Third District Challenger Jim Bagley Touts Experience, Welcomes Forums

Editor's Note: Redlands-Loma Linda Patch recently approached candidates seeking to represent the Third Supervisorial District of San Bernardino County. An interview with the incumbent was published Monday.

Jim Bagley, former councilman and mayor of Twentynine Palms, and a member of the Local Agency Formation Commission for San Bernardino County, portrays himself as a candidate for positive change in the contentious race for Third District Supervisor.

Bagley wants to represent Redlands, Loma Linda, and a diverse area he refers to as distinct "geopolitical communities" stretching from the district's urban core to the mountains and deserts. He is currently a real estate specialist for the Department of Defense.

"Integrity and transparency are essential for good government," he says in a campaign statement. "I am running for supervisor to restore confidence in San Bernardino County with a focus on ethical reform. As your supervisor I will work for job creation and positive economic development county wide."

Bagley is running against incumbent Supervisor Neil Derry and challenger James Ramos, former tribal chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Election day is June 5. An outright winner must take 50 percent of the vote plus one. Otherwise the top two finishers in June run-off in November.

He agreed to meet with Redlands-Loma Linda Patch in San Bernardino recently to discuss his background, his formative experiences and challenges he's faced in elected and appointed offices.

Derry and Ramos also met with Redlands-Loma Linda Patch to share perspectives as election day nears. An interview with Ramos will be published later this week.

Redistricting has changed the Third District by excluding the Lake Arrowhead area, and including Lucerne Valley and Barstow. The re-drawn Third District is now home to about 407,000 residents and it covers roughly 2,700 square miles.

The Third District has 183,000 registered voters, including 75,000 registered Republicans, 62,000 registered Democrats, and 35,000 registered as non-partisan, according to the county elections office.

A map of the redrawn district is attached to this report.

The following interview with Bagley was recorded at Molly's Cafe on D Street in San Bernardino. Bagley's remarks are quoted here verbatim.

Early Years and the Desert

"I'm former chairman for LAFCO. I've been with LAFCO in different capacities for many years."

As a boy, he said, he moved around the state of California frequently because his father was a civil engineer who contracted in part with the State Water Project.

"Understanding water and infrastructure is part of my background," Bagley said.

He was living in Hesperia when he was 12 and his father died suddenly, and he moved to Twentynine Palms when he was 13, he said.

"My grandparents were homesteaders there in 1926," Bagley said. "They started a general store and the town basically built up around their general store. My grandmother wrote a book about her experience called 'Sand in My Shoe.'"

Helen Bagley's book was published by Calico Press in 1978.

"It's the story of their homesteading experience," Bagley said. "They were among the first people out there. The general store provided the central needs for the community. They sold everything from diapers to dynamite. . . .

"Twentynine Palms today is about 28,000. That includes the Marine Corps base population, which changes all the time, based on what's happening in the world.

"The city incorporated in 1987, and in those days I was active in the incorporation committee for Twentynine Palms. They had to go before LAFCO, the agency I serve on today. In those days I was a planning commissioner for the county of San Bernardino.

"The planning commission . . . . unincorporated areas, such as Twentynine Palms, Highland, Yucca Valley had not incorporated. So we were doing planning, background for some of these areas. . . .

"Twentynine Palms, the story goes it was Col. Washington with a surveying party came through and there was an oasis and they counted the palms and that's how it got its name. The oasis, the Indian name is the Oasis of Mara, and that's what I call it. The city name is Twentynine Palms of course," Bagley said.

"Mara, I believe, it refers to 'the land of little rain,' is what I've been told. . . .

"So I was 12, 13 when I moved to Twentynine Palms. I was in junior high school then. . . . Most of my time was in public schools. I did attend a military academy after my dad passed away. I graduated high school in 1975.

"I started off in the community college system, College of the Desert in Palm Desert. I was a working kid, you know working my way through college. And I had a political science professor who suggested I apply for a scholarship for an internship to Washington, and I was accepted.

"That took me to Georgetown University for the summer and I was an intern and it was a really great experience. That was about '77. The internship program, we lived on campus, had to take classes, and I rode the bus to work on Capitol Hill.

"I loved Washington. When I came back I went to UCLA and that's where I graduated, in political science. I finished there in '79."

'Start of Civic Involvement'

"I left college, I was working in Palm Springs as a realty agent, and the economy was really bad. So I moved back to Twentynine Palms and I stayed there. But I immediately got involved in the chamber of commerce.

