Thanks in advance, for all of your support. It is with great honor, that I have enjoyed your trust in participating in this election. My greatest enjoyment during this time, is to have met so many new people. I look forward to your continued friendship.
Whether I win or lose this election, I have enjoyed being part of the Democratic process. I invite you all to participate in future Hesperia City Council meetings. My economic goals for this city, will keep me involved regardless of whether I represent our city as a councilman or simply as a concerned citizen.
Best Regards,
Russ
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Voice of Independence
Politicians are often grouped together based on who they associate with, and for good reason. No single politician can be autocratic in their decision making, for starts, because our political process does not allow for it in our democracy which is ruled by the majority. A majority of votes, is what makes our political process function, so to accomplish anything we must come to an agreement in order to make progress on any subject.
This very concept of democracy demands that politicians must work together. Yet it does not mean there can not be true independence on a council of five, tasked with the responsibility of governing the needs of a city. All that is required, is conscience and the ability to withstand peer pressure.
What is right, is right no matter the individuals involved. It takes true character to vote your conscience. Especially if it is one that will make you unpopular with your co-workers and colleagues. Trust me when I say that while working in support of reducing property taxes with Prop 13 years ago, I learned just how unpopular one can be with co-workers who also happen to be politicians. Nonetheless, I proceeded with heeding my conscience and still sleep better at night knowing that I had the backbone to stand up against governmental powers that were hurting my neighbors and forcing them from their family homes.
With this current economy, again I must take a stand and publicly voice my opinion about how our city is running. The stand is one which I have taken based on addressing the needs of our community in regards to the foreclosures, once again because families are being torn from their homes. Some commenter's in the HesperiaStar.com article, that discussed this stand, are suspicious that I am in favor of the national bail out and expect more taxes for money to solve the problem, but nothing could be further from the truth.
As a true voice of independence, what I am actually standing up for is a RETURN of public money, back into the hands of Hesperian's that has already been set aside just for such a purpose. These are public funds that the city has long held onto, without dispersing these funds through their home owner assistance programs as originally intended. Truthfully, I have a problem with this as the cities own newsletter defines what the budget is and that the city council is directly responsible for deciding how the funds are dispersed.
In fact, the city has long already had the money set aside to help people get loans to buy homes - the only problem is that they just have NOT been so eager to get those loans processed. Instead the city council has allowed holding onto these public funds.
This is something I intend to immediatly change when elected. It is apparent now, more than ever, that these funds need to be returned into the hands of the people. We need to make this a priority. We need to be holding the city council responsible for dispersing these funds immediately, to help get our economy back in the right direction, before our area starts to decline further.
My plan as a city councilman would be to (1) to establish a ACTIVE loan program for first time owner occupied. First time owner occupied as being defined as someone who has not owned a home for three years or more. Additionally, credit counseling classes would be required to participate in this program. These loans would be made available to qualifying medium income buyers with the long term goal of stabilizing our city and reducing the over one thousand vacant homes which are currently a blight on our neighborhoods.
___Loan INFO
INCOME LIMITS
In order to qualify for a Mortgage Assistance Program home loan, the Applicant’s gross annual household income must not exceed the following limits: *
CATEGORY HOUSEHOLD SIZE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Very Low $23,300 $26,650 $29,950 $33,300 $35,950 $38,650 $41,300 $43,950
Low $37,300 $42,650 $47,950 $53,300 $57,550 $61,850 $66,100 $70,350
Moderate $52,100 $59,500 $67,000 $74,400 $80,400 $86,300 $92,300 $98,200
*Year 2008 Income Limits as published by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and updated annually
_______ END Loan Info
This very concept of democracy demands that politicians must work together. Yet it does not mean there can not be true independence on a council of five, tasked with the responsibility of governing the needs of a city. All that is required, is conscience and the ability to withstand peer pressure.
What is right, is right no matter the individuals involved. It takes true character to vote your conscience. Especially if it is one that will make you unpopular with your co-workers and colleagues. Trust me when I say that while working in support of reducing property taxes with Prop 13 years ago, I learned just how unpopular one can be with co-workers who also happen to be politicians. Nonetheless, I proceeded with heeding my conscience and still sleep better at night knowing that I had the backbone to stand up against governmental powers that were hurting my neighbors and forcing them from their family homes.
