Tom Fulks is way off base. Assemblyman Cunningham fights for Central Coast values

I am not a professional writer, as you will no doubt discern for yourselves. I have been a resident of California since 1957, and a resident of San Luis Obispo County for 20 years. I am a Vietnam veteran and a conservative.

I have taken a solemn oath to support and uphold the Constitution of this, the greatest country in the world, not once but three times: When I enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1966, when I received a commission as a naval officer in 1968 and when I became a special agent (criminal investigator) with the U.S. Treasury Department in 1971.

I have spent over 30 year of my adult working life in defense of America. I am concerned about the future of America and California; therefore, I intend to write conservative Viewpoints for The Tribune based on my personal life experiences.

Several weeks ago, The Tribune published a piece from its liberal columnist, Tom Fulks, calling out local Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham for spending too much time working with his legislative colleagues on critical issues that affect millions of Californians. Mr. Fulks seems to take exception to the fact that “Republican Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham opposes child sex trafficking and teen vaping.”

Mr. Fulks, are human trafficking and the teen vaping epidemic not worthy of an assemblyman’s time?

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in the world, and it’s a local issue as well by the fact that we’ve seen recent cases here on the Central Coast. It’s a worthy endeavor to fight this crime, and to ensure its victims have the resources they need after they’ve been rescued.

Teen vaping also is a local issue. If you’ve been around any children (or grandchildren) in the past few years, you may have seen or heard about the prevalence of these dangerous products. Making flavored vaping products tougher for teens to get their hands on is critical to ensuring their health in the long run.

No, instead of focusing on real issues that impact real residents here on the Central Coast, Mr. Fulks and his ultra-liberal allies would rather ignore important state and local policy debates in order to turn this race into a hyperpartisan, three-ring circus.

But here are the real issues we should be focused on:

Cunningham, just a year into his first term, was able to leverage relationships with the governor’s office and convince the California Transportation Commission of the need to finally fix the infamous Blood Alley. As a result, Cunningham secured $134 million to repair one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the state. Doubtless many lives will be saved. Others have tried for decades to accomplish this.

He put his consensus-building skills to work to pass SB 1090 with bipartisan support. This critical bill provided our communities with tens of millions of dollars for schools and workforce development funds to help transition our economy after Diablo Canyon closes in 2025.

And he’s been a vocal supporter of increasing the state’s supply of clean, emission-free energy.

Cunningham’s record shows he is a pragmatic and independent Central Coast Republican in the mold of Katcho Achadjian, his predecessor. He’s proven to be strong enough to stand up to the messes created by a Democratic governor and supermajority in the Senate and Assembly. Assemblyman Cunningham is not afraid to work with Democrats to do what’s right for his constituents and community.

If you want someone who can be counted to vote in lockstep with her ultra-progressive Democratic Party colleagues, then vote for Mr. Fulks’ candidate.

However, in my opinion if you want an assemblyman who is a fighter for the Central Coast, who gets things done and has a record of working across the aisle to deliver for his constituents, then Jordan Cunningham is the rational choice for the California Assembly.

Tribune columnist Joseph Rouleau is a retired supervisory special agent with the U.S. Treasury Department and a retired U.S. Naval Reserve captain. Contact him in care of letters@thetribunenews.com.

This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 8:34 AM.