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Efren Carrillo; Veronica Jacobi.
Former Santa Rosa Councilwoman Veronica Jacobi plans to challenge Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo for his west county seat in June’s election.
Jacobi, 53, a mechanical engineer and energy management consultant, served one, four-year term on the City Council before being ousted in the 2010 election when a slate of pro-business candidates shifted the council majority.
She ran unsuccessfully in 2004 and 2008 for the Board of Supervisors 3rd District seat, which includes central Santa Rosa and much of Rohnert Park.
Several weeks ago, she moved into a Roseland-area home she bought in 2010, which put her into Carrillo’s 5th Supervisorial District, which takes in most of the west county, including west Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, the Russian River corridor and the coast from Bodega Bay to Mendocino County.
She said her move was motivated by her interest in challenging Carrillo, who was elected in 2008. Jacobi becomes Carrillo’s only challenger so far in the contest, which has a March 9 filing deadline.
A staunch supporter of environmental causes, Jacobi said she intends to take aim at Carrillo’s voting record on land-use issues.
Carrillo, 30, has backed several controversial projects, including a large Russian River gravel mine outside of Geyserville and the Dutra Materials asphalt plant south of Petaluma.
Both projects have been tied up in lawsuits, part of a wave of legal challenges prompted by county decisions two years ago that led some advocates and constituents to question Carrillo’s environmental values.
“We need to protect the beauty that we have here and the quality of life we have here,” Jacobi said Friday. “I think the things he is pursuing, some of them will hurt us in the long term.”
Carrillo said he welcomed the competition and the opportunity to defend his record, including votes and work on environmental issues. He has framed his most controversial land-use decisions as votes in favor of economic development and job creation.
“We have a vast diversity of needs in the 5th District, including environmental protection and economic development,” he said. “I believe I balance those well.”
In the other county races this year, the contest for retiring Supervisor Valerie Brown’s 1st District seat has produced a crowded field of six candidates. The district includes eastern Santa Rosa and the Sonoma Valley
Supervisor Shirlee Zane faces no challengers in her bid for re-election in the 3rd District.
In campaign finance reports this month, Carrillo showed $101,748 in the bank, a formidable amount in any county race. Jacobi acknowledged she long has struggled in fundraising, relying largely on personal donations to finance past campaigns.
Carrillo’s near-constant presence at community events and ties to a variety of causes give him another edge in the race, said Mike Reilly, his predecessor in the 5th District office.
“Efren has worked the district really hard in the last three years,” Reilly said. “If Veronica decides to take him on, it’s going to be a long shot.”
Reilly, a longtime member of the state Coastal Commission and ally of environmental groups, retired at the end of 2008 after 12 years on the county board.
The same year, Carrillo, a government relations manager for Redwood Credit Union, claimed the seat in a close victory over Rue Furch, a veteran county planning commissioner.
The outcome was seen as a loss by many environmental advocates. Stretching back to the 1980s, the west county seat has been held by powerful environmental advocates, including Reilly, Eric Koenigshofer and Ernie Carpenter.
Carrillo’s candidacy drew on support from business interests, developers and construction companies.
In office, however, Carrillo has sought to reinforce his commitment to a broader slate of issues, including environmental causes. He cited his support for a large county purchase of open space on the Jenner Headlands, his backing of a proposed bid to form a county power agency — a move that could boost green energy development — and his leadership on a fisheries restoration grant program.
“The record speaks for itself,” he said. “I believe I’m just as strong of an environmental advocate as most folks in this county.”
Still, Carrillo’s vote for the Dutra asphalt plant continues to rankle some environmental leaders.
They also are concerned about his possible support for Preservation Ranch, the forest-to-vineyard conversion project proposed on 20,000 acres outside of Annapolis. Carrillo has said he will not weigh in on the project until it comes before the board, a step expected to come after the June election.
The uncertainty has led some to push quietly for his ouster.
