Thomas Ramos
About Thomas
I was born in Hanford, California in 1953. We moved to south San Jose (when it was orchards) and soon after a bit further south to Morgan Hill where I was raised on a ranch. Everyday began with feeding animals and everyday ends with feeding and keeping animals.
At 16, I became an emancipated minor and lived with my 2 best friends and completed high school. I graduated 6 months early from High School traveled solo and lived in Paris for 2 years. Applied to University of California and was accepted only due to the EOP program and with a Federal Court order to integrate the UC system.
Attended from 1974-1978 Merrill College. In a couple of years, I married my college crush. We bought a house in Bonny Doon, started a small business. Last year my bride and me celebrated 40 years.
We have 2 adult children, 3 grandchildren all living in Santa Cruz County.
Both my children went to the Bonny Doon school district, and I was a founding member of the Bonny Doon School Foundation which raised private money to support public schools (With help from the Packard foundation). After 7 years I left, and it is still successfully raising money for public school.
Spent a few years as a session Elder of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Santa Cruz I was able to get a ramp built for many of our elder members with ambulatory problems.
I was a founding member of the NDRN an Professional association for the Luxury Plumbing Industry and have served as president 4 years of the 39 years it has been active.
In January 2018 I gave my company to my son and after losing our sales team during COVID I am continuing to help him.
Eight years ago, I explored running for Supervisor and was advised by a political consultant (a leader in a local political party), “All Supervisors for the next 20 years have been chosen”. I was discouraged and still very active with my company.
My Inspiration was a wise gentleman, Charley Levin. And he reminded me “You have to give back.” While at the peak of his career he was the first major of Clayton, CA.
We were blessed with when our Bonny Doon home did not burn down in the CZU fire. Over 900 of my neighbors did burn down. I am mad as hell the horrible, slow bureaucracy and addition costs and fees has added major insult to the injury of those losing everything. We should grandfather to allow familied who have been North County residents for 20, 30, 50 or more years. Many must sell the land and move out of state.
We have complicated problems that need commonsense solutions.
We need to take care of the basics before we solve the world’s problems.
We need to follow the county charter. We need to live within our budget. Getting grants from the state and the federal government is still taxing us and our children’s future.
We need to take seriously the need for practical housing, safe and separate bicycle lanes would reduce serious injuries and deaths we have annually.
We need to restore our infrastructure to at least be as good as 3rd world countries (it is NOT now).
There needs to be healthcare competition.
We need a South County hospital and probably a new Hospital facility in North County. When Dominican bought and closed Community Hospital care in Santa Cruz was reduced. We can motivate Sutter or Palo Alto health or Kaiser to quit tipping their toes into Santa Cruz but to commit to full hospital facilities.
Santa Cruz now has the distinction of being the highest per capita homeless population in California, with some say in the USA and even others stating the highest except for India.
Our policies are not working. The report we are doubling down with the failed policies is disturbing.
We need to handle mental health, Drug addiction amongst others and criminal homeless. reduce. This needs to change. We need only look to Capitola, Scotts Valley. Aptos and Watsonville to find policies that do not attract people choosing to be homeless.
Many families lost everything during COVID and need an honest second chance that can include the hundreds of housing units we already have. They can be trained to have skilled and in demand jobs to be able to move forward with dignity. And we should get them jobs in a field that is needed.
Tough decisions need to be made by a person that is not using this Position to further their professional political career.
I will work only for the district 3 citizens. No back room deals for my next step.
I am term limits. One and done.
I don’t want your money but I ask for your vote.
NAACP Candidates Forum March 28, 2022 6 pm
with candidates for County Supervisor representing the 3rd district.
As a new county supervisor, what would be your top 3 priorities?
A. Relief for CZU fire victims. Grandfather usable and safe wells, septic systems that are safe and enable families that lost everything to rebuild. Adding the slow red tape and extreme costs on new building adds Great insult to injury of over 900 homes that lost everything.B. Crate 200 to 500 (Some North and south county) homes for the middle class so the people who are teachers, hair cutters, shop workers and owners, county workers can live in the community the work. This would be a “Habit for Humanity “model which will keep the houses in people’s hands and not developers, Investors or the vacation home crowd. Housing build for and priced for regular people. This can occur in 2-3 years.
