Monterey County Supervisor, 2nd District: Ed Mitchell
Current Job: retired military
Family: stepson Randy and daughter-in-law Lori. Grandchildren Shawna and Kyle.
Top 3 Priorities if Elected:
1. Sustainable and affordable water to stimulate local jobs: In 1995, my ranch well went dry. I know how vital it is that families have affordable and sustainable water to protect their jobs and the value of their homes. Bringing projects forward that create a sustainable water supply will stimulate new higher paying jobs for our families.
2. Protect agricultural jobs from hydraulic oil fracking: Dangerous hydraulic fracking could result in oil leaks that would pollute our waters and contaminate our rich Ag lands. I co-founded Protect Salinas Valley to work on restricting hydraulic fracking near the Salinas River. On April 30th, we won a major round in this effort when the Monterey County Planning Commission unanimously recommended to the Board of Supervisors to establish a 2-year moratorium on fracking within the county.
3. Integrity and transparency in county government: I believe elected officials are accountable to the people they serve. I helped expose corruption in the regional desalination project which led to the indictment and sentencing of a county water official that protected tax payer dollars from being ripped off. We must have fair and open government and restore the public trust.
How do you plan to implement these priorities?
1. Sustainable and affordable water for North Salinas/County
I’ll be a champion for new water sources. I’ll work with the other supervisors to reduce the sustainability problem and establish new affordable water sources.
Within six months of taking office, I’ll generate a draft Sustainability Improvement Plan for North County. The plan will include a sustainability assessment, biggest–bang-for-the-buck projects, and a sustainability vision/goal. I’ll work with the supervisors and MCWRA to leverage that input into an assessment coordinated with the State Regional Water Quality Board and the 2010 General Plan. Next, I’ll coordinate with the supervisors, farmers, and other stakeholders to have a North County sustainability approach added to the 2010 General Plan or the MCWRA 10-year plan.
Affordable water projects: I’ll lead the efforts to improve the amount of potable and irrigation water in North County. Affordable water means cost-effective generation and delivery within the district. Currently, there are four water projects that offer high-benefit for dollars spent. They are CSIP winter recharge beyond summer farming consumption, a North County-coastal desalination JPA, establishing a trunk-line piping network, and a North County Water Storage Reservoir. Fair and open contract competition will be needed to determine the most affordable desalination supplier for the Moss Landing, Castroville, Monte Del Lago, Oak Hills residential areas.
2. Protect Salinas Valley Agricultural jobs and gain new oil jobs
I’ll provide visionary leadership in collaboration with the other supervisors to answer how fracking will be performed in the Salinas Valley, if the state allows fracking across California, to minimize the risks of facing a toxic spill or leak that could devastate our local economy or impacts that degrade property values, water, and roadways.
I’ve spent 2.5 years defining and examining key policy questions about how fracking could occur while minimizing the risks to our environment, residents, and our existing industries. A series of public outreach sessions will be needed to help generate the answers to how we as a community will live and work with fracking in our county. We must shape those inputs into an approved comprehensive protective ordinance no later than July 2016.
Types of questions that should be asked are:
Should there be unrestricted hydraulic fracking within the salad bowl of the world in the most seismically active oil field in America?
Should fracking companies have unconstrained usage of potable water out of the over drafted Salinas Valley water basin in direct competition with local ag/vintner industries?
Subsequently, I co-founded ProtectSalinasValley.org a community organization which concluded unrestricted fracking could hugely harm our valley economy. We crafted a comprehensive fracking ordinance and offered it as a template of what could be done to protect against negative fracking impacts.
3. Integrity and Transparency
I’ll be transparent in the same way that I did while working on federal contracts: tell the truth and tell everyone the same facts and information. If elected to the board of supervisors, I’ll be a leader implementing the Brown Act by erring on the side of transparency. I’ll maintain an open door policy and I’ve got a nothing to hide attitude – let’s talk.
I’ll be a supervisor who is truthful about the strengths and weaknesses of any project, land use, or service the Board of Supervisors considers or reviews. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of county projects will generate a better assessment of the project’s risks, costs, technical approach, and benefits. I’ll listen to all sides and won’t do closed door deals to champion a preferred supplier. Conducting the county’s business in an open and transparent manner will foster trust by the public and reduce project delays. I respectfully ask for your vote on June 3rd.