With this current economy, again I must take a stand and publicly voice my opinion about how our city is running. The stand is one which I have taken based on addressing the needs of our community in regards to the foreclosures, once again because families are being torn from their homes. Some commenter's in the HesperiaStar.com article, that discussed this stand, are suspicious that I am in favor of the national bail out and expect more taxes for money to solve the problem, but nothing could be further from the truth.
As a true voice of independence, what I am actually standing up for is a RETURN of public money, back into the hands of Hesperian's that has already been set aside just for such a purpose. These are public funds that the city has long held onto, without dispersing these funds through their home owner assistance programs as originally intended. Truthfully, I have a problem with this as the cities own newsletter defines what the budget is and that the city council is directly responsible for deciding how the funds are dispersed.
In fact, the city has long already had the money set aside to help people get loans to buy homes - the only problem is that they just have NOT been so eager to get those loans processed. Instead the city council has allowed holding onto these public funds.
This is something I intend to immediatly change when elected. It is apparent now, more than ever, that these funds need to be returned into the hands of the people. We need to make this a priority. We need to be holding the city council responsible for dispersing these funds immediately, to help get our economy back in the right direction, before our area starts to decline further.
My plan as a city councilman would be to (1) to establish a ACTIVE loan program for first time owner occupied. First time owner occupied as being defined as someone who has not owned a home for three years or more. Additionally, credit counseling classes would be required to participate in this program. These loans would be made available to qualifying medium income buyers with the long term goal of stabilizing our city and reducing the over one thousand vacant homes which are currently a blight on our neighborhoods.
___Loan INFO
INCOME LIMITS
In order to qualify for a Mortgage Assistance Program home loan, the Applicant’s gross annual household income must not exceed the following limits: *
CATEGORY HOUSEHOLD SIZE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Very Low $23,300 $26,650 $29,950 $33,300 $35,950 $38,650 $41,300 $43,950
Low $37,300 $42,650 $47,950 $53,300 $57,550 $61,850 $66,100 $70,350
Moderate $52,100 $59,500 $67,000 $74,400 $80,400 $86,300 $92,300 $98,200
*Year 2008 Income Limits as published by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and updated annually
_______ END Loan Info
This money has already been set aside by the redevelopment agency which falls under state law and can ONLY be used for the program I have already laid out or (2) apartments, and if not used will (3) automatically revert to the state if not needed in our city. We simply need to use it, or lose it.
There are absolutely NO EXCUSES for this money not being available right now to people who wish to apply for this program - except I have seen absolutely no evidence that people who have tried are successful of gaining the help of this program. The people who have approached the city for these funds, are unsuccessful because the program has simply not been set up yet. Therefore it is my opinion that the current city council has been extremely derelict in their duties and options (2) more apartments and (3) sending it back to the state are not what will improve our community.
Russ
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Illegal Immigration
Symbiosis is a close ecological relationship between the individuals of two (or more) different species. Sometimes a symbiotic relationship benefits both species, sometimes one species benefits at the other's expense, and in other cases neither species benefits. The relationship is called mutualistic if both creatures benefit; if only one benefits, the relationship is called parasitic.
A parasitic relationship is one in which one organism, the parasite, lives off of another organism, the host, harming it and possibly causing death.
With the alarming economic financial crisis we face in California today, we need to re-examine the interdependence of immigrants and our economy. Workers compensation, health care and welfare budgets are being negatively impacted by the under the table, illegal alien workers who do not contribute back into our system. It is not enough that they are a source of cheap labor, when the only one benefiting from such an arrangement is the employer who personally gets a higher profit than his competitor down the street legally following state laws regarding hiring and payroll practices.
Legal immigration is a valuable source for the American Economy to improve our global connectivity and workforce skills. ILLEGAL Immigration is a parasitic drain on our economy, that has come to the point that it is unsustainable. Anchor babies, are just not acceptable when our national health care system is in crisis.
With over 30-40% population in the four Federal Prisons located right here in the High Desert, there is a criminal aspect that can not be ignored as well. We need to address this crisis at the local level now, with respect to how it affects our neighborhoods with crimes due to gang activity and drug trafficking that happens along our traffic corridor. Gangs trafficking illegal drugs from the LA and San Diego areas one their way to Vegas, are stopping in our neighborhoods for stealing cars rather than stopping for gas on their drug runs. They are bringing graffiti to our streets in broad daylight, even killing people here in Hesperia who try to stop them as the gangs fight to take control of our community. The gangs are here to establish flop houses for stop overs, as they commit crimes cross states lines with their illegal activities that make headline news in major cities outside of our area. When finally caught, they end up in our federal prisons where we then feed and house them and give them medical care paid for with higher taxes.
