1. What issues do you believe are most central to this year's District 1 supervisorial election?

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Three issues central to the election for District 1 Supervisor are:

1. The need for viable employment opportunities for kids who want to remain in or return to our community. No community is successful until multiple generations of a family are able to live and work in an area.

2. The need to increase the number of viable jobs for local people and to decrease residents' need to commute out of the area. Local jobs keep money in the community, while decreased commute times allow residents to spend more time with their families and increase their involvement in community activities.

3. The need to allow residents to locally access goods and services currently being accessed out of county. Keeping local dollars in the area will increase the amount of sales tax collected locally, shifting funds from neighboring counties to local services and programs.

All three of these issues can be addressed by actively recruiting business to relocate to District 1. Providing incentives to businesses, including zoning for a local business park with appropriate infrastructure, (i.e., water, sewer and roads) will bring viable jobs, along with additional goods and services to the area.

2. What traits make you the best person to represent District 1 on the Board of Supervisors?

Integrity, experience and a commitment to the preservation of our area's quality of life make me the ideal candidate to represent the voters of District 1. I place high value on being honest in my personal and professional life, and I give consistent and straight answers to the voters who I will represent. I am a proven community leader with 18 years of service locally as an elected official, and extensive experience working with community boards, commissions, and service organizations. I am committed to proper management of growth in southern Lake County, and will work to ensure that the quality of our rural lifestyle is maintained.

3. Are you for or against background checks and drug testing for In-Home Supportive Services workers who care for Lake County's elderly? Why or why not?

While I have great respect for individual rights and privacy, I believe that background checks and drug testing are appropriate requirements for those who are charged with serving and assisting vulnerable members of our community. A community is judged by its treatment of those needing assistance, and I believe that requiring background checks and drug testing for In-Home Support Services workers reflects the values of our area's residents.

4. What benefit or negative impact do you believe Indian gaming has had on the county's economy and county government's budget?

Responsible management of gaming by sovereign tribes can be a viable source of income for local Indian communities, while bringing jobs to the area. Money brought in by people visiting Lake County infuses area businesses with needed customers and cash. I believe that local tribes have thus far been responsible in judiciously and responsibly exercising their gaming rights.

Recently, the Middletown Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, operators of Twin Pine Casino, have shown a commitment to the community by offering to pay lodging tax to the county, even though as a sovereign nation they are exempt.

The clientele attracted to the county by Indian gaming and the responsible management by the tribes has had a positive effect on the county economy, resulting in a net gain in the effect on the county budget.

5. How serious a threat is the quagga mussel? Did the county move fast enough to stop its spread to Clear Lake and other county bodies of water?

The quagga mussel is an invasive species which left unchecked has the potential to devastate the Clear Lake ecosystem; effecting wildlife, tourism and quality of life. Time will tell if the county's action plan was created effectively and implemented soon enough, but it appears that the plan was in action before any quagga mussels were found in the county or any surrounding areas.

Given the fact that the nearest documented occurrences are in southern California and southern Nevada, it is highly probable that with continued enforcement of the boat cleaning plan now in effect, Lake County can remain free of the quagga mussel and the accompanying problems.

By continuing to implement a plan based on customer service and education to the boating public, we can help those who bring boats from outside areas become partners with us in containing potential problems. By continuing practical and effective early prevention we can avoid the economic problems that would be brought by a shut down similar to the one in effect at Ventura County's Lake Casitas.

6. Where do you stand on Propositions 98 and 99, and, most particularly, what is your position regarding the use of eminent domain to seize private property for the purpose of transferring ownership to a private developer to build shopping centers, industrial complexes and other non-public projects?

As a strong supporter to individual and private property rights, I am very much in favor of limiting the right of the government to seize private property for non-public projects. Both Proposition 98 and 99 address this issue.

I support Proposition 98, which corrects problems resulting from the 2005 Kelo ruling by placing firm limits on government entities, and providing explicit and viable remedies for landowners harmed by the heavy handed practice of seizing private property for non public use.

Proposition 99 takes some good steps toward reform, but it does not go far enough. The fact that Proposition 99 is backed by the same politicians and lobbyists who have prevented a legislative solution to this problem for the last three years shows that it is a watered down solution, offering more lip service than substance.

7. How would you describe your philosophy for growth in Lake County? How can the county's growth best be managed?

California's population has increased over time, and that growth will continue. Lake County will be impacted along with the rest of the state. In the last six years, the county has seen a 13.1-percent increase in population, and current trends indicate that local population will continue to increase.

