Good evening.

Tonight marks the first time in more than 50 years that the State of the County address is being given in a locale other than the County Administration Center in downtown San Diego. We're here at the East County Performing Arts Center because I felt it is important to emphasize that...believe it or not...there is life east of I-5...that the County of San Diego is more than just a building on the waterfront. It is, in fact, 2.5 million people of diverse backgrounds and cultures spread out over 4300 square miles...drawn together by common goals, values and desires or preserving our quality of life...and...I might add...united tonight by a passion for 50 young ...probably asleep right now in their Miami hotel rooms...who in three days will bring San Diego something it has never had before...a Superbowl champion!

Tonight...I’m going to be outlining some innovative...and in some Cases, drastic proposals to make County government better serve you...the taxpayers. I must tell you that the challenges we will encounter in 1995 are of a magnitude never before experienced in this county.

But we must look upon obstacles we have to face as tremendous opportunities to satisfy your revolutionary call for fundamental change. You want smaller government...you want lower taxes...you want less government intrusion in your lives and more individual responsibility. Well ladies and gentlemen...you want change...you got change!

Without question, the biggest obstacle we face in 1995 is overcoming an estimated $50 million dollar shortfall in the County's budget. That may not sound like a lot when you look at the entire County budget of $2.1 billion dollars. But when you consider that our Board has discretion over only $86 million, or 4% of that $2.1 billion dollars, and you understand that the $86 million is the money we spend on things like parks, libraries, services for seniors and programs for abused and neglected children, you begin to realize just how devastating a $50 million dollar shortfall really is.

The fact is we are victims in this County of a state and federal system that is out of control...it's a system that forces new program after new program down our collective throats and then provides no money to pay for them...make-do they say...raise taxes at the local level they say...well ladies and gentlemen, the fact is we're not going to raise your taxes...and we're no longer going to pay for unfunded state and federal mandates either.

The time is right to do something about this mess. Never before have we witnessed such sweeping changes in leadership at the national, state and local levels.

Never before has this County seen a more aggressive and demanding Board of supervisors...and...with newly elected Sheriff Bill Kolender and District Attorney Paul Pfingst working side by side with our board...I believe we have as good a team of San Diego County leaders as we have ever had. I guarantee you we are not going to sit back and allow our local authority to be undermined any longer. We are going to fight back against state and federal interference and regain control of our local government. You want change...you got change! I will be returning to this theme in a moment...but I think its worth noting that the County has made progress on a number of fronts during my two years on this board.

For example, it was soon after we took office that Supervisor Pam Slater and I...and believe it or not Pam and I are now the old timers on this board...joined forces to make law enforcement the County's number one priority. Working together, we have convinced our colleagues to increase funding for the Sheriff's Department by almost 20% over the past two years. This has resulted in a 15% increase in the number of Deputy Sheriffs on the street and the addition of more than 700 beds to our jail system.

But that's not all. Recognizing that the brave men and women of the Sheriff's Department can't do the job alone, Pam and I successfully fought for the $300,000 necessary to create the first Senior Volunteer patrol program for the County's unincorporated areas. What is a volunteer patrol? Well, it's neighbors helping neighbors prevent crimes from ever happening by keeping watch on their homes and streets. It's people like Glenn Lindeneau, Lila Benoit, Joe Ruiz and Ted and Loretta Moody...who serve as the eyes and ears of the Sheriff's Department in neighborhoods like Spring Valley, Casa de Oro and Mount Helix who are making the lives of criminals a lot more difficult in San Diego County. My thanks to each of you for the changes you are bringing about in our communities.

You know...it seems lately every time I pick up a newspaper or watch television...on one of the two channels we get in Jamul...I am hit over the head with another study or report declaring a decrease in the County's crime rate. Well...I don't believe it...and I don't think any of you do either! The fact is...we don't feel any safer today than we did ten years ago. And until we send criminals a clear message that the people's justice will be swift and sure...many of us will continue to live in fear behind locked doors and windows. I am confident that each member of this Board of Supervisors shares a commitment to fighting crime. Earlier today...we joined with the San Diego City Council to break ground on a new 950 bed downtown jail...and I can promise you that the concrete walls of this new facility bear no resemblance to the escape-ridden "Styrofoam palace" that was once the East County jail. Special thanks go to Supervisor Roberts for all his work on this project while he was a member of the San Diego City Council. We want criminals off the streets!...that's why we must do everything in our power to make sure voter imposed laws like "Three strikes and you're out" are implemented. It's criminals that belong behind bars...not law abiding citizens. I continue to hear people say that we can't afford to enforce the Three Strikes Initiative...well...I say we can't afford not to and if it means we have to make tough decisions to cut other programs to pay for it...then so be it! You want change...you got change!