Jacobi said she was approached by several individuals about running for the seat this year. She declined to say who she had talked with but noted she was seeking the endorsement of Sonoma County Conservation Action, the largest local environmental group, and the local chapter of the Sierra Club.
The groups interviewed Jacobi for an endorsement last week.
Dennis Rosatti, Conservation Action’s executive director, said the groups were set to discuss their decision this week.
He said he had yet to hear back from Carrillo about a questionnaire. He called the supervisor’s leadership “a mixed bag.”
Jacobi said her focus as a supervisor would be on small business development, increased investment in renewable energy and a more cautious approach to projects and practices involving resource extraction.
She said she opposes Preservation Ranch as currently proposed.
“We absolutely need to get the economy more resilient,” she said. “But it needs to be balanced. When you do resource extraction there are environmental consequences.”
She brushed off speculation about her long odds in the race.
“I’m in it to win,” she said. “I know it’s a difficult race. But difficulty doesn’t stop me.”
You can reach Staff Writer Brett Wilkison at 521-5295 or brett.wilkison@pressdemocrat.com.
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Corrupt Sonoma County, California Supervisors, Ernie Carpenter & Efren Carillo, Wholly Engineered by Sugar Daddy, Former Congressman, DOUGLAS H. BOSCO!
Solid Waste Climate Protection Campaign
http://climateprotection.org/our-work/sonoma-county/solid-waste
Doug Bosco & His Phantom Railroad
http://eelriver.org/2011/05/doug-bosco-his-phantom-railroad/
An entirely greater level of political interference is manifestly run on behalf of Bosco and allied financial interests by many members of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. As only one example, the precocious political career of present Fifth District Supervisor Efren Carillo was wholly engineered by people like Bosco and former Fifth District Supervisor Eric Koenigshofer, an attorney and long-standing member in good faith of the Bosco Boys. In the final weeks of the race, Carillo’s campaign received a virtually unheard-of campaign donation of $23,500 from none other than Bosco’s Northwestern Pacific Railroad business partner, Skip Berg, by way of his company Berg Holdings. Syar, the gravel mining company, gave over $8,000. Bosco himself chipped in $5,000. Carillo’s opponent, long-time Sonoma
VOTE FOR GUY SMITH !
Efren’s internship with Joe Nation is one more reason to distrust him. Was there ever a more untrustworthy, cynical politician than Joe Nation? Efren has been in the pocket of developers and big business interests for too long. If he thinks he has a real career as a politician ahead of him he should run away from Doug Bosco and his Preservation Ranch band of greedy investors before its too late. Veronica Jacobi and the the Sonoma County Conservation Action Group are already waiting for him to vote the wrong way.
Efren has much more experience than Jacobi, going back to his days as an intern for Joe Nation. It was said best earlier that Jacobi failed at the city council level (essentially an inept councilwoman that was and still is clueless), what makes her think she can serve at the county level? I remember when she was running for city council and jumping on the band wagon of Latino events and making herself visible and after the elections when she was seated did you see her back at Latino functions….NO! How many businesses/residents has she acquainted with in the 5th district? She should be ashamed of herself for portraying herself as if she cares about the 5th district. My hats off to Efren for working hard for the 5th district!
I disagree with Jake’s comments under his various nom de plumes (I recognize his cutting prose anywhere :).
Any comments regarding Efren not representing anyone in the Fifth District is not worthy a response.
I continue to rank my support of Efren for Supervisor as one of the best decisions of my life, and see almost daily how hard he works and what a difference he’s made as our Fifth District Supervisor.
Would anyone commenting dare to put their real name behind their statements as Lisa Maldonado and I do? Phone number?
Peace and Love
Tom Lynch
Guerneville
707-869-0207
Efren Carrillo, you can bet, has designs in going further up the ladder to other political elections. Veronica is heavily invested in this county. She lives what she preaches.
I like Efren but I haven’t always agreed with his positions. I also don’t see him really standing up for the hispanics in this county which was expected-his alliances seem to be mostly with business interests. He may have a harder time getting elected because of this.
