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PAM'S PRIORITIES

ENVIRONMENT
A resident of coastal San Diego since childhood, Supervisor Slater-Price's district appropriately contains an inspiring stretch of coastline. Extending from Mission Bay to Encinitas, the distance includes three of the county's six coastal lagoons: San Elijo, San Dieguito, and Los Penasquitos. Further inland, the district also features open-space areas, such as Crest Canyon, Lake Hodges, Mission Trails, and Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve.

Protecting the coast and open-space areas from encroachments requires a delicate balance between the needs of humans and Mother Nature. Pam's ability to bring government, environmentalists, and the private sector together is the hallmark of her environmental record.

The results are impressive: She was instrumental in garnering a $1.4 million grant from the Ford Foundation for an acquisition along the San Elijo Lagoon. This complements the county's purchase of a 19-acre parcel in the same area. The supervisor also negotiated an agreement with Southern California Edison (SCE) to complete the San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration Project in Del Mar. As a result of those negotiations, SCE agreed to pay $58 million to finish the project, the largest amount ever allotted for lagoon restoration in San Diego County. Slater-Price also convinced the developers of 4S Ranch to dedicate more than 50%, or 3,000 acres, of that development for use as a permanent open-space preserve.

Slater-Price is the county's appointee to the San Dieguito River Valley Park JPA. That entity is responsible for creating a natural open space park that will run 55 miles, stretching from the ocean at Del Mar to Volcan Mountain, just north of Julian. She has also been instrumental in facilitating a joint purchase of several hundred acres adjacent to Lake Hodges by the county and the Escondido Creek Conservancy.

In addition, the supervisor serves as co-chair of the county's Multiple Species Conservation Program, which has acquired approximately 84,000 acres of open-space, and is chair of the California Coastal Coalition (CalCoast).

PUBLIC SAFETY/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Since being elected, Supervisor Slater-Price has demonstrated a strong commitment to public safety issues. Early in her tenure she spearheaded efforts to convert the abandoned Clairemont Hospital into a crime lab for the Sheriff's Department. That facility has since become the region's leading institution of forensic science.

She recently convinced the county to set aside nearly $20 million to enhance a decade-old regional communications system that allows various police, fire, and other public safety agencies to coordinate during emergencies. This system, which she was instrumental in creating, was severely stressed during the firestorms that swept the county in October of 2003 and needs to be upgraded.

In response to the increasing instances of "acid-graffiti" in her district, a proposal authored by Slater-Price amended the county code to include glass-etching baths and creams on the list of items that retailers must store in restricted areas. Slater-Price has also worked with the district attorney's Computer and Technology Crime High Tech Response Team to develop helpful hints that allow county residents and businesses to defend themselves against unsolicited commercial e-mails, also known as "spam."

Supervisor Slater-Price's highest public safety priority has been to assist the victims of domestic violence. In 2003 she made good on a promise to find funding for a toll-free phone line that domestic violence victims can call for non-emergency help. In 2004, through a partnership with the sheriff and district attorney, Slater-Price helped fund a domestic violence center in the North County that coordinates the anti-domestic violence activities of the county's law enforcement and social service agencies.

TRANSPORTATION
As a commuter, Supervisor Slater-Price shares every driver's frustration with congestion on our local roads and freeways. To help alleviate traffic problems she developed a plan for increasing traffic flow on 17 surface roads in the North County. When enacted, the Parkway Plan will coordinate the traffic policies of several cities to upgrade and connect existing roads that are heavily used by commuters. The plan would reduce travel time for relatively short trips and end gridlock on arterial roads that cut through multiple cities. It would also take some of the pressure off of area freeways. Slater-Price continues to work with elected officials and the San Diego Association of Governments to implement the plan.

Supervisor Slater-Price was also instrumental in securing $20 million for the newly completed SR 56. The funds contributed by the county for the project had originally been set aside to build the proposed 680 highway. Connecting I-5 to I-15 between Carmel Valley and Rancho Penasquitos, State Route 56 is the only major east-west roadway between SR 52 and SR 78. The project is expected to reduce North County congestion and pollution significantly.

BUSINESS/LOCAL ECONOMY/COUNTY BUDGET
Supervisor Slater-Price's commitment to the county's economic growth is reflected in the grants that she awards to business groups each year. These funds go directly to local chambers of commerce, museums, visitor centers, theaters, and regional economic development organizations. The grants are used to promote tourism, enhance community redevelopment, create jobs, and stimulate economic development.

Slater-Price recognizes the importance of the technology, communications, and defense sectors to the future growth of the county's economy. In keeping with that, in 2003 the supervisor funded an economic study to trace the trends of San Diego's high-tech industries and identify opportunities for regional economic growth.

In addition to her focus on these macro-business issues, Slater-Price has also focused on the needs of small businesses in her district. In 2003, she provided thousands of dollars to a Pacific Beach business group to launch a program that helps PB businesses pay for graffiti clean up. That program has benefited numerous businesses. Slater-Price recently provided additional funds to continue the program for another year. She has also supported similar anti-graffiti efforts in Escondido.

Slater-Price also expects the county to be run according to sound business principles. For her efforts the San Diego County Taxpayers Association has honored the county with many prestigious "Golden Watchdog" awards. In 2002, a decade after first being elected to the Board of Supervisors, Governing Magazine chose San Diego County as one of the country's best, awarding it with an overall grade of B+. In the individual categories of Financial Management, Capital Management, and Management for Results, the county earned straight As.

ANIMAL WELFARE
Protecting animals from abuse and neglect is an issue close to Supervisor Slater-Price's heart. In pursuit of that goal, Slater-Price led efforts to replace the county's Central Animal Shelter. The result is a state-of-the-art facility partially paid for with generous contributions from individual animal lovers. The shelter is operated as a private-public partnership with the San Diego Humane Society.

To complete needed improvements in the North County, Slater-Price contributed $1.65 million from her community projects funds to help build a new animal shelter there. The new shelter will replace a forty-year-old facility that is badly in need of improvements. The shelter primarily serves the cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, and the unincorporated parts of North County. It is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2005.

Slater-Price was also the primary advocate for the adoption of a "no kill" policy as a long-term goal for the county's animal services. The policy is one of the first attempts in the nation to minimize the destruction of adoptable pets. The supervisor also secured passage of a measure that requires law enforcement and social service officials to report animal abuse, which is a strong indicator of domestic violence.

For her these efforts and others, Slater-Price was awarded Rancho Coastal Humane Society's "Heart of Gold" award in 2003.

ARTS
Supervisor Slater-Price's deep appreciation of the arts is made evident through the grants she awards yearly to numerous theaters, dance troupes, museums, orchestras, concerts, film festivals, choirs, and other performing arts organizations throughout her district. The supervisor believes that the arts not only help to enrich our lives but that they also contribute to economic development by encouraging recreational spending by those who frequent them.