I am an advocate for community boundaries that will accommodate projected or expected growth for the next 15 to 20 years. This will allow residents to direct the growth in such a way that communities may maintain their character while allowing appropriate expansion.

8. As a member of the Board of Supervisors, how will you uphold your oath of office?

As your supervisor, I will continue the commitment to honesty and integrity that I have demonstrated in my years as an elected official on the Middletown School Board. I will seek out and listen to your concerns, be frank and open about my positions on issues, and will strongly advocate for the interests of south county residents.

9. Agriculture is an important part of Lake County's economy. What is the biggest concern facing agriculture and what would you do about it? Are you for or against rezoning agricultural lands to other uses?

As a lifelong local rancher, I am personally acquainted with the problems faced by the local agricultural community. Lake County agriculture producers continually deal with the increasing difficulty of even covering their annual tax bills with profit produced from agricultural activities. This is primarily due to the cost of getting their products to market, and increased competition from industrial farms and imports.

Finding ways to help agricultural producers maintain economic viability without having to develop their land is the key to appropriately dealing with the economic problems faced by farmers and ranchers in Lake County. I am in favor of financial incentives that help agricultural landowners maintain viability while allowing the county to continue to provide appropriate infrastructure and services.

I am a strong supporter of private property rights, and I believe that property owners should have the right to rezone agricultural land to other uses in some circumstances, when such changes are in line with the Master Plan and appropriate growth planning. That said, most land owners would rather not develop their land.

By helping land owners find ways to keep their land economically solvent we can help farm families who don't want to be forced to look to development as their only profitable alternative. I believe that one of the best ways to maintain open space on private property is through the sale of development rights to coalitions, private parties, and entities such as the Lake County Land Trust.

10. Do you favor making Lake County a GE-free zone when it comes to agricultural crops? Why or why not?

The debate regarding the safety and responsibility of the production and consumption of genetically engineered products transcends the production of agricultural products in Lake County, making any declaration largely symbolic. Lake County does not produce any of the crops (rice and corn) currently at the heart of the genetic engineering debate.

I believe that taking steps to help Lake County's struggling agricultural economy is a higher priority for the Board of Supervisors. While local government should be aware of developments in this area, state and federal government is charged with the regulation of safety issues of this scope and magnitude. I will focus on working to help area farmers maintain viability, and will leave the regulation matters of a national and international scale to those elected and appointed for that purpose.

11. What would be your approach to promoting local businesses and attracting new businesses to the county?

As a supervisor, I will work to attract new business and industry to the county. By providing incentives, including zoning for a local business park with appropriate infrastructure, (i.e., water, sewer and roads) we can attract businesses that will bring viable jobs, along with additional goods and services to the area. We need to effect a paradigm shift that changes county agencies from obstacles which must be dealt with to customer service based entities which protect the counties priorities and interests while providing appropriate service and assistance to the businesses and developers who work with them.

Small businesses provide important services to our community, and they succeed when they provide exemplary service, something that I strongly support. I support actions which allow local businesses to compete with prices offered outside of the county, and I strongly support the idea that superior customer service is what should set local businesses apart from their out of area competitors.

Endorsements

Below are just a few of the many individuals and businesses that endorse Jim Comstock for District 1 Supervisor.

Jim and Hettie Hendrickson, Lower Lake

Ron Minudri Insurance, Middletown

Menzio Tire, Larry and Martha Menzio, Middletown

Middletown Automotive Repair, Ron and Jennifer Kelly, Middletown

Ed B Realty, Ed Breazeale, Middletown

Mt. St. Helena Vineyards, Rudy and Faith Smith, Middletown

Top Line Cattle, Middletown

Hidden Valley Food Mart, Jack and Karen Lair, Middletown

Epidendio Construction, Lower Lake

Jackson Equipment Co., Wayne Jackson, Middletown

Craig and Linda Eve, Middletown

Middletown Farm and Cattle Co.

Steve Anderson Trucking, Steve and Eileen Anderson, Middletown

Jay Albertson, Hidden Valley Lake

Alyn Johnson, Middletown

Waldon Family Trucking, Fred and Debbie Waldon, Middletown

Cowpoke Cafe, Middletown

Diamond D Ranch, Middletown

Jeri Co Garage Doors, Kurtis Woodard, Hidden Valley Lake

Browns RV, Jeff Brown, Lower Lake

Rebekah Hoskins Bookkeeping, Middletown

DNA Ridge Rock, Lower Lake

Les and Judy Hoskins, Hidden Valley Lake

Yvette Sloan, Hidden Valley Lake

Bill Djernes, Middletown

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