Something is wrong here.
Immigration has always been a strength of America, and we need to look at our enforcement of the current laws. We need to have accountability in our workplaces so that if you know that one of your coworkers is working under the table, we will be able to fine the employer for criminal behavior by stealing from our legal workforce.
The melting pot is what makes America great and we want to continually encourage LEGAL immigration. However, it's time we support and enforce the laws that made our immigration process beneficial to our society, instead of continuing to allow the current tremendous financial drain.
Hesperia will NOT be allowed to be a refuge for illegal immigrants, for these many reasons. We must fight for protecting our country, starting in our very own backyards.
A parasitic relationship is one in which one organism, the parasite, lives off of another organism, the host, harming it and possibly causing death.
With the alarming economic financial crisis we face in California today, we need to re-examine the interdependence of immigrants and our economy. Workers compensation, health care and welfare budgets are being negatively impacted by the under the table, illegal alien workers who do not contribute back into our system. It is not enough that they are a source of cheap labor, when the only one benefiting from such an arrangement is the employer who personally gets a higher profit than his competitor down the street legally following state laws regarding hiring and payroll practices.
Legal immigration is a valuable source for the American Economy to improve our global connectivity and workforce skills. ILLEGAL Immigration is a parasitic drain on our economy, that has come to the point that it is unsustainable. Anchor babies, are just not acceptable when our national health care system is in crisis.
With over 30-40% population in the four Federal Prisons located right here in the High Desert, there is a criminal aspect that can not be ignored as well. We need to address this crisis at the local level now, with respect to how it affects our neighborhoods with crimes due to gang activity and drug trafficking that happens along our traffic corridor. Gangs trafficking illegal drugs from the LA and San Diego areas one their way to Vegas, are stopping in our neighborhoods for stealing cars rather than stopping for gas on their drug runs. They are bringing graffiti to our streets in broad daylight, even killing people here in Hesperia who try to stop them as the gangs fight to take control of our community. The gangs are here to establish flop houses for stop overs, as they commit crimes cross states lines with their illegal activities that make headline news in major cities outside of our area. When finally caught, they end up in our federal prisons where we then feed and house them and give them medical care paid for with higher taxes.
Something is wrong here.
Immigration has always been a strength of America, and we need to look at our enforcement of the current laws. We need to have accountability in our workplaces so that if you know that one of your coworkers is working under the table, we will be able to fine the employer for criminal behavior by stealing from our legal workforce.
The melting pot is what makes America great and we want to continually encourage LEGAL immigration. However, it's time we support and enforce the laws that made our immigration process beneficial to our society, instead of continuing to allow the current tremendous financial drain.
Hesperia will NOT be allowed to be a refuge for illegal immigrants, for these many reasons. We must fight for protecting our country, starting in our very own backyards.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Community Service - What it Means to Me
A good friend of mine once asked me the question "Why?" about the reasons I have been involved in so many public service opportunities all my life. It certainly has not been about the money, because even when some positions did pay I always personally had a policy of donating it back to a community charity so I had to really think about that before answering.
My third grade teacher once made a comment to my mother that she never had a student who was so interested in learning about the history of our government. That was back around the time when social studies was basically all about learning the names of our presidents.
Interestingly enough, that probably was what started it all. In fact, a family treasured document that will soon be donated for public display is something that even as a child made me realize the power of being active in service to our Country. It is a letter from one of my relatives written to another family member while he was serving with George Washington during the battle at Hellgate, before our Country was established.
Unfortunately, military service just wasn't something that was an option for me, for orthopedic related reasons. I guess that made me even more determined to do something that I could contribute with my skills. That is what first got me passionately involved with politics as a volunteer working as a Page at the Democratic Convention during the Kennedy years. I believed, and still do, that we have an obligation to serve in some form or another to our Country.
As District Finance Chairman for the Boy Scouts of America, I found that simply making a few phone calls enabled me to assist many kids attend camping events that helped them better enjoy their childhood.
