Friends of Lighthouse Field

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Our Candidate Endorsements for Santa Cruz City Council

FOLF Supports Four Candidates in the November 4, 2008 Council Election
Friends of Lighthouse Field asked Santa Cruz City Council candidates to respond to a detailed questionnaire about issues of concern to FOLF members. As a result we are pleased to announce our endorsement of four candidates:

David Terrazas
Don Lane
Ryan Coonerty
Tony Madrigal

City Council support is critical to achieving our goals.

These are the four candidates who were unequivocal in their support for FOLF and who also had sufficient political and administrative experience to be effective advocates.

Make sure you register to vote if you haven't done so already, and vote on November 4! Your vote can make a difference -- Council elections are often close and can be decided by a shift of a relatively small number of votes. We feel that our endorsed candidates will be the most effective advocates for our cause. If you think the future of Lighthouse Field and Its Beach is important to your daily quality of life, please consider voting for these candidates.

FOLF is committed to restoring traditional recreation opportunities for people with off-leash dogs at Lighthouse Field and Its Beach. A treasured community resource has been damaged by recent State Parks policy changes. The State’s attempt to expel a vibrant and caring community of park users hurts not only people with dogs, but all park users as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. Under State management, the park and beach are less safe, less clean, and less fun.

In response to community needs, the Santa Cruz City Council has initiated steps aimed at restoring traditional access at Its Beach. FOLF supports these steps and also looks forward to restoring access to Lighthouse Field as well. It is clear that our concerns can not be successfully addressed without the backing of the Santa Cruz City Council. The up-coming election is therefore critical and we urge our supporters to get out and vote.

We were pleased that all candidates expressed support for FOLF on at least some important points, and most candidates were supportive on most points. Only Katherine Beiers said that she did not support the FOLF stand on restoration of traditional off leash policies at Lighthouse Field State Beach and she was the only candidate who did not answer "yes" to completing the City’s current plan to restore access at Its Beach.

We felt that all responding candidates were thoughtful about their responses, and even where we disagree we appreciate their willingness to participate in open dialog. We have provided their complete detailed responses.

Remember, we like dogs and we vote!