Raising a Politician - originally posted in Oct. 2010

A recent NPR article compared politics to a sorority.  In the past, I have referred to it as high school ... but there is a critical player missing in both scenarios ... You, me, the public ... where do we fit in this sorority or high school drama?

I believe we fill the role of parent, a role that goes back to pre-politics.  You see people aren’t born politicians. I would suggest that most begin their political careers because they care about their local community and want to contribute towards making it better ... just like you and I.

Like young children, these young politicians want to serve and please their parents (the public).  Parents of young children realize the need to be very attentive to every detail. They provide constant feedback and loving correction, all with purposeful intention of developing a solid foundation to grow from.

Enter elementary school age.  I would say 2-4 years into political life for a politician. Children this age are exploring their independence and developing their identity.  Parents must still be aware of every detail but must now resort to threats more than they may like in order to continue developing their child into a responsible, caring and contributing individual.

I think most parents would agree that junior and senior high are hell ... for everyone involved.  Friends and societal status begin to matter more than parents. It matters zilch that parents are still the ones providing everything ... and parents still must work even harder to stay aware of what is going on in that child’s world.

The hope that parents hold is that the hard work and effort of being engaged, even when facing efforts to thwart this engagement, will prove worth it when their child becomes an adult and is able to reach their maximum potential.

As a “parent,” how are you doing in staying aware of the issues in your community? How are you doing at checking in with your “children” to let them know that you are paying attention? 

How are you at giving feedback to help guide and grow our politicians into solid, responsive public servants? How are you doing at providing reminders that it is us the public that really matter and not any one special group ... no matter how popular they may seem?

We all have a role to play in making our community better ... Stay on top of the issues ... Find ways to contribute, provide feedback and guidance ... 

It’s our job as “parents” to be engaged ... otherwise we have no one to blame but ourselves ...

~ Z

Hey now – as a SDSU sorority girl I resent the comparison! LOL. But I get ya – though I often thought politics was more like middle school but with money and power - but maybe that’s too cynical. 
Because I’ve been there, seen it and felt it .... I know politics is an emotional sport but also one of those thankless jobs. So while I agree that all must get involved to share and work with our electeds – I think we also need to look at HOW we do it.
 
We just saw in the elections, many campaigns running on the platform that current leaders suck. “Get ‘em out. We’ll do better.” But isn’t that the platform every year no matter the party? So we as voters, back our candidate. Within a few months, the honeymoon is over and the candidate becomes our ‘politician’. The rhetoric out there is not nice these days. Forget the issues – attacks are personal. So, we have created the distasteful part of politics too.
 
What I experienced was two parts to the job: policymaker and politician. You need both. 
 
Policymakers hear all sides to make the best and often hard decisions for the benefit of the community. Someone is bound to get upset about the decision. Mix in misunderstood, incorrect or fabricated information and you can have a cocktail of fierceness on either side that can overshadow the actual issue. 
 
Politicians have supporters who elected them into office. They need supporters to stay in office. And sometimes the policy needed may not be what certain supporters want.
 
Heck then why would anyone want this job? Because we need good people to leave a better tomorrow. 
 
So yes, if we want to raise effective ‘politicians’ we need to do our part to get involved and share our needs so the best decision can be made. The other part is to keep check on how we behave when we don’t get what we want. And it’s not about being thick skinned, it’s about making “getting involved” more appealing. We want more people to share their ideas and we want more good people from the community to run for office. 
 
If our electeds keep having to deal more with the politics than with the policy – moving forward will be slower and slower. 
~ Patty

Chula Vista Goes Lean and Taxpayers Save

Have you heard the phrase Continuous Improvement Process or Going Lean?

I hadn't until a recent council meeting where a presentation was given by a group of Chula Vista employees from Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology.  

Stay with me here - because I promise it gets interesting.

Both phrases come from the Japanese word "Kaizen" - meaning improvement for the better.  It's a core belief that there is no end point for improvement.  Improvement is continual and a daily process that eliminates waste, increases efficiency and is all-inclusive.

Okay, here is where it gets good.  

BF Goodrich has partnered with Chula Vista to bring this training to city employees.  

The Chula Vista project I heard about entailed employees' flexible spending accounts, WageWorks (a subcontractor to administer accounts), and city departments involved in ensuring the subcontractor had the current information they needed.

The interesting part is what happened to an overtly bureaucratic process when Kaizen principles were applied.  

Below is a picture of what the process looked like before and after.  Each sticky note represents  a step in the process.

The picture really says it all!

Sixty-one steps were streamlined into twenty-four steps.  And processes in general improved up to 100%.  For full presentation on project, click here.

For you and I, the taxpayer, this represents time saved -- which equates to money saved.  

The economic environment has forced Chula Vista to cut services to the bone, forcing the city to find ways to do more with less.  

Kudos to Chula Vista for allowing employees to apply Kaizen principles to their work.  The results are undeniably amazing, and I hope that more departments will work together to revisit processes and strive towards continuous improvement.

And a big THANK YOU to BF Goodrich for being great community partners and sharing this training!

