Aug. 6, 2024

34 - SPECIAL GUEST, CHRIS RICCI

Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon YouTube podcast player icon Podcast Addict podcast player icon iHeartRadio podcast player icon Goodpods podcast player icon Amazon Music podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon YouTube podcast player icon Podcast Addict podcast player icon iHeartRadio podcast player icon Goodpods podcast player icon Amazon Music podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon

Chris is a City Council Member for the city of Modesto, CA. Chris came into politics, and wanting to make changes in the city he lives in, after an esteemed carrier as an event promoter. Chris now uses his experience in events and marketing to help other candidates across the country with their campaigns, while still fulfilling his duties to the city of Modesto, CA. Chris is also currently running for re-election for the position of City Council, representing District 3 in Modesto, CA.

If you have comments or would like to be a guest on the show send us a message:


Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/worldablaze

Email: worldablaze@fontesmedia.com

Web: https://www.worldablazepodcast.com/

X: https://x.com/fontesablaze

FB: https://www.facebook.com/worldablazewithgeorgefontes

Please like, follow, and share the show!!!! 

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:04.639
Download Whiskey Hell Podcast. We call attention to the mainstream

2
00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:06.960
media narratives weekly and hopes that you'll have fun with

3
00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:10.119
how ridiculous the news really is. We don't want to

4
00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:12.599
change your mind. We just want to give you perspective

5
00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.599
so that you can choose more wisely and be more aware.

6
00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:19.039
Couple that with great craft beer, hilarious stories, deep thoughts

7
00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:22.480
in real conversations. We know you're going to enjoy us.

8
00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:26.839
Download Whiskey Hell Podcast anywhere you find outstanding shows.

9
00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:36.600
You are listening to a Fons Media Network production.

10
00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:45.159
On this episode of World of Place, I have with

11
00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:49.079
Me Chris rick Chris Ricky is a city council member

12
00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:55.000
for the City of Modesto, California, representing District three. I

13
00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:57.479
wanted to get to know Chris better and find out

14
00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:59.799
his thoughts on how people can get more involved in

15
00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:04.480
the level in an effort to instill a positive change

16
00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:08.000
for the better. I find Chris to be a good

17
00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.519
person who wants to offer real world solutions to problems

18
00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:15.439
rather than offering solutions based on party politics. This is

19
00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:18.799
a rare trait in a politician, and I really do

20
00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.000
wish him the best and his re election as city

21
00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:28.959
council member District three for the City of Modesto in California.

22
00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:31.799
Welcome world to Blaze Listeners, and today I have Chris

23
00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:35.280
Ricky on the show. I know Chris by name because

24
00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:38.280
we're both in the events industry. Chris was very well

25
00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:41.519
known for throwing some very large events and concerts and

26
00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:45.640
they all involved some very well known artists. I became

27
00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:50.359
interested in Chris's story when he chose to turn to politics.

28
00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:55.799
Chris is currently a council member for the City of Modesto, California,

29
00:01:55.840 --> 00:02:00.719
representing District three, and he's currently running again for re

30
00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:05.439
election for that position. I wanted to pick your brain

31
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.199
in regard to your political journey and how people can

32
00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:13.280
get more involved in politics. But your story in the

33
00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:17.879
city of Modesto starts in nineteen ninety nine when you

34
00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:23.199
moved to Modesto, California. Could you please tell everybody what

35
00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:24.680
attracted you to Modesto.

36
00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:29.159
Sure, yeah, Medesto is it's a place that I have

37
00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:32.400
family here in Modesta a little bit, and so I've

38
00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:34.560
been going to Medesta all my life and I realized

39
00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.280
that this city there's just a ton of opportunity here

40
00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:40.319
and I wanted to launch my own promotion business, and

41
00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:42.599
there was just wasn't There weren't a lot of shows here,

42
00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:44.800
and so there's just a lot of opportunity. And I

43
00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:49.039
think that that's something that people really don't understand about

44
00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:51.199
Modesto's that it's a big city. I mean, it's over

45
00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:53.879
two hundred thousand people. I think within the next ten

46
00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:55.840
years we're going to be, you know, over a quarter

47
00:02:55.879 --> 00:03:00.520
million people, and we lack a lot of the the

48
00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:04.159
features that a big city would have, and so there's

49
00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:07.159
just a ton of opportunity and that makes it really

50
00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:09.759
attractive to people like me that are pretty entrepreneurial.

51
00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.759
Yeah, and I agree with you because I noticed we have,

52
00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:16.199
for example, I have friends in the Bay Area, and

53
00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:18.599
the Bay Area is kind of you know, big broad

54
00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:21.120
brush that people paint on anything near San Francisco really,

55
00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:24.840
but Modesto being over two hundred thousand population, then you

56
00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:27.759
have like cities, you know, people have this perspective that

57
00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:29.639
I'm in the Bay and we're so much bigger, but

58
00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:32.360
like cities like Heyward really have a smaller population. Newark

59
00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:35.159
has a smaller population, and then you come to Modesta

60
00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:37.960
and it's like, you know, actually, in terms of people

61
00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:40.919
as much bigger, but as you said, the perception is

62
00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:43.319
it's smaller. The perception is is we don't really have

63
00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:46.159
as much to offer, and there are some services that

64
00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:50.719
we don't have. But you came here, you started the

65
00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:54.080
promotion company. What got you into doing events? By the way,

66
00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:57.400
live events, I always wanted to ask you that, you.

67
00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:59.120
Know, I grew up, I grew up on the Peninsula,

68
00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:03.039
and I've just always been really passionate about music, you know,

69
00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:05.159
So when I grew up in the nineties, it was

70
00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:07.680
just a really it was a good time for music.

71
00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:12.360
You know, that the music business was very strong. It

72
00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:15.280
was really easy to build big acts, you know, And

73
00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:17.879
so I would go to San Francisco and see you know,

74
00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:22.199
concerts all the time, you know. I would go all

75
00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:24.560
over the Bay Area and see, you know, my favorite

76
00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:28.560
bands like Social Distortion and Nine Inch Nails and all

77
00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:33.360
those you know, nineties nineties bands, you know, right, And

78
00:04:33.399 --> 00:04:35.639
then I went when I went to college in San Diego,

79
00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:38.680
I went to University of San Diego, I got on

80
00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:44.279
the concert board, and so I started producing these I've

81
00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:47.920
been going to concerts for you know years in San Francisco,

82
00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:50.000
and then I was like, wow, I can bring these

83
00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.879
bands that I saw, you know, at the Warfield to

84
00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:57.920
play at my at my college, and I just really

85
00:04:57.920 --> 00:04:59.720
got a bug for it. You know. I booked like,

86
00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:05.560
you know, No Doubt and Sublime and Cherry Pop and

87
00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:08.759
Daddy's and Cake like all in one year when I

88
00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:11.360
was doing the concert committee and you know, at San Diego,

89
00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:13.800
and I just didn't look back.

90
00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:16.800
That's cool And a lot of people don't ever see

91
00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:18.519
the other side of it, and you were on the

92
00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:21.480
other side. So I mean, can you kind of expand

93
00:05:21.519 --> 00:05:23.800
on that, like how how you felt in doing that?

94
00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:25.439
I mean, just just being able to interact with the

95
00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:28.160
actual artists, see the writers and you know, that whole

96
00:05:28.439 --> 00:05:31.240
behind the scenes that makes things, makes this whole thing happen.

97
00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:32.279
Do you mind expanding?

98
00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:35.279
Yeah, I mean yeah, it's a lot of it's a

99
00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.639
lot of talking with agents and managers and you know,

100
00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:41.720
I think probably the most surprising thing about the business

101
00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:45.839
is how little connection you really have with the artists directly.

102
00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:48.800
I mean, these people are you know, they're traveling from

103
00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.079
city to city to city, and so I think it's

104
00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:54.279
an important thing to keep in mind when you're seeing

105
00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:59.319
an artist at a show. But it was just just

106
00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.120
helping artists, you know, get their art out there and

107
00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:04.040
put them in putting them in front of an audience

108
00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:09.480
was just a very satisfying, you know, chapter of my life.

109
00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:10.519
Yeah.

110
00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:12.560
I also think you know a lot of people don't

111
00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.480
understand with artists that, you know, as much as they

112
00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:17.279
want to interact and they're thankful for the support from

113
00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:19.000
the crowd, it's also a job and they have to

114
00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:21.399
be on time. They have you know, schedules that they

115
00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.279
got adhere to to make sure things are going smoothly

116
00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:25.639
so they can just get back on the bus and

117
00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:28.360
go to the next show. And I think a lot

118
00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:31.160
of people have misperception of what they actually are doing.

119
00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:33.000
You know, they are entertaining you at the same time,

120
00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:35.720
you know, they got bills upan they have contracts fulfill

121
00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:36.199
as well.

122
00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:39.720
So yeah, and I mean it's and it's just so deep, right,

123
00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:42.439
Like they've got families, a lot of them have families,

124
00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:46.240
and their you know, life on the road it's brutal,

125
00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:49.120
you know. So I've got a lot of respect for

126
00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:51.680
these guys that can do this, But I think that

127
00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:54.439
it's been I think people really kind of build it

128
00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:57.120
up to being something that's not I mean it's right.

129
00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:03.439
It's mostly just hard mentally and physically, and there's you know,

130
00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:05.959
big payoffs and playing great shows. But I think it's

131
00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.800
also like it's quite a sacrifice they make to their fans.

132
00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:11.000
And no, I don't think a lot of people understand

133
00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:15.560
this with the larger artists, like they themselves are a business.

134
00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:18.199
I mean everybody on the road, they're supporting, they're paying

135
00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:20.519
those people's paychecks. They're not just showing up and you know,

136
00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.160
helping for free. So you know a lot of people

137
00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:26.759
don't realize that as well. Yep, yeah, a lot of responsibility.

138
00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:30.959
You're right, it's crazy. So that leads me to this,

139
00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:34.480
I never knew that you did this. How okay, how

140
00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:39.480
this relationship with your promotion company, which was Chris Rickey

141
00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:43.920
Presents correct? Yeah, okay, how did you get involved in

142
00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:46.519
the politics side? Because I found out through your notes

143
00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:50.360
you sent me that you got into actually working with candidates.

144
00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:52.720
Is that correct, Liqual Cats.

145
00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:58.079
Yeah, So I mean it's a little bit deeper than that.

146
00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:02.160
But the catalyst for me switching into politics was really

147
00:08:02.360 --> 00:08:06.199
x Fest. You know, x Fest is defunct and it's

148
00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:09.959
been defunct for almost ten years now. But the reason

149
00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:17.160
why it's defunct is because of policies that were in place,

150
00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:21.319
you know, by the city of Medesto. Okay, So you know,

151
00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:25.000
you can complain about policies and you can be angry,

152
00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:28.000
you know, or you can you know, try to change

153
00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:31.920
those policies and try to change the government's perspective on things.

154
00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:35.519
And so when you know, when the city came in

155
00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:37.320
and really just kind of put me out of business,

156
00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.519
I decided that I was going to try to change

157
00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:45.320
the city. And so that's why I started working in politics.

158
00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:49.840
You just took it upon yourself to make a difference

159
00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:50.559
from the inside.

160
00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:52.799
Well, it's the only way things can really change, you know.

161
00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:54.919
I mean, you can, you know, you can try to

162
00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.960
yell at them from the outside, and sometimes that works

163
00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:04.039
if the government's listening. But changing people's perceptions, like you know,

164
00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:10.240
on XPEST. When I started expest in the year two thousand, Modesto,

165
00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:13.679
you know, it was a very white place. You know,

166
00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:17.759
it was eighty five percent Anglo. You know, today it's

167
00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:22.039
fifty to fifty. And if you look at the demographics

168
00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:27.279
of Modesta City schools at seventy thirty and so we're

169
00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:31.840
just becoming more Hispanic every day and one of my goals,

170
00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:33.919
you know. And so I'm a promoter, right, I don't care.

171
00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:36.320
I know what I'm promoting to. I know that the

172
00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:40.600
demographic for X Best was twenty one to thirty five period,

173
00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:44.559
So I'm trying. I need to market my stuff to

174
00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:49.240
younger people, younger adults, right, Yes, Well, as those demographics change,

175
00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:52.559
the markets for the young adults change, and as they

176
00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:55.519
become more Hispanic, you need to book you know, music

177
00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:00.639
that attracts Hispanics. Well, reality is that when you got

178
00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:04.120
a crowd of twenty thousand people and fifteen thousand of

179
00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:08.320
them are Hispanic, just back in twenty sixteen, that made

180
00:10:08.360 --> 00:10:12.080
the city of Modesta nervous, got it? So, you know,

181
00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:14.799
I never knew that. So that had to be that

182
00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:16.600
had to be dealt with. And I'm trying to be

183
00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:17.759
kind in the way I say this.

184
00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:22.000
I understand, trust me, I understand, But I didn't. I

185
00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.639
didn't know that that that was. That was something that

186
00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:27.519
was behind one of the reasons that that you were

187
00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:31.639
having a hard time during during that period because it

188
00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:34.080
was huge and hugely successful. Everybody knew about it and

189
00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:35.440
then and then all of a sudden.

190
00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:37.519
Yeah, if you spoke to people the city. I'm certain

191
00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:40.759
they would have different answers. Okay, but that's my answer.

192
00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:45.240
Well, I mean, I'd rather get it from you, you know,

193
00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:48.879
because you know, the people to this day still talk

194
00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:50.519
about the things that you did and they're like, man,

195
00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:52.759
I wish he would bring it back. I wish you know,

196
00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.679
he would just continue and you know, no, I don't.

197
00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:58.480
I don't think a lot of people heard the real story.

