User:Jim Lamb

About Jim

 * I have been in the Real Estate Business on and off since 1989.
 * I am the owner of the Real Estate Depot
 * My office manages over 25 rental properties in Mountain House
 * I am a Notary Public
 * I am married to Heather Lamb and we have three children; Kyle(7), James(9) and Meagan(17)

Hobbies

 * I studied Aikido for over 8 years in Livermore......
 * I am a certified sommelier
 * Home Wine Making
 * Board Gaming
 * In my youth I was a wind surfing instructor
 * Carpentry
 * Scuba diving
 * Cross country skiing & snow camping (building and sleeping in igloo's)'

History
Our family moved to Mountain House in October of 2004 on the recommendation of my brother Jeff and his brother in-law Shane, both of whom had purchased homes here the year before. Prior to that I lived in Livermore for 9 years.

I've been honored to serve the Mountain House Community Services District(CSD) as a board of director since 2008. I was in the first group of 18 that ran for the position the first year the district had the opportunity to elect an independent board. Prior to 2008 the board responsibilities were under the jurisdiction of the San Joaquin broad of directors. I've enjoyed my time serving the community, and hope the residents of Mountain House will see fit to give me another term.

Running for the board in 2012
My family has committed to living in Mountain House for the next 16 years. Mountain House planners have envisioned a bold plan for the community. I want to make sure that the CSD, in its policy decisions, stays on a course that allows that vision to happen.

I have a unique perspective on the needs of both owners and renters in our community. I am also familiar with the builders and their homes.

Promote Fiscal Prudence
For the most part, I think the board and staff have done a good job of safeguarding the finances of the district. I believe generally that the staff has done an outstanding job controlling costs. Having said that, there are some areas for improvement:

1. Through review of the staff job classifications, compensation packages and organizational structure.

2. Enact policies that bring contracts for renewal sooner so that the board can explore the full range of options. In the past contracts have come to the board to late to pragmatically do anything but extend them.

Customer Service
1. I believe out biggest obstacle to outstanding customer service is our contract with Southwest Water. They are based in Texas, making it difficult for new residents, who don't know they can go to the CSD office, to get a person in front them to resolve issues that arise when trying to establish new service. I also believe that we need to do a complete review of our billing practices and policies to make sure that they protect the district and make

Facilitate better communication
There is a strong need to foster better communication between the CSD and the residents it serves. The CSD needs to do a better job leveraging the internet to get it's message out.

I've already helped the CSD migrate to a new web site infrastructure that is more robust, capable and has a significantly lower cost to operate. Going forward I plan to advocate for better use of social networking and to refine some of the existing methods the CSD does outreach.

Other Concerns

 * I am a strong advocate for Mountain House having a public pool. The master plan calls for three, so I will want to make sure one is in the works as soon it is economically feasible.
 * I want to ensure that the developers do not have an undue influence in the CSD's policy making, and that the developers are held accountable for their obligation with regard to providing the amenities the Master Plan calls for. I'll also oppose measures to cheapen Mountain House or relax design standards.

My Political Affiliation
I have been registered as a Republican and a Democrat in times past. Right now I am so disappointed with both parties that I will likely register as an independent.

What I can say is that I am a fiscal conservative with moderate to liberal social views. I am for a balanced budget, and sound fiscal planning so that Mountain House never finds itself under a pile of debt. I am a strong believer in taking personal responsibility for ones action.

I am also not beholden to or connected to any developer or outside influence. I sincerely want Mountain House to be successful, and I think putting in the time to help that happen is in my family's and the community's best interest.

My Mountain House Community Contributions

 * Founder of Mountain House Wiki.
 * Facilitated CSD and residents discussion about water billing problems
 * A Participant in the Mountain House Business Networking Group (no long meeting)
 * A Sponsor of the annual Easter egg hunt
 * A Sponsor of the first community fun run
 * Sponsor of the Santa on a Harley event
 * Spearheaded the voter registration drive that allowed for the election of our own board
 * Advocate for the building of Delta college in Mountain House
 * Administrator and frequent contributor to mhvillages.com

Endorsements

 * Tracy Firefighters Association Local 3355
 * Democratic Central Committee of San Joaquin County - 2008

Links

 * Profile on: www.smartvoter.org

Press

 * Mountain House votes to unify Tracy Press, 20 Mar 2008
 * Stepping up Tracy Press, 10 Nov 2007
 * Absent Voters Tracy Press, 10 Nov 2007
 * Mountain House residents soon may be able to cast vote Stockton Record, 12 Sep 2007
 * The magic number Tracy Press, 20 Apr 2007
 * Making a statement Tracy Press, 13 Apr 2007
 * Self-government in Mountain House Tracy press, 3 Feb 2007
 * Mountain House wins bid for Delta campus Tracy press, Oct 2005

Contact Jim

 * [mailto:jlamb@sjgov.org jlamb@sjgov.org]
 * Voice Mail: (209)740-4640