CLEARLAKE — Candidates vying for various seats on the Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) participated Saturday in a candidates” forum hosted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The two-hour forum was held at city hall in Clearlake.
Five candidates participated in the forum including incumbent Rob Brown and Joan Moss, District 5 (Kelseyville/Cobb); incumbent Jim Comstock and Victoria Brandon, District 1 (Middletown/Hidden Valley/Lower Lake/Clearlake); and Fred Langston, District 4 (Lakeport). Fourth District incumbent Anthony Farrington was unable to attend.
The candidates answered questions posed by members of the audience that were presented by Moderator Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit following their introductions. Candidates were asked their positions on issues such as improving the county”s economy, teen pregnancy rates in the county, application of the General Plan in relation to development, medical marijuana and Measure D; lake health, youth, In Home Health Services and their goals or accomplishments. Some questions were posed to particular candidates; however, all were given the opportunity to respond.
Candidates Comstock and Brandon were asked their positions on the development of property out of compliance with the General Plan. Comstock said the General Plan is the roadway for what the county wants to do in the next 20 years. He said while he does not support projects that are out of line with the plan, there are opportunities to amend it. He said the General Plan cannot be discarded.
Brandon said she supports the General Plan and assisted with writing it. She said the plan contains wise provisions and is a “very good document for our future.” She voiced disappointment with her opponent”s vote on the Cristallago project.
Candidates were asked what they would do to bring business to the county and decrease the unemployment rate. Comstock said the county relies heavily on tourism. He said he”s been involved in streamlining the permit process to create more jobs. Langston said he believes in individual ownership of business and he would encourage more people to open private business. Brown said that the closure of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa has impacted the unemployment rate and that the BOS is working with a group of potential buyers for the property.
Brandon also touched on the tourist industry and said tourist opportunities should be broadened to encompass all seasons. She also indicated that stimulating the agriculture industry would assist in boosting the economy. Moss said she would want to see the State Apprenticeship Program initiated in the county because she said stimulus money is used to help people learn a new trade, especially veterans. She also said she would like to see juvenile delinquency prevention grants used to bring family fun centers to all communities in the county, creating jobs for youth.
Candidates were asked their would-be approach to medical marijuana dispensaries. Brandon said she thought the BOS has handled the issue poorly. She said while the regulations presented by the BOS has its good and bad points, it did not include the people directly involved in the issue such as patients, growers and dispensary operators. She said the BOS knew closing dispensaries down would drive the activity underground and increase criminal activity, thereby creating the “very situation they didn”t want.” She said she supports changes to re-open dispensaries in a legal and safe way.
Comstock said that he thinks that the BOS creation of regulations occurred with a good process involving the stakeholders. He said he believes in safe and reasonable access, but some of the dispensaries that were operating were fronts for drug use and drug trafficking. He said five dispensaries in the unincorporated areas of the county is a good and reasonable number.
Langston said the regulations that were presented by the BOS were not sufficient but the board did the best it could with the information it had. He said good guidance is needed to open dispensaries back up and that he supports the BOS establishing a committee to address the issue, which he said needs the input of patients, doctors and others impacted.
Brown said he disagrees with the opinion that the BOS regulations did not have sufficient input from the public. He said more public meetings were held on the issue that any other addressed by the BOS. He said he supports five dispensaries in the county with annual review to determine if more are needed. He said the federal government has become more serious about dispensaries and some have been proven to being used as a front.
Moss said while Rick Coel, community development director, worked hard on the regulations, it was ultimately written by him, the Sheriff and County Counsel Anita Grant. She said she believes in Proposition 215 and that doctors should decide the amount a patient should be prescribed. She applauded the formation of a committee “that includes all patients, doctors, growers and dispensary operators.” She said she supports Measure D.
The forum was filmed by Public/Education/Government (PEG) volunteers and is expected to be broadcast on Channel 8 in its entirety.
