money here but I am ok with that.  I don't think it helps Woodland but I am not going to be that territorial. The County has given the Yolo County Hostorical Museum $10,000 annually for years.  I was determined to put this number at $50,000 this year.  We got "up to $50,000" but we need to work out some things.  I am thankful my fellow Supervisors were willing to help here. I asked a question about the use of overtime for Probation but it was more about how the county uses it as a whole. Some organizations kills themselves by abusing overtime.  Don Meyer and others made me comfortable with this. Health and Human Services in the County accounts for expenditures of $124 million. That is a big chuck of change. Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health accounts for $30 million of the $124 million in HHS. This program has been beaten up in a big way over the last few years.  The budget is being increased by more than $5 million from last year.  For the most part, we need to get our ducks in a row here. Employment and Social Services accounts for $72 million of the $124 million.  Lots of this money just passes right on to people in forms of assistance. My worry in these programs is that we are using General Fund monies to make some of these programs whole this year.  We are starting down a slippery slope by doing that. The Health Department accounts for expenditures of $22 million -- also out of the $124 million.  I can't think of one place where any of these budgets actually changed as a result of the conversation.  One of the points I asked about was the services provided to illegal immigrants.  I was told they account for 50% of the caseload and 30% of the expenditures. There was no chance that three votes were there to change this in any way. This was justified as a moral decision that was the right thing to do and preventative medicine.  I am not so sure.  Yolo County is spending millions of dollars taking care of people that it is not required to take care of.  This budget document is a reflection of what three votes of the board values and this is service that is not mandated.  Not all counties do this. Planning and public works has a budget of $36 million. Duane Chamberlain and I both noticed that not a single dollar of general fund dollars was spent on roads. Not one.  That does not reflect my values. We then passed a couple key motions that were kind of outside the budget. 1) Up to $50,000 for the Gibson Mansion. 2) We supported the Yolo County Visitors Bureau to the tune of $60,000 even though staff recommended that it be $25,000. 3) Then we voted 3-2 (Rexroad and Chamberlain no) to allocate $100,000 to fund the Needle Exchange Program.  I still argue this is not an exchange.  It is a give away program that does not require the drug user to turn anything in.  We were told we would get details about the program.  We still don't have them.  I am glad Duane joined me this time. Did staff do an excellet job on this budget?  Absolutely. Is it the budget that I would have written?  Not even close. Did I accomplish my objective of calmly pointing out my differences on some items and still accomplish something for Woodland? I think so. In the end we have the political reality of Yolo County.  Lemonade!

Preparing for Budget Hearings Today Tuesday, June 19, 2007 :: 0 Comments The last couple days I've wanted to post something about my priorities for the upcoming budget hearings.  I decided not to do that because I did not want my priorities used against me. When the Board of Supervisors heard the issue about the Needle "Exchange" Program I posted my views about it here.  I am confident that one of the speakers that supported the program had read my comments here and addressed them point on and deflated my opportunity to engage the debate.  He did that.  Good for him. The problem is that when I find something that is really important to me I am not going to be able to put my comments here in advance.  It puts me in a bad position to play poker. I disclose my cards but the other players get to hold what they have.  I'm not going tolet that happen again on something I really care about. Today I was out to see the county allocate money for Gibson Mansion. I was not going to tell the world that and then have my desires used against me during the budget discussion.  I want to disclose things but I am now going to have to do it only at strategic times.

Autism in Yolo County Sunday, June 17, 2007 :: 0 Comments Back in May I was at a meeting with Yolo County Superintendent of Schools Jorge Ayala.  He mentioned the increase in autism in Yolo County.  I asked Dr. Ayala to send me some information on this.  He sent it right away. I read it back in May but took another look at it tonight. The numbers on autism are going up.  The real question I have is why. Yolo County Autism numbers 2000-2006 2000      63 2001      79 2002      67 2003      83 2004      117 2005      128 2006      152 These numbers are really disturbing to me.  Statewide the numbers are following a graph with similar slope.  This is a big issue for a host of reasons.  The impacts on families is enormous.  Two kids are beating me into submission as it is.  A child with special needs would be tossing me around like a rag doll.  Cost is another big factor. Special education is expensive and has far closer monitors than you will find in a traditional classroom. This is an issue that has not had enough attention from the public.  It will.

