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Radio/TV • Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock
Program Date:

06-08-18 -- Stephen Bowler - Kevin McKernan - Evan McMahon (MP3s & VIDEO'S LOADED)

Stephen Bowler (member of Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party in Australia) comes in studio to talk about gun rights/laws - Kevin McKernan (CSO & Founder Medicinal Genomics) on crypto-funding - Evan McMahon (Campaign Manager for Nick Sarwark) on the c
Media Type: Audio • Time: 214 Minutes and 0 Secs
Guests: Kevin Mckernan
Media Type: Audio • Time: 48 Minutes and 27 Secs
Guests: Stephen Bowler
Media Type: Audio • Time: 109 Minutes and 0 Secs
Guests: Evan McMahon

Hour 1 - 3

Media Type: Audio • Time: 214 Minutes and 0 Secs
Guests: Kevin Mckernan

Hour 1 - Kevin McKernan (CSO & Founder Medicinal Genomics) on CannMed 2018, crypto-funding of sequencing of cannabis plant, publishing research on blockchain; UPDATE on funding of proposal

Hour 2 - Stephen Bowler (member of Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party in Australia) comes in studio to talk about gun rights/laws

Hour 3 - Evan McMahon (Campaign Manager for Nick Sarwark) provides and update on LNC Chair Nick Sarwark's run for Mayor of Phoenix

CALL IN TO SHOW: 602-264-2800

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Feature Article  •  Global Edition
Freedom's Phoenix
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Donna Hancock
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June 8th, 2018

Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock

on LRN.FM / Monday - Friday

9 a.m. - Noon (EST)

Studio Line: 602-264-2800 

 

 

Hour 1

Kevin McKernan

CSO & Founder of Medicinal Genomics

Webpages:

http://www.medicinalgenomics.com/
http://www.kannapedia.net/
http://www.cannmedevents.com/

 

ABOUT KEVIN...

Kevin is the Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Medicinal Genomics Corporation and has pioneered the genomics of cannabis and hemp to build a stronger scientific environment (Kannapedia.net) for the study of cannabis based therapeutics and blockchain technologies for tracking and verifying cannabis genetics.
Kevin has spent his career researching and developing various DNA sequencing technologies in both the research and clinical industries and has had a parallel interest in driving the tools used for personalized medicine into the world of cannabis medicine. Kevin believes the intersection of personalized medicine, genomics, blockchains and cannabis is one of the most exciting growth opportunities in our lifetime.
Medicinal Genomics made world-wide news in 2011 when it publically released the first genome sequence for Cannabis Sativa L. As a result of this work, Medicinal Genomics (MGC) launched a suite of qPCR tools for the detection of microbial contamination on Cannabis. In 2015, MGC was the largest provider of microbiological testing equipment in the cannabis space and has been selected to present on its genome sequencing, cannabis sex determination and microbiome work at ICRS 2014 and 2015.
Previously, Kevin was the CSO of Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc., and held the position of Vice President and Director of R&D of Life Technologies where he managed the development of Life Technologies next generation SOLiD sequencing technology. Integral to the SOLiD R&D process, Kevin oversaw over 100 research collaborations exploring the new biological frontiers with next generation sequencing and saw particular excitement and traction in human
tumor sequencing. Kevin initiated an R&D project to investigate chemFET semiconductor based DNA sequencing and spearheaded a process to acquire the DNA sequencing company Ion Torrent for $350M. These collaborations resulted in hundreds of publications and 7 Journal covers from Science Translational Medicine to Nature.
Kevin was the President and CSO of Agencourt Personal Genomics, a startup company he co-founded in 2005 to invent revolutionary sequencing technologies that dropped the cost of sequencing a human genome from $300M to $3,000; a 100,000-fold improvement in sequencing speed and cost in a few years. Kevin oversaw the growth and research of APG until it was sold it to Applied BioSystems. In 2000, Kevin Co-Founded Agencourt Biosciences Corporation and acted as the CSO until 2005 where it was acquired by Beckman Coulter. From 1996 to 2000 Kevin managed the Research and Development for the Human Genome Project at Whitehead Institute/MIT resulting in several patents for nucleic acid purification.
Kevin holds a B.S. in Biology from Emory University with a focus on cloning and expressing Norepinephrine Transporters.

