Policy Council - About Us
Purpose
The creation of the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council is a key partnership that exemplifies the Regional Transportation Planning Agencies’ approach to working on regional issues.
This sixteen member Regional Policy Council was established to discuss and build regional consensus on issues of Valley importance. The Council consists of two elected officials and one alternate appointed from each of the regional planning agencies’ policy boards. The Council is positioned to have a unique and potentially pivotal position in further Valley collaborative efforts and improving the quality of life for all Valley residents.
The Policy Council provides guidance on common interregional policy issues and also represents the San Joaquin Valley at public forms such as the California Transportation Commission, the Governor and his administration, as well as State and Federal legislative bodies that require a common voice from the San Joaquin Valley.
Members
Mayor Amarpreet "Ruby" Dhaliwal, Fresno County Representative - As a long time resident of the City of San Joaquin located in Fresno County, he has served on the San Joaquin City Council for the past 10 years and is currently the Mayor for the City. Not only does he support local government but is active in participating with local agencies serving on various boards such as: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for 4 years, Fresno Council of Governments for 7 years and League of California Environment Policy Commission for 2 years. Ruby was born and raised in Punjab, India and in 1983 at the age of 20, he migrated to California and completed a B.S. in Business Administration from Fresno State University and passed the CPA exam. He has operated a small business in San Joaquin for over 18 years and is married to Raj and is the father of two daughters, Pawanpreet who graduated from Harvard University and 8-year-old Jasleen who is a student at San Joaquin Elementary School. His hobbies include soccer, hiking, skiing and mountain biking.
Supervisor Judy Case, Fresno County Representative -
Judy Case was elected to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in November 1998. She served as Chairman in the years 2000 and in 2005. Supervisor Case believes in regional collaboration with the cities within Fresno County and neighboring valley counties. She is committed to working towards building a better community. She believes that our agricultural heritage gives us a quality of life that is worth preserving. She is particularly interested in the issues of economic development and job creation, reasonable growth without sprawl, community safety, air quality, and improving our ability to attract visitors and tourists. Supervisor Case and her husband, Fred McNairy, live on a ranch in Sanger raising cattle and operating a Bed and Breakfast. She obtained a nursing degree from California State University Fresno and earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She maintains her R.N. credential by working occasional weekends at a local hospital.
Mayor Manuel Cantu Jr., Kern County Representative -Mayor Manuel Cantu Jr., Kern County Representative – Mayor Cantu holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management. He is currently employed as an Assistant Principal at San Joaquin High in the McFarland Unified School District. Before entering his Administrative and Teaching career he was employed as a Risk and Safety Manager for Paramount Citrus and Select Personnel Services. He also served as a Plant Manager for Guy Chaddock Furniture Co. His first career job was as an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic for United Airlines after completing his A.S. degree in Aviation Technology.
Council Member Cheryl Wegman, Kern County Representative - Cheryl Wegman is a native of Wasco and is dedicated to improving the quality of life of residents. She has represented the City as a Council Member since 1998. In 2001 she had the distinct honor to serve as the City's first female Mayor. She served a second term as Mayor in 2005 and third term in 2008. Council Member Wegman is on the Board of Directors of the Association of California Cities Allied with Prisons (ACCAP) and serves as President. For the past ten years she has served on the Kern Council of Governments Board of Directors. She is also the past President of the League of California Cities South San Joaquin Valley Division. She is the Board President of the Citizen Advisory Committee at Wasco State Prison.
Supervisor Anthony Barba, Kings County Representative - Tony Barba is a lifelong resident of Kings County where he is currently serving his fifth term as a County Supervisor. Supervisor Barba attended the College of Sequoias followed by service in the U.S. Army. He then went on to complete the C. H. P. Academy and become one of the first Latino officers assigned to the Kings County- Hanford Area. He spent 26.5 years as a C. H. P. officer and continues to remains dedicated to public safety. In 1994 he successfully ran for District 4 County Supervisor and became the first Latino Supervisor to be elected to the Kings County Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Barba joined the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in 1997 and is currently serving as the Chair of the Governing Board. He has been a member of the Kings County Association of Governments Governing Board since 1999.
Supervisor Joe Neves, Kings County Representative - Joe Neves - A lifelong Kings County resident, Joe Neves has served on the Board of Supervisors since 1994. Joe is dedicated to his community and serves on countless agencies including KCAG, Cal Vans, the Kings County Public Transit Agency, First 5 Children & Families Commission, and the Kings County Farm Bureau. A fourth generation farmer, he is among the first in his family to obtain a bachelor's degree, which he holds in Business/ Administration.
Council Member Robert Poythress, Madera County Representative - Robert is currently serving as Mayor of Madera and will serve through the end of 2011. Robert previously served as Mayor in 2006. Robert is a native Maderan who graduated from Madera High School in 1974. After high school, he attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California and in 1978 graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Agricultural Business Management; and in 1998 he earned his graduate degree from Pacific Coast Banking School, University of Washington. Robert has been in the banking industry since 1979. He is currently Vice President and Manager of Citizens Business Bank in Madera, California where he has been for 4 years. He is also a partner in Teco Hardware and Poythress Farms.