SEIU UHW West Sunday, June 17, 2007 :: 0 Comments One of the policy areas I have found very interesting is this whole In Home Support Services (IHSS) Program.  It is a tough area.  It is arguably a true health prevention program. The problem is that as we see this program expand rapidly we still see health care costs shooting up higher and higher. Here is the really interesting thing.  I've been an elected official for about five years now.  Everyone wants more money.  Everyone.  Parks, police, fire, public works, advocates for some program, pools, roads...everyone. Tonight I read a letter where the SEIU UHW West was advocating for a hourly wage increase for thier members.  The thing I respect about it is that they actually outline places in the county where the money could come from.  Impressive.  Although I may not agree with the places they want to take it from I certainly respect that they have the intellectual honesty to point to places to solve the problem.

Why Dustin Pedroia is better to have on your team than Barry Bonds Sunday, June 17, 2007 :: 0 Comments One of the things I am doing on this beautiful Father's Day is watching the Giants play the Red Sox. They just finished the eighth inning with a ground out by Dustin Pedroia.  On a full count with two outs he hit a grounder right at the first baseman. What does Pedroia do?  He SPRINTS all the way to first base.  Not jog. Not walk. Not head back to the dug out. He ran the whole way and ran through the base.  God bless him. So Bonds hit HR number 748 today.  Great.  I am a Gaints fan that often feels obligated to defend Bonds.  What I have never been able to defend is that an athlete that makes millions of dollars a year is not capable to running 90 feet to first base. It is not too much to ask for the  man to hustle once or twice like the rookie from Woodland. If they would just move the Red Sox out of the American League I would become a fan immediately.  I just can't get over that DH thing.

Choice Voting Sunday, June 17, 2007 :: 1 Comments This site has been getting record readership over the past couple days. I would like to think it is because of my solid policy arguements but it is probably a bunch of people from Davis that wanted to see the new logo from my campaign. The traffic will drop off later tonight as they focus on writing letters to the editor slamming me.  Oh well. Also, thank you for all the nice e-mails...to those that suggested I would need the sword if I ever enter the city of Davis again thank you for being concerned about my safety. I'm not moving to Davis and I am not really running for City Council.  I don't belong there for a number of reasons..too many to list here. The point of this post is that under a strange set of circumstances someone like me could actually win in Davis. Stop laughing. Consider this scenario.  The Davis "conservative Democrats" throw up three candidates for City Council.  Then the Davis "progressives" try to get together to pick three candidates as a counter ticket. This group can't decide on a name.  Half want to be the "Anyone but Saylor Democrats" the other half want to be named "Lamar (and not Odom) Forever".  So unable to agrree the groups divides and they both put slates on the ballot. Nine candidates with politics way to the left of me. Then we add two more candidates that always seem to be on the ballot in Davis. A taxi driver, Student Senator at the university, a guy that washes cars.  Whatever.  Two more candidates that take 5 percent of the vote. Then you have someone like me on the ballot.  You have someone that is the first choice of 20% of the city -- but the last choice of 80%.  Under the top vote getter wins it all --- the Rexroad candidate wins.  Under choice voting I am last, stay in last, and will always be last. I actually think that is the right outcome in Davis.   I don't  belong in their political system because I don't represent their population.  So that is my theory of the night. Again, thank you for reading. I'm honored that you are willing to give me five seconds to share my thoughts let alone the thousands of visits each week to this site. Cheers.