"I got involved with the board of directors, became president, and that was the start of my civic involvement. I also served on the Twentynine Palms Water District, which is a special district. So that was part of my background also.

"I believe there was a vacancy, was appointed first and stood for election, but there was no competition, I believe, it was a long time ago. Then I left the water board to serve on the county planning commission, I got appointed to that. There was an incompatibility, so I resigned from the water board to join the planning commission.

"In those days it was the First District, the greater mountain-desert area, and I was commissioner-at-large for the whole county. My area of expertise obviously was the mountain area, the Big Bear area, the Victor Valley, Barstow, Twentynine Palms, desert valley area. . . . It was in the First District, part of my jurisdiction.

"In Big Bear, the unincorporated areas and the land use planning and development permits in the unincorporated areas, all came before the county planning commission. So anything outside the city of Big Bear Lake would come before the planning commission. . . . It would have included Green Valley Lake, too. . . . "

'Understanding Transportation Issues'

"I ran for city council in 1992 and served three terms. Four-year terms, so I served until 2004. I was mayor three separate times during those years. Twentynine Palms is a general law city, so mayor is not an elected position. The council elects the mayor. It rotated around. So in my three terms I had the opportunity to be mayor three different times. . . .

"I also was on LAFCO in those days, representing all the cities . . . , and I was the chairman of LAFCO in 2004. One of the important things in my background, I also had the opportunity to be the chairman of SANBAG, which is the San Bernardino County association of governments, the transportation agency.

"My rise to the chair and understanding of transportation issues is an important part of the skill set I bring to the county Board of Supervisors, how important these transportation issues are for all the communities of the Third District.

"I also had a chance to be on the California League of Cities board of directors, president of the desert mountain division. And I served on the Southern California Associated Governments, which is known as SCAG, a metropolitan planning organization that's mandated by the federal government.

"When you buy a gallon of gasoline, you're paying state and federal tax. Those tax dollars leave our community, they go to Washington and Sacramento, and then they come back through complex computation formulas, and in order to be eligible for federal funding for example you have to have a metropolitan planning organization. This is what SCAG does for regional planning.

"So that's part of my background, experience that I bring to the board of supervisors. . . .

"Since that time I applied for the public member position on LAFCO and I'm also chairman of the county's airport commission right now. The airport commission has administration over the public use airports of Twentynine Palms, Needles, Barstow, Chino and Apple Valley. And my other hat is the public member on LAFCO. Those are the two things that I'm involved in today."

'My Aviation Connection'

"Part of my background, I'm a commercial pilot and I'm a flight instructor. That's my aviation connection. That's one of the reasons I'm interested in these airports. They're a viable part of the economy for the region. Part of my involvement with SCAG is we have an aviation task force."

Bagley said he owns a Cessna 172 and he said he keeps it tied down in Twentynine Palms.

"I started to fly when I was in college and I've been a flight instructor I think about 10 years now. I'm a flight instructor for everything from single to multi-engine aircraft. . . . Big Bear is like 30 minutes away, it's a good breakfast, lunch or dinner flight. Sometimes I fly to meetings here because it saves time but I have to make arrangements.

"I used to fly into meetings regularly and I'd have people pick me up. It's a three-hour roundtrip on the freeway from Twentynine Palms to San Bernardino. But it's a 30 to 40 minute flight. So when you look at it over time, it's like saving days of my life."

Why do you want to be Third District supervisor?

"The Third District is geopolitically very complex. You have the desert communities with unique needs. You have the Big Bear Valley with unique needs. And then you have the urbanized cities down in the core. And all of those communities need to be represented effectively on the county board of supervisors, and on organizations like LAFCO and the San Bernardino Association of Governments.

"That's part of my background. And I believe I have a unique set of skills to effectively represent all those communities. My interest also is just in good government for San Bernardino County. We have a long legacy of corruption and indicted officials, and I believe we can do much better."

What is it you bring specifically to the table that the incumbent doesn't?

"My life experience. I've had a broad experience from planning, being planning commissioner and my involvement in city government. And I have experiences that are broader than that too.

'"If you look at some of the land use in the Third District, a lot of it is the federal lands . . . and it requires cooperation with the federal government whether it's military installations or the Bureau of Land Management or the National Park Service. Years ago I was on the California desert district advisory council, the Bureau of Land Management's advisory group . . .

"So I have local, state, county and federal government experience, which is pretty important for all the diverse types of land use we have in the district.