One statistic we rarely hear about is the alarming increase in the rate of juvenile crime. Since 1992, homicides and attempted homicides by young people under the age of 18 have increased 42%, rapes are up 91% and assaults are on the rise as well. San Diego is not immune from the influence of gangs. In 1993...it was estimated that 118 different gangs with more than 9,000 members call San Diego home...and the number increases each year. It's clear we must strive to do better by our children...by instilling in them some of the values we were raised with. Values such as responsibility, self-reliance and a strong work ethic...and...parents must take responsibility for their children and not rely on government to do It for them.

At the same time...the County must marshal it's resources to reverse the ugly cycle of drugs and gangs...because if we don't...many of our children will "strike out" without even getting the chance to succeed. I will be asking my colleagues to support several new changes to our ongoing efforts to combat juvenile crime. First...we need to support an increase in funding for the District Attorney's special Gang Prevention unit and expand this program to the east and north Counties. Second...my past experience as a teacher and School Board member has convinced me that the best way to keep kids out of trouble is to keep them in school. I will be asking the board to work with the County School Boards association to crack down on one of the most difficult problems facing our schools...truancy.

We need to expand the Probation Department's truancy program to include every single high school in the County. The concept is simple...and its this: Probation officers are stationed at schools to ensure that students attend. That's it. And the best thing is...it works! Just ask the Grossmont or Escondido High School districts how well its working for them. Results in just a short period of time have been remarkable. When I was teaching in la Mesa...many years ago...I would often tell my students that in order to learn...you have to be in school...you have to have "seat time". Well...augmenting the Probation Department's Truancy Program will help ensure more students stay away from gangs And stay in their "seats" during school hours.

Third, we must do more to prevent our youth from falling prey to a life of crime and drug abuse by starting a drug boot camp for first time drug offenders. We need To make sure the first encounter with drugs is the last encounter

with drugs. Sounds expensive right?...and you're probably wondering how we are going to pay for it with the budget problems we have. Well...I will be urging my colleagues to consolidate the county's two Adult Detention Systems into one. Last year, our Chief Financial Officer estimated a potential savings of at least $1 million dollars through consolidation of our jails and probation camps. It's time to put turf battles aside and do what's best for the taxpayers...move the jails completely under the control of the Sheriff. One system...one manager...it only makes sense. Let's do it now! You want change...you got change!

At the same time...let's return to the fundamental purpose of Government...law and order...and let's guarantee that regardless of what else local government does or doesn't do...it will always protect and defend us. I will be bringing forward a proposal to my colleagues to initiate a state constitutional amendment to earmark a portion of our existing property tax dollars to adequately fund public safety services. This would include law enforcement, fire protection and emergency medical services. I know it's controversial...and I know it will be difficult...but I've come to conclude that there simply is no other way to guarantee a stable, ongoing source of revenue for those services you really want from your local government...your Cities...your County...your Fire Districts.

Government needs to go back to the basics. Trendy terms like restructuring, reforming or reinventing government have lost their zip...we must stop tinkering around the edges of the County bureaucracy and do what the voters elected us to do...we don't need to reinvent anything...what we need to do is to dismantle the many wasteful government programs that are devouring your tax dollars. It's hard to believe our founding fathers had a welfare state in mind when they drafted the Bill of Rights. Since when did receiving public assistance become an inalienable right? And government can't continue to be all things to all people...especially people who are not even citizens of the United States. We taxpayers spend more than 900 million dollars on welfare in San Diego County each year. One of every eight...that's one of every eight San Diegans now receives some type of public assistance. That's outrageous... disgraceful...and frankly...frightening.

We need dramatic, decisive action to bring this mess under control. Unless the State and Federal Governments change the current welfare system... it will be time for County government to get out of the welfare business. We can't afford it...and we don't want it the way it is. Unless they fix it, I intend to propose to my colleagues that the County send this unfunded monster back where it came from...to the State and Federal Governments. If they want to proliferate a welfare state...let them run it...and let them pay for it. If they want the County to do It...they need to let us do it on our own terms. You want change...you got change!

Welfare isn't the only thing that warrants the wrecking ball. There are a number of other wasteful and useless programs which deserve attention as well. Local elected officials must provide a blueprint for our legislators in Sacramento and Washington of these unnecessary programs. And those legislators must pay attention to what we ask. One legislator who has listened and who is striving to give back to Local government the authority to set localpriorities is Assemblyman Jan Goldsmith. Jan has introduced a constitutional amendment to free local governments from the burdens of unfunded mandates. Recently. The board of Supervisors sent a strong message to the state by refusing to implement the controversial Cal-learn program. The approach of this misguided plan is to reward mothers who are in High School...who are already on welfare...with $100 in cold cash per quarter for maintaining a "C" average...and...a $500. "Bonus" for graduating. I remember during my teaching days seeing student after student struggle to do a good job. It was expected...and they got no financial reward from the Government for just staying in school and not getting pregnant. We as taxpayers shouldn't have to pay people to do the right thing. Kids need to learn about self-reliance, responsibility and performance...not dependency, complacency and irresponsible Behavior.