=======================================

About Medical Genomics

Solutions for Safe, Quality Cannabis

Medicinal Genomics uses its unmatched expertise in cannabis genetics to develop testing technologies that help growers, dispensaries, and testing laboratories ensure patients and consumers have access to safe, quality cannabis.

Unmatched Knowledge and Experience

When it comes to cannabis genetics and microbial detection, Medicinal Genomics is in a class of its own. Medicinal Genomics was born from Courtagen Life Sciences, a CLIA certified genetics testing laboratory that specialized in identifying rare pediatric neurological conditions. Chief Science Officer, Kevin McKernan, worked on the Human Genome Project and was the first scientist to sequence the Cannabis genome. He and the Medicinal Genomics team of DNA experts developed a full suite of cannabis microbial detection tests that have been fully validated on the cannabis plant in an ISO-certified laboratory. The team also offers a cannabis genome sequencing service to growers, as well as a number tests that can be used for marker-selection breeding.

Our Cannabis Testing Solutions

Microbial Testing

Get results in hours, not days, with the only microbial testing method designed specifically for use on cannabis flower.

Strain Identification and Registration

Command premium pricing, protect your strain from corporations and competitors, and optimize your growing and breeding operations.

Point-of-Grow Screening

Screen plants for gender, pest infestation, or genetic traits early, saving valuable time and resources.

=======================

=======================================

CANNMED2018 - GATHERING THE GREATEST MINDS IN CANNABIS

October 22-24, 2018 – UCLA  Luskin Conference Center

CannMed 2018 is a gathering of the greatest minds in medical cannabis, where they will further the convergence of medical cannabis research, treatment, and product development.

The world's top medical cannabis researchers will present their latest findings with regards to the efficacy of treating a variety of conditions with cannabis, including epilepsy, pain, traumatic brain injury, cancer, autism, and more. Physicians and clinicians will also share compelling case studies and clinical pearls they have collected through their experience treating patients with cannabis. Laboratory professionals will also share their revolutionary technologies when it comes to cannabinoid and terpenoid extraction, delivery methods, and quality and safety testing.

Presentation Topics Include:

Treating Cancer with Cannabis

Treating Neurological Disorders with Cannabis

Treating Inflammatory Disorders with Cannabis

Applying Cryptocurrency Technology to the Cannabis Industry

Developments in Molecular Science and Genetics

Cannabis Safety Testing Techniques

Innovations in Cultivation, Processing, and Product Development

New for 2018:

New Location. UCLA Luskin Conference Center in Los Angeles, CA

Expanded Exhibit Hall (19,000 sq ft.)

54 Thought Leaders and Presenters

1,500 Scientists, Clinicians, and Business Leaders

Sponsored Breakout Sessions

Pre-conference CME Course

CannMed showcases the people, companies, and key thought leaders working with the endocannabinoid system and medical concepts.

PRICING

*Purchase Your Tickets Early and You Could Win a VIP CannMed 2018 Experience 

Click to Learn More 

Exhibit Area Pass $225

Access the expanded exhibit hall

View the poster presentations

Attend exhibitor and sponsor presentations

Network with 1,500+ attendees 

Best Value

All Access Pass

$750

Hear all the oral presentations and keynote addresses from our speakers

Access to lunch and coffee stations

Invitation to the opening cocktail reception

Opportunity to purchase tickets to VIP dinner

Access the expanded exhibit hall

Attend exhibitor and sponsor presentations

Network with 1,500+ attendees

All Access Pass w/CME

$1,675

Earn 8 CME Credits during pre-conference event

Get early access to sign up for sponsor seminars

Hear all the oral presentations and keynote addresses from our speakers

Access to lunch and coffee stations

Invitation to the opening cocktail reception

Opportunity to purchase tickets to VIP dinner

Access the expanded exhibit hall

Attend exhibitor and sponsor presentations

Network with 1,500+ attendees

==================================

Crypto Funded Public Genomics

https://www.medicinalgenomics.com/crypto-funded-public-genomics/

The DASH Distributed Autonomous Organization (DAO) has voted to fund the sequencing of a Type II cannabis plant and place this genome on a public blockchain with a novel crypto-incentivized, blockchain transparent peer review process.