A fellow at church talked me into leaving the grocery business as a manager to go work at Ettie Lee Boys Homes. As Business Manager for the Non Profit, I was instrumental in building three homes for the organization. Interestingly enough, that is where I learned about construction and later got my contractors license because of that experience. Part of my duties there were to help with fundraising for the buildings and I got a lot of construction materials donated for the projects. The founder had donated over 600 apartment units that she had owned when she endowed the organization with her significant estate - one of the most extraordinary woman I have ever met in my life and the philosophy I learned there has permeated my entire life.
The Ettie Lee philosophy was that boys went bad because they came from poor homes. Through law enforcement intervention, these boys ultimately came to live in the Ettie Lee Homes for troubled youth. The homes that we built, would house between six and twelve boys in a large family style setting with a set of house parents. My wife and I were also unpaid volunteer foster parents to many children over the years as well. We learned through experience, what a difference good parenting can make and some of those children have gone on to lead exceptional lives as well.
As former Mayor of Baldwin Park, with a staff independent from City resources I co-founded the Mid Valley Community Mental Health Council. Basically, we formed a consortium of six cities to establish this Non Profit funded by the Cities, State and County of Los Angeles. The City of Baldwin Park then stepped in as one of the six Cities that funded the project and every City had a member on the Management Board. The Mid Valley model, was Nationally recognized and we measurable cut juvenile crime by over fifty percent. Additionally, in each of these Cities we identified and were able to affect positive change in these children's lives by providing a unified approach through the cooperation of the educational, legal, municipal, and local health services. (Unfortunately this successful mental health service has since closed after being taken out of local non profit control and now partially covered in mental health services paid for and provided by the State. Which is in my opinion, part of the significant budget problems we are now having at the State level. Almost always local really is just more effective, in both results and cost.)
Personal involvement is great, because it really allows you to actively participate in the community you live in rather than just criticizing what is going on around you. Of course, I have also been a charitable supporter to many other non profits as well, but that has been no where near as rewarding to just write a check as it is to actually tangibly accomplish something with your own personal time.
~ Russ
My third grade teacher once made a comment to my mother that she never had a student who was so interested in learning about the history of our government. That was back around the time when social studies was basically all about learning the names of our presidents.
Interestingly enough, that probably was what started it all. In fact, a family treasured document that will soon be donated for public display is something that even as a child made me realize the power of being active in service to our Country. It is a letter from one of my relatives written to another family member while he was serving with George Washington during the battle at Hellgate, before our Country was established.
Unfortunately, military service just wasn't something that was an option for me, for orthopedic related reasons. I guess that made me even more determined to do something that I could contribute with my skills. That is what first got me passionately involved with politics as a volunteer working as a Page at the Democratic Convention during the Kennedy years. I believed, and still do, that we have an obligation to serve in some form or another to our Country.
As District Finance Chairman for the Boy Scouts of America, I found that simply making a few phone calls enabled me to assist many kids attend camping events that helped them better enjoy their childhood.
A fellow at church talked me into leaving the grocery business as a manager to go work at Ettie Lee Boys Homes. As Business Manager for the Non Profit, I was instrumental in building three homes for the organization. Interestingly enough, that is where I learned about construction and later got my contractors license because of that experience. Part of my duties there were to help with fundraising for the buildings and I got a lot of construction materials donated for the projects. The founder had donated over 600 apartment units that she had owned when she endowed the organization with her significant estate - one of the most extraordinary woman I have ever met in my life and the philosophy I learned there has permeated my entire life.
The Ettie Lee philosophy was that boys went bad because they came from poor homes. Through law enforcement intervention, these boys ultimately came to live in the Ettie Lee Homes for troubled youth. The homes that we built, would house between six and twelve boys in a large family style setting with a set of house parents. My wife and I were also unpaid volunteer foster parents to many children over the years as well. We learned through experience, what a difference good parenting can make and some of those children have gone on to lead exceptional lives as well.
As former Mayor of Baldwin Park, with a staff independent from City resources I co-founded the Mid Valley Community Mental Health Council. Basically, we formed a consortium of six cities to establish this Non Profit funded by the Cities, State and County of Los Angeles. The City of Baldwin Park then stepped in as one of the six Cities that funded the project and every City had a member on the Management Board. The Mid Valley model, was Nationally recognized and we measurable cut juvenile crime by over fifty percent. Additionally, in each of these Cities we identified and were able to affect positive change in these children's lives by providing a unified approach through the cooperation of the educational, legal, municipal, and local health services. (Unfortunately this successful mental health service has since closed after being taken out of local non profit control and now partially covered in mental health services paid for and provided by the State. Which is in my opinion, part of the significant budget problems we are now having at the State level. Almost always local really is just more effective, in both results and cost.)