C. Change the failed policies that has made Santa Cruz the highest /per capita homeless population in California, some say the USA and others are correct when they say second to only India. Address the real causes and stop kicking the can down the road and enriching developers building and profiting from the ever increasing free (Paid by taxpayers) houses.C.1. Mental health with guided communities and real mental health allowing help with experts working with our University and Cabrillo interns.
C.2. Deal with IV Drug users not by adding endless needles and a safe and medically shooting refuge. This has increased the severe drug users to the point where all parks are littered with discarded dangerous needles. Do not double down to attract and increase these addicts. Offer real Care through Rehab or leave town. All our surrounding cities have done far better, Capitola, Scotts Valley, Aptos, Watsonville, and Los Gatos. Learn from those since the numbers appear we are doing this wrong.
C.3. Use current homeless for the many families and people, who have lived month to month by working several part time jobs which were gone during COVID years. House them with dignity and retrain them with good careers. Like mental health workers or jobs that pay a real LIVING wage. Careers/jobs that are and will be essential. Get them jobs and help them actually have a second chance.
D. Safe and Separate Bicycle roadways similar to the” Dutch model” They are adding bicycle only roads alongside motorways to over 60% of their roads and there have been 0 (Zero) deaths with collisions between bicycles and motorized cars, trucks, motorcycles or scooters.
Do you support Sheriff's oversight by a trained (e.g. NACOLE) civilian committee, with subpoena power, that will hold public meetings and seek public input? Please provide rationale for your answer.
I am open to knowing more. I have not seen a major problem and I feel the Supervisor’s leadership should be to Hire the correct Sheriff and make sure they are managed or replace the top. Again, adding additional bureaucracy is costly and we MUST quit the deficit spending or increasing taxes. Get it right with the right people, oversee them so that the jobs are being done correctly. If this is done well and there are issues than I will be in favor.Do you support creating a non-law enforcement team of responders to non-felony calls for service and 911 & 988 calls?
I am in favor of making most police start with officers that are not lethal uniformed hostile force. They have been cut so much and their challenges from an increasing armed and violent population (US). Perhaps we can have 2 officers per car One as now with a less militarily dressed and only NON-Lethal force partner. Then we will have immediate back-up and start clam but have a back up to keep everyone safe. We lost a brave officer to a violent assailant in Ben Lomond last year. His pentyl is to be jailed with his brotherhood.Do you think that the Sheriff's Office is too militarized? Explain.
Of course and also it seems this is the result of bad and unexpected policies of severe budget cutting. With the officers covering a large area, much that has no cell or radio coverage, the stress creates dangerous escalations. See my previous answer because I know when someone’s life is in danger you hope there are enough police to save you. It is essential these officers live and are part of this community. They should be our neighbors. Having police cars become a rolling arsenals is antiquated policy. Rid all departments of any anti personal equipment and hire better screened sheriff officers.
What do you think are the three most important practical actions the County can take to end homelessness in the County?
1.Mental health with guided communities and real mental health allowing help with experts w working with our University and Cabrillo interns.2.Deal with IV Drug users not by adding endless needles and a safe and medically shooting refuge. This has increased the severe drug users to the point where all parks are littered with discarded dangerous needles. Do not double down to attract and increase these addicts. Offer real Care through Rehab or leave town. All our surrounding cities have done far better, Capitola, Scotts Valley, Aptos, Watsonville, and Los Gatos. Learn from those since the numbers appear we are doing this wrong.
3. Use current homeless for the many families and people, who have lived month to month by working several part-time jobs which were gone during COVID years. House them with dignity and retrain them with good careers. Like mental health workers or jobs that pay a real LIVING wage. Careers/jobs that are and will be essential. Get them jobs and help them actually have a second chance.
How do you envision making a dent in the affordable housing unit problem here in this County?
With new communities built with title covenants that assure everyone can afford and resale at low allowed profit increases. Require sometime like a 10 or 8 years before selling. Follow the “Habit for Humanity “model. Use bond issues or grants to have civic mortgages at zero interest so every month is equity for the residents. The biggest cost of housing is profit. Ther are a few ways to build houses quickly reducing the labor costs and be 3 bedroom 2 bath, large garages with excellent back yards. All utilities underground and a park for every 100 homes. Dog walking paths and separate and safe bicycle roads. When they resell there can be NO quick flips and No investor rentals. Make homes that are lower priced then current rents and that build equity (money) for every owner. I really do have many details for this to work.