198
00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:00.720
So I'm glad that you, you know, laid it out

199
00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:02.480
because a lot of a lot of people didn't know.

200
00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:04.799
You know, if you're if you're a Spanic, you know, right,

201
00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.440
if you're a Spanic, you know, try to walk in

202
00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.600
downtown Modesto at eleven thirty at night in a forty

203
00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:14.559
nine ers jersey. Yeah, and see what kind of attention

204
00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:19.440
you get from you know, from people, right, Like it's

205
00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:24.480
you know, it's unfortunate. Yeah. There's a lot of long

206
00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:29.120
term perceptions that you know, and some of them are true, right,

207
00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:30.879
you know that we I don't want to deny that

208
00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:35.360
we have gang issues, but you know, my problem is

209
00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:38.879
that every person who's a certain way is not a

210
00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:40.639
gang member. Do you see what I'm saying?

211
00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:42.399
No, I do completely understand.

212
00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:46.200
I mean, there's that old you know, there's that saying

213
00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:48.960
judging a book by its cover, right, and and unfortunately

214
00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:50.559
too many people do that. They don't want to go

215
00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:52.200
out of the way to get to know people and know

216
00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:54.960
who they really are and what they can offer. Yeah,

217
00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:57.120
you know, and in a case of Modesto, I can

218
00:11:57.120 --> 00:11:58.879
speak from living here, you know, for X amount of

219
00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:01.240
years as well. It's you know, people at that time

220
00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:02.639
were absolutely.

221
00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:03.120
Afraid of change.

222
00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:05.039
Yeah, that's right. There.

223
00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:07.039
There's a lot of ingrained, good old boy, you know

224
00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:10.279
type of culture out here in Modesto at that time,

225
00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:12.559
and they just didn't want to keep up with the

226
00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:14.759
changes in the demographics. They didn't want to keep up

227
00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:17.519
with the demands of what the popular relation actually needed,

228
00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:20.159
and they were just going out of the way to

229
00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:22.720
suppress it. They didn't want to lose their perception of

230
00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:26.320
what they thought they had control of. And so yeah,

231
00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:28.480
it takes people like you to go out of your

232
00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:31.000
way and make those changes. It sounds like that's exactly

233
00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:31.519
what you were doing.

234
00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:33.320
Ye And I think that, like, and I want to

235
00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:35.960
you know, I don't want people to think that I'm

236
00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:39.279
beating on the city of Medesto, you know, they've over

237
00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:43.679
the last few years, they've really done some deep self reflection.

238
00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:47.039
They've done like the police department, for example, has done

239
00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:51.320
some great training in the community where they got together

240
00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:58.200
with with people you know, from different backgrounds and just

241
00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:00.519
everyone sat down and just kind of lay it out.

242
00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.279
You know, how do you feel about cops, How do

243
00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:05.720
the cops feel about about these you know, about different

244
00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:09.639
community members, like all these things. And at the end

245
00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:12.679
of the road when they went through it, they gained

246
00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:18.200
more understanding and more empathy. And that that is these

247
00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:23.480
experiences are guiding the future of departments in the city

248
00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:26.159
of Modesta, and I'm proud of that.

249
00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:26.879
That's good to hear.

250
00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:32.720
And I see it slowly turning into i would say,

251
00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:36.679
a revival of downtown. You know, I've seen the changes

252
00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:38.879
from being here. I've seen it, you know, when it

253
00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:41.879
was you know, hot and really busy, and then all

254
00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:43.840
of a sudden we had that slump, and then it

255
00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:45.600
looks like it's slowly coming back. And I'm sure a

256
00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:48.759
lot of what you just said it really is the

257
00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:50.480
reason that that's starting to happen again.

258
00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:55.320
Yeah, I think that, you know, at least my perception

259
00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:58.399
is like the city tried to shut down all the clubs.

260
00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:03.360
They were mostly success but now the clubs are slowly

261
00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:07.120
coming back, and the question is going to be like how,

262
00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:10.240
and when you have clubs, you're going to have some issues,

263
00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:12.679
and the question is going to be like how the

264
00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:15.120
city chooses to deal with that? And I think that

265
00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:19.840
kind of remains to be seen, but I think, I

266
00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:22.080
don't know, it'll be interesting and I'm you know, I'm

267
00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:23.600
looking forward to helping them get through it.

268
00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:27.000
Yeah, and so far, so good, so far, you know.

269
00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:30.759
But yeah, you know it ebbs and flows, right, and

270
00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:33.399
so if we get you know, another twenty clubs downtown,

271
00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:38.279
it's going to create a new enforcement atmosphere. You know

272
00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.120
that the city is going to have to figure out

273
00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:42.519
how they want to do it. You know, in the

274
00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:45.559
last time they got in that situation, they chose to

275
00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:49.360
just try to shut everything down. What's I don't know

276
00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:51.480
what will happen this time, but I'm hopeful it'll be better.

277
00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:53.200
Yeah, I do too.

278
00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:56.639
And you know, that's that's another example of fear, fear

279
00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:59.279
of change and the unknown. You know, just like like

280
00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:01.480
we were talking about early about judging people, you know,

281
00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:03.919
as if they were you know, the book Judging book

282
00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:04.399
by its cover.

283
00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:05.240
Kuys.

284
00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:07.320
Sorry kind of fumbling a little bit, but yeah, you

285
00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:08.120
get where I'm going.

286
00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:10.679
Well, we're not talking about an easy subject here.

287
00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:13.759
No, it's not, but it's it's it's the truth and

288
00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:16.879
what you're not saying anything wrong, you're not you know.

289
00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.200
And and uh, Modesta was changing and it's changed for

290
00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:21.039
the better. And it's not just about Modesta. I think

291
00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:23.279
it's across the country. This is happening, you know, and

292
00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:25.679
there needs to be more change of acceptance of people

293
00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:28.480
in general and learning that Hey, you know, it's not

294
00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:30.600
always going to be your little corner of the world forever.

295
00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:33.960
You know, we're growing and it's just happening period.

296
00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:36.360
So yeah, now I'm.

297
00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:39.200
With you, I really am. Uh do you mind if

298
00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:42.360
I go back to the digital marketing company that you

299
00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:44.360
got involved with a little bit or how they utilize

300
00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:45.120
their services?

301
00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:48.399
Yeah? So can you explain that relationship and how that happened.

302
00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:53.759
Yeah, So I wanted to get involved in, uh, in

303
00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:55.919
the political sphere for the reasons I already kind of

304
00:15:55.919 --> 00:16:00.440
talked about, and I learned I did. I've been doing

305
00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:03.559
marketing obviously my whole life, the marketing shows, you know,

306
00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:10.120
and I found that digital digital platforms were just the

307
00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:13.399
best ways to communicate with people. You know, look what

308
00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:15.639
we're doing right now, we are going to be this

309
00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:18.759
is going to be put out on podcast platforms right Absolutely,

310
00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:23.960
twenty years ago that option did not exist. And we

311
00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:27.080
see the impact that new media is having on the world.

312
00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:31.159
You know, but SB does not even a daily newspaper anymore.

313
00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:34.679
Don't even know what it is. It's there, and it

314
00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:37.799
just and the thing is, every day it becomes less critical,

315
00:16:38.679 --> 00:16:42.240
you know, to our community because they just aren't out there,

316
00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:44.279
no one's they don't they're getting the eyes that they

317
00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:47.879
used to get, so they just aren't as important. And

318
00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:50.039
so I decided I wanted to get into it. And

319
00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:54.279
so a buddy of mine was starting a company, and

320
00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:57.679
I said, hey, I'm in. I want to do it.

321
00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:02.720
And so, you know, I started working working with them.

322
00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:06.400
You know, they basically hired my company to do marketing

323
00:17:06.440 --> 00:17:11.920
for them for you know, part time, twenty hours a week.

324
00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:17.000
And eventually, you know, as the company grew and as

325
00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.440
as you know, I was able to be more successful.

326
00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:23.359
I became a partner in in uh in Compete Digital

327
00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:26.720
and h and now that's really that's what.

328
00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:29.039
I do gotcha.

329
00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:32.559
So do you, I mean, can you talk about the

330
00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:34.160
services offered through that company.

331
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:39.680
Yeah, we're a digital marketing company. We focus on causes

332
00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:45.200
and campaigns, okay, and we work with people running for office,

333
00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:47.359
and we work with people that are trying to pass

334
00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:52.920
legislation locally and at the state level, and it's all

335
00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:54.640
over the country, not just in California.

336
00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:59.000
That's interesting, so kind of on the other side of

337
00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.880
it and helping people get their campaign and their word

338
00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:04.559
out and basically being known, right.

339
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.640
Yeah, it is is just to teach people how to

340
00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:11.640
communicate in this really new world that has changed so rapidly,

341
00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:16.039
you know, as you probably I assume you know. You know,

342
00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:20.160
I've got a very active social media posture for my

343
00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:24.400
council seat and I speak to my I speak to

344
00:18:24.440 --> 00:18:28.400
my constituents on social media every single day, and I'm

345
00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:32.400
running conversations with them and we work out policy together

346
00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:38.119
live and publicly every single day. Twenty five years ago,

347
00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:40.119
you could not do that. That was not an option.

348
00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:44.720
And so the opportunity for candidates and causes to really

349
00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:49.920
educate people about what they're trying to do and have honest,

350
00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:54.000
transparent conversations are really there. Are there bad sides to

351
00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:56.119
it too, absolutely. I mean you see what's going on

352
00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:59.240
in X right now on Twitter, Yeah, I can't.

353
00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:01.880
You know, that's kind of a pool of you know,

354
00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:05.519
back and forth information on all sides. There's times where

355
00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:07.759
you're like, yeah, great free speech platform, and the other

356
00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:09.680
there's other times where like why am I seeing porn?

357
00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:12.279
And why am I seeing this crazy hate speech rhetoric?

358
00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:14.559
I don't understand. It just doesn't make any sense.

359
00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:18.039
It's just not good. Like in the UK, you know,

360
00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:21.240
I don't know if you've heard about the the mass

361
00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:24.519
murder that happened, you know, with the kids at the school,

362
00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:29.079
but it was really bad, and you know, on X

363
00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:32.839
they posted a fake story but it got a lot

364
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:37.680
of a lot of traction saying that a immigrant had

365
00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:41.240
done the murders, which was totally false. But that false

366
00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:44.359
narrative whipped up a bunch of really angry people and

367
00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:46.920
they started riots in a bunch of major English cities.

368
00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:51.599
And so it's also, you know, as much good as

369
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:53.599
it can do, as much honesty as it can have,

370
00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:58.119
as much transparency, as much as much good dialogue we

371
00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:00.880
can have, it also can be in dangerous.

372
00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:06.319
I yeah, I don't mind the honesty, but I don't

373
00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:10.480
like the spin and yeah, I don't agree, unfortunately, because

374
00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:13.000
everyone's attention spans are short. Too many people are just

375
00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:14.960
taking and it's true, we're living in a world of

376
00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:18.720
sound bites and clips and that's what people base all

377
00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:21.279
the information on instead of you know, digging deeper. I mean,

378
00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:23.079
too many people to lie on the headlines and not

379
00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:26.079
really looking into the actual story. And I think that's

380
00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:29.279
a huge problem personally. But most people just don't have

381
00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:32.119
the patience to read all the info anymore, you know,

382
00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:34.559
And that's where the danger is because it's so easy,

383
00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:37.079
as you said, with the example of what happened with

384
00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:40.599
that story in the UK, totally taking out of context,

385
00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:44.039
totally creates a situation that just boils over and it

386
00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:46.079
just turns into something horrible that should never have happened.

387
00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:50.680
Yeah, and I mean we also need to have a

388
00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:54.319
historical perspective here, right, And like everything you said is true,

389
00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:57.680
but if you look back, you know, in the nineteenth

390
00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:02.680
century would promote stuff just through like they just create

391
00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:05.240
their own little newspaper or their own little newsletter and

392
00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:10.359
just hand it out and write absolutely preposterous things true,

393
00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:17.200
you know, and so like this Misinformation is as human

394
00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:22.559
as you know, pretty much anything, right. So this is

395
00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:26.200
the misinformation hasn't really changed. We just we went through

396
00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:29.720
kind of a golden period, you know, in the post

397
00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:33.839
war to you know, you know, the mid twenty tens

398
00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:38.559
of you know, of really having a lot of reliable,

399
00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:42.880
multi mass media that you could count on to actually

400
00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:44.759
deliver a lot of facts. I mean, they got it

401
00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:49.279
wrong a lot too. You know, look at the Iraq War, right,

402
00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:53.440
but there was a real effort I think to get

403
00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:53.880
it right.

404
00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:56.720
You know, I can agree with you on that in

405
00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.599
that time period. What what did you I mean, because

406
00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:02.559
you're in media, you're in marketing, what did you think

407
00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:05.400
was the change? Like what caused the change to become

408
00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:09.599
so polarized and so you know, going back to just

409
00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:12.039
taking things out of context and trying to drive a

410
00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:15.400
message rather than the actual message, which should just be

411
00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:16.279
the news.

412
00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:21.119
I mean. The way the reason that it changed from

413
00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:25.400
a more like from a you know, kind of balanced

414
00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:30.880
facts based approach to a more political biased approach was

415
00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:34.400
the change of the fair like the Fair Use Act

416
00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:36.079
I think it's called, I don't know it was under Reagan,

417
00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:41.759
but basically they took this act that was made that

418
00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:47.240
required media services to be fact based and said, look,

419
00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:49.480
the First Amendment says you can say whatever you want,

420
00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:54.400
and this law is unconstitutional. And so ever since that's

421
00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:57.000
when then they launched Fox News and everything kind of

422
00:22:57.119 --> 00:23:03.920
changed after that. Yeah, and by the way, that actually

423
00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:07.519
it is correct that you shouldn't be allowed to censor people,

424
00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:11.359
you know, based on the First Amendment. Has it had

425
00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:17.640
a pretty horrific impact on the country. Yeah, it has.