Supervisor Tom Wheeler, Madera County Representative - Tom Wheeler has been a resident of Eastern Madera County for five decades, having moved to the area as a teenager in 1958. His family settled in North Fork a year later, and he has lived there ever since. Tom is the proud father of three and grandfather of two. For 30 years, Tom managed the 4,500-acre Frank Wyle’s Circle W. Ranch. He also owns and manages his own private business. For more than eighteen years, he served as a trustee on various school boards including Sierra High School, North Fork Elementary School, and the Chawanakee and Minarets Boards. Over the last thirty years, Tom was elected President of the California Association Resource Conservation District and President of the Coarsegold Resource Conservation District. He has been a member of the Eastern Madera County Water Oversight Advisory Committee, the General Plan Update Committee, the North Fork Community Development Council, Farm Service Agency Advisory Board and the Board of Directors of the Mountain Area Youth Soccer League. Tom was elected to the Madera County Board of Supervisors in 2006 and currently serves on a variety of committees and boards.
Mayor, Pro-tempore Joe Oliveira, Merced County Representative - Mr. Oliveira was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley on a walnut farm. He worked at Pacific Gas and Electric as a senior engineering estimator and in various capacities for 35 years. He has been involved in everything from little league to President of the Gustine High School Boosters Club. Mr. Oliveira has served as Recording Secretary in the Native Sons of the Golden West, President of the Gustine High School Alumni Association, and as President of the Gustine Lions Club, twice, since 1998. He has served on the Gustine City Council since 2000, the Merced County LAFCO, San Joaquin Valley Partnership and as a Director on the Merced County Association of Governments.
Supervisor John Pedrozo, Merced County Representative - Supervisor Pedrozo has served on the Merced County Board of Supervisor and MCAG Board since 2004. Born and raised in Merced, Supervisor Pedrozo has served in many capacities as a Board member, including: Merced Union High School District Board, San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee, Merced County Dairy Advisory Committee and Area Agency on Agency to name a few.
Council Member Stephen Debrum, San Joaquin Representative - Council member DeBrum has served on the San Joaquin Council of Governments Board of Directors since he was elected to the Manteca Council five years ago. He has participated in the Regional Policy Council advocacy trips to Sacramento and regularly participates in the annual SJCOG One Voice trip to Washington, DC. Mayor DeBrum is the area field representative for Dairy Farmers of America. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from California State Polytechnical University at San Luis Obispo.
Mayor Ann Johnston, San Joaquin Representative - Mayor Johnston is serving as chair of the San Joaquin Council of Governments this year. Elected mayor in 2008, she has participated in the COG’s Blueprint efforts, both in San Joaquin County and with the Valley wide project. She was part of the Policy Council’s visioning team earlier this spring and has been active with the SJCOG One Voice trips to Washington, DC. Mayor Johnston is a business owner living in Stockton. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences from San Francisco State University.
Mayor Charles Goeken, Stanislaus County Representative - A lifelong Stanislaus County resident, Charlie Goeken was first elected to the city council of Waterford in 2006. He was elected as the Mayor of Waterford in 2008 and is currently serving his second term. He was a member of the StanCOG Citizens Advisory Committee prior to being appointed as the City of Waterford member to the StanCOG Policy Board in 2006. He is currently the Vice-Chair of StanCOG and is a Captain for the Manteca Police Department.
Supervisor Bill O’Brien, Stanislaus County Representative - Bill O’Brien has served as a Stanislaus County Supervisor since 2004. He is currently the Vice-Chair of the Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG) Policy Board, and one of the StanCOG representatives on the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council. He was first elected to the Riverbank City Council as a Council Member in 1998, and was elected Mayor in 2000 and 2002. He is General Manager responsible for daily operations of his family business, O’Brien’s Markets.
Council Member Paul Boyer, Tulare County Representative - Paul grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in East Palo Alto graduating from Ravenswood High School. He received a BA in Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz. In 1977 Paul moved to the San Joaquin Valley and began working for Self-Help Enterprises where he continues to work as a Community Development Manager. Through Self-Help Enterprises he has assisted over 50 disadvantaged rural San Joaquin Valley communities in developing funding for over 70 water and sewer projects. Paul is a former mayor and currently serves on the Farmersville City Council, the Tulare County Association of Governments and Tulare County Consolidated Waste Management Authority. He is a previous Governor appointee to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Paul is certified as a grade two water treatment plant operator, grade two water distribution system operator, grade one wastewater treatment plant operator and is a notary public. Paul and his wife Noemi, who is a kindergarten teacher, live in Farmersville and have 3 children and 12 grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
Supervisor Allen Ishida, Tulare County Representative - Allen Ishida was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2004 and was re-elected in 2008. Supervisor Ishida is a third generation citrus farmer from the Lindsay-Strathmore area. He is a graduate of Strathmore High School, and graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in business administration and a minor in agriculture. Supervisor Ishida's work experience includes managing county offices in California for the United States Department of Agriculture (Farm Services Agency), sales for the Xerox Corporation and approximately 20 years in the commercial real estate industry -- mostly with Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate Company. Ishida was also a full time farmer before being elected to the Board of Supervisors.
Seyed Sadredin ( ’say-ed sad-red-in’ ) became the Air Pollution Control Officer / Executive Director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in March of 2006. In this position he oversees the functions of a 300-person staff agency with an annual budget of approximately $150 million (including pass through grant money).
Sadredin has nearly 30 years of experience in directing, developing, applying, and administering air quality improvement programs. When the Valley’s eight counties unified under one air district in 1992, Sadredin took the duties of Director of Permit Services until being promoted to Deputy Director in 2004. Prior to that he was the Assistant Director for San Joaquin County Air District where he served for 11 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Sacramento and enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.