This proposal can be seen HERE

This is the second phase of a January 2018 funded DASH project with the highest voter turn out of any project currently funded.

There are two important reasons to expand this investment.

1)Very Broad Cannabis Patents are now issuing. Any plant that makes CBDA and THCA are now covered by this patent. These are called Type II Cannabis plants.

Many people claim to have Type II plants still alive today that predate the 2013 filing of the patent. In fact Type II plants are believed to be the natural Hardy Weinberg equilibrium of the THCA/CBDA synthase genetics. Humans bred toward Type I plants during prohibition. Type I plants synthesize all THCA and little to no CBDA. Fortunately we published the genome of a Type I plant in 2011 to assist in prior art generation and public ownership of Type I plants. By placing the sequence of a Type II plant public, we can help enable the community to sequence their documented Pre-2013 Type II plants. They can then compare their sequence to this public reference to document the Bt:Bd allele (mentioned in some of the claims) and any other similarities. This will assist in building a Prior Use Exemption and more public evidence for the invalidity of the claims.

2)Peer Review is broken and DASH can fix it. 50% of Scientific manuscript's experiments can't be reproduced. The journals with the higher impact factor have a higher retraction rate. Retraction rates are increasing dramatically. The Peer review incentives are based on costly and rusty Gutenberg era publishing economics. There is a near zero cost to publication on the internet today. Crypto-incentivized, blockchain transparent peer review will dis-intermediate this market and re-align the incentive models for higher accuracy, more transparency and faster turn around times.

We have placed a public crypto address for people outside of the DASH MNO network to contribute to the project.

We have chosen to do this with exclusively with DASH while the project is DASH funded. We may open this to alternative coins after the DASH funding period. For a detailed scientific dissection of the project, please see the DASH proposal above.

.

XxXdB9HZ4gTCZNUGV5g6rj2eT8CgnL16mv

Thank you for the consideration and public charity.

If you would like your name to be on the attribution list of the genomes landing page please contact us at info@medicinalgenomics.com. It is possible to link your name to a donating crypto address via digital signature.

Shortly after Ernest Hancock covered this topic on his Radio Show, Elon Musk tweeted a similar idea. He is late to the game behind Trive.news who has something like this currently running to fight fake news. It is our belief that one can not fix fake news without fixing fake science. If 50% of the scientific papers can not be reproduced we need to extend these Trive.news concepts to scientific peer review. The scientific content requires data stores far larger than news articles and thus we are encouraged by the architecture behind DASH drive.

DASH has officially Funded the Project!

Strain Selection Criteria:

1)The plant should have a Type II DNA confirmation of the Bt:Bd allele using youPCR and methods described by McKernan et al.

2)The plant should have a history that predates 2013.

3)The plant should be currently alive and in circulation to enable further study of the plants genetics.

4)The plant should have low heterozygosity to assist in genome assembly.

We screened candidate cultivars with Medicinal Genomics youPCR THCA and CBDA assays to find TypeII plants.

June 4th, 2018

Long Range PCR was also performed. DNA was purified and run on an Agilent Tape Station to verify the youPCR colorimetric assays.

DNA isolations for Illumina Whole Genome Shotgun Sequencing are under way. Ordered 0.75% gels from Sage Biosciences for 40Kb selections of DNA for Pacific Biosciences sequencing.

June 5th

DNA purification for Pacific Biosciences using modifications of the Medicinal Genomics MIP DNA purification kit.

DNA was also purified and fragmented for Whole Genome Sequencing using an Illumina MiSeq. DNA was tagmented with Nextera and size selected on a Blue Pippin.

June 7th

Post Size Selected Library ready for Loading on a Miseq for 2×250 bp reads.

MiSeq Cluster Density on the Hi side:) We will have to revisit the quality after the strand flipping. This tends to increase the diameter of the clusters and may make the reverse reads less legible.

Pseudo-colored Fluorescent images of DNA clusters on MiSeq Flow Cells.