426
00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:22.000
But we're going we're going through a change, right and

427
00:23:22.119 --> 00:23:24.960
I'm pretty positive, like I think we're going to find

428
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.480
ourselves in the future in a world that you know,

429
00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:30.200
it's still going to have some of this stuff, but

430
00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:33.880
hopefully we get to a place where we get back

431
00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:38.039
to that kind of more fact based perspective in the

432
00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:42.400
in the places that are you know, delivering bad information

433
00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:45.119
are more marginalized like they used to be.

434
00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.359
Well, I can agree with you because I think I

435
00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:52.440
think a major pollen is you should have a right

436
00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:55.359
to say, of course, everyone's always you know, protect my

437
00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:58.319
free speech. But I also can see the other side

438
00:23:58.319 --> 00:24:01.319
where if it's news, where you're supposed to be just

439
00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:04.640
just reporting what is happening, so people are actually informed

440
00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:07.240
of the truth. Then that should be truthful information, I believe.

441
00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:10.000
And if you have a show such as let's say

442
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:13.599
Fox or Emisent or whoever you watch and you see

443
00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:16.880
like a Hannity or a Mattow or whatever, people must

444
00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:19.519
realize that those shows in themselves aren't so much news

445
00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:22.960
as they are opinion pieces, people given opinions more than

446
00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:25.240
they are giving the actual news. And then you have

447
00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:27.559
other shows in those networks that actually should just be

448
00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:30.960
given the news, don't. I don't think it's clearly defined

449
00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:34.000
to the public what's really going on. And I think

450
00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:36.440
that's where we get into trouble because I think the

451
00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:38.240
news should be truthful period. I mean, back to the

452
00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:41.880
Walter Cronkite days, it was just no emotion, just you know,

453
00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:45.079
here's what's happening, and you form your own opinions based

454
00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:48.039
on the information. And now it's it seems like they're

455
00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:51.319
pushing on all sides. I'm not gonna pick sides here, Chris.

456
00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:53.400
It's just it just seems like everyone's kind of trying

457
00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:56.720
to hurt everybody into their own little, you know, encampment here,

458
00:24:57.079 --> 00:24:59.880
you know, to believe whatever, instead of just saying, you know,

459
00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:03.119
there was a volcano yesterday that blue at eleven am,

460
00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:05.440
and this is what happened, you know, versus there was

461
00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:07.960
a volcano that blue and specifically just targeted this group

462
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:10.440
of people. And the reason it did is because they're

463
00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:11.000
bad people.

464
00:25:11.160 --> 00:25:11.240
You know.

465
00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:13.880
It's a big difference between telling the truth of historian

466
00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:15.200
trying to manipulate it.

467
00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:17.920
And that's just my opinion, by the way.

468
00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:20.319
But yeah, but I mean, the problem comes in and

469
00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:25.319
I think you know, this is why MSN and FOX exists.

470
00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:28.480
But the problem comes in is when you tell the

471
00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:33.960
truth and you're like, yeah, the volcano got overloaded because

472
00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:37.440
of it and this is not possible, but because of climate change,

473
00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:41.640
you know what I mean. And then the people on

474
00:25:41.640 --> 00:25:44.839
one side, the people that are like, let's say the

475
00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:48.799
petroleum people are like, hey, I don't want people to

476
00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:54.039
know that. Come up with another reason and so and

477
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.000
so as long as the truth hurts any special interest group,

478
00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:01.599
you're gonna have people mad that you're living whatever that truth.

479
00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:04.839
Is there and last the problem and right, and so.

480
00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:09.000
That's where we're at. People with really deep pockets on

481
00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:12.839
both sides are saying, hey, we need to get our

482
00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:17.440
word out over everybody else. And that's the war that's

483
00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:18.519
being fought right now.

484
00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:22.960
I mean, we agree definitely. And it's sad, you know,

485
00:26:23.079 --> 00:26:25.839
to see that. That's that's the reality. The message is

486
00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:29.160
based on whoever has the most money, you know. Unfortunately.

487
00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:36.359
Well, yeah, right, it's true. True. I got nothing, dude,

488
00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:38.680
I got nothing. That's the way it is right now.

489
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:40.799
No, I hear you, and I'm and I asked your

490
00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:42.440
opinion and you gave it, and I agree with you.

491
00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:45.160
I mean, you're not wrong. It's a it's all very true,

492
00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:45.839
you know.

493
00:26:46.519 --> 00:26:46.920
It is.

494
00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:51.200
When you when you were helping people with their campaigns,

495
00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:54.400
I wanted to ask you what did you learn from

496
00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:56.960
being on that side of it and and how a

497
00:26:57.000 --> 00:27:00.000
campaign works, and you know, working with with people run

498
00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:01.400
for political offices.

499
00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:05.759
Well, I mean it's I mean it's hard. Running for

500
00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:06.680
office is really hard.

501
00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:08.720
So I know you did so, and you're you're you're

502
00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:09.839
gonna be running again, correct?

503
00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:10.680
Is that my correct in that?

504
00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:15.519
Yeah, you're correct. I'm running again in November. But I

505
00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:21.200
think that people discount the importance of their relationships in

506
00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:25.079
the community, you know, And so what I find is

507
00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:28.240
the candidates that tend to win are the people that

508
00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:34.000
are most connected to their communities. Sure, was there was

509
00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:35.839
there more? Oh?

510
00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:37.799
No, I I I basically wanted to know what you

511
00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:40.480
you know from from working with candidates and marketing campaigns

512
00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:42.480
when not like like what you learned from it? You

513
00:27:42.519 --> 00:27:46.200
know how how it affects people in running campaigns. And

514
00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:49.960
that being said, with what you learned, I want to

515
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:51.799
want to ask this, knowing what you know now from

516
00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:54.440
from being on that side of marketing and helping other

517
00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:59.920
people campaign, knowing then what you knew now? Would how

518
00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:02.039
are you going to run your campaign differently now because

519
00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:05.039
you are running for City Council District.

520
00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:06.000
Three, City of Modesta.

521
00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:09.039
Okay, so what would you what you would you do

522
00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:10.960
different this time around with your campaigny?

523
00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:13.279
What I'm going to do different this time around? Is?

524
00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:18.359
You know, I obviously my first time running, you know,

525
00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:21.839
I had limited funds. I mean I had good funds.

526
00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:23.960
I had more money than anyone else in the race, right,

527
00:28:24.119 --> 00:28:27.480
but but all my donors were really small, right, And

528
00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:32.279
so my average donation was like two hundred dollars and

529
00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:35.680
my opponents only had like, you know, ten donations, and

530
00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:38.039
they were like all for you know, two three, four

531
00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:39.079
thousand dollars? Right?

532
00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:39.359
Oh?

533
00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:39.799
Okay?

534
00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:43.359
Now I ended up having more because I just worked

535
00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:46.000
really hard. But the problem when you have limited funds

536
00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:48.319
is that you don't have enough money to talk to

537
00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:52.480
all the voters, right, And so I think the biggest

538
00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:55.680
mistake I made is that I didn't cast my net

539
00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:00.359
wide enough to talk to all the voters about what

540
00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:06.799
I wanted to do. Because my ideas aren't conservative or liberal.

541
00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:10.279
They're just good ideas for our community, and everyone, for

542
00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:12.079
the most part, can agree with all of it.

543
00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:15.880
You just say you're more down the middle, or you

544
00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:17.759
just kind of take things on as they make sense.

545
00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:25.119
I see my job as to identify problems in the

546
00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:26.920
community and find solutions.

547
00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:29.119
I think that's what most politicians should do.

548
00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:35.240
And so some people like you know, I'm a big

549
00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:39.079
supporter of the Minnesto Police Department. I like the fact

550
00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:41.319
that they have been willing to look at themselves and

551
00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:45.400
improve themselves this. You know, since I've been in office,

552
00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:49.279
they've added a police independent Police Review Board, They've added

553
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:54.599
an independent police auditor, They've added alternate response teams. You know,

554
00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:57.920
they've added park rangers. They've done all these things that

555
00:29:57.960 --> 00:30:00.839
I've asked them to do. Right, they just keep getting better,

556
00:30:01.880 --> 00:30:04.680
and I support that, and I support and I support them,

557
00:30:04.680 --> 00:30:07.359
and I know how hard their jobs is. Right. Well,

558
00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:10.039
there's a lot of people on the left. You can

559
00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:11.960
go on my Facebook page and look look at my

560
00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:16.079
post yesterday about how amazing it is that the city

561
00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:20.039
of Modesta is sending our police officers up to bake

562
00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:25.319
the Baker fire, the fire up in Chico and Bue County.

563
00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:27.799
Oh, I forgot where the fire I think it's called.

564
00:30:28.119 --> 00:30:30.319
Yeah, there's a big one going on right now, for sure.

565
00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:33.519
Yeah. And they needed help. They needed help, you know,

566
00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:36.799
but county needed help evacuating people and like keeping people

567
00:30:36.839 --> 00:30:39.200
safe from this fire, right And they asked for mutual

568
00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:42.200
Aid and Modesta police departments and people up there. And

569
00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:44.400
I said, you know, it's really great that we're able

570
00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:46.319
to send people up there and help other communities because

571
00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:52.319
mutual aid helps our neighbors when they're in most in need. Right.

572
00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:54.759
And I had a guy called me a boot liquor

573
00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:58.119
for making that really making comment, you know what I mean.

574
00:30:57.960 --> 00:31:00.759
What was his reasoning? Did he explain himself? Doesn't make sense.

575
00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:04.039
No, he didn't explain himself. And of course I'm not

576
00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:09.000
gonna Friday not explain. I'm just saying, like people, I

577
00:31:09.039 --> 00:31:12.079
think it's a pretty I think there's good reasons to

578
00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:14.680
support our law enforcement and that's why I do. And

579
00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:16.559
that's why I'm endorsed by the Master of Police Department.

580
00:31:16.599 --> 00:31:20.319
Because I support them and and because they do a

581
00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:22.640
good job, and because they're willing to be introspective and

582
00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:25.759
make themselves better. It's a good police department, and we

583
00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:28.720
need to we need to back them up, right, I

584
00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:31.720
guess not popular with everybody.

585
00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:32.799
No, it isn't. That's sad.

586
00:31:33.319 --> 00:31:36.400
You know, we do need police officers. There's good police officers.

587
00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:38.079
There's people who want to make a difference in actually

588
00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:42.279
do their jobs. And you know, in any industry, whether

589
00:31:42.279 --> 00:31:45.440
it's law enforcement or you know, freaking even if you're

590
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:47.240
working for a large you know, tech company.

591
00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:49.759
There's there's there's bad actors everywhere.

592
00:31:50.160 --> 00:31:54.319
And unfortunately, most police departments get judged by a few

593
00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:58.079
new stories out there and it doesn't mean it reflects

594
00:31:58.119 --> 00:32:01.519
the entire department or all departments every where. And it's

595
00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:04.119
a sad thing. I mean, I agree with you in

596
00:32:04.119 --> 00:32:06.079
support in the police department. If we didn't have law

597
00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:09.559
enforcement would be a city of chaos, you know, probably

598
00:32:09.960 --> 00:32:11.039
teetering on anarchy.

599
00:32:11.400 --> 00:32:12.279
Yeah, it would be bad.

600
00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:14.599
But yeah, I need check and balances period.

601
00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:18.039
Yeah, and you know, but my point is that like

602
00:32:18.119 --> 00:32:21.200
on any issue, there's going to be people on one

603
00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:25.960
side or the other that get angry. Absolutely, like like,

604
00:32:26.119 --> 00:32:31.640
identify my problems and then do my best to address solutions.

605
00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:36.960
Most of the time those solutions. I try to choose

606
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:40.920
the path that gets the job done and doesn't make

607
00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:41.839
people angry.

608
00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:43.240
Yeah.

609
00:32:44.119 --> 00:32:46.200
Yeah, but it sounds like you're you're being objective and

610
00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:49.279
making the right choices, which is what most people don't

611
00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:51.799
do unfortunately. So it's good to hear that that's your

612
00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:53.319
perspective and how you're.

613
00:32:53.160 --> 00:32:55.279
Approaching that's that's how I try to approach it.

614
00:32:56.079 --> 00:32:57.039
I admire. I think.

615
00:32:58.759 --> 00:33:00.400
I'll give you a good example of a where I

616
00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:04.359
was not where I did really poorly, right, So, because

617
00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:06.200
I believe in learning from your mistakes, and I think

618
00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:12.119
everyone should do that. Right, Like, when you look at homelessness,

619
00:33:13.200 --> 00:33:16.839
one of the major causes of homelessness is just not

620
00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:20.920
having a place for people to go, you know. And

621
00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:23.039
so one of our solutions at the City of at

622
00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:28.839
Esto is we're doing bridge housing, which is essentially they

623
00:33:28.920 --> 00:33:33.559
just build houses and they're made out of like you know,

624
00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:38.640
they're tiny houses. Sometimes they're made out of containers, you know,

625
00:33:38.839 --> 00:33:42.680
or whatever. But they're just kind of temporary edifices just

626
00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:46.200
to give people a place to go, right, And they

627
00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:48.519
don't just let anybody go into them, right, Like, Usually

628
00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:50.960
what they'll do is they'll we've got a whole system

629
00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:53.799
to try to help people. Right. So, like you go

630
00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:56.000
to let's say you end up at the shelter, and

631
00:33:56.759 --> 00:33:58.359
let's say you did really good. You've got a job,

632
00:33:58.359 --> 00:34:00.359
but you just don't have enough money to you know,

633
00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:02.680
and you're you're not on drugs, and you're doing like

634
00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:04.400
all the things you need to do, but there's just

635
00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:06.200
nowhere for you to go. You just don't make enough

636
00:34:06.200 --> 00:34:10.000
money to qualify for an apartment. Well, bridge housing is

637
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:12.159
a good solution because they can go in a bridge housing,

638
00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:14.679
they've got their own space, they can save up some

639
00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:17.360
money for a deposit, and then when they make enough

640
00:34:17.400 --> 00:34:19.320
money finally and they have it all saved up and

641
00:34:19.360 --> 00:34:24.440
the credit's fixed, they can get back into society. Right. Well,

642
00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:26.559
we're doing a bridge We were looking at doing a

643
00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:28.920
When I say we, the city was looking at doing

644
00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:34.039
a bridge housing project over in Woodland West, right, And

645
00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:36.039
I didn't think it'd be that big a deal, right, Like,

646
00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:41.920
it's we're talking twenty units. Where was that the west

647
00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:45.719
that's over by. It's kind of my wood colony, okay, okay,

648
00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:48.159
And it was like going to be built on church land.

