Taking the Fifth: McPherson and The Million Dollar Question

On Wednesday night 5th District Supervisor candidate Bruce McPherson joined Sleepy John Sandidge on KZSC.  Comedian Richard Stockton was in the studio for the first half hour and then Sandidge and McPherson discussed local politics and took calls for the remainder of the show.

Check out Part 1 of my account here.

McPherson is justifiably proud of his participation on the boards of local non-profits, he singled out his involvement with 2nd Harvest Food Bank, the Marine Exploration Center and the Tannery Arts Center.  He said cultural and arts activities account for as much as $30 million in the local economy.

Before getting to the call in questions John posed a hypothetical to his guest essentially asking how to control speeders on the rural roads in the county.  McPherson spoke about  the need for more patrols to slow down traffic.  He said the Sheriff’s department would be his top priority.  He then said that currently there were only two patrols per shift to cover the San Lorenzo Valley and parts of Bonny Doon.  He offered a suggestion that electronic speed indicators might be an idea but expressed doubt on their effectiveness; message boards alerting people to accidents or hazards might be a good idea he thought; then he recalled a story he remembered that if people drove 55 on Hwy 17 they would get over the hill within 2 minutes of those driving faster.  Sandidge pointed out that the speed limit was 50 mph.

When Sandidge brought up the Sentinel, McPherson shared the story about how the paper first came into the family in 1864. When his ancestors, who had migrated to the gold fields from Scotland by way of New York and then came to Santa Cruz to pursue logging his grandfather Duncan took a half interest in the paper for $900.  McPherson thought the paper became less conservative when his brother Fred took over as publisher and he became a writer, eventually working his way from the sports desk to editor.

Sandidge was critical of paper’s move out of Santa Cruz,(which happened after the paper was sold to a New York publisher).  Bruce defended the current Sentinel news staff and said it was one of the top newspapers among it’s size in the state.  “There are some good folks over there.  I think they’re doing very well.”

Sandidge tried to draw McPherson out on why, after 118 years in the family, the brothers decided to get out of the business.  “It must have been weird selling the paper.” he asked.

McPherson would only offer that “It was very difficult.”  He said the business was different now pointing out in particular the decline in classified advertising pages.

Sandidge also brought up the fact that the family once owned KSCO but beyond saying that his father preferred print to broadcast he had little to say.  He did agree that current talk radio seems to “feed the fire” that is among the reasons why there is so much partisanship today.

When Sandidge went to the phone for questions from listeners the first was about the effects of Proposition 13 and on whether or not the way the law conflated residential and commercial property was appropriate.  

McPherson acknowledged that the measure, passed in 1978, has had a dramatic effect on local government.  He said it is probably “unrealistic” to think it could be changed.  “It would be a very difficult thing to do” he said.  He also implied businesses might suffer from a change in how commercial property was assessed.

The next call came from a resident of Ben Lomond who claimed that as a candidate, McPherson has called the Sheriff’s office, the roads, building a Library in Felton; putting a bike trail from Felton to the school and perhaps from Boulder Creek to Santa Cruz; improving the bus system, support of Planned Parenthood and other non-profits; all “top priorities” of the former state legislator.

McPherson replied at length about these and other needs he intended to fight for if elected and when pressed by the caller to say where the money would come from his answer was “That’s the million dollar question.”  Pressed further he said “Maybe we can look at the sales tax.” He also thinks creating a better climate for new businesses would boost the economy and increase revenues for local government.

The next caller wanted to know what could be done about unscrupulous landlords who were building illegal units, running extension cords to provide power to outbuildings or renting out RV’s.
and trailers that overtaxed already failing septic systems.

McPherson responded by talking about “strict planning policies” and wondered why there hadn’t been enforcement. He wanted to know if the caller had filed any complaints.  “I’m interested to hear what you have to say.”  he said.

Sandidge pointed out that there were likely hundreds of similar situations and that it would be next to impossible for the short staffed county to address them.

Both McPherson and Sandidge tried to help a caller who was distressed that a planned refinishing of the Derby Park skate board ramps was to proceed without public input.  A subsequent caller pointed out that it was a city, not a county park and that the ramps were in need of repair.

Another caller wanted to know how McPherson felt about private management for the Simpkins Center.  McPherson said we should look at it.

A caller from Boulder Creek told about his situation involving a building which had burned down on a small site that he owned but that he was unable to get permission to rebuild.  McPherson thought he should have that right.  “I don’t think government should be punitive.  We should respect private property rights.”

The show ended with Mr McPherson saying how much he loved this part of politics, listening to the people.

Sandidge said that would have McPherson’s main opponent, Eric Hammer on a subsequent show.

George Wylie Begins to Make His Case for 5th District Supe

Brookdale resident and School Board Trustee, George Wylie became the fourth candidate to announce his intention to seek the seat being vacated by Mark Stone. Here is a copy of his news release:

George Wylie Announces Candidacy for 5th District Supervisor

George Wylie of Brookdale, CA in the San Lorenzo Valley announced today that he is seeking the position of 5th District Supervisor for the County of Santa Cruz. George has lived in the area for 17 years, has served in elected office as a trustee for the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District since December, 2006, and served as board president in 2010. He also currently serves on the Delegate Assembly for the California School Boards Association, and as vice president for the Santa Cruz County School Boards Association.

During his tenure as SLVUSD board trustee, George has helped lead the district in its continuing and successful effort to improve the quality and delivery of education to all district students. His responsible leadership has also helped ensure that the SLV School District is, and will continue to remain fiscally healthy, despite the drastic budgetary challenges brought on by California’s ongoing financial crisis.

During the fall/winter of 2007, George led the SLV School District in its $18.7 million Measure ‘O’ general obligation bond campaign, which resulted in the construction of a new state-of-the-art high school/middle school library, which is scheduled to open next month. Measure ‘O’ also resulted in the construction of several new student classrooms and labs, and will include a significantly improved performing arts center planned for construction beginning in 2013.

George has dedicated hundreds of hours volunteering for school and community efforts throughout the years, and has organized dozens of fundraising events and field trips for students in the San Lorenzo Valley.

Wylie earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Washington in Seattle, and his Master of Science Degree at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He is a retired Airline Pilot for United Airlines, and a former Naval officer, Navy pilot and aviation squadron commander. He is married to Cathy Wylie, who is the Director of Finance and Administration for Habitat for Humanity, Santa Cruz County. The Wylies have three sons, one attending SLV High School and two SLV graduates who are now away at college.

Wylie’s campaign will emphasize the issues important to residents of the 5th District. Says Wylie, “I am excited about my candidacy for Supervisor in the 5th District. I believe I can provide the kind of responsive and effective leadership that is required to handle the challenges facing the Fifth District and Santa Cruz County. I am concerned about the environment, social services, and the preservation and improvement of our local neighborhoods as well as the quality of life we all enjoy. I believe in maintaining transparency and accessibility in government, and will work hard to maintain an ongoing conversation with our citizens, and to then translate that conversation into action.”

Wylie continues, “I am encouraged by the resounding support I’ve received from business owners, community leaders, friends and family, and I’m very optimistic of a successful campaign.”

To contact George:

georgewylie@yahoo.com

George Wylie for Supervisor