We asked each candidate to answer a few questions to that you can know a little more about their priorities. See responses from other candidate Susan Funk.
<strong>Candidate Statement</strong>
For nearly 20 years, my husband and I have been blessed to call San Luis Obispo County home. I started my business here, we put down our roots here, and I have dedicated a large part of my life to giving back and making our home the best it can possibly be.
I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to serve on the Atascadero City Council since 2012 and as Mayor since 2018. Working together, we have made real progress on the critical issues facing our residents. Now, I’m running to bring my experience to the Board of Supervisors and help county government more effectively deliver results for our community.
In Atascadero, we know how to bring people together to advance positive change. I will lead in county government with that same collaborative, forward thinking approach.
<strong>Rank the issues in order of importance for our county</strong>:
1. Homelessness
2. Public safety
3. Funds for infrastructure (roads, water, broadband, etc.)
4. Housing
5. Economic development & head of household jobs
6. Regional collaboration
7. Water
8. Government regulation
9. Count unfunded regulations
10. Climate action & resilience
11. Public health
12. County taxes
13. Diversity, equity & inclusion
14. Cannabis businesses
<strong>If elected, what will you do to address the issue you identified above as<br>most significant?</strong>
Homelessness is multifaceted. Treating people with compassion must be the core of how we operate. At the same time, we must recognize and bring accountability to those who break the law. In Atascadero, we proactively partner with community organizations that offer shelters, shower services and meals to those in need. We have partnered with the County’s Community Action Team, embedding mental health and crisis workers with law enforcement to provide help for some of the most vulnerable and fragile individuals in the homeless community. It is these very actions, combined with enforcement of our local laws, that are creating a situation where more people are accepting services, getting housed or receiving shelter.
We must take a similar collaborative, compassionate, and strong approach to dealing with homelessness at the County level. Millions in taxpayer dollars and years of government bureaucracy have failed to solve this issue. We need leadership on the Board of Supervisors willing to set direction across jurisdictions so that law enforcement, mental health practitioners, and non-profit organizations are all working together with the ultimate goal of getting people off the streets and into some form of transitional or supportive housing.
<strong>Which theme in the Chamber’s regional economic vision, Imagine SLO,<br>do you think deserves the most focus in the next four years and why?</strong>
I greatly appreciate the Chamber’s principle of “we before me,” a value I learned early on from former AUSD Board Member, Donn Clickard, that has informed my 11-year tenure on the Atascadero City Council. Most of the challenges we face at the local level, like homelessness, safety, economic growth, housing, and water, are regional issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries. It is important to elect members of the Board of Supervisors who understand regional leadership and the importance of working together to accomplish mutually beneficial goals.
As Mayor, I have always made cooperation and collaboration key elements of my governing philosophy and I believe our community is better because of it. For example, I worked successfully with Paso Robles Mayor Steve Martin on both broadband and homelessness, together bringing solutions to the north county on both fronts
<strong>What is the biggest opportunity for the County as a whole in the next<br>four years</strong>?
We must ensure accountability for the millions of dollars we put into homeless programs. The County has had a 10-year plan and two 5-year plans and allocated a tremendous amount of taxpayer money to the problem, but it’s not getting better. We need an audit of the public funds spent both on County administration and with our nonprofit partners to determine what’s working and what needs to change. It’s notable that the 2023 Annual Report of the Citizens’ Homeless Accountability Commission found: “Allocating significant resources to ‘service provider recruitment and retention’ must be quantitatively related to the actual benefit provided to those the Plan is seeking to prevent from falling into homelessness. Otherwise, these expenditures could become a funding blackhole that devotes resources for staff without knowing if the benefits are commensurate with the costs.”
We also need coordination between all services that are tangential to homeless services, a common concept countywide, and someone who will oversee it. In this same vein, it would be wise to seek options for shelter and permanent supportive housing that have staying power and do not have an exorbitant price tag.
This is an issue that not only speaks to being compassionate for those in need, but businesses throughout the County bear the burden of a problem that only continues to worsen. Whether theft, trash, vagrancy, public urination and camping…these issues hurt our business community and we can all do better.
<strong>Do you think our business environment is healthy? What would you do<br>to further support businesses throughout District 5?</strong>
No, I do not think our business environment is healthy. That is in large part due to the adverse position elected leaders in Sacramento have taken towards business. Ask any business owner in our community and they will tell you the struggles to start, operate and grow a business here in California are almost insurmountable. Yet in spite of significant headwinds from Sacramento, we can work to create jobs and support job creators here in San Luis Obispo County.
The important role our County Supervisors can play in improving the business environment is making sure that the local regulatory and tax environment is as business friendly as possible. At the local level, we can create even more economic opportunities by investing in improved broadband access for residences and businesses, streamlining the permitting and regulatory process at the County and working with developers to get to “yes” on new job-rich commercial, industrial and workforce housing projects. We can also work with Cal Poly, SLO and Cuesta College to provide a pipeline to local careers for graduates who want to stay in the area. I was pleased to see the BOS invest in childcare and I believe we can strengthen coordination between jurisdictions and various entities to support this critical need of working families.