Al Lucero -- RIP Saturday, June 16, 2007 :: 0 Comments Community icon Al Lucero passed away on Flag Day.  This is a guy that gave a tremendous amount to his country and community. He was always a gentleman.  His family is surely saddened but they should be proud of the life he lived.  Amazing guy.

New ride for the Yolo County Fair Friday, June 15, 2007 :: 0 Comments This is an amazing story from Paw Paw, Michigan.  This guy has a really good attitude about what happened to him. Several observatios come to mind -- 1) I don't want to play poker with Carpenter. 2) How bad must New Haven be if his main concern was going there? 3) Investing in the company that manufactures that wheel chair would be a good idea. 4) The roads in Paw Paw must be really good.  If this guy was going down Kentucky Avenue in Woodland he would have had a very different experience.  Heck, he might have fallen in one of the holes and still be there. 5) Why didn't one of the knuckleheads that drove by pull this truck over? Seems like in five miles it would have been able to happen.

The campaign for Davis City Council begins Friday, June 15, 2007 :: 1 Comments The campaign has begun with my logo design for my future election to the Davis City Council.  No reason not to start planning -- this is going to be a huge undertaking and I need all the help I can get. I think this is the way the first television commercial will begin. Please make sure you turn the sound up to get the full impact. My favorite webmaster has a little too much time on his hands. Note: Before some of you get too uptight -- loosen up!

Bachelor of the Year Friday, June 15, 2007 :: 2 Comments People magazine has named the Bachelor of the Year.  It was not The Realist, Dave Flory, Mat Ehrhardt, Harrison Jack, Dirk Brazil, Phil Marler, Troy Holt or me.  The reason for this has got to be that we are married. My wife looked at me in disbelief whe I told her the news at around 0630.  She is clearly outraged that I wasn't selected. Maybe next year.

Tribal Resort Expansion Plans Friday, June 15, 2007 :: 0 Comments So far I haven't said anything on this blog or anywhere else about the plans of the Rumsey Tribe to dramatically increase the size of their operation in the Capay Valley.  I happen to believe in almost complete tribal sovereignty. As I read the newspapers this morning I learned that Thunder Valley in Auburn also has huge expansion plans.  There seems to be some circular justification here.  We need to get bigger because our competition is bigger. Our state policy has been to locate these tribal casinos on trust land.  I'm not so sure we didn't make a mistake on this front.  We now have what amount to leapfrog development all over California rural areas with casinos that under smart growth principles should be located at the core of urban areas. These expansion plans involve more than just land use law.  I realize that. However, as a state policy I believe that California has completely shattered general land use policy on the issue of tribal gaming.  We have chosen to throw transportation, land use, ag land preservation, and planning principles out the window in an effort to put tribal business practices on historical tribal controlled lands.  Why? Some will say that this was necessary because this is where the tribal members historically lived.  So what.  One thing I am 100% confident about is that the large tribes and their teams are great business people. They want to hunt where the ducks are. They would love to be in urban areas. I believe that these casinos are located in rural areas because the large voting populations of San Francisco and Los Angeles did not want gaming located near them.  They supported ballot measures and policies to push rural trust land casino development becasue of a Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) attitude toward casinos -- ignoring all the other issues involved.

Governor is in hot water ...but he is right Thursday, June 14, 2007 :: 7 Comments The media is filled with stories this morning about the Governor's comments about the use of Spanish and English.  The Spanish language journalists did not want to hear him encourage people to turn off their televisions.  But he is right. In California if we graduate students from high school that can't read, write, and speak English we are doing a poor job of preparing these young people to compete in the business world.  For adults that come to the United States we need to do everything we can to encourage them to learn English. This allows them a better opportunity to be self-sufficient. If you are a shareholder in a Spanish language media company you are not pleased with the comments made by the Governor. If you are looking to improve the academic performance of thousands of students you should be. Critics can rip the Governor all they want for not delivering the message the crowd wanted to hear.  Sometimes it is best for a crowd to hear what they need as opposed to what they want.  The Governor is right.

