I will be on the November 8, 2022 ballot to continue my public service as a Councilmember for the City of Big Bear Lake. I had planned to take a break from the role, but ultimately decided continuing was the right thing to do under our current circumstances. I am grateful for, and humbled by, the outpouring of support. Now we just have to get me re-elected. Please consider my Candidate Statement:

I have faithfully served Big Bear Lake for 14 years as an elected City Councilmember and School Board Trustee. My many leadership positions, including Mayor, Chairman of Big Bear Fire Authority and Mountain Transit, as well as regional leadership roles at the Southern California Association of Governments and the League of California Cities, is a demonstration of the trust and confidence placed in me by my community and my peers. I am valued for my calm demeanor and common sense. I take a balanced, rational approach to problem solving, always striving to represent all members of the community, working to find consensus and a positive way forward.

I raised my children in Big Bear Lake, and have deep roots in the community as a local businessman, 23-year resident, and founding member of both the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation and the Big Bear Valley Education Trust.

My experience counts and helps our community rise to the challenges ahead. Please support thoughtful, reasonable, and respectful public service. Please support me, and help me help Big Bear Lake. Help me help you.

Also consider my 3 personal goals for an ongoing role in the City, recognizing that they are only possible when I can effectively work with my fellow Councilmembers, City Staff, and community members:

1. Mending fences & building bridges – focus on our strengths and capacity for significant accomplishments when we work together.
2. Fiscal Responsibility – maintain the City’s capacity to provide critical public services and invest wisely in the things people need and care about.
3. A Collective Vision for the City – create a new 20 year roadmap that reflects Big Bear Lake’s values, requirements, and reality.

I also hope to continue to tackle thorny issues that include affordable workforce housing and a balanced approach to Private Home Rentals. This is difficult work, made harder recently by an unprecedented Pandemic and self-centered, polarizing politics. I will continue to push forward, but I do need your support. Wanna help? Call me at 909-752-5342. Thank you for being the best part of Big Bear Lake.

As we continue to consider the impacts of local Big Bear Lake tourism, here are some interesting articles for reference, collected over the last several years:

• Utah Wanted All the Tourists. Then It Got Them
• Popular medieval Belgian town Bruges makes moves to restrict tourism
• The future of sustainable tourism may lie with all-inclusive resorts
• Prague Aims to Restrict Airbnb to Curb Overtourism
• Madrid takes on Airbnb and overtourism
• Airbnb subpoenaed by New York City for data on listings
• ‘They killed our city’: Locals feel helpless as vacation rentals overrun Sedona, Arizona
• After a year without tourists, Kauai’s rugged coast reopens
• 5 American mountain towns want tourists to be more responsible when they visit
• California ‘Daffodil Hill’ closing because of overtourism
• Essential California: Taking on overtourism, from the poppy fields to Big Sur
• Note to Selfies: Big Sur residents are not fans of bad guest behavior
• Big Sur shuttle seeks to alleviate the crush of tourist traffic
• Snowplay Overwhelms Dumpsters
• Venice, Italy to Charge Entrance Fee for Tourists
• Strict ticket policy introduced at Machu Picchu
• Bald eagles feeling the pinch in Big Bear area
• Can the world be saved from overtourism?
• Local governments can’t collect taxes from online travel firms
• How to fix exclusive resort towns

I have been honored and proud to serve our Valley for the last 10 years, first as a School Board Trustee for Bear Valley Unified School District, and most recently as Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Big Bear Lake. I will be seeking re-election this Fall to City Council so that I can continue to build on the work of those before me and help our local government agencies continue towards greater efficiency and effectiveness. Most people don’t realize that our local Councilmembers have a variety or other responsibilities, which in my case have included overseeing Mountain Transit, chairing the Big Bear Fire Authority, directing the Mojave Desert / Mountain Recycling JPA, and representing us at the League of California Cities. I am very proud of our little City, which enjoys disproportionately large regional influence and stature, and continues to evolve in many positive ways. But much hard work remains, including balancing the demands of a visitor-based resort economy with a high quality of life for residents. I look forward to again rolling up my sleeves and helping model good responsive local government. Thank you for your continued support.