Assemblyman Goldsmith has joined with the Board of Supervisors to change this program. He recently Introduced legislation to penalize those on welfare who do not attend and finish high school. This approach has been very successful in Wisconsin through a program called "learnfare"...a Program I would very much like to see started in San Diego. Jan...we thank you for listening to us at the local level. If the County gets out of the business of welfare and begins to eliminate other unnecessary programs... the County bureaucracy must shrink accordingly. That seems logical doesn't it?...unfortunately, many Government employee unions don't seem to get it...they have forgotten why government employees are hired. Look what's happening just 100 miles to the north of us. It is absolutely ridiculous that employees working for the financially wrecked Orange County have gone to court to bar any employee lay-offs.

The purpose of County government is not to keep workers employed...it's to serve the public, Ladies and gentlemen. To meet the needs of taxpayers. If the taxpayers no longer require the services provided by government employees, then those employees need to find another outlet for utilizing their skills...just as many defense industry employees have been forced to do. Government employment can no longer be synonymous with "guaranteed job for life". During the past year we have tried to reform the outdated Civil Service system.

We placed a measure on this past November's ballot which was intended to get rid of the county's obsolete seniority practices and institute a performance-based personnel system. Such a system will reward hard-working employees...of which there are many in this County...for doing a good job and stop handing out raises to those who just show up for work. But...true to form...the unions took their cause to the Courts. And a sympathetic judge ordered the Board to remove the measure from the ballot, claiming our negotiators had not conferred with the unions long enough. Over the course of 11 months, our negotiators had met with unions 55 times, but the Court ruled the Board shouldn't "rush" to reform a system which has been in place For more than 60 years. Well...the Judge is wrong. The time for making the County bureaucracy run more like a private business is long past. My colleagues and I have ordered our negotiators back to the table with unions and we will have a Civil Service reform measure on the March 1996 ballot! To the County Employees who are worried about a performance based system...they needn't be...after all...the best job security...is doing a good job. You want change...you got change.

The Board of Supervisors doesn't need a charter change to implement a pay-for-performance system for County Department Heads and Managers. I will be bringing forward a proposal to my colleagues to direct the Chief Administrative Officer to immediately develop a compensation system for Managers which rewards Achievement and penalizes those who do not meet expected performance standards. And just to show that I'm picking on everyone tonight, I expect the Board of Supervisors to lead by example. I will ask my colleagues to join with me in docking our own pay $50 each and every time we start a Board of Supervisors meeting late...and there's more...I also propose that we forfeit a day's pay for each unexcused absence from each regularly scheduled Board meeting. Again, The concept is simple...no work...no pay. Like I said...you want change...you Got change.

It's clear, reforming how the County manages its current employees is critical...but we must also have the ability to hire the best person for the job. Plain and simple, we must get rid of the current quota system for hiring County employees which was imposed by the courts in 1977. I will be asking my colleagues on the Board to join with me to eliminate the court-ordered consent decree for the County workforce. Diversity in our workforce is very important...and I'm proud to say that our workforce reflects the diversity that the consent decree was intended to foster.. there is no reason to think that the consent decree is required any longer. What the taxpayers of San Diego County need is the simple ability to hire the best person for the job...regardless of race, creed or color. And if the private sector can do the job best, we should give it the opportunity to do so. My colleagues recently supported my proposal to take the first step toward privatizing the County's troubled solid waste system. But much more can be done to foster competition in the provision of County services.

In the coming months I will be working to competitively contract-out many County services beginning with a proposal to competitively bid the functions of the department of Revenue and Recovery. Contracting-out services will help provide jobs for the private sector...but we must do more for our local business community. I will be bringing forward a proposal to eliminate the Business License tax. Annually, businesses are forced to pay $28 to $43 for a Business Certificate in addition to a separate tax of $5 per employee. That's certainly no incentive to Increase San Diego's workforce. We've talked for too long about being business friendly...1995 must be the year to act business friendly. Not only am I going to propose eliminating this tax on business, but I will ask the Board to ban any new taxes or fees on businesses. Along with supervisor Slater's review of permit inspection fees, I will also be recommending a complete review of the permit fees charged by the Air Pollution Control District to try to make them more reflective of the actual costs of the pollution emitted. The current fees are based on averages, which means smaller businesses may be paying more than their fair share. For example...why should a paint spraying business emitting 15 Gallons of a particular solvent per day, pay the same fee as a business using more than 200 gallons per day? These types of inequities must be addressed.