Assembly Debate Recap Wednesday, June 13, 2007 :: 0 Comments This came from someone that attended the debate.  Three different people that attended said pretty much the same thing. The debate was hosted by the Northern Solano Democratic Club at the Courtyard Marriott in Fairfield.  The room was filled to capacity, holding 60 people.  As for the debate itself, Christopher went first and used the intro to let the audience know he has worked with many of Solano's leaders on a variety of issues. Mariko read off a pre-written statement for her intro. The questions where they greatly contrasted were about highway 12, developer/agriculture, budget process, and term limits. Highway 12 is a big issue in Solano, and Christopher knows the issue backwards and forwards, and displayed that knowledge with a two part plan, which got a great response from the crowd. Mariko's answers were broad and only on-the-surface answers. She said she agrees with Christopher, and that the issue is important, but didn't get beyond that. As for developer/agriculture issue, Christopher said he is for smart-growth within pre-existing cities and to protect agland by doing so. He said he was against the Dunnigan development project. Yamada said she wants to protect agland because its important. Then said she wants to develop land because keeping housing prices down is important too. Didn't take a stand. Budget process- Yamada said she favored the reduction of th 2/3 vote for education bonds, but wants to keep it the same when it comes to passing a state budget. Cabaldon said the reduction of the 2/3 vote to 55 for school bonds was an issue he spearheaded to get changed. Said he is in favor of passing budgets on time with a smaller majority vote, so when the budget flounders, the Democrats will be held accountable, instead of always having to blame Republicans for always blocking the budget. As for the conclusion, Yamada's was unfocused, and wasn't strong. There weren't any details, plans, or goals she set during the conclusion, except that she wants to run a clean campaign.  Cabaldon finished up tying all the issues discussed and stressed immensely his expertise and accomplishments in the local government arena that would smoothly transition to the state level. Overall, Christopher's detailed answer after answer came out sounding like he knew the issues, and communicated it well to the audience. Yamada tried to go with emotion instead of detailed substance, but ultimately failed to connect with the audience.

Snow-white and the Seven Dwarfs Tuesday, June 12, 2007 :: 1 Comments Abbie loves to read books.  Every morning we read several books long before most families are even thinking about getting up.  Often, we read the same book over and over. Sunday she brings over a new version of a different book.  Snow-white and the Seven Dwarfs is her choice. I am thrilled.  New version of an old story.  Excellent. That is the last time I will be reading her this book.  I realize I am more violent than most but I object to a 3 year old hearing passages like this --- At last she called a huntsman, and said: "Take the child out into the wood: I will not set eyes on her again; you must kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as tokens." The huntsman obeyed, and took Snow-white out into the forest, but when he drew his hunting-knife and was preparing to plunge it into her innocent heart, she began to cry: "Alas dear huntsman, spare my life, and I will run away inte the wild forest and never come home again." And because of her beauty the huntsman had pity on her and said, "Well run away, poor child."  Wild beasts will soon devour you, he thought, but still he felt as though a weight were lifted from his heart becasue he had not been obliged to kill her. And as just at that moment a young fawn came leaping by, he pierced it and took the lungs and liver as tokens to the queen.  The cook was ordered to serve them up in pickle, and the wicked queen ate them thinking they were Snow-white's. Absolutely not.  I think I would rather answer questions from my daughter about Tony Soprano.  Turn on HBO.

You may be safer on death row than in Iraq Tuesday, June 12, 2007 :: 3 Comments This whole death penalty thing is driving me nuts.  It is a huge waste of tax dollars we could spend on anything else. Check out this article from the AP. 666 inmates on death row.  This means probably $70 million in prison costs and probably four times this much in legal costs.  Let's stop the madness. You are more likely to die of natural causes or suicide on death row than you are by execution. Pathetic.  When are we going to stop pretending that putting someone on death row is being tough on crime.  It is really just a waste of taxpayer money.

