Hagman Makes Contrast With Negrete-McLeod In Board Run

(April 8)  Assemblyman Curt Hagman this week told the Sentinel he is seeking election to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors because he believes his philosophy of governance is best suited to rejuvenate the local economy compared to the approach advocated by his primary opponent in the race.
Four candidates will appear on the ballot in the race for Fourth District County Supervisor – Congresswoman Gloria Negrete-McLeod, Ontario City Councilman Paul Vincent Avila, Chino Unified School District Board Member James Na and Hagman. Hagman and Na are Republicans. Negret-McLeod and Avila are Democrats. Though Na qualified his candidacy, he has since decided to withdraw from the race. By law, however, his name must appear on the ballot.
Voter registration in the Fourth District favors the Democrats.  64,985 of the district’s 158,046 voters, or 41.1 percent are registered Democrats. 51,176, or 32.4 percent are Republicans. Because she is so well financed, Negrete-McLeod is considered Hagman’s primary opponent.
Despite the demographic disadvantage he faces, Hagman believes he can make inroads with the Fourth Supervisorial District electorate by stressing what he believes is his sounder approach toward revitalizing business opportunity and spurring job growth.
Hagman owned and operated a bail bond business before he was elected to the Chino Hills City Council, where he was rotated into the post of mayor during the final year of his four-year stay on that panel. As mayor he successfully ran for his current position in the Assembly. In addition to his bail bond business, Hagman also owns a property development company and another company devoted to prevent the counterfeiting of commercial products.
“I think my years of private and public sector experience allows me to focus on issues facing businesses and strategies for economic development,” Hagman said.  “I think that especially on the west end of the county there is a lot of potential for quick growth. If we can interest national and international investors and can work it correctly we could facilitate growing companies over here on this end of San Bernardino County. I think I represent the best chance for doing that. I have connections with the Asian American community, for example, that my main opponent does not possess. My approach is to streamline the approval process and minimize bureaucracy and make our community more competitive in appealing to the companies that would consider locating here as opposed to neighboring areas.  We have capital assets in the Fourth District such as Ontario Airport and Chino Airport that would lend themselves to the creation of an international trading zone. This would be of tremendous value if it is used correctly.
“We have already seen manifestations of this interest. Mooney Aircraft, which has been in existence for decades, located into Chino Airport, which will effectively bring in more manufacturing and research and development to that facility,” Hagman continued. “There is the opportunity to create a commercial aviation school there, as aviation companies have a need for more commercial pilots. I believe we need to focus on the long term growth of Ontario International Airport and getting Los Angeles World Airports [the division of the city of Los Angles that owns and operates Ontario International Airport] out of our hair and out of Ontario.”
Hagman sought to contrast his aggressive approach in spurring economic growth and ending the governmental restrictions that effectively bar that growth with Negrete-McLeod’s philosophy.
“We are probably at the opposite ends of most issues and that difference between us is more dramatically apparent than with most other competing candidates,” Hagman said. “She is determined to do the opposite of what I am trying to do. My philosophy is to grow the economy before you grow what the government takes in taxes. I have never voted to raise taxes. She has voted in taxes over and over again, twenty million dollars worth.”
While he is a limited government advocate in favor of local control, Hagman said, Negrete-McLeod favors big government with the power concentrated  more heavily in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento than at City Hall and at the county level.
“I have always sided on giving cities and counties a larger role in government than the state or federal government,” he said. “I have perfect scores for advocating local control.  I have worked across party lines and have brought forth more bills than any Republican [in Sacramento] in the last five years. Because of my role in the private sector, I have written more payroll checks rather than I cash. As a candidate in this race, this uniquely qualifies me, I think, to know what it takes to give people an opportunity to make a living. I have not been living off the public sector my whole life, like my opponent. We have different views and perspectives on economic development.”
Hagman further contrasted himself with Negrete-McLeod, insisting he has shown more backbone with regard to the issue of public safety.
“I have worked on crafting solutions at a local level to keep our schools and businesses safe,” he said. “With prison overcrowding and AB 109 we are facing major challenges and a more dangerous situation in our communities and neighborhoods. I have volunteered as a reserve sheriff’s deputy. In 2011, I did not vote for releasing 20,000 felons from our prisons like my opponent did.”
Hagman’s reference was to Assembly Bill 109, legislation aimed at closing California’s so-called “revolving door” of low-level inmates cycling in and out of state prisons, which was an effort to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court order to reduce the number of inmates in the state’s 33 prisons to 137.5 percent of original design capacity.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Hagman came with his family to California at the age of one and graduated from Miraleste High School. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA and served in the Naval Reserve.  He is married with two children.

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