On a recent backcountry patrol as a San Gorgonio Wilderness Volunteer Ranger, I experienced conditions on the Vivian Creek Trail that forced us to turn around. This is uncommon. We encouraged others to carefully consider their equipment and skills, and follow suit. It turns out this was wiser than we knew, as 2 people died in similar conditions that weekend on nearby Mt. Baldy.

Our Southern California mountains are unique in many ways, but one insidious trait is the way they lull visitors into a false sense of safety. Just because you can quickly and easily be in the snow at altitude, doesn’t mean you don’t face the same risks as other remote mountain regions. In fact convenience and proximity could make our mountains more dangerous. I have heard many tales about, and witnessed first hand, poorly prepared hikers who put themselves at great risk.

It is very easy to underestimate the dangers and overestimate your abilities. Combine those mistakes with Mother Nature’s wildcards – say, an errant rock that causes a fall, or weather that rolls in 12 hours early – and things turn grave quickly. So please do the opposite. Overestimate the dangers, underestimate your abilities, and come well prepared. Our wilderness needs your engagement and support, and it is hard to do that when you are injured, or worse, dead. Below is a listing of more recent incidents I have found noteworthy, along with some insight:

Incidents

Deaths on Mt. Baldy – Lesson: Always bring crampons and an ice axe. Read the newspaper article.

Lost toes on San Gorgonio – Lesson: Be prepared to spend the night. Read the newspaper article.

Insight

Winter Day Hikes – It is so deceiving, as you pass the children happily playing in the snow, heading up the trail in your tee shirt. Soft snow freezes when temperatures drop, and things can get serious very quickly. So be prepared to spend the night. It will seem like an overkill, and usually will be, and that’s the way you want it. You don’t want to need those things, but will be very glad if you do.

Traction – Our SoCal mountains experience extreme temperature swings – warm and sunny during the day, below freezing in the night – which leads to ice. This means that slippery ice can often be present on the trail, even in the Spring and Fall. Combine ice with steep terrain, and a slip can be much more than you bargain for. That is why I now always bring crampons and an ice axe if there is ANY chance I will encounter ice on any high altitude trail. Another advantage is that I don’t have to put myself in a position where I am pushing my luck and can avoid having to turn back before reaching my goal. Plus it seems that whenever I am prepared, I don’t actually need it.

I will be on the ballot again in November, this time running for Jay Obernolte‘s Big Bear Lake City Council seat as a result of his moving forward in the Primary Election for State Assembly.

Why I want to serve on City Council:

I love our Valley and want to help the City of Big Bear Lake be even better. I want to insure the best parts of Big Bear remain the same. The reasons we live here, and the reasons why so many guests visit each year, must be preserved. At the same time, the existing Big Bear qualities we cherish must be balanced with evolving economic, environmental, and cultural realities to insure a viable and vibrant future. I will build on the good work already done so that we can continue to benefit from the promise Big Bear holds, so that our families and our visitors can safely enjoy a peaceful, enriching, and beautiful Big Bear Lake. It would be an honor to continue to represent you. I hope you will help me deliver on that Big Bear promise.

Randy’s Big Bear Equation:

Maintain the Big Bear we love + Continue to update & innovate = Viable & Vibrant Community

The Experience Randy Brings to City Council:

I have helped lead and initiate meaningful change in our Valley, most recently serving as a twice-elected Bear Valley Unified School Board Member, with 6 years of experience in public service, lobbying on behalf of Big Bear at the County and State levels. I have deep roots in our Valley as a longtime resident and local businessman, and raised my children here. I was also a founding Board Member of both the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation and the Bear Valley Education Trust. My love of our Valley, combined with my experience, positions me to hit the ground running as a City Councilman.

I was invited to testify before the California State Board of Education on July 10, 2014, to share our Bear Valley Unified School District‘s experience creating its first Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) as mandated by the recent Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) legislation.