649
00:34:48.199 --> 00:34:52.960
It's just like an orchard right now. But the neighborhood

650
00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:56.719
was really really pissed about it. You know, you're going

651
00:34:56.800 --> 00:34:59.360
to bring these people and they're all messed up, and

652
00:34:59.360 --> 00:35:00.920
they're going to be they're going to bring all this

653
00:35:01.079 --> 00:35:05.440
violence and danger and like people really really mad, you know,

654
00:35:06.360 --> 00:35:09.079
And like I don't believe in making people really really mad,

655
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:13.119
you know, And so I had to like go to

656
00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:15.400
them and say, look, guys, this is a mistake. We

657
00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:18.079
can't do this here, and we're gonna have to find

658
00:35:18.119 --> 00:35:21.000
somewhere else for it. And that's what we did together.

659
00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:23.920
We're working on finding new places and new solutions, right

660
00:35:24.039 --> 00:35:26.480
So that's so we've kept that in mind in new locations.

661
00:35:26.519 --> 00:35:29.880
You know, it's be very let's be very transparent with

662
00:35:29.880 --> 00:35:32.639
the neighborhood about what we're doing. Let's get that out

663
00:35:32.679 --> 00:35:35.039
in front of things so that people can you know,

664
00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:38.119
keep it, can react and and you know you can

665
00:35:38.199 --> 00:35:40.960
some people call it nimbi and maybe that's right, maybe

666
00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:45.599
it's wrong right, but as that neighborhood's representative, I have

667
00:35:45.679 --> 00:35:49.360
to be sensitive to how they feel about where they live.

668
00:35:50.840 --> 00:35:55.199
Yeah, I think there's a big The homelessness is a

669
00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:58.199
hard one because everybody wants to fix it, but then

670
00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:04.199
it has to be on their terms, and there's a

671
00:36:04.239 --> 00:36:08.440
misconception of what a homeless person is. My dad is

672
00:36:09.719 --> 00:36:13.079
so he still is a register minister, and he'll still

673
00:36:13.119 --> 00:36:15.920
go out to like homeless shelters and whatnot, and he'll

674
00:36:16.119 --> 00:36:18.719
go ahead and play music and whatnot and try to

675
00:36:18.760 --> 00:36:21.280
talk to families. And I remember there's a couple of

676
00:36:21.320 --> 00:36:23.639
times I filled in because one of his musicians couldn't

677
00:36:23.639 --> 00:36:25.159
make it, so I was like, yeah, sure, you know.

678
00:36:25.159 --> 00:36:25.760
I'll go play.

679
00:36:26.280 --> 00:36:28.199
And I got to talk to a few families that

680
00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:32.960
were literally displaced because you know, they got laid off

681
00:36:33.280 --> 00:36:36.960
whatever happened with their job situation, not their fault, and

682
00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:39.360
somehow just ended up where they are now homeless, and

683
00:36:39.360 --> 00:36:43.440
they're just trying to get back on track, and it

684
00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:46.239
is so hard for them to find resources and figure

685
00:36:46.239 --> 00:36:47.599
out how to do that, Like how do they get

686
00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:49.840
their life back? How do they go down that pathway

687
00:36:49.880 --> 00:36:52.079
to get in where they were, and there's a lot

688
00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:54.559
of those people out there on that unfortunate or displaced

689
00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:58.079
because of that. And everybody just thinks homeless just means

690
00:36:58.199 --> 00:37:02.719
dirty criminal drug use, and it's not not necessarily that's what.

691
00:37:02.639 --> 00:37:05.199
It is a lot of people just trying to get

692
00:37:05.480 --> 00:37:06.159
their lives back.

693
00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:09.119
Some of them definitely are, but not all of them, right.

694
00:37:09.079 --> 00:37:12.079
Not all, but there's some, but it's not all. And

695
00:37:12.280 --> 00:37:15.239
there's people that really just they fell into a bad

696
00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:18.840
situation and they're just trying to get back to you know,

697
00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:21.559
providing for their families and getting back into a home

698
00:37:21.599 --> 00:37:23.280
and getting their feedback on the ground.

699
00:37:23.960 --> 00:37:27.280
Yeah. Well it's like, I don't want to look at

700
00:37:27.280 --> 00:37:29.559
this negatively, right, Like we can just be we can

701
00:37:29.679 --> 00:37:32.559
beat up people like, oh, those people they're just not

702
00:37:32.719 --> 00:37:35.519
understanding and not cool because they want in their community.

703
00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:37.559
We can argue that back and forth. You're gonna have

704
00:37:37.559 --> 00:37:39.440
some people that say, yeah, they're horrible people, and other

705
00:37:39.440 --> 00:37:43.000
people are gonna say, like, they're just protecting their area whatever. Right,

706
00:37:43.079 --> 00:37:46.599
it's irrelevant. We just can't worry about it. You know.

707
00:37:46.679 --> 00:37:49.800
The reality is, Hey, it's going to be hard, but

708
00:37:49.880 --> 00:37:56.639
we have to find locations that that are that cause

709
00:37:56.679 --> 00:37:59.920
the least amount of drama with people. And if you

710
00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:02.920
know that's what you have to look for. Is it hard? Yeah,

711
00:38:03.280 --> 00:38:07.840
but you know what stuff's hard, man deal with it.

712
00:38:07.880 --> 00:38:10.960
Change is hardly. Absolutely, Like we.

713
00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:12.840
Can sit here and complain and be and be like,

714
00:38:13.119 --> 00:38:15.360
you know, this stinks and why can't they just let

715
00:38:15.440 --> 00:38:18.320
us do it our way? No, that's not how that's

716
00:38:18.360 --> 00:38:23.039
not how government or people work. If it was so easy,

717
00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:25.320
everyone would be doing it, you know what I mean, Like,

718
00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:27.000
it's fine, it's not easy.

719
00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:30.000
I find sometimes if it's too easy, start to question yourself.

720
00:38:30.199 --> 00:38:31.800
You're like, wait a minute, did I do this right?

721
00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:35.239
Yeah? It's like, look, let's accept the fact that this

722
00:38:35.360 --> 00:38:37.960
is going to be hard and just you know, sit

723
00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:39.840
down at the table and get stuff done. And that's

724
00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:42.000
what that's what we're trying to do. And and hats

725
00:38:42.039 --> 00:38:44.039
off to the City of Modesta. They've got the first

726
00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:46.880
bridge housing project past the council. They're building it right

727
00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:50.639
now at tenth, ninth and D in downtown Modesta. We

728
00:38:50.760 --> 00:38:54.000
got another one that's going to be going up, you know,

729
00:38:54.599 --> 00:38:58.639
over in by the Gospel Mission. You know, it's going

730
00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:00.440
to be small, it's only ten year and it's but

731
00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:04.719
it's and it's going to be for for single women basically,

732
00:39:04.800 --> 00:39:08.119
and you know, it's we're moving in the right direction,

733
00:39:08.440 --> 00:39:11.559
much slower than I wish we could, but at least

734
00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:12.960
some projects are happening.

735
00:39:13.239 --> 00:39:14.719
Well at least there's progress being made.

736
00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:17.599
Yeah, So like I can't, I'm not going to pin

737
00:39:17.719 --> 00:39:20.639
it on a neighborhood, you know, for how they feel, right,

738
00:39:20.679 --> 00:39:22.880
like we can still solve the problems.

739
00:39:23.320 --> 00:39:25.440
Yeah, yeah, And that's not what I was intending to do.

740
00:39:26.400 --> 00:39:28.440
I was just kind of bringing up, you know what,

741
00:39:28.440 --> 00:39:30.840
what you learned by actually talking to the people who

742
00:39:30.840 --> 00:39:34.440
were there, and I just ran into that, you know,

743
00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:38.039
versus just having an assumption and then you walk out going, oh, shoot,

744
00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:39.880
that's that sucks.

745
00:39:40.039 --> 00:39:43.559
These guys had to go through that, And that was

746
00:39:43.679 --> 00:39:44.519
that was basically what.

747
00:39:44.559 --> 00:39:47.360
I was trying to say, you know, yeah, yeah, so

748
00:39:48.719 --> 00:39:50.800
it's good to hear what you're doing though, So then

749
00:39:51.280 --> 00:39:53.320
you know, I was going to actually go back to

750
00:39:53.360 --> 00:39:57.079
the money thing, and a lot I don't think a

751
00:39:57.079 --> 00:39:59.840
lot of people understand really because you said that would

752
00:39:59.840 --> 00:40:00.960
help you talk to more people.

753
00:40:00.960 --> 00:40:01.480
I don't think.

754
00:40:01.400 --> 00:40:04.039
Understand why it takes so much money to campaign.

755
00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:08.840
It's actually super simple really, So one of the main

756
00:40:08.880 --> 00:40:11.440
ways that and this is the easiest way to explain

757
00:40:11.480 --> 00:40:14.679
it to people. So, like, you know, all those those

758
00:40:14.920 --> 00:40:18.119
mailers you get from candidates that come and you know,

759
00:40:18.239 --> 00:40:20.280
come in the mail around election time and it's like

760
00:40:20.400 --> 00:40:23.519
vote for me because X, Y and Z. Right, I'm

761
00:40:23.559 --> 00:40:26.920
talking about that point. Well, every one of those pieces,

762
00:40:26.920 --> 00:40:28.559
the political mail, you have to put a stamp on

763
00:40:29.360 --> 00:40:32.079
right to deliver it, and and so you have to

764
00:40:32.119 --> 00:40:34.880
pay for all those stamps and all the and and

765
00:40:34.960 --> 00:40:37.800
you have to pay the guy to design the piece,

766
00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:40.360
and you have to pay to have it printed, you know.

767
00:40:41.079 --> 00:40:43.039
And so if you want to cast a wider net,

768
00:40:43.079 --> 00:40:45.519
you need more money to pay for more stamps to

769
00:40:45.599 --> 00:40:50.039
get to more people. It's not just mailers, right, you

770
00:40:50.079 --> 00:40:54.280
all see, you have to do digital right, Digital works

771
00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:57.360
the same way as as mail. You have to pay

772
00:40:57.440 --> 00:40:59.159
for the impressions that are going to go to each

773
00:40:59.199 --> 00:41:01.719
of the voters. It's just like paying for stamps. It's

774
00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:05.519
just different way into it. You know, you got to

775
00:41:05.559 --> 00:41:08.679
pay for your text messages. You should be doing text messages.

776
00:41:08.719 --> 00:41:11.280
You got to pay for your you know, your field

777
00:41:11.320 --> 00:41:13.840
team to be knocking doors. And it's just it's just

778
00:41:14.039 --> 00:41:17.599
really expensive. And the bigger the district you got, the

779
00:41:17.679 --> 00:41:18.760
more expensive it is.

780
00:41:19.880 --> 00:41:22.320
Yeah, And that's that's why I was asking you to

781
00:41:22.920 --> 00:41:25.000
expand on on the money side because a lot of

782
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:27.800
people so so you're because you were already into promotions,

783
00:41:27.840 --> 00:41:31.039
business and marketing, so you understand that side. I understand

784
00:41:31.079 --> 00:41:33.719
that side from being involved in different businesses. But the

785
00:41:33.760 --> 00:41:36.000
average person doesn't realize, like, hey, when you see that

786
00:41:36.039 --> 00:41:38.000
add on TV, that costs money. When you hear that

787
00:41:38.079 --> 00:41:40.800
radio ad that costs a lot of money, And most

788
00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:43.440
people don't realize that because the average person isn't going

789
00:41:43.480 --> 00:41:46.159
to buy a commercial, you know, or running ad on

790
00:41:46.239 --> 00:41:49.119
radio or you know, a podcast or whatever it is. Yeah,

791
00:41:49.159 --> 00:41:51.239
and they just don't see that part of it. And

792
00:41:51.599 --> 00:41:53.480
you know, it's like when you hear these presidential campaigns, Oh,

793
00:41:53.480 --> 00:41:55.800
they raise eight hundred million, two hundred million, whatever, some

794
00:41:55.840 --> 00:41:57.599
people are like, why do you need all that money?

795
00:41:57.639 --> 00:42:00.599
Well so that they can get their voice, It just

796
00:42:00.639 --> 00:42:02.880
doesn't happen. You know, you have to pay for the

797
00:42:03.239 --> 00:42:07.639
those opportunities to get your message across the people. And

798
00:42:07.880 --> 00:42:09.719
that's the thing. I person just doesn't understand that. And

799
00:42:09.760 --> 00:42:11.119
that's why I asked you that. I just you know,

800
00:42:11.119 --> 00:42:13.719
I wanted to get it directly from someone who runs

801
00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:15.920
for office, who is a city council member running again,

802
00:42:15.920 --> 00:42:17.679
and just directly telling people, look, this is why we

803
00:42:17.719 --> 00:42:19.400
need the funds, this is what it goes to.

