I have been the 3rd District County Supervisor for almost eight years. During that time, my executive assistant John Buttny and I have accomplished some very beneficial projects for Santa Barbara County.

One of the first initiatives I brought to the Board of Supervisors with John’s assistance was to have a housing inspector assigned to Isla Vista who would respond to tenant’s complaints. After the housing inspection program succeeded, John Buttny and I worked together with the Isla Vista Tenants Union to develop a renter’s rights package that included a requirement for landlords to return security deposits earlier and give clear reasons for the deductions. The package also mandated that a landlord could not evict a tenant if a unit had a serious code violation without providing another place for the tenant to live.

We have expanded our recycling programs to include apartment buildings and are now diverting 60 percent of our trash away from our landfills. This program is recognized as one of the best in California and it started in Isla Vista.

In Isla Vista, John and I have worked closely with the Edison Company to add streetlights, build new sidewalks and get the roads paved. It’s basic stuff you expect from local government and we got it done.

Santa Barbara County has a long history of fighting oil development and John Buttny has worked with me to fight Mobil, Venoco and Torch Oil. All three of these companies wanted to drill for oil and gas off our coast. We organized the community and with the help of the Sierra Club, defeated their plans.

No one has done more to protect our coastline than John Buttny. Together, we have purchased Santa Barbara Shores, and now we are working to preserve Ellwood Shores. John Buttny’s leadership has helped preserve tens of thousands of acres of property along the Gaviota coast and place it off-limits to development.

I have decided to retire from public office. I campaigned for county supervisor as a citizen who wanted to make a difference. With the good work of my executive assistant John Buttny, we have accomplished a great deal.

Santa Barbara County has much improved tenant’s rights, environmental protections, helped affirm women’s rights, affirmative action and is a place people recognize as an extraordinary part of the world because of the hard work all of us put in to make it happen.

John Buttny has been a part of these accomplishments and that is why his campaign is supported by Congresswoman Lois Capps, Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, Coastal Commissioner Pedro Nava, the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee and the Sierra Club.

Please join me in supporting John Buttny for 3rd District County Supervisor.

Gail Marshall is the present 3rd District County Supervisor.