While I had been to Sacramento before to lobby our State lawmakers on behalf of our schools and Valley, I had never provided testimony before the State. It was quite a production – we were lined up and I was speaker #46, given just 1 minute to speak. It was a good reminder for me of how intimidating it can be to address a Board.

I wanted to let the State Board members know that it is important to keep the “Local” in the LCFF and LCAP, as I believe our local community knows what is best for its local children. (See my testimony below.) As an example of innovative work that can come from the local level, I also mentioned our District’s LCAP Infographic, to find out later that the State Board members specifically mentioned it during their discussion as a good tool to reach out to parents and the community. I must say it is gratifying when the State of California takes notice of your School District’s hard work.

Here’s my testimony:

Hello, I’m Randall Putz, a School Board Trustee from Bear Valley Unified, a small rural district in Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains.

Thank you for being brave enough to trust local elected officials and their communities to determine what is best for their local children.

I really do believe education is one of our best investments. Here’s a recent TV Interview I did on California’s Proposition 30 passage (fast forward to 19:53 in):

The following information summarizes what I have worked toward with my fellow Board Members over the last 4 years, how it has helped positioned our School District for forward progress in difficult times, and what I plan to do should I be re-elected on November 6th.

If you support my leadership, I’d appreciate your vote. Beyond that, however, I’d appreciate your help spreading this message. Please ask your friends to support the momentum we’ve gained by voting for me as well. I need you to help me help our Valley’s children.

I have and will continue to:

1.) MINIMIZE THE PAIN

I’ve always remembered that Bear Valley Unified School District, first and foremost, is about our children, keeping education cuts as far away as possible from students and essential programs, and making difficult financial decisions while still focused on children. I will continue to keep students the priority and minimize the direct impact on them.

2.) MAXIMIZE RESOURCES

We have successfully retained a very capable and engaged Superintendent who has embraced our Community and its children. As Board President and a former founding member of the Bear Valley Education Trust, I have worked hard to build consensus among the District leadership and foster support for our Schools among our Valley community. I continue to promote a District culture of empowerment and accountability that keeps the Board properly focused on governance, oversight, and strategic policy. I will continue to maximize existing resources, hold District employees accountable for great performance, and grow alternative means of support for our School District.

3.) LEAD CHANGE

With an updated District Strategic Plan focused on our children’s critical 21st Century Skills now in place, we are well positioned to tackle the education challenges ahead in a thoughtful, caring, and consistent manner. I will continue to advocate and lobby on behalf of our children at the local, County, State, and Federal levels, building consensus, and encouraging others to place a higher value on education. I believe “business as usual” will kill Public Education and that we must figure out ways to do an even better job with even less money. I look forward to helping lead our District toward a bright and innovative future.

By all accounts, Big Bear enjoys great schools, and does so through the dedication, hard work, and generosity of our District Employees, Parents, and Community. We have several California Distinguished Schools and have even been ranked as a Silver Medal school in the top 8% of all high schools in the Nation by US News and World Report. Personally you, like I, probably have benefitted from our schools, and I am grateful my children now flourish in college due to the Big Bear education they received.

I’d encourage you to help maintain consistent District leadership by also voting for Bev Grabe and Paul Zamoyta, both of whom have worked hard for our students and have been an important part of the District’s progress. Thank you for your consideration, for supporting our Big Bear students, and for voting Putz on November 6th.

Sincerely,
– Randy

While a 51% majority of Big Bear Valley voters supported Measure M, unfortunately the 67% needed to pass the Measure did not materialize. I am grateful to the many people who worked hard for the votes we did get. For those of you who voted in support of our students, for those of you who value investing in our Valley’s children, I thank you. See the final election results at the San Bernardino Registrar of Voters.

