Several weeks ago I was asked by a friend to endorse Bob Smith in his bid for Assemblyman serving the 34th District which includes Barstow. I had a few concerns before I endorsed Mr. Smith;
- Nursery Products LLC., my position is that he should have stood up against the sludge facility and supported the people of Hinkley, possibly his future constituents.
- I was also interested in his stance with the casino issues and how they could improve the economics for this area.
- The City has MSA'S with Big Lagoon, Los Coyotes and Chemehuevi. In my opinion the Assemblyman Maze and State Senator Ashburn have ignored the Chemhuevi, the only tribe within the area they serve.
I finally met with Bob, he spent a few hours discussing his background and my concerns. Overall, I was very impressed with his demeanor and professionalism. His heart is in Barstow and convinced me he would strongly represent this area.
In conclusion, after thoughtful consideration I felt it would be in the best interest of Barstow for me to support the person, not the party. Good Luck, Bob!
Local man running talks about gangs, schools, casinos and sludge March 15, 2007 - 7:21AM Staff photo by Aaron Aupperlee: State Assembly candidate Bob Smith sets up a virtual office on his laptop inside his traditional office in the new Desert Ambulance building. Smith plans to replace Assemblyman Bill Maze as the 34th district's represen Local man running talks about gangs, schools, casinos and sludge By AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer BARSTOW - Bob Smith sat at his desk in his office on East Main Street. He worked on the virtual office loaded on the screen of his laptop. He hopes the technology - a Web site that allows people on his campaign to check messages, contact lists and schedules from anywhere with an Internet connection - will give him the edge. "This district is huge," the State Assembly candidate said, looking at a map of the 34th district, spanning from Visalia to Needles and includes portions of Tulare, Inyo, Kern and San Bernardino counties. "You need to have a field rep in Visalia and one in Barstow, and they need to be on the same page." The former field representative for both State Assemblyman Bill Maze and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors said friends and supporters for years have told him to get out from behind people and be the guy out in front. Smith finally listened and is now running for Maze's seat, vacated by term limits in 2008. His roots At the age of 19, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department asked Smith to buy drugs undercover in the Barstow area schools. It was his first foray into public service. He worked in the schools for two years and continued to work with the sheriff's department for 26 more. In 1999, Smith began a new role in area schools as a member of the Silver Valley Unified School District's Board of Trustees. He currently serves as a school board trustee with the Summit Leadership Academy in Hesperia. "If you look at my career, it has paralleled those two things," he said. "It has paralleled education and law enforcement." Smith credits role models with giving him direction in life. Raised with two alcoholic parents, Smith grew up jumping from foster home to foster him, six in total. He said his wife, Deborah, jokes that Smith probably should have ended up in prison. "If I hadn't had certain role models, I wouldn't be where I am today," he said. "I want to be the role model for the individuals growing up." He remembers on foster parent, a man who owned a horse ranch, who taught him what he should and should not do. In theory, he said, government officials should be the horse ranchers for the rest of the youth, but a few bad examples spoil the government's image. However, Smith said he plans to lead by example and not preach on the campaign. "I'm going to campaign on issues, and morals are just part of my make-up," he said. The issues Fighting gangs and improving schools sit on top of Smith's issues to campaign on - no surprise considering his background. To solve both, Smith said, he wants to bring groundbreaking thinking to Sacramento. He applauded gang solutions such as the county's recent GPS tracking program as good starts but said more needs to be down to break the cycle of gangs early. "If a kid's role model is a gang member, there is only one direction for that kid to go," he said. One way to provide better role models for kids is by improving the district's schools, and one way to improve area school is to look at models that work, he said. He doesn't want to "reinvent the wheel" when it comes to education, but Smith said he is not afraid to borrow from other areas that are having success. "The state is good at giving you money and then telling you how it is going to be used," he said. "But that doesn't encoura g e out-of-the-box thinking." He referenced required school uniforms at Summit Leadership Academy, something Smith said relieves the stress caused by peer pressure, as an effective tool for elevating education. However, he said he would not push for such policies in Sacramento unless his constituents want him to. Another local issue Smith feels should be up to the public is the proposed casino in Barstow. A bill ratifying the casino compacts has been put before the State Assembly; however, as in the past, opposition from other gaming tribes threatens to block it. Smith acknowledged the temptation of siding with the powerful gaming tribes but said he wants to pass laws that benefit the people and not the lobbyists. "If a majority of constituents in Barstow want a casino, then it should be their decision," he said. Some Hinkley residents would applaud this logic if applied to their concerns about a sludge composting facility proposed nearby. However, Smith said the state should stay out of the sludge debate currently roaring in Hinkley and let local government use its process. But if the process is broken, he said, and it is allowing a facility that would be detrimental to its public, then the state should step in to fix the process. He said he is in favor in keeping the air quality high in the High Desert and creating restrictions to do so. The shake-up A possible initiative to change California's legislator term limits could complicate Smith's plan to assume Maze's Assembly seat. Smith, a representative from Maze's office and 18th District State Senator Roy Ashburn all acknowledged that the change would make them reconsider their next moves. According to Ashburn, the rumored initiative would allow people in the Assembly and Senate to serve a total of 12 years in either. A person in the assembly then could serve all 12 years there instead of the current stipulation of six, and a person in the senate could serve all 12 years there instead of only eight. Ashburn, who must leave the senate in 2010 because of term limits, would not comment on the likelihood of such an initiative. "It's up to the people; it's up to the voters," he said. Ashburn has shown interest in running for a position on the State Board of Equalization, the state tax board, and would consider spending more time in the Senate if given the opportunity, he said. Term limits will push Maze out of office in 2008. He would not comment on his future political aspirations because of the possible term-limit change. Smith does not think the possible initiative will pass. He said the voters asked for term limits and will not easily change their minds. He has, though, talked to Maze about the possibility of a change in term-limit regulations. Smith said at this moment, his first inclination would be to continue his campaign and seek Maze's seat even if term-limit regulations change. However, he said his campaign strategy team will make a decision further down the road.
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