LAKE COUNTY— Chef Bren Boyd, who has lived in Hidden Valley for almost 16 years, three of those as a member of its Home Owners Association's board of directors, is running for County Supervisor in District 1. His expertise in hospitality and culinary arts, managing restaurants, hotels, country clubs, food and beverage operations, makes him a candidate with dynamism and talent for negotiating. He has been going door to door and handing cards while working on putting together a website with his platform, where voters can learn more about his campaign.
"I've been a chef for over 30 years and I'm the Culinary Services Director at an independent living facility in Santa Rosa," he said. "While some spend a lot, believe that we need to tax a lot and put all this money back into it or subsidize everything, others believe we should live within our means. And that's the group that I come from. I always believe in fiscal restraint, fiscal responsibility, but not at the cost of, for example, my house. When I got on the board, looking at all the different departments and how they're run and going through bunch of reviews, it was pretty easy for me to learn the details. The little working pieces that I've learned, I found probably the most interesting to see how it all applies. I'm certainly confident in my ability to participate in our governance of LA County. I would really love the opportunity to do that."
Boyd defines himself as a very high energy quick learner and thinker. "The one thing that I have found on the Board is compromising and alliances. You've got to give a little, take a little, compromise, try and find common ground, so that we can have a majority. I prefer a supermajority or even a complete majority. All seven of us agree on things, because we have come to a complete agreement. When we vote seven to nothing, we're all happy about that. Nobody wants to be the outlier. We rotate through the board on various topics. We have a lot of rigorous debate and some spirited conversation. It's great when we agree. Then we can move on to the next thing," he said.
Boyd stated we are the poorest county in California and that he aims to get to know "how our funds are distributed. That's exactly what I do in Hidden Valley. In my platform statement, I mentioned the disparagement of funds. Sometimes a lot of money is spent on one thing, and maybe too much. Other times, there's not enough money spent on other things."
During his campaign, Boyd has heard a lot from people about issues with the roads. "There are no sidewalks in Lower Lake and Hidden Valley, so the cars are speeding back and forth and the kids are trying to cross the street. The roads are all tore up and that seems to be a common thread throughout the county. We have to dig them out and replace them, which is really expensive," he said.
"I certainly want to dive into our water rights and the distribution of it or use of it and make sure that it's not being drained. When it comes to politics, people are very opinionated. If you're engaged, you learn more you can have more conversation, more debate about things. If you see me with my leaflet, stop by and tell me what's on your mind. I really encourage people to come to me, talk to me and let me know their thoughts," the candidate added.
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