In 2014, I immersed myself while I researched the life of the “American Migrant Worker.” I met and spoke with hundreds who packed-up and tried their luck in the oil boom of North Dakota. The phenomenon in the Bakken, who many referred to as the new “Gold Rush,” shinned light on an issue that affects many rural areas, whose residents have suffered due to dying economies in the logging, mining, and fishing industries. These same issues affect the constituents in this district. 

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We need to bring economic development, jobs, education, broadband, and healthcare to our rural regions. Rapid growth of Internet use in high-income areas has raised the threat of a "digital divide" that will marginalize rural regions. As a geoscientist, Roza has walked through and studied every national forest and park in California and knows how important it is to establish a functional management plan that includes fire protection systems and water supply assessments. We need to invest in fire risk prevention and address the Tree Mortality issue that’s put the livelihoods of many at risk. The counties of the Sierra Nevada provide the origin of water for much of the state. Roza will work to confirm the security and implementation of these origin water rights laws to ensure that sufficient water is available for the District’s needs, and for the needs of the environment – rivers, wetlands, and fisheries, something that McClintock has not sought to do during his terms. We must bring broadband and infrastructure jobs into the community to get people back to work and moving forward. 

 

California has a rich history and was built by Americans who relied on the land for their livelihood. Preserving our natural resources and making smart decisions about economic development will help spur rural growth and ensure that future generations can enjoy California’s wild places and public lands while putting people to work.