Russell Green

Economy Mendocino County still hasn't authorized Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations. This lets people cater up to 30 meals a day, 90 per week, with a 100K/year cap — from their own kitchen. It's perfect for small entrepreneurs, cottage food operators, and anyone who wants to turn a skill into a living. Low barrier to entry, real economic activity. There's no good reason we haven't done this. Drug Policy Mendocino County was supposed to lead the way on legal cannabis. Instead, we've strangled our own industry with fees, delays, and regulations that make it impossible to compete with the black market. As a business owner in this industry, I've lived this — permits that take years, fees that punish compliance, and a system that rewards illegal operators by making legal ones uncompetitive. Criminal Justice / Public Safety I'm not against police — I'm against bad policing. Every officer should have a body cam running on every interaction, no exceptions. Invest in de-escalation training so situations don't escalate to use of force when they don't need to. Good cops want this too — it protects them from false accusations. Abortion / Contraception I stand for medical freedom 100%, and that includes reproductive rights. While I personally find abortion tragic and believe we should find ways to minimize it, I ultimately support a woman's right to make her own medical decisions. Consistency matters — you can't claim medical freedom and then carve out exceptions when it's politically convenient. Environment / Energy Mendocino County's natural beauty isn't just nice to look at — it's our economy, our water supply, and our quality of life. Protecting it isn't tree-hugging, it's common sense. But protection doesn't mean locking everything down — it means stewarding the land responsibly while letting people live on and use it. Immigration I'm applying for a visa for my Ecuadorian wife, so I'm a little biased — but I think there should be hard borders with an easier legal path. We should accept people who will be a net positive to our country and society. Taxes / Budget I stand 100% with the taxpayers. I will fight any local or state attempt to weaken Proposition 13. Your property tax should be predictable, not a moving target. Seniors on fixed incomes and long-time residents shouldn't be taxed out of homes they've lived in for decades. Infrastructure / Transportation Our roads are falling apart while the county budget goes who-knows-where. I want a real-time pothole tracker and transparent, accountable spending. Every dollar allocated to infrastructure should be tracked from budget to pavement. No more vanishing road funds. Education Parents should have the primary say in their children's education. I support parental choice and believe families — not bureaucracies — should decide what's best for their kids. Too many people, unions, and textbook manufacturers use the education system to spread their own beliefs, and I don't think that's right. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Government should protect people from harm, not police how they choose to live. If there's no victim, it shouldn't be a crime. We waste enormous resources enforcing lifestyle choices while actual crime goes unaddressed. Live and let live. Environment / Energy I support timber harvesting, but at a certain point, old-growth trees have more right to the land than the landowner. A tree that's been standing for 500 years has earned its place. There's a difference between sustainable forestry and cutting down something irreplaceable for a quick buck. Infrastructure / Transportation Cell service is a joke in most of the 3rd District. Power goes out every time the wind blows. Covelo and Laytonville deserve the same access to broadband as anyone else. I'll fight for our fair share of state and federal infrastructure dollars to make this happen. Housing The county has no business telling you what you can do on your own land unless there's a real public safety reason. Right now if you want to build a shed, add a room, or improve your own property, you're looking at months of permits, thousands in fees, and a Planning department that treats you like a suspect. Simple projects should get simple over-the-counter permits. Your property, your rights. Housing Most people who become homeless — it happened because somewhere along the way they lost hope and no one helped them when they needed it. How to get that help at the right time is an art, and despite spending a lot of money on it, we're not getting real results. Making housing more affordable is my best answer, but there's a mental health and drug factor that requires specialized responses. Easier said than done, but affordability is where it starts. Guns I'm as pro-gun as it gets. The right to keep and bear arms is fundamental — full stop. I oppose California's ever-expanding web of gun restrictions, hidden CCW fees, and regulations designed to make gun ownership as difficult as possible without technically banning it. Law-abiding citizens shouldn't need a law degree to exercise a constitutional right. Housing You can't keep workers if they can't afford to live here. You can't keep families if there's nowhere for them to go. I want to cut the permitting delays that add months and thousands of dollars to every project, make it easy to build ADUs, and prioritize housing for the people who actually live and work here — not vacation rentals. People who grew up here shouldn't be priced out of their own county. If the county got out of the way, the market would build the housing we need.