Ahhh, so this is the reason Efren has gone after Paul Hobbs as if his career depends on it.
I’m with Fiscal Conservative- vote for Elmo before either of these two.
Efren Carrillo is a fake and those of us who are part of the Hispanic community know it. He rarely stands up for us and was silent during all the anti-mexican campaigning against Pam Torliatt.I don’t see how pointing out that he was bought and sold by the builders and developers is racist, isn’t it racist of them to use him in this manner?
I voted for him the first time but won’t make that mistake again
What does one want from an elected official? Someone who lives, works, plays and supports the community? Or someone who moves into the area and claims to represent the community? Efren is “owned” by no special interests. He lives it, breathes it, and works it-for all the right reasons.
Bruce Slaughter: The Business Community’s Smiling Latino shill? Thank you for once again demonstrating that there is no racist more venal than a Progressive racist.
There is nothing I dislike more than a politician that only moves into an area to gain a political seat. It shows how little connection and regard to the community they have. Veronica Jacobi should be ashamed of herself.
Without Efren in office who will represent the gravel mining, resource extraction and corporate interests in this County? Someone has to do their bidding. These corporate interests have given so much money to Efren that they deserve his loyalty. What’s wrong with that? Efren knows that the only way to get elected in this county is to side with the 1% and make sure they are well fed. Efren knows that no one cares about open space or the environment anyway. Global warming will give future generations something to worry about and challenge them. It will be interesting to see how they deal with the rising sea level, the halting of the the jet stream and loss of food and fresh water – too bad I’ll be long gone to see it and so will Efren. If you’re rich and want to stay that way Efren is your man that’s for sure. Just donate to those same PACs that supported him last time and you’ll be sure to keep those bulldozers and clear cutters going to make room for more wineries, factories and whatever else might keep you rich.
I think a push button fuzzy red Elmo toy would be better than either of these candidates.
Todays vote for wasting tax dollars: we have 5 yes votes and one “Elmo loves you!” Perfect!
The liberals would be happy beouse a red collective puppet was in office, the Conservatives would be happy becouse he cant decrease freedom or increase taxes.
Efren Carrillo is another example of a politician who is in it for himself.
Within the last year there have been several issues that strike a nerve with us west county residents. We often turn to our elected official to voice our concerns. Carrillo doesn’t want to hear it if the issue(s) don’t directly impact his personal agenda.
He has gone as far as telling other county entities to stop advising citizens to contact their supervisor (Carrillo) with their concerns, complaints, ect…
Last time I checked he was an elected official… who is bound to listen to his constituents, whether he likes what they tell him or not.
Carrillo is only concerned with the Roseland District… that’s where the real money he obtains through various programs / grants is funneled to !
Let’s see, no money and only three months for door to door campaigning. Why is she running? It’s obviously not to win.
I hope she boots him out of his seat. He has been a dead wood since he was elected. His lack of leadership and decision making has lead to many lawsuits that have cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I hope she wins.
She’s a disaster.
WHAT A JOKE that Jacobi is but if she wants to waste her time and cash then go for it
Wow, Elizabeth and Bruce throwing down the race card in the first article. Them really must want them out. Personally I so no problem supporting the business community that pays taxes and provides job. Not to many trees and salamanders pay taxes or create jobs. But, hey, who needs jobs or taxes, right?
Jacobi is a real soft boiled egg. Amazingly she is left of most of the current Board members except Brown.
She is just what this county does not need in a Supervisor.
Efren Carrillo has done a great job as supervisor. He is intelligent and he listens to all his constituents. He is everywhere and people flock to him. He will win this in a landslide as he is very popular. He surely represents all the people. Latinos should be most proud to have a young man of this caliber leading our county. Ms. Jacobi is a real loser, having lost two supervisorial elections and now she moves so she can try again. It is really rather sad and pathetic.
