Ray Watson (broadcaster)

He was on the advisory committee of the Carrizo Plain National Monument and was a director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

[3] He was vice president and general manager of television stations in Bakersfield, Fresno, Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo for a total of 27 years.

[9] The 4th District covers the rural, western part of the county, and in 2010 it included the towns of Lost Hills, Wasco, Buttonwillow, McKittrick, Tupman, Taft, Maricopa, Pine Mountain Club, Lebec and Frazier Park.

[10] Watson strongly criticized State Senator Dean Florez for introducing a bill that would have banned all dairies within three miles of any school or urban area, to improve air quality.

"[12] Watson declared his opposition to a bill in the State Assembly by Fremont Democrat Alberto Torrico to impose a 12.5 percent severance tax on oil production.

He said he especially liked Kern County's plan to confine the prisoners to their homes with electronic monitoring and the creation of fire camps to train them as firefighters.

[16] He was one of two supervisors who voted against a successful supervisorial resolution opposing a proposed high-speed rail project through the Central Valley ""in its current form."

He said he had been "involved with California's high-speed rail plan for 20 years" and believed it was needed for the "long-term health of the state.

"[17] Watson was accused by The Californian newspaper in 2008 of having an "ivory tower style, which leaves many constituents, especially those living in outlying communities, feeling abandoned."

To charges like these, of being a "drive-by supervisor," Watson responded that it was more efficient to schedule meetings back-to-back in his office than to spend time driving.

"[19] Watson commented adversely on an agreement between the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the developers of a power plant in Alameda County, near Livermore, by which the developer would pay $200,000 to the district in mitigation of pollution that would be blown into the San Joaquin Valley by the predominantly easterly winds over the Altamont Pass.