AD 8 -- really getting going Tuesday, June 12, 2007 :: 0 Comments I just noticed the new Yamada for Assembly website.  Nice.  She even has a blog. Excellent. You can see the new site here. Cabaldon and Yamada even had a debate last night in Fairfield.  Awesome.  You can read some reporting from Doug Paul Davis here. Two other friends were there. I hope to get a report from them soon on what was happening.  The one thing both said was that on Highway 12 -- Cabaldon was totally prepared on the issue and it created a distinction that was clear.  Will post more later. The big day is the reporting deadline that is coming up. If Cabaldon is way out front in terms of money in the bank then that will be the view for the rest of the year.  This race could be over by the end of this month if the figures are vastly different.

Super Wal-Mart -- Wow! Tuesday, June 12, 2007 :: 2 Comments So last night on my way home from work I stopped by the Grand Opening on the new Wal-Mart in West Sacramento.  I did not have my camera with me otherwise I could have shown you some pictures of a beautiful new store that West Sacramento can be proud.  I would expect quite a few people from Woodland will be heading over there. The politics of Wal Mart are interesting to me.  This is a store that competes on the open market and has done well.  As a result people have started shooting at them.  The labor folks really dislike them.  They talk about health benefits but I think it is really about the lack of union membership.  If the people were paying dues we would not hear half the noise. I happen to like WalMart but since I don't really shop - I rarely go there.  Lots of people in Woodland are able to buy better goods for thier families as a result of Wal-Mart being in town.  Further, I find it interesting that when Elise Wagner was here in Woodland she would often be presenting corporate checks from Walart to people that didn't want here company here to begin with. Finally, I don't know exactly what Wal Mart pays in sales tax annually but I would encourage you to look at the sales tax revenue for Woodland in the couple years prior to WalMart and then the huge spike that followed when they opened their doors. WalMart being located in Woodland is providing services that we would not otherwise be able to afford.

California Budget Project - Lottery Monday, June 11, 2007 :: 0 Comments You can read this report from the California Budget Project on the potential privatization of the State Lottery. From reading this and the other information on the topic that has come out recently I think we either need to get rid of it (my first choice) or privatize it. The Lottery is just a goofy thing to have.  It funds education on the back of people that can least afford it. It would be better just to contribute directly to public education.

Bottoms up! Sunday, June 10, 2007 :: 1 Comments Here is a picture of Adam attempting to drink bathwater. He has been cutting back lately but still will take the opportunity to vex me. This kid is so much different than his sister at this age.

Senator McCain in Vacaville Sunday, June 10, 2007 :: 4 Comments Tonight in the Vacaville home of C.C. Yin a large group of local folks got together to hold a fundraiser for Senator John McCain.  Jenn took this picture of me speaking to close the evening. I really do believe Senator McCain is the best choice to be the next President of the United States.  Whatever you think about his position on various issues he is honest and will do what he thinks is right no matter what the political cost. I admire that. The guy is a true American hero. In his comments I think he even won Jenn over.  That alone is amazing. Great night.

Bud Goding in the Democrat Today Sunday, June 10, 2007 :: 0 Comments The Woodlander of the Month Award was in the Daily Democrat today.  It was a great piece. You can see it here.

Oops...someone didn't get the memo Sunday, June 10, 2007 :: 2 Comments Elisabeth Sherwin has an article this morning on the front page of the Enterprise about Gay Pride Month and the celebrations this month. My favorite part of the article is when Supervisor Yamada says, "Pride Month is in common usage around the country....".  Right. Well I just got an invitation in the office for the ACLU event honoring Freddie Oakley with the 2007 Achievement Award.  Guess what they are celebrating? "Gay Pride Month" is right at the top of the inside cover of the invitation. Someone forgot to tell them about the common usage of "Pride Month." This whole thing of definitions and the use of words is interestng to me.  These folks can't seem to determine what to call their month. they also can't seem to determine what to call the coalition they are defined as.  In the same article by Elisabeth Sherwin the group is refered to as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trangender (LGBT).  Later Yamada refers to them as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI).  Intersex?  What in the world is that?  Maybe this is a game of scrabble. It is clear that this issue brings up some emotion on both sides.  I just find it hard to belive that the LGBT or LGBTI advocates are going to be able to accomplish much of their agenda as long as they keep changing the language used to define their cause.