Personal involvement is great, because it really allows you to actively participate in the community you live in rather than just criticizing what is going on around you. Of course, I have also been a charitable supporter to many other non profits as well, but that has been no where near as rewarding to just write a check as it is to actually tangibly accomplish something with your own personal time.
~ Russ
Water Pollution in Baldwin Park
Funny thing about politics, is that over time popular opinions change.
Let's take for example, environmental issues. aka The Green Movement.
Now we all know that there is a big public debate about what is important regarding how our society is managed concerning environmental issues. As it should be. The funny thing is how some people decide to take it into their own hands to push their viewpoints on the rest of the public. That being said, my personal philosophy is that we must enforce the laws, as established and let our economic policies determine the balance.
Recently there has been some accusations that the worst environmental water cleanup site in the United States is somehow my personal responsibility. I find this rather funny, considering the source of this accusation is one of the biggest contributors to several of my opposing running mates in the race. Apparently because Baldwin Park is downstream to the original source of this contamination, and at one time I was Mayor there - according to their logic I must be an evil person because I was responsible.
There's only one problem with that accusation. According to a Los Angeles Times article published in 1999, the EPA disagrees;
"EPA officials said they have identified two companies that used rocket fuel in Azusa in the 1940s, but have only been able to link the contamination to AeroJet General Corp.
“In the ’40s and ’50s, we didn’t have the environmental culture we have now,” said Kirby Brill, executive director of the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority. “They were told to [dispose of] it by throwing it on the ground and lighting it up.”
Now, I find this rather funny that I would be personally attacked by the husband of our current city councilwoman, for some how being responsible for industrial water contamination that was due to rocket fuel during World War 2.
At the time I am certain public policy was more in support of AeroJets industrial war efforts for defending our country, rather than against based our contemporary environmental issues, but that is besides the point. The point is, that Al Vogler seems to think that his wife's elected position gives him the right to stretch the truth, and is willing to fund a political campaign to slander someone seeking a seat on the same council.
For those of you who wish to do your own research on this subject, this is referring to a mailed political campaign letter from the "Hesperia Free Press - Albert H. Vogler #1311389" committee. A political committee intended not to support a specific candidate, but rather for the direct intent of influencing the electoral process against the candidates Al has personally funded as one of their largest contributors.
I ask only, what is his personal motivation considering his wife is already on the council?
Let's take for example, environmental issues. aka The Green Movement.
Now we all know that there is a big public debate about what is important regarding how our society is managed concerning environmental issues. As it should be. The funny thing is how some people decide to take it into their own hands to push their viewpoints on the rest of the public. That being said, my personal philosophy is that we must enforce the laws, as established and let our economic policies determine the balance.
Recently there has been some accusations that the worst environmental water cleanup site in the United States is somehow my personal responsibility. I find this rather funny, considering the source of this accusation is one of the biggest contributors to several of my opposing running mates in the race. Apparently because Baldwin Park is downstream to the original source of this contamination, and at one time I was Mayor there - according to their logic I must be an evil person because I was responsible.
There's only one problem with that accusation. According to a Los Angeles Times article published in 1999, the EPA disagrees;
"EPA officials said they have identified two companies that used rocket fuel in Azusa in the 1940s, but have only been able to link the contamination to AeroJet General Corp.
“In the ’40s and ’50s, we didn’t have the environmental culture we have now,” said Kirby Brill, executive director of the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority. “They were told to [dispose of] it by throwing it on the ground and lighting it up.”
Now, I find this rather funny that I would be personally attacked by the husband of our current city councilwoman, for some how being responsible for industrial water contamination that was due to rocket fuel during World War 2.
At the time I am certain public policy was more in support of AeroJets industrial war efforts for defending our country, rather than against based our contemporary environmental issues, but that is besides the point. The point is, that Al Vogler seems to think that his wife's elected position gives him the right to stretch the truth, and is willing to fund a political campaign to slander someone seeking a seat on the same council.
For those of you who wish to do your own research on this subject, this is referring to a mailed political campaign letter from the "Hesperia Free Press - Albert H. Vogler #1311389" committee. A political committee intended not to support a specific candidate, but rather for the direct intent of influencing the electoral process against the candidates Al has personally funded as one of their largest contributors.
I ask only, what is his personal motivation considering his wife is already on the council?
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