Friends of Livermore Committee
NEWS RELEASE
Sept. 22, 2008
The Friends of Livermore Committee (FOLC) is pleased to announce its endorsement of
Joan Buchanan for the State Assembly District 15 seat currently held by Guy Houston,
who is termed out.
FOLC has made only one endorsement for state partisan office in the past since we are a non-partisan group focusing on land use issues. It is because of her positions on these land use issues that we feel compelled to support her now.
Joan’s positions on land use are clear. She supports Smart Growth with defendable Urban Growth Boundaries, transit oriented development and Infill to meet housing needs. She supports local agriculture in and close to cities to preserve our agricultural heritage while reducing the carbon footprint of food transportation. Specifically, she supports the acquisition of recycled water for agriculture in the North Livermore Valley. She completely supports the principles of the 2000 Alameda County Measure D and the 2002 Livermore UGB initiative.
Joan is a Democrat running against San Ramon Mayor, Republican, Abram Wilson. Wilson has favored urban development outside the present Contra Costa Urban Growth Boundary and thinks that Greenfield development is appropriate if a few amenities come with it.
In the business world, Joan’s financial and analytical skills made her Director of Commercial Operations for Delta Dental before the age of 30. She left the private sector to raise her five children and in the process became one of the San Ramon Valley’s most effective activists.
Her nearly 20-year service on the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) Board included 4 terms as president. Under Joan’s leadership the district took a new direction and SRVUSD now ranks among the top 5% of all school districts in California.
Joan’s expertise in negotiating, budgeting and organizational development combined with her entrepreneurial approach ensure that she can hit the ground running in the Assembly and be an effective advocate for the positions that we all support.
Bob Baltzer
Chair
Friends of Livermore Committee
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