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Government Reform Efforts

Listening to the voices of the people. As I have traveled around Congressional District 2 in Northern California, I have been awed by the citizens’ wealth of knowledge and understanding of the complex issues facing Northern California, and the steps that need to be taken to improve the lives of families and children living in this area.

These experts in local issues need to have the ear of their representatives. With the advent of social networking, blogging, RSS feeds and other cutting edge internet tools, we have the resources to bring our local experts into the democratic process. Not to say "yea" or "nay" in endless polls. Not to respond to an infrequent newsletter with check boxes, but to provide a hometown perspective to the work done in Washington.

My personal answer to government reform, that will begin as soon as I have set up an office in Washington will be to create a virtual office staffed by hometown experts from CD2 willing to be a part of the briefing process, bringing diverse perspectives and points of view to the table as legislation of importance to our area is moving through congress.

It will be vital to include people who have studied the issues such as water experts, soils scientists, ecology specialists, trained foresters and rural economists. And it will be equally important to have the perspective of people living with the consequences of Congress’s actions: teachers, parents, nurses, farmers and others.