Shanti Landon guest editorial: Focusing on efficiency, accountability, community engagement in 2025

As we step into 2025, I wanted to share with you some priority areas where I'm focusing my attention. This year, I aim to delve deeper into how our county manages its resources, particularly in areas where taxpayer dollars are crucial, like homeless services, community health and local infrastructure. Efficiency in county programs and budgets First on the agenda is a thorough review of some of our county programs. Efficiency doesn't just mean doing more with less; it's about ensuring that every dollar spent is directed toward achieving tangible, beneficial outcomes. I plan this year to look for redundancies, outdated practices or areas where technology could streamline processes. This isn't about cutting costs indiscriminately but rather optimizing our spending to enhance service delivery. I plan on utilizing public input and engagement for some of this, so stay tuned for more information. A critical aspect of this is evaluating the homeless programs and services. I shared a few months ago my focus on a review of our spending on homeless services and programs and the effectiveness of their outcomes. I am actively engaged on this effort and anticipate good forward movement in the next few months. As I mentioned in my previous article on this topic, the issue of homelessness is complex. It requires not just compassion but strategic management. I will propose bringing in an outside firm to conduct an independent review of these programs and the costs associated with them. This external perspective can provide unbiased insights into whether our initiatives are truly effective and help us answer key questions. Are we seeing a reduction in homelessness? Are the services we provide leading to long-term solutions, or are they merely temporary alleviations? A review will start to give us answers, ensuring fiscal responsibility and accountability in how we approach one of our community's most pressing issues. Community engagement through surveys Understanding community priorities is another area of my focus. To truly serve effectively, it's important I listen to residents. I plan to engage with the community through surveys to gather feedback on what matters most to the people of our county. These surveys will not only cover immediate concerns like safety, education and public health but also solicit ideas on future community projects or policy directions. This feedback will be instrumental in aligning county initiatives with public needs, ensuring our governance is not only responsive but also proactive. Advocating for local control In a time when state and federal policies often overshadow local governance, advocating for local control is incredibly important. I intend to seek areas where we can advocate for the autonomy of our local decisions, particularly in areas where we understand the community's needs best. While this is an uphill battle, my hope is that we can identify some areas where we can band together locally and with other counties to advocate for our autonomy. Local control means crafting solutions that fit our community's specific challenges and opportunities rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach handed down from the state government. I plan this year to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our county's operations to ensure our homeless programs are both compassionate and fiscally responsible, to engage deeply with our community to serve their priorities, and to champion local control in decision-making. I hope you share your voice as we go down this path together. Thank you once again for the opportunity to serve as your representative on the Board of Supervisors. I look forward to continuing my work this year and moving the needle on some important good governance strategies! Shanti Landon is the Placer County Supervisor in District 2.