804
00:42:20.320 --> 00:42:23.559
It's just it's you know, the job is, like my

805
00:42:23.719 --> 00:42:25.800
job as accounselor of when I'm running for office is

806
00:42:25.840 --> 00:42:29.920
to sell my ideas to voters. If I don't let

807
00:42:29.960 --> 00:42:31.800
you know what my ideas are, then how can you

808
00:42:31.840 --> 00:42:35.159
make an informed decision? Right? Hopefully my opponents are doing

809
00:42:35.159 --> 00:42:37.719
the same thing, right like they're gonna And in my

810
00:42:37.760 --> 00:42:40.920
first election, you saw that, you know, like one of

811
00:42:40.960 --> 00:42:44.440
the candidate's message was, hey, I'm endorsed by the police department.

812
00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:47.760
One of the candidates was like, hey, I'm going to

813
00:42:47.840 --> 00:42:51.599
hire more cops, you know what I mean. And my

814
00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:54.880
message was more like, I want to try to solve

815
00:42:54.920 --> 00:42:58.960
problems for Modesta, And in the end I did a

816
00:42:58.960 --> 00:43:01.039
better job of communicating that than they did.

817
00:43:01.199 --> 00:43:04.719
In which at that time, nobody was taking your approach.

818
00:43:05.159 --> 00:43:07.159
You know, I think people wanted problems to be solved,

819
00:43:07.159 --> 00:43:08.480
but nobody was saying they're going to do it.

820
00:43:10.039 --> 00:43:12.920
You know, you can't solve the look as much as

821
00:43:12.960 --> 00:43:15.079
I you know, support our police department, and I do.

822
00:43:15.159 --> 00:43:17.320
I'm one of the biggest supporters of our police department.

823
00:43:18.639 --> 00:43:21.800
You can't solve every problem in your community with a cop.

824
00:43:23.559 --> 00:43:25.599
It just doesn't do it. So how do we We

825
00:43:25.639 --> 00:43:29.760
can't solve our problem, our economic challenges, you know, like

826
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:32.960
our economic development challenges with a police officer. We need

827
00:43:33.559 --> 00:43:37.280
to invest in economic development to do that right. We

828
00:43:37.320 --> 00:43:41.760
can't solve our housing shortage with law enforcement. So like

829
00:43:42.519 --> 00:43:44.519
we've got to take I believe we've got to take

830
00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:47.920
a holistic approach. Law enforcement's part of that. Having great

831
00:43:47.960 --> 00:43:52.440
fire coverage is part of that, but there's a lot

832
00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:57.039
more that goes into having a healthy, safe, thriving city.

833
00:43:58.639 --> 00:44:00.440
Well, there is I used to do.

834
00:44:01.280 --> 00:44:03.000
I used to handle the live streams went off for

835
00:44:03.039 --> 00:44:06.159
a few cities on their council meetings, and I remember

836
00:44:06.199 --> 00:44:11.639
sitting in them, and I remember noticing, and I'm going

837
00:44:11.719 --> 00:44:14.400
to ask you this question, your thoughts on this, that

838
00:44:15.440 --> 00:44:17.920
there's a lot of people living within a city that

839
00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:21.159
always complain about things, but they don't get out of

840
00:44:21.199 --> 00:44:24.920
their way to get involved, you know, and listen to

841
00:44:24.960 --> 00:44:28.480
what's happening and hear the arguments and make informed decisions.

842
00:44:28.599 --> 00:44:30.519
And I noticed that council meetings, there's always like a

843
00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:33.760
handful of regulars. There wasn't, you know. I would see

844
00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:36.079
it get packed once in a while if there was

845
00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:39.840
you know, like let's say a citizen or someone from

846
00:44:39.840 --> 00:44:41.719
a high school and get a special recognition, all of

847
00:44:41.760 --> 00:44:44.159
a sudden, there room will be packed. But on other

848
00:44:44.239 --> 00:44:46.960
days it'd be like, you know, fifteen twenty people. Sometimes

849
00:44:47.199 --> 00:44:49.000
you know more than that. But it was always the

850
00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:54.400
same faces. And I heard from some people because I'd say, hey, yeah,

851
00:44:54.440 --> 00:44:56.840
I do the you know, streaming for city X. You know,

852
00:44:56.840 --> 00:44:59.559
I won't say them all, but and they would ask me,

853
00:44:59.559 --> 00:45:03.039
all would you here, and they would complain about certain things,

854
00:45:03.079 --> 00:45:06.440
and I'm like, well, I hear you, but you know,

855
00:45:06.480 --> 00:45:08.679
you've got to kind of get involved if you want

856
00:45:08.719 --> 00:45:11.440
to make the difference or make the change. So I've

857
00:45:11.440 --> 00:45:13.480
always heard the argument that some people felt like there

858
00:45:13.480 --> 00:45:16.280
were decisions being made by only a handful.

859
00:45:15.760 --> 00:45:17.639
Of people, a few people.

860
00:45:17.559 --> 00:45:21.280
Only, and making decisions for everybody, and they complain about that.

861
00:45:21.480 --> 00:45:23.880
What is what is your thoughts on that statement?

862
00:45:25.719 --> 00:45:30.920
I actually love the question. The thing about about our

863
00:45:30.960 --> 00:45:35.400
democracy and it's such an our democracy, we should cherish it, right,

864
00:45:35.440 --> 00:45:39.559
It's just such a powerful, powerful thing. And what I

865
00:45:39.599 --> 00:45:44.559
mean is that literally anyone can in our city can

866
00:45:44.599 --> 00:45:47.079
come into the city in the city Hall and like

867
00:45:47.159 --> 00:45:51.400
make a difference, you know. And the reason why people

868
00:45:51.440 --> 00:45:55.239
don't is because it's hard. It takes a dramatic investment

869
00:45:55.280 --> 00:45:58.519
of time to do it. So sure, one person can

870
00:45:58.639 --> 00:46:00.760
change policy at city Hall, but you need to come

871
00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:06.840
to city Council, you know, consistently with your issue and

872
00:46:06.880 --> 00:46:10.280
then push your issue through, you know, on and on

873
00:46:10.360 --> 00:46:12.840
and convince the council that this is an important issue

874
00:46:13.119 --> 00:46:15.599
that needs to be dealt with. And the problem is

875
00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:19.920
most people don't. And so as a representative, what I

876
00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:22.559
try to do is channel what I'm hearing, you know,

877
00:46:23.079 --> 00:46:26.199
on the street on social media, things that are chale,

878
00:46:26.599 --> 00:46:30.000
that are frustrating residents, and then I try to be

879
00:46:30.039 --> 00:46:33.159
proactive in guiding the government to deal with those things.

880
00:46:33.880 --> 00:46:35.960
But then there's other things that like I haven't been

881
00:46:36.000 --> 00:46:39.199
able to do because I don't have enough support in

882
00:46:39.280 --> 00:46:43.920
the public, you know. Like, for example, we've got thousands

883
00:46:43.920 --> 00:46:48.199
of modestines that really want an outdoor roller rink, right

884
00:46:48.280 --> 00:46:52.880
a replacement for roller king, you know, but they just

885
00:46:53.199 --> 00:46:57.039
can't put together a couple dozen people to come to

886
00:46:57.079 --> 00:46:59.159
the meeting every week and talk about why it's so

887
00:46:59.199 --> 00:47:01.920
important of Adestina though, right, And as a result, the

888
00:47:01.960 --> 00:47:04.360
representatives don't understand why it's so important to it esto,

889
00:47:04.480 --> 00:47:08.599
and so it doesn't happen, you know, and so like

890
00:47:08.719 --> 00:47:11.239
rather than looking at it like, oh, people suck because

891
00:47:11.239 --> 00:47:14.280
they don't come to the meetings, No, it's like you've

892
00:47:14.320 --> 00:47:17.400
got this magic system that you can really make stuff

893
00:47:17.440 --> 00:47:20.119
happen with. And if you believe in what you want

894
00:47:20.199 --> 00:47:23.400
so much, you dedicate yourself and your idea is good

895
00:47:23.480 --> 00:47:26.599
and you can convince the council your idea is going

896
00:47:26.679 --> 00:47:27.760
to happen. Yeah.

897
00:47:27.880 --> 00:47:32.280
And that goes back to getting involved at the local level.

898
00:47:33.239 --> 00:47:33.480
Yeah.

899
00:47:33.559 --> 00:47:35.760
People have to go out of their way to work

900
00:47:35.880 --> 00:47:39.400
with their elected officials if they want to advocate for

901
00:47:39.480 --> 00:47:42.320
change or if they want to do something that they see,

902
00:47:43.400 --> 00:47:45.760
you know, in their mind, would be beneficial to the

903
00:47:45.760 --> 00:47:48.280
people in general. And it's just sitting on your couch

904
00:47:48.360 --> 00:47:50.840
and just hating the fact that decisions are being made

905
00:47:50.960 --> 00:47:52.079
is not going to change anything.

906
00:47:53.039 --> 00:47:55.440
No, I'll give you an example, like you look at

907
00:47:55.480 --> 00:47:58.559
the Cruisian band was lifted by the city council last year.

908
00:47:58.679 --> 00:47:59.840
Yeah I heard that.

909
00:48:00.719 --> 00:48:03.920
Yeah, And so then they made an argument. They're like, look,

910
00:48:04.000 --> 00:48:07.639
cruising is a family event. You know, if I have

911
00:48:07.679 --> 00:48:11.039
a sixty four I Paula convertible that's one hundred and

912
00:48:11.039 --> 00:48:13.800
fifty thousand dollars car, do you think that I'm going

913
00:48:13.880 --> 00:48:16.320
to like put that at risk by doing donuts and

914
00:48:16.360 --> 00:48:20.719
Shenanigans with it, Like you're you're crazy, Like the people

915
00:48:20.760 --> 00:48:25.000
that cruise now are a totally different breed than what

916
00:48:25.079 --> 00:48:29.599
you than what you imagined, you know, thirty years ago.

917
00:48:31.119 --> 00:48:35.000
But that's still like breaking through people's perceptions of what

918
00:48:35.159 --> 00:48:39.039
cruising is in twenty twenty four versus what it was

919
00:48:39.079 --> 00:48:42.400
in nineteen ninety two. Yes, really hard well.

920
00:48:42.440 --> 00:48:46.920
And the thing for example, the cruising issue for example,

921
00:48:47.239 --> 00:48:48.880
as a relation of Modestina, it's like it's in grain

922
00:48:48.960 --> 00:48:51.760
and Medesto's history, right, you know, it was a big

923
00:48:51.800 --> 00:48:55.360
part of it, and I'm glad that it was repealed

924
00:48:55.599 --> 00:48:58.559
and allowed to happen again because it's it's not like

925
00:48:58.679 --> 00:49:00.599
every day you're going to see a large group of people.

926
00:49:00.679 --> 00:49:03.960
Usually happens around graffiti time or you know, certain special events,

927
00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:06.079
so it's not like every day there's just streets flooded

928
00:49:06.119 --> 00:49:09.360
with cars, you know, cruising, But give them the opportunity

929
00:49:09.440 --> 00:49:11.480
to show off the rides, enjoy themselves, you know.

930
00:49:11.519 --> 00:49:13.079
So it's a community cultural thing.

931
00:49:13.119 --> 00:49:16.000
It's not anything negative that negatively impacts podesto.

932
00:49:17.159 --> 00:49:20.960
Right. But but these this group of people had to

933
00:49:21.400 --> 00:49:23.599
sell that idea and they it took them a year,

934
00:49:24.360 --> 00:49:26.400
but they got all this momentum. They came to the

935
00:49:26.400 --> 00:49:29.360
city council and eventually they passed it. But they didn't

936
00:49:29.760 --> 00:49:32.199
stop at city council. They went to the state and

937
00:49:32.239 --> 00:49:35.960
they had the ban maybe illegal across the entire state

938
00:49:36.039 --> 00:49:36.840
of California.

939
00:49:36.960 --> 00:49:39.960
That's awesome. That's a great example of getting involved.

940
00:49:40.480 --> 00:49:43.280
Yeah, but it just proves what I'm talking about, Like

941
00:49:43.400 --> 00:49:45.239
that's it's the magic of our system. And yeah, the

942
00:49:45.280 --> 00:49:47.159
system is kind of broken in my opinion at the

943
00:49:47.199 --> 00:49:51.000
federal level right now. I'm hopeful that they can fix

944
00:49:51.039 --> 00:49:53.679
it someday and bring the people back and like kind

945
00:49:53.719 --> 00:49:57.440
of push back the sense the special interests a little bit,

946
00:49:58.199 --> 00:50:01.800
you know, but at least on a local level, on

947
00:50:01.840 --> 00:50:04.880
a state level, like just regular citizens can have a

948
00:50:04.960 --> 00:50:10.519
dramatic impact on policy. You just have to again share

949
00:50:10.559 --> 00:50:15.239
your truth, share the truth with your representatives and convince

950
00:50:15.320 --> 00:50:16.800
them that that's the right thing to do.

951
00:50:18.519 --> 00:50:20.960
Well, that's you can't say any better than that, to

952
00:50:20.960 --> 00:50:23.000
be honest, because that's it's all true.

953
00:50:23.199 --> 00:50:23.880
It's all true.