==================================

FOR UPDATES, GO HERE: https://www.medicinalgenomics.com/blog/


Hour 2

Media Type: Audio • Time: 48 Minutes and 27 Secs
Guests: Stephen Bowler

Hour 2 - Stephen Bowler (member of Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party in Australia) comes in studio to talk about gun rights/laws

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Hour 2

Stephen Bowler

Member of Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party in Australia

Stephen is the Membership and Branches Officer for the NEw South Whales Branch of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, a political Party in Australia.

Founded originally as the "Shooters Party" in 1994, it had a member elected even BEFORE the 1995 Port Arthur Massacre.

He is here to have a talk about Gun laws Down Under, the state of freedom in both his country and ours, and threats to both!

Webpages:

https://www.facebook.com/stephengerald.bowler?

https://www.shootersfishersandfarmers.org.au/?

https://www.facebook.com/SFFparty/?

 

================================

About Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party

It's YOUR Powerful Voice!

SHOOTERS FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY·SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2018

The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party is the largest political party dedicated to protecting and growing the rights of all shooters, fishers and farmers in Australia.

Our members are drawn together by a drive to make sure that all Australians are free to live their lives without unnecessary government interference.

We acknowledge the vital role rural and regional Australia plays at both a State and National level. Our action plan for regional NSW will return rights to property owners, protect local jobs and industries and support regional communities.

Conservative in family values, we honour and value the family unit as the basic building block of our society. We respect and honour our democratic traditions and those in our history that have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today.

We believe in a multicultural society, committed to the Australian values of freedom and democracy above all others.

Together, we are YOUR powerful political voice!


Originally, the Shooters Party grew out of resentment at the 1992 Firearms Amendment Act. Shooters and hunters felt it was designed to make them the scapegoats for criminal misuse of firearms by others.

Since 1992, we have continued to be powerful voice for those who nobody is listening to, particularly shooters, fishers and farmers. We are committed to delivering real, meaningful, and lasting results for our voters. 

In 2016 we changed our name to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party to reflect our existing support in rural areas.

ISSUES

Sell the Produce, Not the Farm

LEARN MORE

Farmers Deserve a Legislated Right to Farm

LEARN MORE

Protect Recreational Fishers

LEARN MORE

Mandatory Sentencing for Criminals Using Firearms

LEARN MORE

Bring Balance to Rural Water Management

LEARN MORE

NEWS

Mick Holton: The change Monaro needs

Posted on June 04, 2018 10:00 AM

Volunteer Fire Fighters Association President and local firefighter Mick Holton is the change the electorate of Monaro needs. He's not just another professional politician.

READ MORE

Farmers demand drought relief but Premier provides "a coordinator"?

Posted on May 14, 2018 2:26 PM

The Premier flew into Dubbo for a drought relief announcement. Instead of offering more funding, she announced "a coordinator".

READ MORE

Powerhouse Museum Documents Disappeared?

Posted on April 26, 2018 6:00 PM

Despite saying in Parliament that the Government has the business case for relocating the Powerhouse Museum, Minister Harwin and the Premier told the Parliament they have no documents relating to it.

READ MORE

Exciting Job Offer

Posted on April 23, 2018 12:09 PM

The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party is looking for a young intern, female or male, to work with the party during the next 12 months in the run-up to the March 2019 State Election campaign. 

READ MORE

Dungog Told: "Don't Drink Your Water"

Posted on April 19, 2018 5:00 PM

Residents north of Dungog are being forced to sign a legal agreement with Hunter Water Corporation saying that they won't drink their water supply, and won't sue if it makes them sick.

READ MORE

Rural NSW Deserve Payroll Tax Cuts

Posted on April 11, 2018 10:00 AM

We're calling for payroll tax to be completely cut for rural businesses in the next state budget. 

READ MORE

Roy Butler Launches His Barwon Electorate Listening Tour

Posted on March 28, 2018 1:09 PM

Roy Butler knows that the Nationals have forgotten the Barwon electorate - that's why he's launching a listening tour across the electorate.

READ MORE


Hour 3

Media Type: Audio • Time: 109 Minutes and 0 Secs
Guests: Evan McMahon

Hour 3 - Evan McMahon (Campaign Manager for Nick Sarwark) provides and update on LNC Chair Nick Sarwark's run for Mayor of Phoenix

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Hour 3

Evan McMahon

Evan McMahon is the Campaign Manager for Nicholas Sarwark's who filed to run for Mayor of Phoenix, AZ on Tues Dec 5th, 2017.  Evan previously served as an At-large member of the LNC and as Executive Director of the LNC.