Do you have ideas on how to increase the impact of Measure J, the affordable housing initiative in Santa Cruz County? https://www.sccoplanning.com/PlanningHome/Housing/MeasureJAffordableHousingProgram.aspx
Measure J passed several decades ago to designate that some of the housing built in the County be set aside for affordable housing. Given the extreme cost of housing now, the majority if not all new housing units constructed should be affordable to working families.
Measure is being challenged and will be in courts for too long. I want to move to remove or reduce the aspects that escalate the high housing costs and would hope we can really create great homes with communities where those that live and work in Santa Cruz county can afford to own houses here. I have been a small businessperson for decades, but my goal was to build great homes and communities for regular people. Some of the most profitable units are the affordable units within developments. They are smaller, they are more cheaply built and everybody in every development knows which units were the “affordable” ones which continues to create division. If entire groups of homes are available for regular people, we do not have any units with a stigma that separate us. We need to come together and create communities in Santa Cruz County for regular people. UCSC does this for professors and PHD’s. They supply million-dollar houses and subsidize the rent. Professional politicians trade your interests for their next step. I , as a political outsider, will not because if you elect me. I will serve 1 term negotiating and fighting for citizens of District 3.How or what would you do to increase acceptance of Housing Choice Vouchers by landlords? What would you do to open up Section 8 available housing units?
Ok, tough one. County supervisors have little authority or much control over landlords or of title 8. Any Candidate that promises you control is blowing smoke. Let’s build homes and communities and reduce or end the need to keep doing that which, by your question, is not a great solution and has reduced needed housing.To what extent does racial equity factor in the way you make decisions? For example, if you were elected as a Supervisor, how would you operationalize the County’s declaration that “racism is a public health crisis” and what would that look like?
Racism for more than a public health crisis it is a disgrace. I was actively involved at the later part on the growth a change of the late sixties and early 1970’s (not old enough to have been in the early and mid-sixties). The anti-war and civil justice demanded in the last century and demands to end the apartheid of racism in the USA have terrible setbacks in the previous presidency. The USA in total has regressed. We have not filled the promise. Everything we can do to eliminate all racism we must do. Our children and grandchildren have a greater chance of eliminating racism. The current generation started but have failed. In California we are far more aware and are living a more equal life, but we have failed to entirely address and eliminate racism. That being said, the improvements since my father’s generation have been great.What is your position on the Greenway initiative and why?
Easy one. Rail banking to have county control of the rail corridor is a great opportunity. Rail is too last century, and rail systems take great support and bleed essential tax dollars used for housing, homeless solutions, and the many questions we have and will discuss. Using this route for ”green” multiuse is exciting. Having bicycle lanes, and e-bike lanes, for running paths and Ocean side facing walking path for humans and dogs is a dream project. The costs are far less for these uses and the need to train in workers just feels elitist and wrong. Already we have wasted millions of dollars on studies that estimate billions of dollars for a rail system and take around 2o year to see it. California is adopting electric vehicles and zero emission transportation better and faster than most of the USA. Let us double down in this job creating, truly green direction and not recreate the trains of the 19th or 20th century. We need to look and act forward. A journey of 10 thousand miles starts with the first step. Shall we start already?What do you think is the largest threat posed by climate change to Santa Cruz County and what actions will you take to mitigate that threat?
Reliable water and water use. For this I feel the NIMBY movement needs to be more real. The country Israel, several islands in the Caribbean desalinate most or all their fresh water. We send millions of gallons (actually millions of acre gallons) of precious fresh water to Southern California when they have the Pacific Ocean to their west too. The building of reservoirs assumes they will get filled (Seems not as reliable with environmental changes that have already happened). We can create jobs both with building and running of desalination plants. It is expensive but with current technology and advances in final trials this is real. We have an incredible coastline, and it is not reasonable to place it where everyone looks at it. There are so many coves unseen and not currently accessible to anyone. The cost is expensive but the cost of having no water is far higher. If any candidate promises to stop the rising sea levels again with the smoke. As a Political Outsider I can push for unpopular but necessary needs because I am not getting elected to be a steppingstone for higher office as a professional politician. I will serve for one term and be aggressive and productive and hope we can find others that will want to service to district 3 and not their professional political careers.