954
00:50:24.679 --> 00:50:28.639
I'm of the mind that changing things nationally and at

955
00:50:28.639 --> 00:50:32.320
the federal level, to me, and I may be wrong

956
00:50:32.400 --> 00:50:34.679
and correct me, but to me when it comes to

957
00:50:34.880 --> 00:50:38.440
policy and politics in general, but I think it's more

958
00:50:38.440 --> 00:50:40.880
of a funnel up than a funnel down situation. I

959
00:50:41.239 --> 00:50:44.679
believe it has changed at the local level than city.

960
00:50:44.760 --> 00:50:47.719
You know, there's city level, local level, talent level, whatever,

961
00:50:47.920 --> 00:50:49.920
then state, and then just goes up. So if you

962
00:50:49.960 --> 00:50:53.719
have a strong foundation at the base, those policies become

963
00:50:53.719 --> 00:50:56.880
infectious and then influence everything else as it moves up.

964
00:50:56.840 --> 00:50:57.360
To the top.

965
00:50:58.280 --> 00:51:02.079
And I don't think that if you're not trying to

966
00:51:02.239 --> 00:51:06.199
influence change in policy at the local level, it starts

967
00:51:06.239 --> 00:51:08.639
in your own backyard, right And if you're not trying

968
00:51:08.639 --> 00:51:11.920
to do that, then nothing's going to change anywhere.

969
00:51:11.920 --> 00:51:13.440
And that's just I mean, that is my opinion.

970
00:51:13.480 --> 00:51:15.800
I'm not saying that maybe the correct for everything, but

971
00:51:16.280 --> 00:51:17.400
that's kind of how I view it.

972
00:51:19.400 --> 00:51:22.039
What is your thoughts on that?

973
00:51:22.880 --> 00:51:25.559
Well, I mean, I agree with you to a point, right,

974
00:51:25.599 --> 00:51:29.119
but the problem right now is that you've got corporations

975
00:51:29.159 --> 00:51:34.440
that can give unlimited amounts of money to any cause

976
00:51:34.519 --> 00:51:38.559
they want through the pack system. True, and you know,

977
00:51:39.639 --> 00:51:43.559
politicians stand up to packs with unlimited amounts of money

978
00:51:43.599 --> 00:51:47.360
at their own peril, you know. And as long as

979
00:51:47.960 --> 00:51:53.079
kind of giving is legal, you're not going to see,

980
00:51:53.239 --> 00:51:55.800
you know, the changes you know that I think our

981
00:51:55.840 --> 00:51:58.199
country needs. Like an example would be, you know, on

982
00:51:58.280 --> 00:52:02.480
prescription drugs. You know, we have the highest prescription drug

983
00:52:03.119 --> 00:52:06.960
costs in the entire world, we do, and that's because

984
00:52:07.079 --> 00:52:12.719
the pharmaceutical companies have donated so much money to candidates

985
00:52:12.920 --> 00:52:18.719
and have so many packs going that it's just it's

986
00:52:18.760 --> 00:52:22.880
just like pull and teeth, a thing accomplished and there's

987
00:52:22.920 --> 00:52:26.400
been some progress made, you know, like insulin. Now Biden

988
00:52:26.480 --> 00:52:28.639
passed that thing. So it's only you know, max thirty

989
00:52:28.639 --> 00:52:32.840
five bucks a month or whatever for insulin. Wonderful, but

990
00:52:33.239 --> 00:52:36.559
it's just like pull and teeth, you know, And you

991
00:52:36.599 --> 00:52:40.519
can go through every lobby there is you know about,

992
00:52:41.039 --> 00:52:45.320
and it's just really it's it's basically we're moving a

993
00:52:45.400 --> 00:52:48.039
snail's pace to change things that need to be changed

994
00:52:49.719 --> 00:52:52.559
because the system has made it so it's more or

995
00:52:52.639 --> 00:52:55.440
less impossible on what you know, maybe not impossible, but

996
00:52:55.559 --> 00:52:59.159
like incredibly difficult to sew any sort of meaningful change.

997
00:53:00.079 --> 00:53:02.079
Well, you're not wrong, you can't.

998
00:53:02.079 --> 00:53:03.719
I mean it's hard for the average person to can

999
00:53:04.079 --> 00:53:05.559
you know, compete with those deep pockets.

1000
00:53:05.559 --> 00:53:06.559
It's just not going to happen.

1001
00:53:08.719 --> 00:53:08.880
Is that.

1002
00:53:09.159 --> 00:53:13.400
As they say, money talks. Unfortunately, that's the truth as

1003
00:53:13.400 --> 00:53:15.800
far as pharmaceuticals go. I mean, I'm not gonna I'm

1004
00:53:15.800 --> 00:53:18.960
not gonna beat this topic. But you know what's crazy

1005
00:53:19.039 --> 00:53:23.639
is the US is probably the largest profit center for

1006
00:53:23.920 --> 00:53:26.559
pharmaceutical companies and one of the only countries where you

1007
00:53:26.559 --> 00:53:31.559
can actually advertise your pharmaceuticals to people, which.

1008
00:53:31.400 --> 00:53:35.119
Is crazy crazy, Like, hey, your doctor, you just tell

1009
00:53:35.159 --> 00:53:37.119
your doctor you want this drug, right.

1010
00:53:37.320 --> 00:53:39.159
You know, And these are people that you know, we're not.

1011
00:53:39.280 --> 00:53:41.320
I'm not a doctor. I don't know. You know, you're training.

1012
00:53:41.400 --> 00:53:42.760
I don't know. If I don't think you are, I'm not.

1013
00:53:42.960 --> 00:53:44.360
It's like, so I'm not a doctor.

1014
00:53:44.519 --> 00:53:46.079
Yeah I could watch the commercial, soy, yeah, I want

1015
00:53:46.079 --> 00:53:47.960
to feel better or whatever. And and and then they

1016
00:53:48.039 --> 00:53:50.199
kind of just blow through the side effects like you know,

1017
00:53:50.280 --> 00:53:51.559
we kind of told you, but not really.

1018
00:53:52.960 --> 00:53:54.159
It's it's ridiculous.

1019
00:53:55.039 --> 00:53:58.079
And and that is all as you said a result

1020
00:53:58.119 --> 00:54:00.559
of just dealing with those really deep pockets because they're

1021
00:54:00.599 --> 00:54:04.880
incentivized to do so. And it's sad, but still I

1022
00:54:05.280 --> 00:54:07.320
think that if people get involve locally, it does help

1023
00:54:07.360 --> 00:54:09.320
make change at least, you know, at least take care

1024
00:54:09.320 --> 00:54:15.239
of your backyard, right, So, and I don't know, maybe

1025
00:54:15.280 --> 00:54:17.679
eventually it will it will change everything up at the top,

1026
00:54:17.840 --> 00:54:20.440
at least I'm believing. So maybe naive at that, but

1027
00:54:20.760 --> 00:54:24.280
I'm hoping, you know, I'm hoping, I mean hopefully.

1028
00:54:25.039 --> 00:54:26.920
Well I was gonna hope for things to get better.

1029
00:54:26.920 --> 00:54:28.880
But what I'll also say, man, is that it doesn't

1030
00:54:28.880 --> 00:54:32.840
matter what you know, society you're in, or what city

1031
00:54:32.880 --> 00:54:34.719
you're in. Like you hear all this stuff you know

1032
00:54:34.800 --> 00:54:39.440
about oh, you know, like Chicago is such a tough

1033
00:54:39.519 --> 00:54:42.679
town and dah da da dah Right, and like, you know,

1034
00:54:43.719 --> 00:54:46.280
I spent quite a bit of time in Chicago, and

1035
00:54:46.639 --> 00:54:48.519
I think it's like one of the best cities on

1036
00:54:48.559 --> 00:54:54.039
the planet. Right. But every city has their challenges. Modesto

1037
00:54:54.840 --> 00:54:58.639
has its challenges, right. San Francisco has a different set

1038
00:54:58.639 --> 00:55:05.039
of challenges. Uh, Biloxi, Mississippi, has its own challenges. You know, Memphis,

1039
00:55:05.079 --> 00:55:08.000
Tennessee has a whole different set of challenges. Like we

1040
00:55:08.000 --> 00:55:11.119
can go through red states, blue states, red towns, blue towns,

1041
00:55:11.199 --> 00:55:13.840
you know, they every doesn't matter. You name any city

1042
00:55:13.880 --> 00:55:16.599
on the planet. You can point at ten major issues

1043
00:55:16.639 --> 00:55:18.400
that that city has, and they're all going to be

1044
00:55:18.480 --> 00:55:23.159
different based on you know, the country's economy and the

1045
00:55:23.480 --> 00:55:26.599
education level of the people, and you know what kind

1046
00:55:26.599 --> 00:55:29.960
of governments they have. Like the bottom line is, it

1047
00:55:29.960 --> 00:55:31.760
doesn't matter how good we do, We're always going to

1048
00:55:31.800 --> 00:55:33.079
have issues that we have to address.

1049
00:55:33.880 --> 00:55:34.199
Well.

1050
00:55:34.440 --> 00:55:36.719
Yeah, and it's because those issues, as you were saying,

1051
00:55:36.719 --> 00:55:41.239
are going to be unique to its region based on population, education, everything.

1052
00:55:41.280 --> 00:55:43.440
I mean, you can't just throw a blanket over it

1053
00:55:43.480 --> 00:55:45.159
and expect it to fix everything.

1054
00:55:45.559 --> 00:55:48.199
And you know I understand that. And you do travel a.

1055
00:55:48.119 --> 00:55:50.719
Lot, so you get nothing. Yeah, if we have nothing

1056
00:55:50.760 --> 00:55:52.400
to fix, like, what's the point.

1057
00:55:53.920 --> 00:56:00.199
Right, I mean pretty much? Yeah, that's very true as

1058
00:56:00.199 --> 00:56:00.559
far as me.

1059
00:56:00.719 --> 00:56:02.239
I do travel a lot. Man. I just like I

1060
00:56:02.320 --> 00:56:05.320
just got back from Spain and like they've got like

1061
00:56:05.679 --> 00:56:08.039
it was weird, you know, like everywhere I went there

1062
00:56:08.480 --> 00:56:11.480
there was like graffiti on the walls in English saying

1063
00:56:11.519 --> 00:56:16.280
tourists go home. Really, I couldn't leave fast enough you

1064
00:56:16.320 --> 00:56:19.199
know what I mean. But they're having a real issue,

1065
00:56:19.960 --> 00:56:22.880
like with with housing, and I totally agree with them,

1066
00:56:22.920 --> 00:56:26.639
by the way, Like I rented an airbnb. It was

1067
00:56:26.719 --> 00:56:29.760
like two hundred and fifty dollars a night. It had,

1068
00:56:29.960 --> 00:56:35.280
you know, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, Like it had a rooftop,

1069
00:56:36.199 --> 00:56:39.760
you know, like Chaise lounge. You can hang out up there.

1070
00:56:40.920 --> 00:56:43.480
And by us staying in that spot, that was a

1071
00:56:43.480 --> 00:56:46.800
place that an average you know person in Barcelona couldn't

1072
00:56:47.039 --> 00:56:49.280
you know, couldn't rent it because a bunch of tourists

1073
00:56:49.320 --> 00:56:52.199
are coming in, you know, And like that's something that

1074
00:56:52.320 --> 00:56:56.960
as a city you have to consider, Like you're you know,

1075
00:56:57.039 --> 00:57:00.639
you're by by you have to balance your tourism with

1076
00:57:01.000 --> 00:57:02.679
the needs of the people that live in your city.

1077
00:57:02.760 --> 00:57:04.119
The fact that they led it to get to the

1078
00:57:04.159 --> 00:57:07.840
point where people are actually putting anti tourist graffiti everywhere.

1079
00:57:08.639 --> 00:57:11.880
Like I'm not going back to Barcelona anytime soon. I'll

1080
00:57:11.880 --> 00:57:14.280
tell you that right now, I'm going to be part

1081
00:57:14.320 --> 00:57:15.400
of the problem.

1082
00:57:15.679 --> 00:57:19.960
But a lot of people overlook how something like tourism

1083
00:57:20.039 --> 00:57:23.360
can affect the cost of living in certain areas because

1084
00:57:23.400 --> 00:57:28.599
you're just basically making your city or your town only

1085
00:57:28.639 --> 00:57:31.199
appealing to people from the outside coming in, but then

1086
00:57:31.239 --> 00:57:33.559
it totally ignores the people actually live there. And we

1087
00:57:33.880 --> 00:57:37.199
see that in many areas where cost of living is

1088
00:57:37.360 --> 00:57:40.960
outpacing you know what, the people who live in those

1089
00:57:40.960 --> 00:57:43.000
towns can actually earn for a living based on the

1090
00:57:43.079 --> 00:57:46.079
jobs that are offered. And it's getting hard in a

1091
00:57:46.119 --> 00:57:48.760
lot of different places because of things like tourism. But

1092
00:57:48.840 --> 00:57:50.320
we're just using tourism as an example.

1093
00:57:50.840 --> 00:57:53.280
Yeah, I mean, like, hey, it's not that tourism's bad.

1094
00:57:53.639 --> 00:57:57.719
Manage your tourism, like, right, is this hard? And then

1095
00:57:57.920 --> 00:58:00.000
in Barcelona, that's what they're gonna do. They're gonna like

1096
00:58:00.079 --> 00:58:03.199
all the airbnbs, they're pulling all their permits. And so

1097
00:58:03.239 --> 00:58:05.760
if you want to be the visit Barcelona as a tourist,

1098
00:58:06.039 --> 00:58:09.119
you're going to stay in a hotel like you'd probably

1099
00:58:09.360 --> 00:58:14.079
expect to stay like that, And you know what, I

1100
00:58:14.079 --> 00:58:16.000
think it's going to have a really good impact on

1101
00:58:16.039 --> 00:58:17.760
their rents and I think it's going to work. And

1102
00:58:17.880 --> 00:58:20.800
maybe if they want to have you know, maybe they're

1103
00:58:20.800 --> 00:58:22.639
going to need to build more hotels, which is going

1104
00:58:22.679 --> 00:58:27.400
to create more jobs, you know, in construction and at hotels,

1105
00:58:27.480 --> 00:58:29.880
and in the end, this may work out really well

1106
00:58:29.920 --> 00:58:34.320
for Barcelona, right, so we have to you know, we

1107
00:58:34.360 --> 00:58:38.440
shouldn't vilify tourism or share or like you know, make

1108
00:58:38.480 --> 00:58:41.519
it like it's his triumphant success. It's just an issue

1109
00:58:41.559 --> 00:58:44.440
that created another issue, which is how things mostly work.

