Policies and Positions that Work for Orange County

Rose Espinoza has experienced life in Orange County as a mother, as a businesswoman, a community leader, and as an elected official. Rose's story makes her uniquely qualified to offer judgment and advice on a wide variety of crucial issues facing the district, knowing first-hand what works -- and what doesn't.

We hope you'll take the time to read Rose's thoughts on the following key issues facing our county, and be sure to ask Rose about your specific concerns and needs.

Education	Business & Jobs	Work & Family
Fighting Poverty	Opportunities for Women	Healthcare
Economics & Fiscal Responsibility	Housing Crisis	City/County Cooperation

Education

Rose left her lucrative corporate career at Beckman Coulter to create Rosie’s Garage—a nationally recognize and award-winning tutoring program that Rose literally ran out of her garage to fight gang violence, lower the high school dropout rate, and educate Orange County’s citizens, children and adults alike, so they could achieve their dreams and contribute positively to our society.  As such, education holds a special place in Rose’s heart.

One of the most powerful predictors of a student’s academic success is whether or not a student has attended Pre-Kindergarten Education (Pre-K).  Children who attend Pre-K courses perform better in school and are more likely to go to college.  Rose dreams of creating an Orange County where every child, rich or poor, has the opportunity to attend Pre-K courses so all children can attain their dreams, go to college, and contribute positively to our community.

But, Rose also understands the real world and that not all students are college bound.  Orange County must work with local business, high schools, and community colleges to create programs that provide job skills to non-college bound students that fit the employment needs of our local economy.  Furthermore, this relationship must be perpetual as needs and necessary skill sets change rapidly in our modern economy. 

On the same note, Orange County must also work overtime to ensure that our out of work citizens who are victims of the current economic crisis can attain the training they need to find a new job and begin to contribute positively to our economy once again so our County can recover from this recession quickly and efficiently.

Finally, Rose understands the importance of strengthening our community colleges and the important role they play in Orange County.  After all, it was Fullerton College, and a lot of dedication and discipline, that allowed Rose, who began her life sleeping on the floor of La Habra Migrant Labor Camp with her 7 brothers and sisters, to develop into the successful corporate professional at Beckman Coulter. She then chose to dedicate her life to public service, to give back to her home city of La Habra by founding Rosie’s Garage, building it to a nationally recognized and respected community program that won the praise of Bill Clinton in 1992, when he awarded Rose with the prestigious Points of Light Award for Community Service.  Rose has run Rosie’s Garage while simultaneously working full time and serving as a Council Member for the City of La Habra since 2000.  Rose also served as La Habra’s Mayor from 2004-2008.

Business & Creating Jobs

Rose is dedicated to supporting and growing business in Orange County having built an amazing 30 year career at Beckman Coulter before dedicating her life to civil service. Rose believes in business and entrepreneurship.  She believes that businesses must be encouraged to relocate to and remain in Orange County to benefit our economy and improve our standard of living.  Furthermore, Rose believes firmly in creating government that encourages the development of small and medium sized business, because start-ups fuel innovation and growth in Orange County—and, most importantly, create much needed jobs. 

Rose adamantly believes that it is her responsibility to work with business to create jobs that grow our economy and expand our middle class so that all citizens can bask in the glow of the Orange County sun. 

Rose also believes that business must be socially responsible and committed to the growth and well-being of our community as a whole.   And responsibility falls on our County government, employment organizations, and local businesses to work together and find solutions that provide good jobs for good pay while simultaneously inspiring real economic prosperity and growth. 

Work and Family

One of the most precious resources that we share as Orange County Citizens is that a vast majority of us can work and raise our family right here in Orange County.  Rose wants to ensure our children can continue this proud tradition in the future.  This means that we, as citizens, must work to build our infrastructure so that Orange County can continue to be the best place in America to work and raise a family.  Virtual workforces must be encouraged, technological advancement must be adopted, business and the economy must expand, schools must be the best in the nation, more and better roads and freeways must be built, potholes must be filled, sidewalks must be repaired, broken windows must be fixed, police and firefighters must have the best training and equipment possible, the environment must be preserved, teachers must be well trained and well paid, green energy must be embraced, and mass transportation should be seriously debated and discussed.  Rose believes firmly in ensuring that the future of Orange County remains bright for our children and our children’s children. 

