Firestone will not seek second term as supervisor

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Third District Supervisor Brooks Firestone announced yesterday that he will not seek reelection to the County Board of Supervisors when his term expires at the end of 2008.
Firestone, who currently serves as the chair of the board, said he reached the decision to end his political career after “deep consultation” with his wife and family.

“I don’t feel like a full-time job for another four years was appropriate for me,” Firestone told the Daily Sound yesterday. “I’ve been through eight major campaigns, two terms in the California State Assembly and after completing my current term on the Board of Supervisors, I want to spend more time with my family.”
Firestone was elected to his current post in November, 2004 and took office on Jan. 1, 2005. He served as vice chair of the board in 2006.
Prior to being elected to the Board of Supervisors, Firestone, 71, served two terms as State Assemblyman for the 35th district, which spanned from 1994 to 1998.
But in political retirement, Firestone doesn’t plan to slow down.
He said he will continue laboring with his four children in the vineyards that surround their Santa Ynez Valley home and plans to remain an active member of the Santa Barbara Choral Society.
That being said, the absence of complex county issues like land use and state housing mandates in Firestone’s life may help decrease the stress levels.
When he gets his annual physical, Firestone said the doctor offers the usual bits of advice, like “eat well” and “get enough rest,” but “when he mentions stress we both just laugh.”
Firestone said the biggest issue he sees for the county and board moving into the future are finances.
Fourth District Supervisor Joni Gray, who is currently in the midst of her third term on the board, said Firestone’s announcement was saddening.
“He is a remarkable supervisor, a remarkable public servant ...” Gray said. “I can’t use enough adjectives to tell you how sad [I am].”
Gray praised Firestone’s handling of the Zaca Fire, calling his efforts to assist with the second largest blaze in California history “exemplary.”
“He attended meetings every single day,” Gray said. “He went over to some of the meetings in Cuyama. He really took the role of chairman of the Board of Supervisors to a level I haven’t observed before.”
Though the North County contingent of supervisors that includes Firestone, Gray and Fifth District Supervisor Joe Centeno don’t always agree politically with South County Supervisor’s Janet Wolf and Salud Carbajal, Wolf said she respects Firestone and his decision.
“While Brooks and I certainly haven’t agreed on everything at the board,” Wolf said. “I’ve always found him to be certainly respectful and kind as a colleague.
“I wish he and Kate, his children and grandchildren good times.”
Outside of the board room, Wolf said one fond memory of her tenure with Firestone so far was when he challenged her to a bike race in Isla Vista earlier this year.
“It was a friendly rivalry, we both really enjoyed it,” Wolf said. “He let me win.”
Shortly after moving to Santa Barbara County in 1972, Firestone and his wife Kate founded Firestone Vineyards, one of the county’s largest and most storied wineries.
Though Firestone recently sold the family brand to the Foley Wind Group, he and his sons will remain entrenched in the wine business with other labels that include Curtis Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley and a new wine venture in Paso Robles that is not yet named.
Carbajal, the first district supervisor, is also up for reelection at the end of next year.