1110
00:58:44.480 --> 00:58:48.519
I mean, Modesta's got the same problem, just what you described, right,

1111
00:58:48.639 --> 00:58:51.719
Like if you're an average Modestine the average income in

1112
00:58:51.800 --> 00:58:54.920
Modesta is about sixty thousand dollars a year. You can't

1113
00:58:54.920 --> 00:58:56.239
buy a house.

1114
00:58:56.360 --> 00:59:01.559
No, no, that is that is you know, well I

1115
00:59:01.920 --> 00:59:03.039
want to bring to fridge.

1116
00:59:03.119 --> 00:59:04.480
Yeah, no, no you can.

1117
00:59:04.599 --> 00:59:07.639
You can say whatever you want the show where it

1118
00:59:08.039 --> 00:59:10.920
already goes explicit. I say a few choice words when

1119
00:59:10.960 --> 00:59:14.320
I don't have guests, so don't worry about it. I

1120
00:59:14.840 --> 00:59:18.920
was gonna bring something up to that because you know,

1121
00:59:19.000 --> 00:59:21.679
this podcast is you know, like most all of them,

1122
00:59:21.719 --> 00:59:23.679
they're anyone in around the world could listen to it,

1123
00:59:23.800 --> 00:59:26.920
and a lot of people would quate California with either

1124
00:59:27.039 --> 00:59:29.960
La or San Francisco. We're in that area where we're

1125
00:59:30.159 --> 00:59:33.320
not that far from what they consider the Bay. And

1126
00:59:33.440 --> 00:59:35.679
what the sad thing is is being in Modesto is

1127
00:59:35.719 --> 00:59:37.719
we have, as you said, there's oup two hundred thousand

1128
00:59:37.719 --> 00:59:41.079
people living here but they don't know is the wages

1129
00:59:41.119 --> 00:59:43.639
aren't enough for the average person because there's not a

1130
00:59:43.639 --> 00:59:46.920
lot of the jobs that will that will support certain professions.

1131
00:59:46.920 --> 00:59:49.639
Where As you said, they don't earn enough to buy

1132
00:59:49.639 --> 00:59:52.360
a house anymore. Especially after the pandemic, everything went up

1133
00:59:52.519 --> 00:59:53.920
at least four times.

1134
00:59:53.719 --> 00:59:54.400
What it used to.

1135
00:59:54.559 --> 00:59:56.320
So within three years you're seeing a house that went

1136
00:59:56.800 --> 00:59:59.559
example one seventy five, and now here we're looking at,

1137
00:59:59.679 --> 01:00:02.599
you know, four fifty five seventy five. You know that's

1138
01:00:02.639 --> 01:00:06.639
that's huge. And most people here just literally sleep here

1139
01:00:06.960 --> 01:00:09.639
and then they spend X amount of hours on the road.

1140
01:00:09.920 --> 01:00:12.079
I'll give you a little backstory on my experience with

1141
01:00:12.079 --> 01:00:13.920
that because I used to own a sales rep firm

1142
01:00:14.039 --> 01:00:17.199
years ago, and I represented a bunch of companies in

1143
01:00:17.239 --> 01:00:19.920
the musical instrument, professional audio video industry and all that,

1144
01:00:19.960 --> 01:00:21.360
and I went to all the trade shows and blah

1145
01:00:21.400 --> 01:00:25.719
blah blah. But the thing is, I remember the how

1146
01:00:25.719 --> 01:00:28.440
many people would commute, because you know, by that time,

1147
01:00:28.480 --> 01:00:31.480
I was living in Modesto, and you know, I would

1148
01:00:31.519 --> 01:00:33.480
spend ten hours a day on the road to visit

1149
01:00:33.519 --> 01:00:37.000
three people, okay, three people, And there's people who do

1150
01:00:37.039 --> 01:00:39.119
this every day just to make a living. You know,

1151
01:00:39.119 --> 01:00:41.960
they're spending, because of traffic, three to four hours just

1152
01:00:42.000 --> 01:00:44.039
to get to work in the Bay wherever it may be,

1153
01:00:44.360 --> 01:00:46.079
and then another three to four hours. So they're leaving

1154
01:00:46.159 --> 01:00:47.840
at two thirty in the morning, three in the morning,

1155
01:00:47.880 --> 01:00:50.559
coming back at eight or nine at night most times.

1156
01:00:51.159 --> 01:00:54.320
And that's a crazy way to live. And it's like

1157
01:00:54.519 --> 01:00:56.960
they can't even afford to enjoy the city that they

1158
01:00:57.039 --> 01:00:59.880
live in because they're always commuting and burning themselves out.

1159
01:01:00.960 --> 01:01:04.119
What is the I just I know you can't offer solution,

1160
01:01:04.199 --> 01:01:06.159
but I wouldn't mind getting your thought on that. Is

1161
01:01:06.199 --> 01:01:10.079
there any way you think cities like Modesto that are

1162
01:01:10.079 --> 01:01:12.679
considered like, oh, you guys, aren't as advanced or up

1163
01:01:12.760 --> 01:01:14.880
to you know, up to par as the Bay, when

1164
01:01:15.079 --> 01:01:17.000
when in reality, you know, most of the workforce is

1165
01:01:17.000 --> 01:01:20.320
coming from cities like ours. So is there any any

1166
01:01:20.400 --> 01:01:22.760
way you see, or any path you see down the

1167
01:01:22.840 --> 01:01:26.719
road to cities like ours actually being able to offer

1168
01:01:26.800 --> 01:01:30.320
the jobs that will actually allow people to live in

1169
01:01:30.320 --> 01:01:32.440
the cities that they actually own homes in or rent in.

1170
01:01:34.039 --> 01:01:35.920
I think I think we need to look at it

1171
01:01:35.960 --> 01:01:39.159
maybe a different way. I think, you know, the short

1172
01:01:39.280 --> 01:01:44.039
term solution to the problem is just increasing supply. You know,

1173
01:01:44.079 --> 01:01:46.400
we need to build more homes, and we need to

1174
01:01:46.400 --> 01:01:49.039
build homes of all shapes and sizes. Like right now,

1175
01:01:49.840 --> 01:01:53.599
we tend to build a lot of single family homes,

1176
01:01:54.360 --> 01:01:57.360
which is fine, you know, we need single family homes too,

1177
01:01:57.599 --> 01:02:01.800
but we need to see more small our homes and

1178
01:02:01.840 --> 01:02:06.719
we need to see more MULTII family options. So that's

1179
01:02:06.760 --> 01:02:10.159
probably the easiest, most direct route. In terms of how

1180
01:02:10.199 --> 01:02:12.480
do we get better jobs, I mean, I think the

1181
01:02:12.519 --> 01:02:16.840
answer is much more complicated and much more difficult. I mean,

1182
01:02:16.840 --> 01:02:19.960
the real reality is we need to completely adjust our

1183
01:02:20.039 --> 01:02:25.599
culture to become a culture that values education. We can

1184
01:02:25.760 --> 01:02:31.000
you know, there's a huge, you know group out there

1185
01:02:31.000 --> 01:02:33.599
pushing like, oh, we need to do just technical education

1186
01:02:33.800 --> 01:02:37.159
and most kids should go into technical education, right. But

1187
01:02:37.480 --> 01:02:41.639
what you're doing by directing people to not get to

1188
01:02:41.920 --> 01:02:44.840
go to get you know, degrees and go to college,

1189
01:02:45.000 --> 01:02:48.519
is you're dooming them to blue collar work for the

1190
01:02:48.519 --> 01:02:52.480
rest of their lives essentially. And that's not true everybody,

1191
01:02:52.519 --> 01:02:55.719
But that's just the basics. And for Modesto, we can't

1192
01:02:55.719 --> 01:02:59.920
attract you know, like an apple or you know, an

1193
01:03:00.039 --> 01:03:03.639
idiot to come to Modesto because our college grad rate

1194
01:03:03.760 --> 01:03:08.280
is you know, eighteen percent, who was on par with

1195
01:03:08.400 --> 01:03:11.599
like some of the least educated cities in the entire country.

1196
01:03:12.360 --> 01:03:15.480
And so that's it's not a fun answer that anyone

1197
01:03:15.480 --> 01:03:18.719
wants to hear, but it's the truth, you know.

1198
01:03:18.920 --> 01:03:22.239
I mean, I'm not going to argue or against or

1199
01:03:22.239 --> 01:03:26.679
disagree with that, even even if you talk about trades though,

1200
01:03:26.760 --> 01:03:31.159
I'll give you an example. In trades, electricians make extremely

1201
01:03:31.159 --> 01:03:34.599
good money, so to plumbers, and they may not be

1202
01:03:34.679 --> 01:03:37.079
the most glamorous jobs, but they get paid extremely well,

1203
01:03:37.199 --> 01:03:40.440
especially once you move up. Journeymen making very good money,

1204
01:03:40.519 --> 01:03:44.280
good retirements. But even they if they choose that pathway here,

1205
01:03:44.519 --> 01:03:47.920
are commuting to work for companies in the Bay because

1206
01:03:48.199 --> 01:03:52.320
there's not enough contracts to support even them here locally.

1207
01:03:53.360 --> 01:03:55.000
And I've seen this.

1208
01:03:55.000 --> 01:03:57.159
This is not an argument against the traps, right, You're

1209
01:03:57.159 --> 01:03:57.840
still gonna.

1210
01:03:57.639 --> 01:03:59.039
Know they're not arguing. I didn't say you were.

1211
01:03:59.079 --> 01:04:00.920
I was just using that as an example, you know,

1212
01:04:00.960 --> 01:04:02.519
I'm What I'm trying to say is I still see

1213
01:04:02.559 --> 01:04:07.119
people having to go find those other jobs elsewhere, regardless

1214
01:04:07.159 --> 01:04:10.320
of what profession they choose, and it's sad to see

1215
01:04:10.320 --> 01:04:12.039
that they have to do that, or if they feel

1216
01:04:12.039 --> 01:04:12.719
they do anyway.

1217
01:04:13.559 --> 01:04:15.519
Right. But the thing is like, if you've got you've bought,

1218
01:04:15.559 --> 01:04:17.519
you know, in a city like Modesta, we've got very

1219
01:04:17.559 --> 01:04:21.000
healthy trades and they're doing great, right, but what we

1220
01:04:21.079 --> 01:04:25.039
need is that other piece on top. That's like bringing

1221
01:04:25.079 --> 01:04:28.440
in the the you know, the big corporation that once

1222
01:04:28.559 --> 01:04:33.480
that you know, needs a big workforce and that drives

1223
01:04:34.079 --> 01:04:37.199
more economic development. Right. So once you've got you know,

1224
01:04:37.280 --> 01:04:41.480
that big company that comes in and talks about how

1225
01:04:41.519 --> 01:04:44.039
great it is and the culture is great and everything's

1226
01:04:44.079 --> 01:04:46.679
great here, then you get another one, and you get

1227
01:04:46.679 --> 01:04:49.239
another one, and that's when you start being able to build.

1228
01:04:49.760 --> 01:04:51.599
You know, that's when the trades are starting to work

1229
01:04:51.639 --> 01:04:54.280
more locally than they are, you know, moving out into

1230
01:04:54.320 --> 01:04:57.440
the Bay Area where everything's growing like gangbusters, because that's

1231
01:04:57.480 --> 01:05:01.880
where the workforce is true, you know. So it's again,

1232
01:05:01.960 --> 01:05:02.960
it's all connected.

1233
01:05:03.440 --> 01:05:05.119
Absolutely, one feeds the other.

1234
01:05:05.159 --> 01:05:09.280
I mean, it's right, the do you think you know,

1235
01:05:09.320 --> 01:05:11.400
we're we're talking locals, So whoever's listening to this, you

1236
01:05:11.440 --> 01:05:14.639
may not understand everything we're talking about, but you know,

1237
01:05:14.679 --> 01:05:16.159
we haven't are said out that far. So they have

1238
01:05:16.159 --> 01:05:20.039
the university which has been growing like crazy, and I

1239
01:05:20.079 --> 01:05:22.280
provide a lot of services for them for different things,

1240
01:05:22.960 --> 01:05:25.360
and I've seen them grow over the years. So U

1241
01:05:25.480 --> 01:05:31.079
Siemer said, do you think that that will help attract

1242
01:05:31.480 --> 01:05:34.559
those companies down the road to places like Modesta or

1243
01:05:34.559 --> 01:05:37.079
even more said, or anywhere in the valley Being that

1244
01:05:37.119 --> 01:05:40.559
now there's more people that are that are getting educated

1245
01:05:40.840 --> 01:05:43.039
and coming away with a higher you know, a degree

1246
01:05:43.079 --> 01:05:44.000
and in whatever.

1247
01:05:43.760 --> 01:05:44.599
Discipline they choose.

1248
01:05:45.320 --> 01:05:49.079
And we also have you know, stand state out in Turlock.

1249
01:05:50.239 --> 01:05:51.599
Do you do you think you, Semer said, is gonna

1250
01:05:51.599 --> 01:05:54.360
help with that because it becomes they become a pretty

1251
01:05:54.400 --> 01:05:56.760
well recognized institution at this point.