Webpage: Sarwarkforphoenix.com

No automatic alt text available.

Meet Nick

We want Phoenix to be a great and safe place to raise your children, start a business, and fulfill your American dream.

In 1942, my grandfather, Roman "Slim" Sarwark, came to Phoenix with one lung, the change in his pocket, and a dream. A dream to build a life for his family. Phoenix is my family's home.

After finishing law school and starting my legal career, I came back home to Phoenix to fulfill that dream for my wife, Valerie, and our three children. Phoenix is our home.

We want Phoenix to be a great and safe place to raise your children, start a business, and fulfill your American dream. Phoenix is your home.

Nick's Bio:

Married to Valerie for 8 years

3 wonderful children: Ruth (7), Joel (6), Ava (3)

Ruth, Joel, and Ava attend a Phoenix public school

Deputy Public Defender in Colorado 

Sarwark family have operated their small business in Phoenix since 1942

Serving 2nd term as Chairman of the Libertarian National Committee

 

ISSUES:

City Budget

Phoenix can meet its pension obligations, maintain city services, pay its bills, and foster organic growth all without raising taxes.

 

Phoenix can meet its pension obligations, maintain city services, pay its bills, and foster organic growth all without raising taxes. We just need a Mayor that is willing to make the hard choices, set priorities, and then balance the checkbook. Something small business owners do every day. 

As mayor I will say -

NO, to the Food Tax!

NO, to new taxes!

NO, to tax hikes!

NO, to new GPLET subsidies for out-of-town developers!

NO, to taxpayer funded stadiums!

NO, to pet political projects!

NO, to new bond debt!

 

Instead of staying focused on innovation and efficiencies in core city services and meeting its obligations to our first responders and city employees the city council passes the buck in favor of special projects and subsidies for their developer buddies. 

When that decision comes back to bite them in the pocketbook, instead of cutting that bloat in the budget, politicians cry poverty to the working families of Phoenix and demand they give up more of their hard earned money or risk losing core city services. This cycle of spend, threaten, and tax must end.   

I propose switching the city to a more transparent and accountable priority-driven budget process, as recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association. This method resets the budget back to zero every two years, instead of just accepting the previous budget's spending levels and then adding more to it. The core city services (public safety, infrastructure, clean and reliable water delivery, and sanitation) and the pension obligations would receive the top priorities for funding. From there any additional projects or programs are prioritized based on available funding, community need, desire, expectations, and previous results. 

Using taxpayer funds for the stadiums of billion dollar sports franchises will never be a budget priority. I love our local sports teams, but as long as they are demanding the public subsidize their stadiums… I cannot cheer for them.

 

As mayor, one of my top priorities will be to fulfill our pension obligations and quickly pay down those liabilities, ultimately avoiding the projected $2.3 Billion in interest payments. See my Pension Crisis Plan for a more detailed analysis of the pension debt. 

Every budget cycle agency directors, project leaders, and department heads submit a "cut list" to the city council. This is blueprint of what and how they would cut spending within their department, without risking core services, if a reduction of 10% was needed. Until a priority-driven budget process was implemented, I would accept the "cut list" at 3% from each and every department. That 3% cut would be shifted to paying down our current pension debt faster, to avoid $2.3 Billion in interest payments we won't be able to afford. 

It's just 3 pennies. Every time a politician calls for a new tax they say "it's just 3 pennies." If it is so easy to keep taking 3 pennies from working families, it won't be hard for the council to cut 3 pennies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pension Crisis

Phoenix must be a city that honors its obligations, but also a city that embraces change and innovation.

 

We must continue to honor the agreements we've made with our city employees and first responders. While many taxpayers do not like the idea of lifetime pension payments, this is the type of retirement plan, as part of city employment contracts, that both sides agreed to at the time. While time and technology have advanced, our retirement systems are still deadlocked into last century's ways of compensating retired public employees. 

We must be city that honors our agreements, but also a city that embraces change and innovation. 

