Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Santa Clara; Supervisorial District 5

Silicon Valley is a wonderful community, with innovative people, a thriving economy, and tremendous untapped potential. Our community also has problems which need to be addressed, including education, traffic, pollution, crime and poverty. I will work with you to make our community better.

Education and youth services:

I have devoted my professional life to serving kids as a math teacher. I have been involved in delivering quality education to the entire community through my work as an elected trustee on the Foothill-DeAnza College Board. I have also been involved in the non-profit sector as a volunteer and Board Chair of The Role Model Program, which places community mentors into junior high school classrooms. I believe that the County can do more to help kids succeed.

I want to see that kids get the social services they need and a quality education. A great way to do this is to expand our efforts in "school-linked services". This program delivers County services (such as health care, social services and counseling) to kids at their school site. Children in the north end of Santa Clara County (Supervisor District 5) have not benefited much from this innovative program to date. I will work to change that.

Financial Accountability:

Santa Clara County Government is a large, complex enterprise with an annual budget of over $2 billion. I have the financial management expertise to see that the County is well run, and that taxpayers are getting value for money. I currently serve on the Board of Trustees of the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District, where I oversee an annual budget of over $150 million. When I first joined the Board, in 1991, the District was reeling from a financial meltdown caused by poor accounting and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. I worked hard to return the District to financial stability. I pushed for changes in the operations of the district and quick implementation of the external auditors' recommendations. Senior managers were replaced, new systems and procedures were implemented, and the staff, faculty, and students endured lean years. Today, the District has been returned to financial stability, with a healthy prudent reserve.

As a Supervisor, I will watch carefully over the taxpayer dollars I am entrusted to protect. I will ask the tough questions that are necessary to find savings. I will have zero tolerance for waste and inefficiency. I will push for accountability among all levels of the County staff.Where necessary, I will vote to eliminate programs and bureaucracy.

Attacking Traffic Gridlock:

Transportation, traffic and smog are a major problem in Silicon Valley. Our prosperity is threatened by these problems, and concerted action is necessary to improve the situation. I will work to make sure that VTA projects are cost-effective and well-managed. I will work to create policies that help employers increase the use of telecommuting and alternative work schedules, both of which can reduce the peak load on our congested freeways. Silicon Valley's position as the most internet-connected community on Earth should be used to develop effective ride-sharing alternatives. The County can also be a leader in alternatives to the traditional internal combustion engine driven automobile. This should include bike-friendly transit corridors and pilot projects in alternative-fuel vehicles and electric vehicles. The County government is a major employer, and as such has a responsibility to be an example for other employers. The County should work with employee groups to develop programs to encourage bicycle use, carpooling and mass transit.

Environmental Protection:

Our quality of life here in Silicon Valley is deeply affected by the quality of our natural environment. I have been active for more than 20 years in working to protect the environment. I believe that protecting the environment is the most important issue facing our society, and deserves focused attention from local government. I authored the first environmental policy at Foothill-DeAnza, and am proud of the work that has been done there to encourage conservation, avoid waste, and prevent pollution. As a Supervisor, I will work hard to assure that environmental protection is a key consideration in all of our work. The County of Santa Clara plays a key role in a number of environmental issues, including land use and parks. The County has jurisdiction over the open space that surrounds the urban core on the floor of the Valley. Pressure to develop the hillsides continues, and I will be vigilant in preventing an expansion of the urban area. We cannot allow suburban sprawl to take over what remains of our open space resources.

There are a number of key issues on my environmental agenda for the County:

• Adoption of a plan to protect Stanford's open space resources, especially west of Junipero Serra Boulevard.
• Protection of the hillsides from sprawl beyond the urban boundaries.
• Accommodating, within existing urban areas, the pressure for housing by our growing population .
• Reversing the decision to charge park entrance fees at all County parks.
• Implementation of a strong environmental protection policy to govern all County operations.

Public Safety:

Crime prevention and the administration of justice are key functions of County government. While we are blessed with a relatively safe community, we need to be sure that law enforcement and crime prevention receives the proper attention of policy makers. The County is also involved in civil justice, administering the court system that helps our community resolve disputes.

My priority as a member of the Board of Supervisors will be to place resources into the fight against violent crime. We cannot let attention be diverted from this crucial task. I believe that we must have the resources to incarcerate violent offenders for their full sentences. The community as a whole may be better served by placing non-violent first time offenders into alternative programs, since jails are extremely expensive to operate. The County has been an innovator in this area, and I will work with the Sheriff, District Attorney and Judiciary to develop the best system to protect against crime and improve the administration of civil and criminal justice.

I believe that our community owes a debt of gratitude to our public safety and law enforcement professionals, particularly the Firefighters, Deputy Sheriffs, Probation officers, and Correctional Officers who do such necessary work for all of us. I will work to see that they get the support, technology and training they need.

I am proud to have earned the endorsement of the Santa Clara County Firefighters, the Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers Association, and many other public safety professionals.