"When you look at the Third District, you have urban cities, Loma Linda has a world-class university and the V.A. hospital, all the cities have unique things that drive the economy. Twentynine Palms is tied to the Marine Corps base, Barstow has the Army facility and Marine Corps facility. When you get up to the Big Bear Valley area tourism is very critical, as it is for Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. . . . we have the Joshua Tree National Park, the national forests, we have mining in the Lucerne Valley which is one of the major industries in Southern California. . . . "

What did you learn growing up that you use in your work today?

"As I've grown up . . . the desert area and a lot of San Bernardino County there's been growth and changes, coming in, things getting larger and more complex, and that's not going to change in my lifetime.

"We're going to continue to grow. We need to provide infrastructure, transportation, good roads, the opportunity for jobs, wise planning to ensure the needs of the population as it expands. All these communities have unique visions . . .

"One of the beauties of living in San Bernardino County is the open lands, the public lands. I grew up enjoying those immensely. Whether it was Joshua Tree National Park, which was a monument in those days, or all the Bureau of Land Management lands, I was free to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. . . . I grew up learning to ski in the Big Bear Valley area, my family had a cabin there. . . . "

On Derry and Ramos trading blows:

"As a candidate I am troubled by the level of negativity in this campaign. That's one of the reasons I'm running. My campaign is about offering constructive change in San Bernardino County, an alternative . . .

"I don't think it's useful in good government to just be slinging mud endlessly. I think it's better to offer viable alternatives. . . . It's just not my style to engage in the negative. And I think people are tired of it. I'm not questioning the legitimacy of some of the issues. But it is really becoming excessive, almost malicious in the attacks, and that's not good for good government either.

"To be able to work as a functioning representative on the board, you have to get things done, and I have a good working relationship with all the other board members. I've known them all for years. I've known Josie since she was a city council member, same thing with Gary Ovitt. Brad Mitzelfelt I've known for years when he was chief of staff for Postmus, and I've known Janice Rutherford for many, many years, even before she was on the city council in Fontana."

Are you open to more candidate forums?

"I would like there to be a forum in the Redlands-Yucaipa area. I've asked the Loma Linda-Grand Terrace folks if they would have one also. I've asked the chambers of commerce in Redlands, Yucaipa and Loma Linda. . . . I'd welcome a forum in each one of the communities. I think it's really valuable. It allows voters to connect with the us personally, brings us into the community that we're going to represent.

"Forums are really a good way to make an informed decision on who you're going to vote for."

What question would he pose to each candidate?

"Well, I like Mr. Ramos personally, I have to tell you that. I think he's a very fine gentleman, the Indian tribe's been very generous. But the difference is our life experience. I have extensive background in local and regional government, and I believe I offer a constructive positive change for a new direction in San Bernardino County with that life experience.

"I have a lot of experience in the different geopolitical communities, from the mountains, to the deserts, to the urban area, and that's why I'm running.

"Mr. Derry has some serious legal problems which I think have alienated a lot of voters, and I think they should have an alternative there. A positive alternative. That's exactly why I got into this race. . . . I'm not antagonistic toward either of them. I have to tell you I think a lot of voters are fed up with all the negativity and I hope that my campaign for constructive change resonates with them, and that they recognize they do have an opportunity to vote for somebody."

Bagley declined to pose a direct question to either of his opponents during this interview. But Derry, in an interview published Monday, posed a question to Bagley.

Derry: "I'd ask him why are you in a race when you couldn't win your re-election and another election to city council? He was defeated in '06 and again in '08. Why should you be elected to the board of supervisors when you can't be elected to your own city council? The folks at Twentynine Palms where you live have rejected you twice."

Bagley responded Tuesday: "I believe responsible conscious citizens are tired of negativity and indicted officials abusing positions of power in San Bernardino County. My campaign is about constructive change to move the board of supervisors towards transparency and accountability to taxpayers. Ethics and integrity matter. I entered this race knowing full well the negativity that would spew forth. I believe voters wanted a positive alternative and better representation. That is why I am running."

Bagley then posed a question to Derry: "There is a pattern of arrogance from high level county officials that has created a repulsive culture of corruption. If you were charged with a felony and truly believed it was meritless and politically motivated, why would you settle for a plea bargain instead of correctly insisting on honest vindication?"

Bagley also asked Ramos: "The San Manuel Tribal reservation is not subject to the rules and regulations of San Bernardino County as a sovereign nation. As a policy maker for the entire county should the same rules apply to everyone?"

Derry, Bagley and Ramos met with Redlands-Loma Linda Patch to share perspectives as election day nears. Click to read an interview with Derry published Monday. An interview with Ramos will be published later this week.