The Phoenix pension system, and crisis, is broken down into two sections, PSPRS and COPERS. 

Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS)

PSPRS is the state run retirement system for public safety officers (police and fire). In 2016 there were some major reforms to the PSPRS program, including allowing new employees to choose between a Defined Benefit (pension) or Defined Contribution (401k) retirement plan which will limit future financial risk to both the taxpayer and the employee. One of the other changes required cities to create and implement plans to pay down their pension obligation debt. 

Phoenix was given 19 years to pay off its current unfunded pension liability of $8.7 billion. However, instead of cutting pet political projects and making tough choices on budget priorities, the city council chose to extend these payments by an additional 10 years. 

Extending the payment terms by a decade does create smaller payments, with fewer tough votes for politicians, but will also add an additional $2.3 billion in interest. This boondoggle won't be faced by anyone on the council today. In 30 years it will be the problem of the children being born today. 

The current city council, some who even claim to be fiscal conservatives, saved a little money today by burdening our children with a massive $2.3 billion interest bill.   

As mayor, I will call for a 3% reduction in across the board spending to be shifted to the pension liability payments. This will allow us to pay off this debt within the original 19 year period and avoid a crippling interest payment. You can read my City Budget Plan here. 

City Of Phoenix Employee Retirement System (COPERS)

COPERS is the city run retirement for city employees (excluding sworn police and fire). In 2015 voters passed Prop 103 that created a hybrid retirement system for new employees. The problem with the COPERS system and Prop 103 is that the unfunded liability is still around $1.8 billion. The hybrid system, created for new hires under Prop 103, says that anything up to $125,000 in annual salary counts towards the defined benefit (pension) plan and anything over $125,000 counts towards a defined contribution (401k) plan. The reality is very few newly hired employees are making over $125,000 in annual salaries. That means the risk is still 100% with the taxpayer. 

As mayor, I would like to negotiate with city employees and propose a new charter amendment that lowers that hybrid threshold to $85,000 and create a defined contribution option for newly hired employees that would include a 9% employer matching, similar to the new option under PSPRS. 

Under a defined contribution plan the employer matching is paid in at the time the employee receives their check. Not 30 years down the line, subject to the political priorities of an elected official. 

Also with a defined contribution plan a newly hired employee has more options of incorporating any previous retirement plans and has the portability to take their retirement with them, should they decide to seek employment outside city government. 

This will create retirement stability for the employee and remove the long term risk to the taxpayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

City Services

The city needs to refocus on making the core services, that Phoenicians rely on, more efficient and responsive.

 

The city needs to refocus on making the core services, that Phoenicians rely on, more efficient and responsive.

 

              Infrastructure and Traffic

                             Infrastructure:

Why does it take so long for potholes, sidewalks, signs, streetlights, and roads to get repaired? The city uses a prioritization system to determine which reported problems get repaired first. That means a low level pothole repair will get bumped whenever a priority location gets reported, indefinitely. As mayor, I will propose a First In - First Out system.

 

                             Traffic:

Travel down the westbound lane of Thomas Road at 3pm on any weekday and you will experience firsthand the gridlock plaguing Phoenix. What causes this daily traffic jam? 

Daytime construction projects and road maintenance, frequent stops by school and city buses, trading traffic lanes for bike lanes, and static traffic lights are few of the main culprits. 

As mayor, I will propose limiting construction and non-emergency road maintenance, which can cause traffic slowdowns, to evenings and weekends in primarily commercial areas. I will also seek developers to help sync the city's traffic lights up to newer technologies that can adjust the single times based on real-time traffic data. 

Riding a bike is fun, taking the bus is economical, and a trip on the light rail is quick. How you get from point A to point B is a decision best left up to you. Creating public transportation policies that punish you for choosing to use your car have Phoenix streets all backed up.  

 

                            Bike Lanes:

Riding a bike is a fun, healthy, and environmentally friendly way to get around the city. But it is not a viable transportation option for most Phoenicians. Especially in the summer months when temperatures are well into the 100's. 

Phoenix currently has nearly 800 miles of bike lanes and paths. The city is implanting a 5 year plan that will add another 200 miles. The Street Transportation Depart has admitted that it doesn't have enough easements for this project and will need to "be creative". That is code for taking more traffic lanes. I support adding more bike lanes and paths, but not at a cost of increased commuter traffic. 