13 years to get a shot Wednesday, June 06, 2007 :: 0 Comments Tonight Michael Griffith was put to death by the State of Texas.  He is a former cop that clearly lost it.  His crime was committed 13 years ago--13 years, a trial, appeals all the way to the US Supreme Court, and probably $13 million in legal and court costs-- if not more.  At this cost it is better to let him rot -- or send him to that Sheriff in Arizona to have him wear a pink jumpsuit and live in a tent. This country has lost its mind when it comes to the way we treat criminals who aren't going to ever be released.  Wasted money.  Wasted time.  Wasted effort. Once again -- I have no problem with the death penalty.  I have a problem with people who are so stubborn about it that we continue to waste money in pursuit of it.

Ernie Chambers -- Nebraska Wednesday, June 06, 2007 :: 3 Comments If you like people that are different you will love this.  If you are wrapped a little to tight, stop reading now. One of my business partners is in Omaha, Nebraska.  He just told me about a State Senator (Nebraska has the only uni-cameral Legislature in the Country) named Ernie Chambers.  Term limits will end the political career of Chambers at the end of 2008.  Republicans are ok with that. Clearly this guy is in the minority in Nebraska in more ways than one. I found this article about him on Mother Jones.  If you have the courage -- listen to this audio file of the Best of Chambers from the floor of the Nebraska Legislature. This is from the FLOOR.  We need to put one of these together for McGowan when he leaves the Board of Supervisors.

County Fees Wednesday, June 06, 2007 :: 0 Comments Yesterday we voted to update the fees the county charges for a whole host of things.  It is something that I never like to do.  I desire a smaller and more efficient government. The Daily Democrat has an article about it here. I voted for the fees because one of my pet peeves is an elected official that tries to have the easy way out on things like this.  Fees have to be adjusted to make sure the user pays the full cost of the service.  They are not taxes -- they are fees for service. All the taxpayers of Yolo County shouldn't have to pay for your swimming pool inspection or for you to get copies of documents for your development.  That is your cost -- you pay for it. Yesterday we voted to eliminate the fee for solar panel inspections on homes.  I voted for the package but I am not feeling so great about that today.  I should have cast a vote in favor of the fee for solar panels. The list includes fees for a host of socially desirable things. Solar power, farmer's markets, and all kinds of things.  We want people to have restrooms don't we?  What about ag fees? We pride ourselves on farming in Yolo County but nobody fought for the farmers in Yolo County to cut them some slack. I wish I had. The reality is that a resident from Woodland that is very passionate about solar power contacted the board. She showed up and the board made the change.  That is to her credit.  Sometimes showing up is 95% of the battle. Although I like solar power I'm not sure that we should set it apart from the other fees/services the county provides.  It is a slippery slope that I wish we had not started going down.

MySpace, Facebook, and Linkedin.com Wednesday, June 06, 2007 :: 3 Comments Since this past Saturday I have learned a tremendous amount about an on-line world that I knew nothing about.  A couple things happened all at once. I got an e-mail asking me to join a Myspace page supporting a friend that is now in Congress. A friend told me about how many students at UC Davis have facebook.com accounts. I was told about linkedin.com Well, I have to tell you the tour was a wild one. I have found old friends from college, fraternity brothers I have not heard from in years, and posted my resume on public site.  Pretty incredible tools I did not know anything about just a short time ago.  I even joined a group supporting another Yolo County blog. Here are some of the odd things -- 1) The Yolo County Young Democrats have their own page 2) Yamada for Assembly has a page 3) The "alumni" of Yolo County Jail have a page 4) Some folks using the Yolo County logo have called themselves Yolo bosses have a site 5) 20 different county employees have linkedin accounts 6) 25 people from the Woodland High School class of '07 have Facebook pages 7) 50 people in the class of '06 from WHS have facebook pages I have been aware of the blog world but not aware of this stuff. Incredible. Also, Yolo to many people means -- You Only Live Once (Yolo).

