LOWER LAKE – Even before Supervisor Ed Robey announced he was planning to retire from the Board of Supervisors when his term expires at the end of 2008, Joey Luiz was thinking of a run for the District 1 board seat. {sidebar id=70}

Luiz said he was considering challenging the three-term incumbent when Robey let it be known he wasn't planning to seek a fourth term.

A field of candidates began to form almost immediately last summer when Robey made the announcement, although Luiz initially wasn't among them. He said he wanted to consider what the commitment would mean, and size up the field.

When Voris Brumfield decided not to run, Luiz – who called her a “pretty viable candidate” – decided to declare his candidacy.

At 26, Luiz is the youngest candidate in the race, which he said is an advantage for many reasons, not the least of which is his perspective on the unique needs of the county's young people.

“In the big picture, there's not a lot for our youth to do, and that was already something I was working on,” he said.

Youth-oriented issues are a No. 1 concern for Luiz.

He's put his concern for youth into action as a member of the Andy Johnson Skate Park Committee. His desire to help get the park reopened to Clearlake's teens and children after a closure for repairs late last year took him to Southern California. There, with the permission of his employer, Clay Shannon, Luiz drove a company truck down to fetch new surfacing for the park in order to save on high shipping costs.

More recently, he has signed on to work on an effort to build a safe house for the county's homeless children.

Luiz, who along with his two older brothers was raised by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet, said he can appreciate the fact that many of the county's young people may not have many privileges available to them.

He wants Lake County to be a place where other young people see a future for themselves and can expect to make a decent living.

That leads to another part of his platform for this year's race – improving the county's economic outlook and addressing growth.

Luiz, who works in the county's growing wine industry, said he sees more money and opportunity flowing toward Lake County in the next decade, which can result in a strong local economy.

He said he believes he knows how area residents and businesses want to see the county grow: avoiding sprawl, appreciating the area's rural character and preserving open space.

Those ends can be achieved through sensible growth, which doesn't open the door to every development out there and recognizes that not all growth is good, Luiz explained.

“We need to measure out exactly what developments are going to be beneficial,” he said.

That can be done, he suggested, by looking at what socio-economic groups such developments will serve and match that to what the county's overall needs are right now.

Development for services also will be critical, he said. Middletown and Hidden Valley residents have told him they want more services closer to home while, again, preserving the community's character.

Luiz said the county is in a unique position to manage its growth and become a tourist destination. He said continued emphasis needs to be placed on doing things right, and leveraging the county's natural beauty to attract visitors who can fire up the area economy by patronizing local businesses.

Lake County's incredible natural beauty is among its best assets, said Luiz, who in his day-to-day work meets many visitors who are impressed with the county and consider it “undiscovered.”

“I'm very optimistic about what this county can do,” he said.

He added that he's here to stay in the county. “I love it and I think it's definitely a treasure that will be something.”

Luiz already has tried his hand at advocacy at the state level.

In April, he and a group of intrepid local park lovers made their way to the state capitol to argue against closure of the county's two state parks, which was part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's January budget proposal.

The reception Luiz and his companions received from state budget officials was less that hospitable, but Luiz said it was a good learning experience.

Also on the trip was Supervisor Rob Brown, who Luiz said took the reins and didn't let officials get the upper hand. Those were important tips, Luiz added.

“I definitely feel a little more comfortable with what it takes to shake things up down there,” he said.

Whether elected or not, Luiz said he plans to regularly make such trips to meet with officials and legislators on important local issues to make them aware of what their actions mean to the community.

“We need someone who will go down there and fight,” he said.

Explaining both the differences and parallels between himself and Robey, Luiz said he believes Robey wants what's best for Lake County, and that's his approach as well.

But Luiz said they differ in that he feels Robey began to work too hard to try to please people, which distracted him from finding resolution to problems.

In making decisions, Luiz said he likes to see all the facts first and educate himself before sorting out a plan of attack.

Luiz said he's part of a generation that has had a loss of hope, but as a supervisor he believes his energy and enthusiasm for the county – what it has to offer and what its future holds – can help energize young people.

“I'm not going into it thinking politics is what I want to do,” he said. “I'm going into it thinking change is what I want to make.”

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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