Erin, Tobin, daughter Reagan, son Alex

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July 31, 2006 - Official Campaign Announcement

I am sure that there are many ways to view San Bernardino. For me growing up in the Inland Empire is filled with memories of the National Orange Show in its prime when big name stars headlined the shows; memories of attending San Bernardino Valley College and then Cal State San Bernardino; I remember when Carousel mall was Central city mall and going there to see a movie was the cool thing to do on a Saturday night.

Unfortunately, the current state of our fair city is at once less notable and simultaneously more notorious. There fore, I have decided to make myself a candidate for the 3rd ward of the San Bernardino City Council. I believe that the conditions which once made San Bernardino the gem of the Inland Empire still exist and that together we can begin to renew our city.

Our new Mayor and city council have begun to address the serious and complex issues plaguing the city. It is my intent to join them, help them and work with them to solve these problems. My previous experience as a School Board member in the Colton District and the many supporters that I have in the broader community will be of great benefit to the city council. The problems that the Mayor and council seek to solve are greater than they alone can fix.

My first purpose in seeking this office will be to build bridges and expand support for the needed reforms that council and mayor have begun. We need to reach out to the all of the local school districts that teach our kids. We need the support of the PTA’s, Chamber of Commerce, the neighborhood associations, local churches and more, if we are going to solve these problems.

The most immediate issue facing the city is the crime wave and rising murder rate. The city is heading in the right direction with Operation Phoenix. Mynesha’s circle represents the beginning of the expanded support that our city will need. We must move to quickly hire more policemen and support the police officers that patrol our streets. The voters will probably be asked to approve an increase in sales tax to pay for these officers this November.

While I am in principle opposed to increasing taxes I would support this sales tax if the following conditions are met: First, the tax must be for a specific and predetermined time period. Second, an oversight board must be created to insure that the funds are used as the voters expect. Third, that traditional police and safety funds will not be reduced or diverted because of this new revenue stream. Fourth, that there would be a requirement for a quarterly report that specifies how the money was spent and if there was any increase or decrease in crime. Finally that if the new money and extra cops failed to reduce crime the city council would have the authority to end the sales tax increase early.

Some will argue that an increase in sales tax is counter-productive because it drives business away. However, I believe that the current crisis of criminal activity does far more damage to our city’s ability to attract and keep businesses. Plus, a large portion of our sales tax revenue is generated by shoppers from other cities. As these new sales taxes increase our crime fighting ability more shoppers will feel safe to come to San Bernardino and the economy will grow.

Besides attacking the immediate causes of crime (namely the criminals) with additional police, I believe we must address the root causes of crime. There is a substantial amount of data that suggests a link between education level and crime. Currently San Bernardino city schools only graduates 40% of the students that start as freshmen. What happened to the other 60%? Where did they go and how do they spend their days after dropping out of school? We must work with the School District to address this issue. The mayor has called for expanded vocational education. We need to partner with vocational education providers, the ROP and businesses that offer apprenticeships to develop pathways for educational success followed by financial success in the form of a job.

We must work together to redefine the proper role of government. More government programs are not the answer. Government’s most basic job is to protect the liberties and uphold the values of our community. We can do that if we work together to solve the crime problem and commit ourselves to economic development based on investing in our youth, our future. We must instill in them the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline and self-respect, which we can only do by working together with mutual respect until the job is done.

I have faith that with God’s help and the hard work of our whole community we will succeed. I believe that we can and will leave our children a positive legacy of renewal. San Bernardino will be the Gem of the Inland Empire again.

Tobin Brinker

Candidate for 3rd Ward San Bernardino City Council

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