Fighting Poverty

There are 3141 counties in the United States and Orange County is blessed as being the 83rd wealthiest county in America.  But, did you know that our food banks have seen requests for food from needy families increase by 40-60% since June 2008?  Did you know that roughly 10% of Orange County Citizens live below the poverty line?  We have children and families going hungry and fighting poverty in the midst of the great wealth we have worked to build as a County and we must work to fight poverty in Orange County through government assistance and community outreach. 

Opportunities for Women

Women have made great strides in the last 100 years and the world has changed for the better.  Today, mothers and fathers rest assured that their daughters will have the same opportunities for success as their sons, but there is still plenty of work to be done.  Woman still make less money dollar for dollar than men working the same job and not enough women have assumed leadership roles in business and government alike.  In the name of progress we must continue to fight for quality, because, pure and simple, it is the right thing to do.  As Supervisor, I will fight for equality now so all Orange County Citizens can have a better life in the future. 

Healthcare

Rose believes in affordable, quality healthcare for all Americans, but understands that caring for our citizens starts at home.  Study after study proves a correlation between poor academic performance and poor health.  Rose dedicated her life to helping both adults and children to succeed academically through her nationally renowned charity tutoring program “Rosie’s Garage” and she firmly believes that all children should have the opportunity to attain their dreams.  As such, Rose believes Orange County must extend a helping hand to underprivileged and underserved children to ensure they have access to healthcare that makes them strong in body and mind so they can succeed academically and attain their dreams.

Rose also understands the paramount importance of protecting the health and well-being of our senior citizens and disabled citizens and will fight to expand programs that ensure they receive the help and treatment they need.  

Common Sense Economics & Fiscal Responsibility

Rose is a tough woman blessed with extraordinary common sense.  This is what allowed her to rise from sleeping on the floor of a migrant labor camp to being recognized as an extraordinary national leader by President Bill Clinton.  Rose also has business sense.  After all, she spent 30 years at Beckman Coulter, has run one of the most successful non-profit organizations in America, and has managed the budget of La Habra as a councilmember and Mayor.

 In these tough times, Rose understands that business, citizens, government, charities, and non-profit groups like Rosie’s Garage need to work together to provide solutions that improve our lives and hasten our economic recovery instead of playing politics as usual and pointing fingers.  Rose knows how to take action and transform communities.  She has done precisely that since 1992!

The Housing Crisis

Foreclosures are not only decimating the lives of our less fortunate citizens, but they are also decimating our cities and property values. Foreclosed properties lie in disarray and shambles and this destroys our communities and the value of your home.  Orange County must proactively work with banks, lenders, and homeowners to prevent foreclosures and to maintain those homes already foreclosed upon by ensuring the banks and investors that own the properties maintain the properties by repairing broken windows, tending to the yard, ensuring homes are painted and are maintained in good working order.  Rose will fight to take back our community and restore our neighborhoods by asking all parties involved to do the right thing and take responsibility. 

Furthermore, Orange County must do everything it can to ensure its citizens can once again attain the American Dream by working with business, government, and community leaders to restore order, stability, integrity, and trust in Orange County’s housing market.  And we must do everything we can to help all families afford quality housing.   

Intercity and Intercounty Cooperation

Our world is more interconnected than ever and as a businesswoman, councilmember, mayor, and national community leader Rose Espinoza understands firsthand that crime and progress don’t stop at city or county lines.  Economic prosperity in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego Counties cascade toward Orange County and improve our economic wellbeing.  However, increases in crime in our neighboring counties also spill over into Orange County and decrease our quality of life.  The same proves true for the cities within our county.  None of us live on an island and all of our lives are interconnected.

Rose understands the importance of fostering relationships between our neighboring counties and within Orange County’s cities to encourage cooperation that leads to synergistic growth in prosperity and progress that improves the lives and wellbeing of all citizens in Orange County by working together to create a wealthier and safer Southern California.

Furthermore, Rose understands the importance of neighborly cooperation to keep our citizens safe when disasters like earthquakes and wildfires affect the lives and threaten the safety of our citizens.