Also, as part of that plan, the city wants to commit to adding an additional 1,000+ miles of bike lanes and paths by 2050.

 

              Clean and Reliable water

While Phoenix is an arid desert city, we often take for granted our clean supply and reliable delivery of water. Water is critical for all of us. Without a clean, reliable, and affordable supply of water Phoenix will vanish. 

Did you know that current low water levels at Lake Mead could potentially trigger an automatic "Tier 1" shortage or that the Colorado River operational agreement expires in 2026? How is the city planning for these potential issues? Are the programs put in place 5, 10, or 30 years ago working? 

Instead of focusing on pet political projects, perhaps the city leaders could update the 2015 "Water Resource Plan" or the other public documents from 2011 on our water storage programs.

             

              Trash and Sanitation

                             Bulk Trash:

Do you know when your bulk and heavy trash weeks are? Most people don't. It's not their fault, it's complicated schedule of what week ever couple of months you can put trash out and then what week the city will come by and collect it. In the mean time you have a pile of trash in front of your house for a few days to a couple weeks. 

Wouldn't it be easier if there was just one day per month, or even every two months, which was designated as bulk trash day for your neighborhood? It would be the same day each time, without a complicated calendar or a landfill in your front yard. 

That's how most major cities handle bulk and heavy trash collection and there is no reason for Phoenix to continue its outdated and cumbersome schedule.

 

                             Clean Alleys:

Walking down the alleys and back rows of Phoenix is disgusting. Trash and yard waste everywhere. But there are just too many miles of alley ways for the city to keep them clean. On the other hand, you as a property owner shouldn't bear the punishment of cleaning it up or face a fine because someone dropped trash behind your lot. 

As mayor, I will develop a volunteer program similar to the AZ Adopt a Highway program. Neighborhood and civic groups, local business, and even HOA's would sign up for a two year commitment to collect trash along a stretch of alleyway. For this they would get city recognition, volunteer credit hours, and a sign and other notifications to the neighborhood that they are helping to keep the area clean and free of debris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homeless

Travel anywhere in Phoenix and you will see firsthand the scale of the poverty and homelessness crisis.

 

Travel anywhere in Phoenix and you will see firsthand the scale of the poverty and homelessness crisis. 

My team has been working with ASU researchers, local non-profits and churches, private sober living facilities, former city staffers, social workers, uniformed officers, and addiction counselors to develop an adaptive and sustainable plan to address this issue. 

Our plan can be boiled down to these 5 points: 

1. Treat people with dignity, respect, and humanity. Being poor and homeless is not a crime and continuing to use some other pretense to arrest someone in hopes of forcing them into social services will not work. 

2. Dispatch social workers, backed up by reserve officers, to non-critical calls relating to mental health and homelessness issues. Our uniformed officers have their hands full responding to critical calls for service. We already have a network of qualified social workers that have the experience needed to navigate people through local support services. 

3. Create space at the table for ALL of the local non-profits. What the city has failed to realize, in mandating its "one size fits all' C.A.R.E.S. program, is that there is no single solution. Creating public policy based solely on the perceptions of a handful of politically connected organizations has not worked. We need to hear from everyone engaged locally with this issue. Every non-profit, that has a unique perspective and wants to be part of the process, will be included in all policy discussions.  

4. Expedite variance and permit requests for non-profits. The process of getting city approval for new non-profit transitional and crisis housing, sober living and addiction treatment facilities, and support centers can take years. By the time the doors are finally allowed to open the needs of the community may have shifted. Expediting variances, permits, and other requests will allow local non-profits to quickly adapt to the changing needs of the community.  

5. Assist effective non-profits in fundraising through private donations. Some politicians think creating new tax payer funded programs would be easier and faster. The truth is that publicly funded programs that can be held hostage by political priorities and the city's budget constraints is not a sustainable solution. As mayor, I will advocate and assist in fundraising for non-profits that are helping us support the underserved citizens of Phoenix. 

We can never completely eradicate poverty and homelessness. Continuing to cling to the false hope and rhetoric of perfection will keep us from making meaningful improvements.

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