Pat Wiggins Early Accomplishments
Click here to see Pat's Senate accomplishments

SMART GROWTH

Founded the Smart Growth Caucus in the Legislature  (1/3 of all legislators became members)

Prevented the Coastline of the Hearst Ranch from being subdivided

Enacted the most comprehensive state land use and infrastructure law in 30 years

Allowed zoning laws to reflect a view of the overall city rather than just a parcel 

• Provided funds to fight Sudden Oak Death Syndrome

• Provided one million dollars for Russian River restoration projects

Pat presents the check for One Million dollars on the banks of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Photos by Lawrence Jaffe

• Stopped the attempt by Alaska Exports to take the water from our rivers in big bags and sell it elsewhere

• Promoted incentives to provide solar energy for affordable housing

• Convinced the state bureaucracy to study ways to remove the old tires long used for erosion control in local farms without forcing those farms out of business

• Provided funds to help schools provide safe drinking water

• Provided funds to preserve agriculture and oak woodlands

• Allowed replacement of vines destroyed by Pierce’s disease without triggering a tax increase 

WORKING FAMILIES AND VETERANS

• Got prevailing wages and benefits for (mostly minority) state janitors

• Provided healthcare benefits to retired state employees in danger of losing them

• Provided improved healthcare for Veterans

• Protected jobs for those with Developmental disabilities

• Set standards for wages and benefits in outsourcing contracts by state agencies 

Pat Wiggins joins Dolores Huerta in support of Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital workers who are striving for union representation. Dolores Huerta, President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, has been a long time champion of workers rights, helping form and working with the United Farm Workers. There is no stopping her crusade for workers rights. January, 2005

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

• Provided property tax exemptions for certain kinds of low and moderate income housing

• Closed a loophole that allowed subsidized low income housing to be sold for other purposes

• Allowed Napa County to move some of its affordable housing into the cities

• Allowed Napa County Grape growers to tax themselves to provide farmworker housing 

 OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Designated the trashing of an abortion clinic as a hate crime, so the clinic’s insurance couldn’t be canceled

• Established the California School-to-Career Grant Program to help those students who don’t go directly to college

• Made epinephrine auto-injectors available in sch accomplish.html ools to save the lives of children who go into anaphylactic shock

• Saved the State’s Hot Air Balloon Industry, by changing the requirement, unique to California, that they obtain the same insurance coverage as a major airline

• Insured that businesses are required to protect the personal financial information that is in their possession

• Provided an assortment of laws to protect people from identity theft