My recent interview for the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation, on Charter’s California Edition:

“No generation of educators in the history of the world has been asked to do what Americans now demand of their public schools.” This quote from Jamie Vollmer is dead-on. Motivated in part by Jamie’s presentation at the recent California School Board Association’s Annual Education Conference, I wrote and recorded the following Public Service Announcement for our local radio station, KBHR:

Listen to the PSA

Special thanks to KBHR’s Angela Meyers, and especially Rick and Cathy Herrick for their ongoing support of our local schools. The transcript:

BVUSD Radio PSA – 12/9/11

Hi, I’m Randall Putz, President of the Bear Valley Unified School Board of Trustees. Three years ago when the Valley elected me to the School Board, I was charged with advocating for public education. And if there was ever a time our local schools needed advocacy, it is now. As you know, our state of California, is remarkable in many ways. But unfortunately one way California is remarkable is in its lack of support for funding public education. California ranks almost dead last – 49th out of 50 states – in how much it spends per student on education. And even then, the state doesn’t pay the full bill, withholding funds through differrals, and when the State finally does pay, it pays late, putting a severe cash squeeze on schools. When the voters demand the State make good on its education responsibilities through Proposition 98, even that gets ignored, to the point where several organizations are currently suing the State to force it to meet its education obligations. Its a tough time for education – the worst since the Great Depression.

And yet despite these challenges, our local schools in Big Bear, our teachers, administrators, and staff, they do an extraordinary job under challenging circumstances. We have wonderful teachers and distinguished schools. This year Big Bear High School was 1 of just 2 high schools in all of San Bernardino County to receive distinguished school status. We have remarkable students and graduates. Maybe you noticed one or two in the Olympics or on top of Mount Everest. Chances are you, your family, or someone you know have benefitted from our Schools. Bear Valley Unified School District is one of the Valley’s largest employers, and frankly an important part of what makes our Valley the very special place it is.

Every year we ask our teachers to do more, and lately with less. But they have to, WE have to, keep teaching. Because public education is important, critically important. Education provides opportunity to children who otherwise would go without. Education makes better informed citizens. Education reduces crime. Education helps make sure that the doctor who takes care of you, the policeman who protects you, and the fireman who saves you, are all competent and capable. Education is always in our best interest.

Which is why I hope you will Join me, my fellow board members Bev Grabe, Ken Turney, Al Waner, and Paul Zamoyta, and our Superintendent Kurt Madden, in supporting our schools and our students. Please, visit a school, volunteer in a classroom, come to a Board meeting, or come to a student play or an athletic event. Come help us help our students. Thanks for listening.

Big Bear Lake has been selected as the race’s Stage 6 Finish on Friday, May 18, 2012. The City of Palmdale will serve as the Host City and start location for Stage 6, which ultimately finishes with a demanding climb to Big Bear. This is the second time in three years Big Bear Lake has been selected as a Host City, which reaffirms the mountain resort as a world-class road cycling destination.

Two years ago I served as Community Outreach Director for Big Bear’s Local Organizing Committee. Phil Hamilton and I did numerous presentations to local community groups and brought up professional cyclists to visit our local schools. We even had a student art contest with the wining pieces published in a calendar. I admit it was quite something to witness the peloton racing live up Summit Blvd with the whole world watching.

Footage from the Tour’s 2010 visit to Big Bear:

Cover of the 2010 Tour of California Big Bear Lake Student Art Contest Calendar (all participants received a limited edition silicon bracelet we made just for the students – the winner got a bike):

Some of my favorite links collected during my recent travels on the BVUSD School Board:

• Jamie Vollmer – I had the opportunity to hear him speak live to thousands of California School Board members in San Diego and found his message to be the most motivating to date. His list of  The Ever Increasing Burden on America’s Public Schools really drives the point home. Watch Jamie’s CSBA presentation here.
• To Those Who Would Lead – A manifesto of sorts that does a good job of summarizing and contextualizing education, technology, and the 21st Century.
• Saddleback iEngage – Fellow Board Member Paul Zamoyta arranged for a question and answer session with a couple of Saddleback teachers who were doing some impressive things with iPod carts in their classrooms, further underlining the huge opportunity before us. Also see a related article about how iPods help ESL students in Escondido.
• The Kahn Academy – Another innovation in education with great potential that demonstrates how technology can better serve our learning minds. I enjoyed  hearing Sal sharing his remarkable story live at the 2011 CSBA Conference.