Mark Deven -- New Woodland City Manager Tuesday, June 05, 2007 :: 0 Comments Tonight I headed back from a meeting in Sacramento in time to meet the new Woodland City Manager. I've heard nothing but good things about this guy from the people in Concord.  Good for us. Here is the Daily Democrat announcement.

Board Meeting Today Tuesday, June 05, 2007 :: 0 Comments At the Board meeting today the "Pride" resolution passed 3-2.  The people accepting the resolution thanked the Supervisors other than Chamberlain and me.  Oh well. Supervisor Yamada indicated that she hoped someday the Board would have a unanimous vote in favor of it.  That may happen some day...but it will not happen while I am on the board. We talked about the Yolo County Central Landfill at length today. Great conversation.  I will link to this item when it is available on the county website. The more I think about it the more I think that Yolo County does not have elected officials with the courage to accept waste from other counties to the extent necessary to keep the landfill open.

Working in the fields? Tuesday, June 05, 2007 :: 0 Comments Great article in the Boston newspaper about our favorite second baseman.  It even quotes our favorite Woodland editor. But what is the deal about the classmates working in the fields?

The Neutrality Act Monday, June 04, 2007 :: 7 Comments Based on the current news cycle I took a look at the Neutrality Act .  I need someone to explain this to me. So what about the Cubans in Florida that have probably been plotting to overthrow Casrto every day for the past four decades? What if other counties had this prohibition during the American Revolutionary War? Thoughts? Does someone out there have a good grasp on this? Later note -- Here is a good description.  It would appear that selective enforcement is the key here.

Blogging CAO named head of CSAC Monday, June 04, 2007 :: 0 Comments In past months I have mentioned the CAO of Butte County uses a blog to communicate.  He just got named as the new Executive Director of CSAC.  I think that is great.  See press release below.

The Rexroad Family made the People's Vanguard of Davis Sunday, June 03, 2007 :: 0 Comments Well -- the Rexroad Family has made the big time in Davis.  David Greenwald caught us cruising there last Saturday. Here is a picture of Jenn, Abbie, Adam, and me with his wife Cecelia. Here is the picture. I am even wearing my "Beast" T-shirt from Abbie's birthday party.  Kind of appropriate for me being in Davis and all. You can see Cecelia wearing a Charlie Brown for Congress shirt.  Joy.

Storm Water Fees in Woodland Sunday, June 03, 2007 :: 0 Comments During my time on the Woodland City Council the one issue that I regret not being able to fully engage was the financial hole that our strom water enterprise fund occupies. This is one fund that has a huge deficit that was not effectively dealt with by the city for a host of reasons.  I am as much to blame as anyone about that. You can see some of the information that the city has provided on the proposed fee increases here. The thing that will always bug me is when taxpayers money is used to advocate a position on a political issue. I was critical of the use of firefighter time in this manner in 2003 and feel the same way when I go to the city website to see that the headline is "Increased needs in the Storm Drain Program warrant rate increase".  No, in my opinion the information has been presented and the people of Woodland get to now determine if an increase is warranted.  This is advocacy with public money -- I think that is wrong. I fought this fight several times on the City Council and lost every single time.

