August 1, 2019 - Kevin Cann today announced he will seek reelection as District 4 Supervisor in the March 2020 primary. Originally elected in November 2008 Kevin says those first four years were among the most fiscally challenging that counties in California have ever endured. In the statewide new supervisors training two weeks after the election the state Comptroller congratulated the 46 new supervisors then observed that “your timing really sucks” as California was headed for a $75 billion deficit. Over the next few years the state transferred unprecedented amounts of financial and operational responsibility to the counties. AB-109 flooded our county jail with felons previously held in state prison. State road funds got redirected and homeless populations exploded across the state. Financial and staffing cuts were a painful but long overdue reorganization that has put us in a better place. Also during that period Mariposa’s supervisors and employee bargaining units finally took control of the retirement system and rolled it back 30% to a sustainable level. This was a vitally important move for the county’s future.
During Kevin’s first two terms almost every appointed department head was replaced. Some retired many were removed. The Board adopted a philosophy of recruiting until a perfect fit was achieved, not simply hiring the best person available at the time. Over time that has paid off handsomely in higher performance throughout the ranks and millions of grant dollars coming to our county instead of landing with our neighbors because we were too short sighted to work the state and federal system. Only through a two year coordinated rural county effort with the Governor’s office were we able to get almost $4 million in state grant money to remove thousands of drought weakened or dead trees along our hundreds of miles of county roads, buildings, parks and facilities. Kevin was personally asked by the Governor to participate and was a key player in the success of the Governor’s tree Mortality Task Force.
Kevin says one of the reasons he is running again is that so many of the exciting projects we have worked on for over the last 10 years are now coming to fruition. Measure M, which the voters passed last year, has put a brighter future on the tremendous changes we face in Law Enforcement, Fire Protection and road maintenance. Our Sheriff’s office has been challenged like never before but we have restored funding and on the street officers to keep personal and property safety a hallmark of Mariposa County. Eight years of work with Caltrans will culminate next spring with a major downtown road, sidewalk and crosswalk reconstruction including replacement of our dilapidated streetlights with new and many more LED historic style lights. We are in a finalist position for a $7 million grant to repave all the side streets off 140 in town including most parking lots. The Board is revising the 2006 General Plan’s zoning to promote targeted economic development. Gone will be the days when investors would go through a 10 year planning process. If we want to attract businesses we must zone so they will have confidence in their investment.
Our partnership with Self Help Enterprises will construct 42 new units of workforce housing over the next two years. While homelessness remains a problem we are frankly managing it better than most California locations. And, we have been able to do it with grants and state and federal monies not our local General Fund. We also expect a state grant for a small permanent homeless shelter to better serve those in need and comply with new statute.
Kevin says “Most importantly there is a serious degrading of political trust going on with respect to our representatives in Sacramento and Washington. Local government remains a bastion of responsibility to the citizens. You talk to me in every part of our daily lives from the street to the Board room to the grocery store and I take your positions to the decision table. This “new localism” requires that we work every possible avenue with those who impact us in Sacramento and DC. Our voices must be heard where the decisions are made. That old adage is especially true for rural counties in California, if you are not at the table you are left out or worse, you are on the menu. This has happened for far too many years in Mariposa County”
He continues “Contrary to the concept that the county supervisor position is a stepping stone, I believe it is a career capstone where we can positively impact our friends and neighbors on a daily basis. I am very proud of the progress we have made over the last 10 years being resilient in the face of unprecedented recession, tree mortality, floods, devastating fires and paralyzing Federal government shutdowns. Through it all we have stuck together and taken the actions necessary to keep our future bright. I look forward to earning your vote in March 2020.”
Submitted by the Committee to Reelect Supervisor Kevin Cann, Mariposa County District 4