1252
01:05:56.920 --> 01:06:00.639
Yeah, I think you, Seemer said, is is a keystone

1253
01:06:01.000 --> 01:06:06.159
to you know, developing Mer said, and Merced County's economy.

1254
01:06:07.039 --> 01:06:10.800
I don't think that the ripples will be felt in Modesta.

1255
01:06:10.800 --> 01:06:12.320
I mean we're said, it's more or less an hour

1256
01:06:12.400 --> 01:06:14.840
away from here. You know, it's like no different than

1257
01:06:15.920 --> 01:06:18.159
you know, Berkeley is an hour from here too, right,

1258
01:06:18.400 --> 01:06:21.920
So you're gonna see like a big you're gonna see way,

1259
01:06:22.000 --> 01:06:25.079
you know, ripples of the waves that you know appear

1260
01:06:25.119 --> 01:06:28.960
in Modesto, but you're not going to see dramatic economic

1261
01:06:29.000 --> 01:06:32.519
development here because of Mer said, unfortunately.

1262
01:06:33.239 --> 01:06:36.760
Yeah, yeah, Well I mean, okay.

1263
01:06:36.920 --> 01:06:38.440
That's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

1264
01:06:38.559 --> 01:06:40.960
No, no, no, it's it I asked.

1265
01:06:41.000 --> 01:06:42.639
I mean, you know, you have a different view of

1266
01:06:42.679 --> 01:06:45.800
things from being you know, in city council and seeing

1267
01:06:45.800 --> 01:06:49.280
a lot of different different stuff behind the scenes, as

1268
01:06:49.280 --> 01:06:52.719
I say, because you know, I don't so uh. I

1269
01:06:52.760 --> 01:06:55.199
did notice with with something like that though, and just

1270
01:06:55.280 --> 01:06:58.119
using McGinn's example, you see Merceda's I did get to

1271
01:06:58.159 --> 01:06:59.760
meet a lot of students that were actually not from

1272
01:06:59.760 --> 01:07:01.880
the They're from out of state, and so.

1273
01:07:01.800 --> 01:07:02.760
That's why I asked that.

1274
01:07:02.719 --> 01:07:04.920
Because people are getting used to traveling, you know, applying

1275
01:07:04.920 --> 01:07:07.320
for jobs where they have to really relocate and whatnot.

1276
01:07:07.360 --> 01:07:11.639
But I guess time will tell, right, we'll see.

1277
01:07:12.480 --> 01:07:13.880
I mean i'd rather you be right.

1278
01:07:15.079 --> 01:07:18.880
I would hope. I mean, it'd be nice.

1279
01:07:19.599 --> 01:07:22.400
But I mean, either way, we have seen changes and

1280
01:07:22.440 --> 01:07:24.559
they and it's been a slow progression, but things have

1281
01:07:24.599 --> 01:07:28.320
been getting better and it's it's getting there. I just

1282
01:07:28.440 --> 01:07:30.639
I just wish it was easier for you know, people

1283
01:07:30.760 --> 01:07:34.280
like you said, to afford a house in their own backyard,

1284
01:07:34.760 --> 01:07:38.639
and unfortunately it's not quite the case right now. We

1285
01:07:38.719 --> 01:07:41.280
may get there, but again, I only thing I could

1286
01:07:41.280 --> 01:07:42.360
do is stay hopeful about it.

1287
01:07:43.760 --> 01:07:45.400
Yeah, I don't. I don't know if we'll get there

1288
01:07:45.440 --> 01:07:46.519
or not, but I think that.

1289
01:07:48.440 --> 01:07:51.559
Oh yeah, absolutely, it's impossible.

1290
01:07:52.199 --> 01:07:52.360
You know.

1291
01:07:52.480 --> 01:07:55.239
It's I'm going to ask you another question about because

1292
01:07:55.280 --> 01:07:57.800
a lot of people when they go to the like

1293
01:07:57.840 --> 01:08:01.280
the city government websites, Okay, for example, your council member,

1294
01:08:02.880 --> 01:08:05.960
and I know that what if people don't understand in

1295
01:08:06.039 --> 01:08:08.800
city government? You know, you know, so you have like

1296
01:08:08.800 --> 01:08:11.559
your city manager, and they have council members, et cetera,

1297
01:08:12.119 --> 01:08:14.920
that a lot of them, such as yourselves, have to

1298
01:08:14.960 --> 01:08:16.520
be involved in certain committees.

1299
01:08:16.520 --> 01:08:18.039
And what I wanted to ask.

1300
01:08:17.920 --> 01:08:21.479
You is, basically, can you explain to the average person

1301
01:08:21.560 --> 01:08:24.520
why we have these committees and what they actually do?

1302
01:08:24.720 --> 01:08:25.920
Like you have a few here that.

1303
01:08:25.920 --> 01:08:28.119
You sent me, So you're on a safety committee, economic

1304
01:08:28.159 --> 01:08:31.800
Development committee, cannabis permit review for example.

1305
01:08:32.119 --> 01:08:33.880
But can you explain, you.

1306
01:08:33.800 --> 01:08:36.319
Know, the importance of these committees and why why people

1307
01:08:36.359 --> 01:08:39.399
like you need to be involved in them.

1308
01:08:39.560 --> 01:08:41.800
Yeah. I think of the committee is like it's like

1309
01:08:41.840 --> 01:08:46.920
a filter, you know. So the way that local government

1310
01:08:46.960 --> 01:08:50.760
works is the bureaucrats come up with policy, and then

1311
01:08:50.800 --> 01:08:54.199
they feed that policy through to the committee and then

1312
01:08:54.239 --> 01:08:58.600
from the committee, it goes to the council, And there

1313
01:08:58.640 --> 01:09:01.880
are lots of exceptions. Sometimes council members will come up

1314
01:09:01.920 --> 01:09:05.920
with policy that goes to the bureaucracy, that goes to

1315
01:09:05.600 --> 01:09:09.880
the committee, that goes to the council. Right, But by

1316
01:09:09.920 --> 01:09:12.119
and large, most of the stuff we get is like

1317
01:09:12.479 --> 01:09:16.600
the bureaucracy is like, hey, our paving machine that we

1318
01:09:16.680 --> 01:09:18.760
use to repair our streets is broken. We need to

1319
01:09:18.760 --> 01:09:21.720
buy a new one. It's going to cost seven hundred

1320
01:09:21.720 --> 01:09:25.199
and thirty three thousand dollars, and so they'll and we've

1321
01:09:25.239 --> 01:09:28.239
priced it out. We've gone to five different places, and

1322
01:09:28.279 --> 01:09:31.720
here's the best price. What do you think. Council That

1323
01:09:31.880 --> 01:09:35.079
goes to the you know, the Economic Development Committee, and

1324
01:09:35.119 --> 01:09:38.159
we go, well, we need we sure what paved streets

1325
01:09:38.159 --> 01:09:40.640
are important, and if our machine's broken, we need a

1326
01:09:40.680 --> 01:09:44.439
new one, great, let's invest in that. So the committee

1327
01:09:44.479 --> 01:09:48.079
cap passes it and sends it on to council. Right.

1328
01:09:50.399 --> 01:09:53.600
But what the committees do is if something turns out

1329
01:09:53.840 --> 01:09:58.399
to be controversial, it offers the government a chance to

1330
01:09:58.479 --> 01:10:01.600
go back and adjust the pall so that it has

1331
01:10:01.640 --> 01:10:03.840
a better chance of passing when it gets to the council.

1332
01:10:05.239 --> 01:10:08.279
Yeah, there's a lot I think there's a perception for

1333
01:10:08.359 --> 01:10:10.800
most people that committees are kind of just more bureaucracy

1334
01:10:10.800 --> 01:10:11.520
and a waste of time.

1335
01:10:11.560 --> 01:10:14.199
But you know, they don't realize it's a buffer. You know, it's.

1336
01:10:14.079 --> 01:10:16.359
It's it's it's it's a way, like you said, to

1337
01:10:16.439 --> 01:10:20.760
filter and get get to narrow in on the actual

1338
01:10:20.800 --> 01:10:22.880
issue and fine tune with the issue is before it

1339
01:10:22.920 --> 01:10:25.520
actually gets to the decision makers.

1340
01:10:26.479 --> 01:10:29.239
Yeah, it's like it's like level one of decision, like, hey,

1341
01:10:29.279 --> 01:10:31.560
did you pass the you know, did you pass the

1342
01:10:31.600 --> 01:10:34.319
minor the minor checkpoint? Okay, Now I get to go

1343
01:10:34.359 --> 01:10:38.079
to the big the big boss. That's what it is.

1344
01:10:38.239 --> 01:10:41.079
And the great thing about committee meetings is that they're

1345
01:10:41.079 --> 01:10:42.920
all open to the public and you can go down

1346
01:10:42.960 --> 01:10:45.840
there and and you you know, now it's like instead

1347
01:10:45.840 --> 01:10:48.680
of you with you know, two hundred people at city Hall,

1348
01:10:48.840 --> 01:10:52.920
it's you with you know, you know two it's you

1349
01:10:53.000 --> 01:10:57.239
with ten bureaucrats by yourself bumping on. So, like, the

1350
01:10:57.279 --> 01:11:00.119
committee meetings are a really good way to connect and

1351
01:11:00.119 --> 01:11:05.039
and have good conversations with the government and with your representatives.

1352
01:11:05.439 --> 01:11:08.800
Yeah, that's that's very important. So another way people can

1353
01:11:08.800 --> 01:11:11.119
get involved in really try to.

1354
01:11:11.279 --> 01:11:13.119
Uh more time man more time.

1355
01:11:13.199 --> 01:11:13.680
It is time.

1356
01:11:13.680 --> 01:11:17.920
It's all time invested, you know, and it's unfortunately most

1357
01:11:17.920 --> 01:11:21.319
people is they're consumed with work, you know, getting up

1358
01:11:21.319 --> 01:11:23.159
at a certain time, taking care of the kids, they

1359
01:11:23.159 --> 01:11:25.199
got school, everything to worry about, whatever's going on in

1360
01:11:25.199 --> 01:11:27.000
their lives. And at the end of the day they're like, oh, yeah,

1361
01:11:27.000 --> 01:11:29.560
there's a meeting about man. I think I'm just gonna

1362
01:11:29.560 --> 01:11:32.600
sit back and have a beer, you know. Yeah, and

1363
01:11:33.039 --> 01:11:37.239
that happens, you know, life happens. So I was gonna

1364
01:11:37.239 --> 01:11:39.880
ask you if I think we start wrapping it up, sir,

1365
01:11:40.439 --> 01:11:42.359
is there anything you want to kind of promote or

1366
01:11:42.399 --> 01:11:45.119
get out there to the public on the show here?

1367
01:11:45.680 --> 01:11:50.039
I mean, I think communication is really important. So you know,

1368
01:11:50.159 --> 01:11:54.840
follow in social media and your favorite platform. I'm on Facebook, Instagram,

1369
01:11:55.359 --> 01:11:58.880
and LinkedIn, and so follow me there on all those

1370
01:11:58.920 --> 01:12:02.000
three platforms. Also on TikTok, but I don't I don't.

1371
01:12:02.279 --> 01:12:04.239
I don't do as much content as I'd like to

1372
01:12:04.279 --> 01:12:07.199
on TikTok just because it's it takes a lot of time.

1373
01:12:08.039 --> 01:12:10.119
But I do post there from time to time too,

1374
01:12:11.399 --> 01:12:13.039
So join me there. If you want to see like

1375
01:12:13.119 --> 01:12:15.079
what I stand for, you can go to Chris Ricky

1376
01:12:15.199 --> 01:12:19.239
for Council dot com. Ricky is r I c CI.

1377
01:12:19.479 --> 01:12:22.159
You'll see, like kind of you'll get a good kind

1378
01:12:22.159 --> 01:12:24.960
of overview of some of the long term projects I'm

1379
01:12:24.960 --> 01:12:29.279
working on. You know, I started off my campaign with

1380
01:12:30.399 --> 01:12:32.680
a hundred ideas to make Medesto better, and I'm really

1381
01:12:32.760 --> 01:12:35.479
proud that, like, we've gotten a lot of them done,

1382
01:12:35.720 --> 01:12:38.600
you know, So it's kind of cool. So you can

1383
01:12:38.640 --> 01:12:41.199
go back and look at the original hundred ideas and

1384
01:12:41.479 --> 01:12:43.520
look at what the hundred ideas look like today.

1385
01:12:43.720 --> 01:12:44.920
That's that's pretty cool.

1386
01:12:45.840 --> 01:12:47.640
And then check and then look at achievements, look at

1387
01:12:47.680 --> 01:12:48.479
the stuff we've done.

1388
01:12:48.640 --> 01:12:52.039
Yeah, that's really cool. Well, I appreciate your time, I do.

1389
01:12:52.199 --> 01:12:54.319
I know you're busy, and I'm glad you agreed to

1390
01:12:54.359 --> 01:12:57.279
do this. And I always like talking to people, you know,

1391
01:12:57.319 --> 01:13:00.800
and getting different perspectives. So thanks, know, maybe down the

1392
01:13:00.880 --> 01:13:01.680
road we'll do this again.

1393
01:13:02.159 --> 01:13:05.720
Lorg. This was great. Thanks for having me, you know,

1394
01:13:06.239 --> 01:13:07.680
and I really appreciate it.

1395
01:13:07.960 --> 01:13:10.840
I appreciate it as well. Thank you very much, and

1396
01:13:11.800 --> 01:13:12.520
let's stay in touch.

1397
01:13:12.680 --> 01:13:13.479
Yeah, man, for sure.