Please answer questions 1, 17, and 19 and any other 7 of the following 19 questions:

1. What do you anticipate will be the three most important environmental issues that you will face if elected, and what actions do you propose to take to resolve them?

Water Quality: Rivers and streams of the North Coast have suffered a monumental decline in their fish populations due at least in part to the effects of timber harvesting and development. We must find ways to restore these habitats and stop sedimentation buildup.

Energy: We must stop turning our backs on the REAL solution to our energy problem &emdash; renewable energy. Now is the time to diminish our dependence on fossil fuels, and exploit technologies that are already identified as clean, efficient, and renewable sources of energy.

Coastal Protections: California’s coast is under threat of offshore drilling once again, and we cannot relent in our resolve to prohibit any drilling off the California coast.

2. Conservation is credited for avoiding an energy crisis in California last summer. Public funding of conservation programs improves reliability and lowers rates by lowering demand. However, the additional funding allocated by the Legislature to date is temporary. Would you support continuing higher levels of public investment in energy conservation and energy efficiency measures? Much of this funding is controlled by the utilities even though they have obvious conflicts of interest, and their performance has been spotty. Would you support independent (non-utility) administration of these funds? Why or why not?

Yes, I would certainly support higher levels of investment in energy conservation and efficiency measure because not only is it environmentally sound, it is also economically sound. I would also support independent administration of funds to promote conservation.

3. PG&E has proposed to transfer numerous hydropower facilities to an unregulated corporation. This proposal raises significant issues about energy policy as well as numerous environmental issues involving stream flows, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. Do you support or oppose the PG&E privatization plan? Do you support state acquisition of PG&E watershed lands and temporary state ownership of PG&E’s hydropower facilities until an evaluation is finished that recommends how to balance the hydropower power generation with environmental and other values?

I oppose the PG&E privatization plan for hydro facilities, and I support an evaluation of the competing values surrounding hydropower facilities. I am concerned in my own district with PG&E’s Potter Valley facility, which uses water diverted from the Eel River into the Russian River. I am particularly concerned that the issue of evaluating competing interests seems to be in the hands of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), rather than more local governing entities.

4. California has experienced an electricity shortage in the last year. What environmental protections and opportunities are you most concerned about as the state responds to the electricity problem? Please address the following issues in your response.

a. Nuclear reactors are hazardous, expensive, and vulnerable to attack by terrorists. Nuclear fission generates highly radioactive wastes that remain toxic for hundreds of thousands of years. Do you support building new nuclear power plants? Would you support building a nuclear power plant in your district?

I do not support building new nuclear power plants in my district or anywhere else.

 

b. Over 95% of California’s planned additions to electricity capacity will use natural gas as fuel. Solar, wind and geothermal technologies can supply energy with far lesser impacts on the environment while providing consumers with some insulation from the price volatility of natural gas. Do you support a requirement (known as a "renewables portfolio standard") that all electricity sellers in California acquire at least 20% of their supply from renewable sources?

The state must provide economic incentives for the private sector, and also invest public dollars in developing clean, renewable energy sources. I believe California needs to be proactive in developing an energy policy outlining goals for development of alternative energy generation sources over the next 25 years.

We cannot let the energy crisis reduce our commitment to air quality, or our commitment to oppose the development of nuclear generation facilities. We should find ways to bring older, polluting facilities into compliance within a reasonable time, but more importantly, take steps to bring on line renewable, non-polluting sources of energy, such as wind and solar.

As Assemblymember, I would support legislation along the lines of SB 532 which would provide 20% of our energy from renewable sources within ten years.

5. Enactment of strong environmental laws will not result in improved environmental quality unless state agencies ensure compliance through rigorous enforcement programs. However, some agencies do not demonstrate a strong emphasis on enforcement and have inadequate or insufficiently funded monitoring and compliance programs. How should California improve its enforcement of existing environmental laws?

First of all, we need to adequately staff and fund all agencies charged with environmental monitoring and enforcement. We simply must give enforcement agencies the tools to do their mandated duties.

Secondly, penalties for violations are consistently too low to remove the violator’s economic incentive to eliminate the cause of the violation. Sanctions which provide no economic incentive are useless. I would support efforts to impose meaningful fines for violations.

6. California’s need for open space in the future is great, including habitat, parks and wilderness areas for recreational and wildlife needs, and productive agricultural lands. How should future land acquisitions be funded?