Remember “It’s the economy, stupid.” A one-trick, environmentalist pony is not going to be able to make thoughtful decisions about all the complicated issues facing the county.
I’m glad she is running and wish her luck. It will be difficult with big money going to Carrillo from Dutra, Preservation Ranch and the gravel boys. There is no doubt how he will vote, he has already sold his votes for election donations. I like what Bruce said, “The business community’s smiling Latino face.” Describes Carrillo to a “T”.
Efren Will win the the primary election. Jacobi is a carpetbagger!. Efren has done a great job and the die hard Rue supporters still find it hard to take the fact he beat non taxpaying Rue>
In reading the responses to this issue I’m wondering how “west county” AKA Sebastopol has become such a magnet for misfit radicals and wackos? There is no University in town so it must be the medicinal herbage and/or something in the well water?
It’s entertaining reading.
Did she fail as a mechanical engineer?
At only age 53, shouldn’t she be working in her career that she trained for ? Why is she not working?
As a long time (40 years) 5th district voter I welcome a true environmental candidate running against Mr Carrillo. I voted for Rue Furch in the last election and I believe she would have won easily if Carrillo’s dirty tricks squad had not spent so much money against her. His backers are interested in making even more money off the Preservation Ranch and they don’t care about despoiling our beautiful countryside. Mr Carrillo is obviously young and ambitious and he doesn’t care about who his supporters are or letting himself be used by rapacious development interests. He will have to show his true colors soon enough though and their are plenty of us in the West County who won’t hesitate to unseat him when he does. Thanks to Ms Jacobi for her long time, principled work on behalf of the environment. Say what you like but at least she stands for her own environmental principles and lives them each day. That’s called integrity Mr Carrillo.
Efren Carrillo was put in office by people like Doug Bosco and Eric Koenigshaefer in order to help them clear cut trees and put vineyards and mansions in their Preservation Ranch project in Annapolis. Efren was picked, just like Ernesto Rodriguez was picked for the city counci to be the Business Community’s Smiling Latino shill for business interests. So far Efren has navigated this a little better than Ernesto but people in the West County don’t trust him and he should remember that he only won by a couple of hundred votes. And this was against someone with a huge tax problem. The environmentalists in West County love Veronica and hate Preservation Ranch. His votes on Dutra and gravel mining and his support for the Alliance make him untrustworthy in his own district, no matter how many events he goes to. As long as he stays close to Bosco’s boys he we will always be suspect in the green West County.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Maybe at least live in the district for a couple years before you decide to run for office as a representative…Efren is doing a fine job, good luck.
Carrillo seems to put people before a salamander or butterfly. I like that.
I’ll put 100 bucks on Efren sleeping even sounder after this announcement.
The 5th district is a no win district for any person. The diversity of its constituents are polar opposites.
We should be thankful for anyone willing to put up with the political tug of war and that still has some level of balance.
Riley did it very well and Carrillo seems to be a close second.
Im fine with Jacobi spending her personal money on her unsuccessful political campaigns, eventually she will bankrupt herself and we wont have to hear her whiney voice.
Instead of throwing money down the drain on a losing capaign, she should give it to some nonprofit.
Wow. Veronica Jacobi has no shame. She ran unsuccessfully for Supervisor in another district TWICE, so now she’s moving to try for Efren’s seat. Not to mention the clear message voters of Santa Rosa sent by booting her off the city council.
Even environmentally conscious folks like Mike Reilly realize Efren is far better for the county than Jacobi.
Efren will will in a landslide.
I will do everything that I can to make Efren Carrillo a one-term stupidvisor. He represents builders and developers rather than his constituents. He needs to go (and so does rabbit).
All that Veronica Jacobi has to do is get the word out that she is a candidate and I bet that more people like me will flock to her doorstep.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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We are trying so hard to put that quarry in at Bodega and truck the rock to bodega bay so we can barge it to the delta to reinforce the levies so we can build millions of homes below sea level. Her election would put a real monkey in our wrench,