Re-elect
“I want Winters to continue to be the best place to grow up, grow old, and thrive”
“I’m committed to Winters, and for 29 years, Winters has been my home. Here, I’ve raised my family, taught, volunteered, and now watch my grandchildren grow. As a parent and retired educator, I have a deep understanding of the needs of our youth, teens, and older residents. I’m a dedicated advocate for robust public engagement and deliberate action, committed to building a brighter future by creating jobs, expanding opportunities, and promoting financial stability.
My educational background includes a Bachelor's degree from UC Irvine, an MFA from the University of New Orleans, and a Senior Fellowship from the American Leadership Forum. With 20 years of teaching experience and 8 years of service on the Winters City Council, during which I have built strong relationships with regional peers, I possess the expertise and tools to be an effective regional leader. I aim to use these skills and connections for the betterment of our community.
My experience, unwavering dedication, and proven leadership set me apart. I want Winters to continue being the best place to grow up, grow old, and thrive.
With your strong support, I will continue to prioritize improving our community by listening to you, advocating for you, and collaborating with the council to effectively serve Winters residents. Your vote counts! I humbly ask for your support.”
Jesse Loren
Platform
Safety- We need to sustain healthy staffing levels, equipment, and training for police and fire department to respond to all emergencies we might face. We need to have better resilience to climate change events such as flooding and fire.
Opportunity- We need jobs and businesses to come to Winters. We need strong partnerships with the Winters school district to give students the skills and opportunities they need to succeed. I’m committed to working together. We also need new businesses, and I will work hard to bring jobs to Winters.
Housing- Winters has made strides in housing development and has targeted projects in the pipeline. However, we have fallen behind in providing entry-level housing, townhouses, and affordable units. It is crucial to ensure a variety of options in our housing stock. By increasing entry-level housing, we can create opportunities for our young adults to return to Winters to raise their families. Because we are small, every bit of how we plan our space matters. I will continue to champion a balanced approach to housing.
Partnerships- I have built strong relationships within and outside of our community, and I believe stronger relationships can benefit Winters. We deserve to work collaboratively on land use decisions, controlled spending and partnering with local government.
Services- Winters provides great services to our community. My goal is to keep those services, but right now maintaining our services at their current levels means dipping into our reserves, and it isn’t sustainable. We need to talk about the opportunities that are before us.
Fiscal Responsibility- Inflation has severely impacted the City of Winters and we need to come together to work toward dependable revenue streams that are fair to our residents. City Council proposes adding a one cent to sales tax for more revenue, and ultimately it’s up to the voters to decide. Our current tax is 7.25%, but the city doesn't get that total amount. First, it goes into a state, then county pool, then is subdivided and we get a much smaller percentage, approximately 1% of 4% of what was collected on the 7.25% tax. BUT a this one cent “Self Help” tax all stays in Winters and doesn’t get reduced in the county pool. All the people who come and spend money in Winters will contributing to Winters! About 52% of our sales taxes are collect along 128 from the 505 area to the round about. Downtown shopping adds another 25%, much of that is from our tourism.
Voting for the additional one percent sales tax could bring over $1 million dollars annually, allowing us to pay our bills, retain staff such as our Police Department, and provide better services. Surrounding cities have 8.0% sales tax or higher, (which many of us are already paying when we shop/dine outside of town). Right now Winters risks falling further behind if we don’t act now. Acting now with proactive measures like this one-cent sales tax can support a prosperous and better future for all residents.
Measure S- Is a sales tax measure of 1 cent. If you spend $100.00 on a taxable item, it will add one dollar to your tab, and that dollar’s whole amount comes back to Winters. If you have questions there’s a committee that can respond to your questions, but reach out to me at Loren4council@gmail.com.
