Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Alameda; District 3

Above all, I am a public servant with a professional background in city and regional planning, and one who is experienced in making major financial and land use decisions for the people I represent, all the while moving forward in an inclusive manner an agenda of economic, social and technological progressive change especially in regards to preparing our youth for the future.

Over my five years on City Council (two years as Vice Mayor), I have learned how to shape an agenda, build coalitions, and work in an inclusive manner in a highly complex and culturally diverse community - building and maintaining bridges across generations, gender, income groups, and races to effect progressive social change in Alameda. What I have learned most is that no one can effect change alone - you must work as a team. But you must also contribute ideas, and through your efforts in behalf of the ideas, demonstrate courage, leadership and a willingness to take the bull-by-the-horn so to speak.

In the face of massive protest and opposition, I made important decisions regarding military base conversion, taking the unpopular but necessary stand of developing mixed-use community of market rate homes and commercial and light industrial space on the former base. Housing activist wanted all housing set aside as affordable, and rallied churches and the media to this end. I worked with colleagues on Council to arrive at a model arrangement with housing activists that set-aside 25% of all new housing as affordable, and I personally and successfully worked to increase affordable housing fee assessed on developers of commercial space by 15%, to help pay for the 25% set-aside.

I am a proud supporter of our municipal electric company, supporting a 1998 measure to allow it to expand into fiber optics-cable TV. I also worked with staff and Council colleagues to fund this project in 2000 to the tune of $40 million, a bond measure which passed on narrow Council vote of 3-2. In addition to cable television, the fiber optics system will allow our school district to deliver high quality two-way educational programming via the Internet (i.e distance learning). Now, Alameda youths will be able to take course not available on the island, such as select "AP" courses. In addition, the fiber optics will be installed in Alameda public housing, to eliminate the "digital divide" in Alameda and ensure access to distance learning programming that can help move families from welfare to work.

I have worked strenuously on behalf of youth in Alameda, by: serving on a joint City Council-School District committee; devising a "small capital improvement program" for Alameda youths, after discovering that there were no new capital improvement funds for parks in the 2000-2002 budget due to base conversion; working with Council colleagues to raise school impact fees assessed on developers from $2.00+ to $4.00+; working with then-Superintendent Chaconas to place four-way stop signs at three elementary schools urged by parents concerned about traffic; and, most importantly, working with staff and school district colleagues to devise a unique mechanism to pay for the distance learning educational program via fiber optics.

On a final note, I am prepared for the responsibilities of the board, as I have earned my Master's in City and Regional Planning, am a professional city and regional planner, and have lived in Alameda for 27 years, growing up in this city and getting to quite well surrounding cities such as San Leandro, Oakland and San Lorenzo.

As an activist, I have worked closely with environmentalists to oppose a much-penalized incinerator in Fruitvale. IES finally closed in December, 2001. Thus, I am a committed politician with a record of success in fighting for progressive social change, and I have the academic and professional background to assess in a professional manner the financial and land use challenges that Supervisor's must confront.