Legislator sits down for coffee with constituents

FACE-TO-FACE—State Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) listens o the concerns of Simi Valley resident William Bussard at an nformal gathering in Moorpark on Tuesday. The Caltrans employee was injured at work earlier this year and said he attended the event at Grinder Restaurant to ask for help in dealing with a state insurance problem. Most people who attended the community coffee gathering hosted by state Sen. Tony Strickland in Moorpark this week wanted to discuss general policies to solve long term state problems, but Simi Valley resident William Bussard had a more immediate concern in mind.

The local Caltrans employee, who sustained a concussion and several other injuries when someone ran into his truck while he was working on the 118 Freeway in Moorpark last spring, wanted Strickland’s help to cut through red tape he encountered while dealing with a state funded insurance program.

The plan, Bussard said, has been refusing to pay for some of the medicine he needs to recover.

“I want to get well so I can go back to work, but they’re not giving me the care I need,” he said.

In response to the request, Strickland directed one of his representatives to gather information from the constituent so that his office could take an in-depth look at the problem.

In an interview after the event, Bussard said he appreciated the gesture.

“He (Strickland) was very friendly and I appreciate that he took the time to talk with me,” he said.

The local man was one of about 30 attendees who sounded out their concerns at the informal meeting Tuesday morning.

Topics covered during the hour long conversation encompassed the state budget, tax reforms, education, proposed gun control regulations, public safety and water regulations.

Strickland, who is a Moorpark resident, said he likes to meet with residents in different parts of the 19th District, which includes portions of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, to stay in touch.

“I want to make sure I’m out in the community to get an update on what’s going on and to provide updates on what’s going on in Sacramento, and I’m here to answer questions,” he said.

Before fielding queries, the local lawmaker gave a brief outline of what’s happening.

Sacramento legislators have had a trying year grappling with the economic crisis, but Strickland said he will continue to fight for the interests of California businesses by streamlining government bureaucracy and restraining tax increases to keep jobs in the Golden State.

“The only way to get out of this budget mess is to create jobs to put people back to work,” Strickland said.

Legislators don’t have to reinvent the wheel, they just have to look at what other states are doing compared to what California is doing, Strickland said.

“Right now we have one of the highest taxes in the nation and the highest unemployment we’ve had since the Great Depression, so it’s getting to the critical point where businesses are relocating to other states because they offer incentives and cut the red tape,” he said.

Among other things, Strickland said he’s working with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to introduce legislation that will ease tax burdens for the movie industry to stop runway productions.

The local lawmaker said he endorses the proposed Commonwealth Studios, which is slated for the west end of Moorpark along Highway 118 because the new filming studio would provide much-needed commerce in Ventura County.

“There hasn’t been a major studio built in a long time and the fact that they want to bring it here in Moorpark, I’m doing whatever I can to make sure that those jobs are here,” he said.

Moorpark resident Joe Knecht, who has been unemployed for a year, said Strickland is on the right track. But lawmakers still have a lot of work, Knecht said, to bring relief to California’s workforce.

“(Strickland) was saying the right things, but I’m not sure the Legislature is going to do these things,” said the corporate accountant, whose job was moved to Paris, France.

“Right now, other states and countries are aggressively going after California companies, so we need to offer them incentives to keep them here,” Knecht said.

Regarding gun controls, Strickland said he opposes Senate Bill 585, which would forbid the sale of weapons and ammunition on state property because it won’t reduce crime.

“The same people who are passing these laws are the same people who voted to release the prison population that actually got convicted of felony,” Strickland said in response to a question from an audience member.

The senator also shared insights on the current water crisis. He said that in addition to conserving water, the state must develop more storage to build reserves for Central and Southern California during droughts, which are inevitable.

“The biggest industry in California, the agricultural industry, is really hurting now but this can’t just be solved with conservation, we need more storage,” he said.

Strickland said California is in an infrastructure crisis because on top of creating more storage and fixing aging dams, the state also must upgrade roadways and improve the energy infrastructure to accommodate the needs of a growing population.