Meeting for Tuesday Sunday, June 03, 2007 :: 0 Comments Ok.  So I have done most of my homework for Tuesday.  Here are the highlights. "Pride Month in Yolo County". This is the Gay Pride Resolution by Supervisor Yamada.  The agenda doesn't even call it gay pride just pride month.  That is fine. I will be celebrating the month with a proud No vote. The Master Fee agreement will be considered again. The folks that asked for a delay last time are now good to go. We have had one person that thinks we should not have fees on solar permits.  We might have some discussion on this point. We have a resolution on placing the Davis Branch Library special tax on the ballot.  If that is what they want I will let them vote on it.  The thing I find funny about this is that it is gong to be on the ballot with the Davis School Board elections and issues. This could prove to be a big mistake -- but that is not my call. We have a report in the afternoon on the landfill. I actually really like the landfill and am looking forward to learning even more about it.  Yes -- I like the landfill.  Cool issue. If you want to go look at the landfill let us know. We can arrange a tour. We do have closed session so it could be a long day.

Letter to the editor: Bob Schneider Sunday, June 03, 2007 :: 0 Comments I don't agree with Bob Schneider much on policy or presentation. However, today we agree on the attack on state agriculture that exists with the potential of eliminating the state funding of the Williamson Act. I actually don't think the Williamson Act will be eliminated in this budget.  I have stopped worrying about it -- this year.

My blog entry in the Daily Democrat editorial page today Sunday, June 03, 2007 :: 0 Comments The Daily Democrat printed part of my blog entry on Sieferman running for City Council. To answer the e-mails that have come to me publicaly. Am I endorsing Flory and Pimentel? Yes.  If one or both run I will endorse them and support them. Will I actively engage Sieferman in this campaign? If Sieferman wants to run ..more power to him.  If he tries to argue that people like Phil Marler, Rick Kirkwood, Jeff Monroe, Art Pimentel, Dave Flory. Martie Dote, Bill Marble, or Skip Davies as "corrupt" -- he can expect the next pitch to be high and inside.  Disagree with people -- fine.  I do that regularly. Call any of them corrupt without any proof and I will become very active in defending them and engaging the person that makes the charges. What do you make of the title "Whose running for City Council?" I think the folks at the Democrat are as amazed by this potential development as I am.  Who is the third candidate? I don't know. That is why I am open to that possibility.

Editorial in Democrat today Sunday, June 03, 2007 :: 0 Comments I completely agree with the Daily Democrat editorial today about public disclosure of the salaries of public employees.  That is a no brainer. I will link to it when it goes on line.

Ok -- this is amazing. Saturday, June 02, 2007 :: 1 Comments ESPN always shows updates about that 140 pound guy from Japan that can throw down something like 48 hot dogs in ten minutes.  Well -- some 22 year old named Joe Chestnut from San Jose just shattered that record.   I could live for more than a week on 59 hot dogs. If we had a contest locally -- the two people I know that could do the most damage would be my brother Bradley and Jeff Monroe.  Those are two people that can really put away some chow.  The DeKnikker kids might be able to have a shot in there too. The fact that they even have an International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) tells me a lot about this "sport".

Death Penalty -- why bother? Saturday, June 02, 2007 :: 0 Comments A series of articles out today indicates that California will not have another execution this year.  Here is one from the San Jose Mercury News. The ultimate penalty is becoming unviable as a legitimate option in our legal system.  This just further proves my point that this is a waste of money for the taxpayers of California.

Health Debate Friday, June 01, 2007 :: 0 Comments The issue of California Counties just came out. It included a focus on Ventura County and also a policy focus on health care.  It is a very appropriate subject at the moment. The articles included in this edition even included one from Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson. The one that I found most compelling is attached below.   California Counties does not post thier content on-line but I wrote to the author and got a copy fired off almost right away. I don't want a huge state system of health care.  Also, while I think helath care is important, I actually believe that many people choose other spending priorities other than health care.  They choose nicer cars, cable television, and unhealthy living standards instead of buying health insurance.  We are not going to be able to protect everyone from themselves. See the article below.