The proliferation of unfair regulations is why last year I brought the economic advisory Board's proposal to eliminate any County regulation that cannot be justified in two years. In the upcoming year the Board will be acting on their recommendations for getting useless regulations off the books. Unfortunately, its not just business that is forced to wade through a myriad of County codes and lengthy permit processes.

I recently heard a story about a homeowner who was in the process of selling his home. By law, when you're selling a home...you're supposed to disclose any improvements that have been made. This homeowner disclosed that he had a licensed electrician Install an additional outlet in his living room several years prior. Well, lo and behold...he finally got an offer on his house...but it was contingent on making sure everything in the house was up to County code. The homeowner was then told he needed a $30 County permit for the extra outlet that had only cost $40 to install....and he was told that in order to get the permit, even though a County Inspector admitted it was to code, he would need the original electrician's acknowledgment that the job was properly done. Well to make a long story short...the homeowner couldn't Locate the electrician....and since he wanted to complete the sale of his home...he had the outlet removed for $50. Now I'm sure a lot of you are out there are thinking... I've put in an outlet and didn't get a permit...and after this story I'm sure you'll never admit it. But you shouldn't have to break the law just to put an extra electrical outlet in your home....and it doesn't stop there...

Many of you were probably unaware that you need a $176 permit to put a patio cover in your backyard.... A simple 500 square foot room addition will set you back $906....before you hammer one nail! To build an oversized garage...be prepared to write a $2000 check to the County.

The gouging of homeowners and taxpayers with enormous fees for ridiculous permits must stop. I intend to propose the Homeowner Relief Act of 1995 to eliminate fees and permits for minor home improvements. We should have the attitude that it's your home...do what you want with it...we're here to help if you need us. The original purpose for many of these permits was to provide for the health and safety of our citizens. Well, it has gone way too far. It's time for individuals to take responsibility for themselves and keep government out of their business. It’s all a part of changing the way Government operates...of changing the way government looks at and treats the taxpayer. Getting government out of our lives means increasing the freedom we have to be productive, creative citizens...but it also means accepting more personal responsibility for our actions. This is precisely what we need to be teaching our children...that with freedom comes responsibility.

I want to tell you a story about a young man that is here tonight who is learning this important lesson...responsibility. His name is Robert. When he was 11 years old he was removed from his home because his parents had become addicted to drugs and alcohol and could no longer care for him. Robert was taken to Hillcrest Receiving Home for abused and neglected children. Within hours of his arrival he caught the chicken pox and was put in isolation for more than a week. I don't think any of us can imagine what it's like to be taken away from your parents...the most important people in your life...without any idea when or if you will ever see them again. Over the next six years, Robert spent time in seven different foster homes, changing schools and neighborhoods more times than he can ever remember. In High School he earned good grades, but often feared for his own personal safety from gang members and neighborhood thugs.

Robert is now almost 18 years old And when he reaches adulthood, he will no longer be in the foster care system. Unfortunately, 75% of the young people in foster care become homeless when they turn 18 because no one has prepared them for surviving in the real world and they often have no one to lean on. Well...the good news is that is not going to happen to Robert.

Robert has a job and is in the process of applying to San Diego State University for next fall. Everyday is a struggle for him. He uses public transit that often takes more than an hour to reach his job. He washes and irons his own clothes to ensure he has the kind of professional appearance that is required at his workplace. This is one young man who is not going to be a statistic. Through his hard work, Robert has learned that even with the odds against him, he can succeed. Ladies and gentlemen...I’d like you to meet Robert...and the next time you call my office, I hope you'll give him some words of encouragement because he is the one who answers the phone. Robert...stand up. And keep up the good work. There are a lot of Roberts out in the world who need our help...because government can't provide these kids with encouragement...and guidance...and family. Only we can do that by giving of ourselves. That's the only way we are going to get the next generation back on track...one...kid...at...a...time.

I have talked a lot tonight about less government and about cutting programs that just aren't working. Achieving the goal of less government will take the commitment of all of us to get back involved in our neighborhoods and communities and take responsibility for ourselves...and our families, neighbors and friends. If we truly want less government and more individual freedom, we must be willing to take on more individual responsibility for a better tomorrow. There isn't a person on this stage tonight who doesn't feel the weight of the obligation we have to you...the voters. And though your Board of Supervisors may not have a contract for America like Newt and the new Congress in Washington...we do have an aggressive plan of attack... a genuine zeal to change, fundamentally, the way County Government does business. This house needs cleaning...and we're going to clean it together. You want change...you got change.