| (Jan. 6), my tenure on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors came to an end. I consider myself fortunate and blessed that voters have trusted me to serve in elected office and make a difference for 21 years.
When I first came into office people called me a young gun. But in two decades I have seen a lot, and want to leave you with some parting thoughts.
I don’t believe any elected official can make every call right. When you vote on several thousands of pieces of legislation per year, you can never be perfect, as much as I have deeply wanted to.
The issues of our time are daunting.
In the last 8 years, our community has faced the worst natural disasters in our history, the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow. Both are a part of the slow-moving natural disaster that is climate change.
The housing crisis is hollowing out the soul of our community, as prices and evictions are forcing our neighbors to move away, or putting them out on the streets.
But challenges persist because of the disempowering narrative that one person’s actions cannot make a difference. We tell ourselves it’s not worth it to try because a problem seems too big, or because the scale of the solution is too small – or not immediate enough.
Just like one person can get it wrong, and set us back, it only takes one person to make choices that can positively alter the course of history.
It is because of these challenges that I am staying in this fight. This year, I will be working on making it easier to meet California’s renewable energy goals.
My faith has helped me understand that this new phase of my life is a blessing. It’s a chance for me to spend more time with my girls and support my wife Jonnie’s career. My family is my rock, and I truly do have an embarrassment of riches in them.
Don’t worry about me. But do worry about our environment, our community, and our democracy. And do everything in your power to be the individual change that could lead to something bigger.
Sincerely,
Das |