Be Aware. Be Informed. The New Drugs in our Community

These are the new drugs. They are being sold at gas stations, markets and deli's not far from our schools. Sometimes the packages are marked with cartoons or monikers attractive to youth. They are intentionally miss-labeled and marked "Not For Human Consumption" to avoid regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 


Authorities believe the drugs are often manufactured by rogue chemists in foreign countries. They pack a punch. Health officials say the drugs can combine the 'nightmarish hallucinations of a bad LSD trip with the obsessive cravings of crack cocaine.' 


Sold as : "Herbal Incense", "Potpourri", "Spice" 'K2".  They are deadly synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana. But it's not marijuana. It is a deadly synthetic drug.


Sold as: "Bath Salts", "Plant Food" and "Fertilizer" are names for products that mimic the effects of controlled substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, PCP and others.  They can also mimic a combination of all of these drugs.  These are not the Bath Salts that are legitimately used when a person soaks in a tub of water.  They are dangerous designer drugs intentionally miss-labeled as "Bath Salts." 


Death and serious injuries have occurred to users and people they encounter. Anyone is allowed to purchase these products. And local merchants are selling them.

I did a quick google search and found the following on a San Diego based website: 

"Even though the DEA has issued a ban in effect on 5 synthetic chemicals that mimic the effect of marijuana the fun still continues as we are coming out with new 50 state legal blends and other legal products. You will experience the same joy and satisfaction from our new products, just like the ones you experienced with our other products."

Our Community is taking Action ...
After the sales of Spice was found in the Deli located right next door to Hilltop Middle School, local parents and community leaders banded together to form "People Against Spice Sales". They want to help educate and inform the community on the dangers of these drugs.  


What Local Policy Makers are Doing ... 
Most of the synthetic drugs on the market do not contain a list of ingredients, which makes it difficult to enforce a ban. As a first step, Assemblymember Ben Hueso introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution 69 at the State calling for law enforcement, first responders, schools, local elected officials, and parents to educate youth about the risks associated with synthetic drugs. Hueso is also working on legislation that would completely ban the products.


In Chula Vista last week, the Public Safety Committee held a hearing on the two popular synthetic drugs. Chula Vista Councilmembers Steve Castaneda and Patricia Aguilar want to ban synthetic marijuana strains from Chula Vista.


What can you do? 
"People Against Spice Sales" are willing to present information to groups of any size.and are working to ensure legislation is passed in California to ban the sales and possession of these dangerous drugs by anyone. 


You can reach them through: 
stopspice@hotmail.com  
stopspicesales@gmail.com 
Or search their Facebook page: People Against Spice Sales  


Contact your Local Policymakers
Assemblymember Hueso: 619-409-7979
Councilmember Castaneda: 619-691-5044


Most importantly, be informed. A quick google search will give you a long list of articles nationwide and locally. And then share with your children, friends, family and neighbors ... and offer your help to our leaders.




PC

Redevelopment Lives on in Chula Vista

Council Member Patricia Aguilar announced on her Facebook page that at the meeting of August 2, 2011 

"the City Council voted to continue with redevelopment, although it will cost the city what the staff has termed a $4.1 million "ransom" payment to the state to do so. The other alternative under the new state law would be to dissolve the redevelopment agency altogether."  

The payment will come from an account dedicated to affordable housing projects and is planned to be repaid by the City in the next three years.  The payment is not anticipated to have a significant impact to any planned affordable housing.


This action allows the City to move forward on major redevelopment projects, such as Bay Front Development, Third Avenue and Main Street public improvements and more.  


The state law that requires cities to relinquish some of their redevelopment funds, in order to be eligible to have a redevelopment agency, is being challenged in court.  But until that case is settled, Chula Vista will lose $4.1 million of their redevelopment funding in the first year and a little over $1 million annually in following years.  


A recent article in the Union Tribune sheds more light on where this money actually goes --- and it would appear that the City may be getting some of it back, as would our local school districts.  


How much they get back and plans on how the money will be used are questions that come to my mind.  I'll see what I can find .... if you have knowledge, feel free to share ...

The Future of Redevelopment in Chula Vista

In an April post, we discussed the Governor's proposal to eliminate local redevelopment agencies.  


The state budget passed didn't outright eliminate these agencies.  But it did set-up a pay-to-play framework.  At tonight's meeting, the City Council will discuss redevelopment in Chula Vista, what's at stake, and decide whether they will participate in the new redevelopment framework.


I live in Otay Ranch, and many may think that redevelopment doesn't impact us "Eastsiders."  But the two hundred unit affordable housing complex down the street was made possible by this money.  


Having affordable housing options is important in a city.  Chula Vista has been hit hard by the housing market.  Many are in desperate need of affordable housing.


And then there is the Bayfront.  Developing our bay front has been a long standing dream of this city and its residents. It's a dream that has been close enough to taste and smell --- but has yet to be realized.


You can watch tonight's meeting live online (4pm) through streaming video.   If you have any thoughts on redevelopment to share with your leaders --- contact them prior.  


Z