I believe that we must increase our surface water storage; Sites Reservoir is a shovel ready project that has a minimal environmental impact. Sites is off stream storage; there is no stream or river being restricted, Sites simply pumps water off of the Sacramento River during high water or flooding conditions. While there is always some habitat lost when creating any man-made reservior, the new habitat created makes this neutral in my opinion.

With an ever increasing population, CA must use common sense when introducing new agricultural crops into an already water critical cycle in the valley. Water intensive crops are not responsible agricultural choices in areas that have ongoing water supply issues. The northern Sierra, and Sacramento River watershed cannot be responsible for solving our drought cycle's. Conservation needs to improve; southern California water users must live with their water means.

Since northern California has most of the states water, I support a plan that would bring economic benefit back to our district in order for us to improve our water infrastructure.

Environmentally, we must reduce the fuel load in our forests; this would decrease the ever present threat of wildfire, while creating jobs in the biomass industry. Returning our forests to a healthy state allows for the re-sequestration of carbon, thus improving our air quality. Climate change is real, there is no longe any debate among mainstream scientists in the field. I believe this Senate District has the potential to lead CA in green energy and green business; all it will take is the right voice in Sacramento. Solar, wind, biomass, are all important as we move forward in the 21st century; we need a representative who will work with Sacramento to find common ground on issues that are important to our rural district.

Every elected legislator could sign a pledge to keep elections out of the hands of "dark money" influence. We need a Constitutional Amendment overturning Citizens United; California can lead the nation in pushing for this legislation at the federal level. California can also pass legislation requiring more stringent disclosure laws; the people have the right to know who is attempting to purchase influence in Sacramento. Candidates can pledge not to accept donations over $1,000 dollars from any single source; at the end of the day, the voters themselves can send our elected representitives a message, they can vote for candidates who will represent the people, not special interests and Corporate America.

Generally, I support raising the minimum wage; I do believe there are "certain" small businesses that we need to keep an eye on, to ensure we are not forcing them out of business. Many small businesses in rural areas are family owned and operated, with just a couple of employee's. These bsinnesses operate on small margins, and a wage increase of 50% or more could potentially be devestating. This is an example where a one size fits all policy does not work in a state that has two totally different dynamics, urban and rural.

I would propose an exemption for small business, based on the number of employees. My district has many small rural communities; many of the businesses are owned locally, we cannot be an instrument of harm in these communities. While I fully support an recognize the need for my fellow citizens in this districts to earn a more sustainable wage, forcing their employer to shut their doors is not going to help.

That is why my priority, if elected, would be to bring better jobs to our rural district. I would not be running if I did not believe with all of my being, that this goal is within reach and reason, with the right person representing this district.

1. We must elect an effective Senator from this district; one capable of working with a Democratic controlled legislature. Northern California is rural; we need to construct our state budget so that there exists more balance between an urban agenda and the needs of our rural areas.

2. Creating jobs in our rural region that will allow our citizens to make a living; this will reduce the demand on government provided services. At the same time, getting our population "better" employment will increase our tax base.

3. Making sure our seniors (Medicare) and our Medi-cal insured population have access to quality healthcare. This district is facing a healthcare crisis; we need to make sure that providers are being reimbursed fairly and on time. This will allow providers to accept patients, it will keep providers from relocating, and it will allow new providers to relocate to our region. The health of our population in this district must be a priority.

It is imperative to build water storage for drought years in our state.  I do want to make clear that I am not a believer in man-made climate change as the data was based on fabricated statistics by a "PhD" who was not.  The world's temperature is always in flux.  The planet experienced glacial freezing deep into North America and these same glaciers receded all without the benefit of man's interference.  As for the water storage, we should be installing more dams where feasible that will also yield clean hydro power.

If California were to adjust its representation to proportions equal to the 1879 constitution, the number of representatives would exceed 5,000.  Although unrealistic, it would definitely diminish the role of lobbyists as they could not influence that many legislators.  Getting more representation to all Californians would benefit both rural and urban centers as the representatives would actually be accountable to a much small constituency and less so to the big money interests.

The minimum wage was never intended to be a living wage but more as a bridge for our youth to gain experience to move into the working world.  Raising the minimum wage will be disastrous for California and accelerate the exodus of businesses out of our state.  The new minimum wage should be repealed before it damages our California economy more than other regulations already have.  This new minimum wage is a job killer and will increase the use of technology for basic customer interactive tasks such as food and materials ordering.

1) Eliminate non-governemental organizations that are staffed by unelected individuals who have the power to regulate and fee/fine individuals

2) Eliminate the job killing regulations to get our residents back to work

3) Honor the Federal Forest Management Plan and clean up the forests, restart logging enterprises and stop the catestrophic wild fires