Merced County Board of Supervisors candidates, District 4: Ramon Prado

As a survivor of gang violence, Ramon Prado is making it his mission to improve his community and the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.

Prado has lived in Merced County his whole life, born to Mexican immigrants who moved to Delhi to work in the fields.

When he was a teen, Prado was shot in a drive-by shooting and almost didn’t live. Growing up, he knew which neighbors cooked meth on his street.

He left Delhi after high school for work, but returned before his father passed away.

After that, Prado, 30, began working for the after-school programs in Delhi. He now works with special needs students in Turlock. Prado was appointed to the county’s Delhi Municipal Advisory Council in 2011 and is involved in other community organizations.

Prado hopes to bring equal representation for Latinos to the board of supervisors and promote drug and gang prevention programs for youth.

“Other candidates say they are tired of hearing Merced is the worst of this and that,” Prado said. “I’m tired of living it. I want the county to represent its citizens.”

Q: The Merced County Sheriff’s Office is facing a high vacancy rate as veteran deputies leave to better-paying jobs. As supervisor, how would you retain sheriff’s deputies, and what would you consider a fair compensation package?

A: Better or even competitive pay is not an option. I believe that our deputies should have the best pay ... in the county, period. ... If safety truly is a priority to our top officials, then they wouldn’t mind sacrificing their pay for the greater good of our county. I propose a 50 percent pay cut across the board for all of our county’s top earners. ... We need to lead by example.

Q: Each supervisor is allocated $40,000 every fiscal year to use as they please. Typically, supervisors choose to spend the money on community projects or nonprofit organizations. The leftover amount at the end of each fiscal year rolls over to the next. Do you agree with this policy? Why or why not?

A: Absolutely not. I call it pandering money. Supervisors making themselves look good with my tax dollars? No thank you. That’s $200,000 a year that can go to better use. That is the annual salary of four full-time ... deputies. ... If community projects and nonprofits are such a concern to our supervisors, they can add it to our county budget – which is exactly what I’ll do.

Q: Crime statistics show violent and property crimes in Merced County are on the rise. How should the Sheriff’s Office tackle crime in the county?

A: The last time I checked, the Sheriff’s Office didn’t have a magical wand to wipe out crime in our county. They can only do so much with what they have. When I see kids or anyone being charged with crimes linked to gangs, drugs or what have you, I see our educational system failing them. I see the inability of our county to provide the proper mental health services and safe spaces for our youth. ... I see the lack of job opportunities. I see the effects of poverty. ... We can support the Sheriff’s Office all we want, but if these other issues are not addressed, the Sheriff’s Office will always be playing catch-up.

Q: What should be done to spur economic development in Merced County?

A: Partner with local utilities, and create infrastructure. Create water, sewage, electrical, communication and transportation access that can support the types of business that intend to bring scores of jobs with them. We need to be proactive when it comes to retaining and attracting businesses.

Q: Merced County has been negotiating a revenue-sharing agreement with city governments for about 10 years. The agreement would help cities win authorization to annex land and provide services such as sewer and water to new developments. In your opinion, what needs to be done to finalize the agreement?

A: The areas that are stricken by poverty and crime in our county are areas that do not have representation ... and cannot negotiate with the county with regards to revenue sharing. ... This county has an obligation to its unincorporated communities. To solve this problem, we spread out revenue sharing equally per capita; that way, every community gets their fair share of the pie.

Q: The county currently allows residents with a medical marijuana card to grow 12 plants per parcel. Do you agree with medical and/or recreational marijuana use? Do you think the county should change its policy on marijuana? If so, what kind of policy would you propose?

A: I fully support medical and/or recreational use. The county should absolutely change its policies on marijuana, and I hope I can have the privilege of making that happen. I want Merced County to be the authority of hemp production. ... I want our residents to have safe access to medical marijuana, and overturn the criminalization of dispensaries. ... When you set a limit of 12 plants per parcel and remove safe access, you exclude people in need that physically cannot garden, you exclude people that live in apartments, you exclude people that rent homes, you exclude people that have no land.

Q: Do you support high-speed rail coming through the Central Valley, specifically Merced? How do you think the High-Speed Rail Authority’s current proposed plan, which bypasses Merced, will affect the county?

A: I would love to see high-speed rail come through Merced County. Just the thought of expanding our radius to look for or commute to jobs, shopping and playing is exciting. But we have to ask ourselves this: Can we afford it? ... With the millions of dollars that will be spent on this project, think about how those millions of dollars can improve the quality of life for everyone in Merced County.

Q: The Merced County Association of Governments is proposing a half-cent tax to be placed on the November ballot to improve county roads. Would you support this tax? Why or why not?

A: As long as there is complete transparency on how the money is being spent and it is spent on improving existing roads, I wouldn’t have an issue with paying a little extra in taxes. ... But if the tax increase is used to create new roads for affluent housing developments ... that’s where I draw the line.

Q: California is emerging from a historic, five-year drought that has impacted the Central Valley’s agricultural economy particularly hard. Moving forward, how should Merced County proceed on water-related issues?

A: Agriculture is our economy. Ag is our livelihood. We can create a system that is based on reasonable water use as well as innovate water-use technology in agriculture. In the meantime, we have to be smart with our water usage. We can use drip irrigation and set up gray water recovery systems in our homes.

Q: If elected, what would be your top priority?

A: Bringing common sense to our county government.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Merced County Board of Supervisors candidates, District 4: Ramon Prado."