I believe future acquisitions should be funded through a combination of public and private sources. I have consistently supported tax and bond measures such as those which fund the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, and that provide State funds for the acquisition and development of parkland and open space. I strongly supported Prop 12 and am actively supporting Prop 40.

7. The largest owner of private forestry lands in California has announced plans to clear-cut about 1.5 million acres of trees in coming decades. Do you support clear-cutting? If so, why? If not, why not?

I strongly oppose clear-cutting. Poor forestry practices have decimated our timberland resources, and we must reevaluate the process by which the State approves harvesting plans. The development and adequate review of Habitat Conservation Plans must continue, and we must continue to find ways to protect old-growth forests.

8. The Sierra Club supports strict regulation of logging in areas that adversely affect streams used by the coho salmon and steelhead, both listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. How would you respond to proposed laws to limit or prohibit logging in riparian areas to avoid adverse impacts to salmon and their habitat?

I am in total support of efforts to protect riparian areas which may suffer adverse impacts because of timber harvesting. It makes no fiscal sense to spend money on stream restoration while we also allow timber cutting too close to the streams. We must identify and enforce buffer zones in the vicinity of streams and rivers in logging areas.

Additionally, we need to adequately staff and fund the agencies charged with enforcement and enforce the rules currently on the books.

9. California Department of Fish and Game has never had an adequate funding base for the work that it is charged with doing under the California Endangered Species Act. As a result, CDFG lacks adequate personnel and resources to carry out its species protection mandates. How would you prioritize state spending on endangered species protection? What revenue source would you rely on to fully fund the endangered species program at CDFG?

Again, we need to fully staff and fund agencies charged with environmental monitoring and enforcement. I believe we must coordinate and maximize efforts to provide endangered species protection by fully funding the endangered species program at CDFG. We should review the penalty fee structure for violations of CESA, and possibly increase penalties to assist in funding CDFG.

10. What is your position on the California Coastal Commission’s role in protecting our state’s coastal resources?

The Coastal Commission has played a vital role in protecting our coastal resources. We are fortunate to have Mike Reilly and John Woolly from the First Assembly District, who understand the issues affecting the North Coast, as members of the commission. I am troubled by the Judge Kobayashi’s ruling that the Coastal Commission is "unconstitutional" and will do whatever it takes in the legislature to ensure the Commission continues in its mandated role to protect California’s coastline.

11. Do you think that certain marine areas should be off limits to fishing and other human activities in order to allow these areas to recover from past human impacts?

Yes. We need to work with the affected communities to ensure that everyone’s concerns are heard.

12. Water pollution makes our beaches unsafe for swimming, makes fish unsafe to eat, and ruins habitat in California rivers, streams, bays, and ocean coast. More than 500 California water bodies have been designated as "impaired". A good deal of this pollution could be prevented if state and federal water quality laws were vigorously implemented. What recommendations do you have for improving compliance with state and federal water quality permit programs for pollution dischargers?

As I discussed in Question 4, penalties for violations seem to be consistently too low to remove the violator’s economic incentive to eliminate the cause of the violation. We must implement sanctions which will produce compliance.

13. Many persistent, bio-accumulative toxins &emdash; chemicals that can build up in the food chain, can be transported long distances in the atmosphere, and do not break down easily -- are associated with a range of adverse human health effects, including effects on the nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, cancer, and genetic impacts. Particular hazards may be posed to the developing fetus or young children because critical organs, such as the central nervous system, are still under development. Would you support adoption of a state strategy for eliminating all releases of persistent, bio-accumulative toxins into California’s environment? Would you support expansion of the pesticide mill tax concept to increase fees proportional to the volume and potential harm of bio-accumulative toxins?

Yes, to both questions.

14. There are proposals to increase dramatically the ability of state and local governments to spend money on transportation either through bonds or through voter-approved increases in sales taxes. How would you prioritize state transportation funding? Do you support linking increases in funding to any or all of the following?

a. regional plans that incorporate such factors as a jobs/housing balance, affordable housing quotas by jurisdiction (fair share allocations); a preference for development of vacant urban land, and a preference for infill housing on existing transit lines;

b. preservation of agricultural lands outside of existing urbanized areas, and preservation of natural lands of environmental significance.

I have demonstrated my positions on transportation with my efforts to develop transportation alternatives in Sonoma County, and with my commitment to the development of the Northwestern Pacific rail corridor to Humboldt County. As Chair of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority, I successfully obtained $60 million in state funding for the railroad.

I totally support regional transportation planning, transportation-oriented development, and the concept of linking transportation to land use.

15. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas, and most of California’s carbon dioxide emissions come from transportation. What do you think California's role should be in addressing global climate change? Do you support legislation requiring the California Air Resources Board to adopt regulations that achieve feasible, cost-effective, and technologically achievable reductions of carbon dioxide emitted by passenger vehicles?

As the 5th largest economy on the planet, California must accept responsibility for its air quality, and take a leading role in adopting regulations that achieve cost effective, technologically achievable reductions of greenhouse gases.

16. How serious is the problem of urban sprawl in California? If you do not think sprawl is a problem, where and how should anti-sprawl organizations be redirecting their efforts? If you do think sprawl is a problem, what value would you place (high, moderate, low) on the following approaches to reducing sprawl? Would you sponsor or support legislation that would adopt any of these approaches?

Sprawl is a very serious problem which threatens the very quality of life that draws so many of us to spend our lives here. On the North Coast we have a wonderful opportunity to learn from our mistakes and fashion more livable communities &emdash; communities where people can live and work.

 

a. Preparation of a State Comprehensive Plan that sets forth "smart growth" guidelines that local general plan policies must be made consistent with; Moderate

 

b. A new state law that requires each local general plan to contain an "Urban Growth Boundary" - a boundary around each city and county and includes enough land for twenty years of growth, with urban growth prohibited beyond the line (unless it is amended by the voters); Moderate

 

c. A general increase in state funding for other "smart growth" policies and projects to be implemented at the local level; High

 

d. Funding for a state partnership program to assist local jurisdictions in developing housing projects on infill development sites near transit and job centers; and/or High

 

e. Increased state funding to help local jurisdictions purchase land or easements to permanently protect open space at the urban fringe. High

 

17. Please describe in greater detail your public service record in environmental issues. In particular, we are interested in membership and leadership in environmental organizations, work on environmental campaigns, public positions you have taken, and environmental activities you have initiated or actively supported.

My primary area of focus in recent years has been on transportation and livable communities.

Regarding transportation, there is of course enormous pressure from the community in Sonoma County to address the traffic congestion on Highway 101. As Vice-Chair of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, as a member of the Sonoma/Marin Area Rail Transit Commission (SMART), and as immediate past Chair of the North Coast Railroad Authority, I have worked to develop a regional transportation plan providing transportation alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles for future generations.

I was instrumental in obtaining $60 million for rehabilitation of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad corridor and $37 million for commute rail in Sonoma and Marin Counties from the Governor’s Traffic Congestion Relief Program Fund. These funds are a good start toward rational regional transportation planning and I plan to continue these efforts as a member of the State Assembly.

Indeed, my passion for mass transportation is one of the main reasons I am running for State Assembly.

Regarding livable communities, I am very proud of my work as Mayor in Cloverdale. In my own community of Cloverdale, I helped lead an effort to draw people together in a community-wide visioning process in the early 1990’s. This process produced a nationally-recognized, award-winning blueprint for the environmental and economic future of the city &emdash; one in which people can live and work.

As Mayor of Cloverdale, I spearheaded the Cloverdale River Park Project, which put over 70 acres of pristine riverfront property into public hands for a passive-use park to preserve the diversity of wildlife and plantlife in the area. I have also been involved in the development of several neighborhood parks throughout the city. I have been instrumental in ensuring that traditional trails throughout the city and the ridges remain open to public access even as development occurs. Additionally, I have been instrumental in efforts to implement citywide recycling programs and energy efficiency programs in Cloverdale.

I have also taken public positions in support of renewable energy generation, against offshore drilling, and in support of increased use of recycled water.

Please visit http://BobJehn.com for additional information.

18. Please state your views on political campaign finance reform.

We must continue to support efforts which will reduce the impact of special interests in the political process, and make information about individual contributions more accessible to the public.

19. Why should the Sierra Club support your candidacy?

I have a consistent and proven track record on core environmental issues affecting the North Coast and Redwood Empire, including developing transportation alternatives and creating livable communities where people can live and work.

As Mayor of Cloverdale, as immediate past Chairman of the North Coast Railroad Authority and as vice-chair of the Sonoma Transportation Authority, my public service record has always sought to improve the quality of life in my community.

I have worked with the Sierra Club and others in the environmental community as we continue work in reopening the Northwestern Pacific Railroad through the Eel River Canyon. I bring a strong environmental ethic with my service as an elected official.

As Assemblymember, I will continue to work with the Sierra Club to make our communities more livable, increase the development of renewable forms of energy and craft alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles for our transportation needs.