Millions of fans around the world will watch Stage 6 – The “Big Bear Climb” – of the Amgen Tour of California, which begins in Pasadena and finishes 130 grueling miles later in Big Bear Lake on Friday, May 21, 2010.

Watch Big Bear’s Ryan Hall run the Boston Marathon live Monday at 6:30am PST, Charter Channel 305, KNBC 4.4 with a digital (DTV) receiver, or online at www.universalsports.com.

The California Recreation and Park Society awarded our community’s Move A Million Miles for Ryan Hall campaign its Champion of the Community Award, which is given to organizations for outstanding public service in the support of “Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs.” Recipients are chosen based upon their significant effort to influence and improve the quality of their community through parks, recreation and community service. At the local presentation ceremony (pictured) we were told that hundreds state-wide compete annually for this distinction and that it is a big deal in the Park and Rec world. Cool. It was a great experience to help out made even better with this nice recognition.

My latest Gobo bike map project is now widely available. Thanks to the support of the City of Big Bear Lake, the Big Bear Valley Trails Coalition, and several local businesses, Big Bear Lake Bike Maps are now available to help you find great road riding in Big Bear Lake. You can find the bike maps in many places around the Big Bear Valley, including the Visitor Center in the Village, the Discovery Center, bike shops, and many card racks located in local businesses. An online version is also available for download here.

The user-friendly maps label bike routes by degree of difficulty, and include points of interest you will find along your journey! The maps also correspond with milepoint markers along each route, making it easy to always know where you are. Stay tuned for a Valley-wide version that will include all trails and all activities…

A sincere thank you to the many supporters who helped elect me to the Bear Valley Unified School Board. I want you to know that I’m excited about the challenges and opportunities ahead and will make good use of the responsibility the public has entrusted to me. As I have witnessed first-hand, our Valley’s schools are blessed with many fine educators and staff, and I look forward to helping them make sure we continue to put the needs of our children first and make our already distinguished schools even better.

Another heartfelt thank you goes to my fellow candidates who cared enough to run: Sharon Congdon, David Foltz, Jim McGowan, and Richard Weathersbee. The quality and quantity of candidates makes me proud of our Valley, and I hope each will still put their skills and experience to work for the benefit of our children. Congratulations are in order to Paul Zamoyta and Bev Grabe on their successful bids and with whom I look forward to serving along with continuing Board Members Ken Turney and Debra Sarkisian. Last but not least, I want to acknowledge the service of our departing School Board trustees, Phil Hamilton, Larry Poland, and Julann Warren. My own children’s extraordinary experience in our Schools is in no doubt due to the hard work of many caring individuals throughout our District, like them, who have come before me. As Superintendent Ferraud said, we have big shoes to fill. And I am grateful for that.

Please continue to let me know what about our schools is important to you.

Assuming you have already voted, here’s a link to San Bernardino County Election Results: www.sbcounty.gov/rovelectionresults/. To see the School Board race, click on Schools, and then Bear Valley Unified. They will start posting results around 8:30pm PST. First they post absentee ballots, then precincts ballots as they come in throughout the night. Election results aren’t officially certified until December 1.

Several people have asked what makes me unique as a School Board candidate. Here’s a few of them:

1. I currently have children in our School District. My daughter and son started in Big Bear Elementary and now are at Big Bear High. As a parent, I have a current perspective and first-hand knowledge of the impact our schools make on children and their families.

2. I am not retired and I am not an ex-educator. All of the other candidates running are one or the other, and many are both. My background is in business, communications and technology, which gives me a breadth of real-world experience I think will be refreshing and helpful on a well-balanced School Board.

3. I am strong in technology. I’ve bought, taught, fixed, and made technology solutions for many different organizations for many years. I understand computers, and the important role they play in preparing our children for careers after graduation. My technology expertise will helpful to our District as we increase technology proficiency among our educators and students.