Bee endorsement: Roseville, Granite Bay residents should back this supervisor candidate | Opinion

In the last few years, Placer County’s 4th Supervisorial District — which includes Granite Bay and Roseville — has seen unprecedented growth. Incumbent Supervisor Suzanne Jones was elected to the board in 2020, when Roseville’s population was approximately 147,773. According to the most recent census, from 2022, Roseville’s population is now 154,817 — and growing.

Placer County’s population is expected to grow at a yearly rate of 1.4% until 2027, according to an economic forecast from the state government. Much of that growth is happening in Roseville, where new housing developments and shopping centers are popping up, and where schools with good reputations draw young families to live.

Jones, who is running against two candidates for re-election to her 4th District seat, is the best candidate to guide the Roseville and Granite Bay communities through this era of growth. She has our endorsement.

Jones understands the need to balance new development with the preservation of green spaces and the rural areas that differentiate Placer and its character from more urban communities nearby, like Sacramento.

“We don’t want to be San Jose, where it’s just concrete everywhere,” Jones said.

She champions the idea of “well-planned, thoughtful development.” One area of concern, however, is that Jones’ approach to new housing projects could be a barrier to approving needed projects r that would assure that Roseville keeps up with the rate of demand (and keeps housing prices affordable, especially for new homeowners). But Jones’ professed conservative approach to housing is representative of her constituents.

Granite Bay homeowners have long been wary of supporting new, mixed-income housing developments.

“Placer County is in high demand right now,” Jones said. “We want to preserve some of that charm and preserve our agricultural lands, our heritage and our agro-business.”

Running against Jones are two candidates who have never held elected office before: Realtor Karen Henson and Jeffrey Moss, who served on the Placer County Planning Commission for 12 years.

The evolution of this officially nonpartisan race, perhaps more than any other supervisorial race in the county, shows the intense partisan divide within Placer, as elected Republicans in the region are curiously split in their endorsements of the three candidates.

Jones has the support of the Placer County Republican Party, several local law enforcement associations and every local firefighters association, as well as current Placer Sheriff Wayne Woo,former Sheriff Ed Bonner and current Placer Supervisor Jim Holmes.

Henson, meanwhile, has support from state Assemblyman. Joe Patterson and Board of Equalization Member Ted Gaines. And Moss has support from current Placer County Supervisors (and Jones’ current colleagues) Bonnie Gore and Shanti Landon.

Henson is involved with Rocklin’s ultra-conservative Destiny Church, and head Pastors Greg and Kathy Fairrington have given a combined $11,000 to her campaign. Destiny Marketing Director Tanner DiBella has also lent his endorsement to her campaign, as has his organization The American Council, a political advocacy group that backs candidates who promote “a biblical worldview.” (The American Council has donated $5,500 to Henson’s campaign.) Henson is also endorsed by Rocklin Unified School Board Member Tiffany Saathoff, who is a pastor at Destiny and Patterson’s chief of staff.

Ultimately, the most qualified candidate who will best serve the 4th District and the entirety of the county is Jones, a proven public servant who has also previously served three terms on the Placer County Board of Education.

Jones is focused on the issues, not on culture wars that have wrongly occupied other elected officials in the region. While in office, Jones has prioritized county planning for future growth as well as traffic congestion in her position serving on the Placer County Transportation Committee.

If re-elected, Jones will be tasked with the multi-year feat of updating Placer’s General Plan, which dates back to 1994. She’s up for the challenge.

“We need to come into the present day and plan for that,” she said. “It will be huge for our future.”

This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 12:00 AM.