The questions were prepared by the the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Experience, Concerns, Balancing Needs

Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.

Answer from Dean J. Chu:

I have the relevant education to be an effective councilmember:

• Finance MBA
• BA Political Science specializing in Public Administration and Public Policy
• National League of Cities' Silver Leadership Executive Award

I have the local experience to be an effective councilmember:

• past Mayor, Vice Mayor, Councilmember
• Sunnyvale Planning Commissioner, two years
• Leadership Sunnyvale Graduate
• Leadership Sunnyvale Board Member, four years
• Northwest YMCA Board member
• Financial Background as a Banker and Lender, over 20 years

I have the demonstrated collaborative leadership skills to be an effective councilmember:

• Division President, Peninsula Division, League of California Cities (LCC)
• Chair, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
• Commissioner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission

I have helped shape state and federal public policy as committee member of the:

• National League of Cities CityFutures Panel on Community and Regional Development
• National League of Cities Policy and Advocacy Committee on Transportation Infrastructure and Services
• League of California Cities State Policy Committee on Transportation, Communications and Public Works

Answer from David Whittum:

I am a physicist and engineering manager with 24 years of professional experience including teaching and research, project management and product development. I am a veteran of the California Army National Guard, having served as Rifle Platoon Leader in 2/159 Infantry (Mechanized) of the 40th Infantry Division. I am a graduate of Leadership Sunnyvale.

I have served the Heritage District Neighborhood Association for over three years as its Secretary, pursuing needed public works in the downtown focusing on quality of life for residents. Accomplishments have ranged from modified (quieter) crossing bells at Sunnyvale Station, to curb cuts, signage, an ADA compliant entrance to Sunnyvale Station at W. Hendy, and most recently, the Mathilda Overcrossing Rehabilitation EIR, which the Court has remanded to the City for reconsideration of construction related noise and vibration.

In the course of my efforts on behalf of a working class neighborhood, I have developed familiarity with the California Environmental Quality Act, the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, Planning & Zoning Law, the General Plan, the General Plan Guidelines, and how this City works.

Answer from Dean J. Chu:

1) Finish Downtown Redevelopment. We finally have a local developer who is moving quickly to rebuild our downtown core while preserving Murphy Street. We need to work diligently to make sure that the project opens on time and is what the residents want.

2) Maintain our Quality of Life. When I elected to the city council in late 2003 it was clear that the city was headed in the wrong direction. The Quality of Life index in the Resident Survey had declined from a score of 75 in 2002 to 72 in 2003. I am proud to see that the changes I and the rest of the council have made has reversed the decline and we hit a high score of 78 this year.

To maintain the quality of life of residents I plan to continue to focus on:

• Traffic Congrestion - I have worked diligently as a councilmember and regional leader on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to get federal and state money into Sunnyvale and Santa Clara County to reduce traffic congestion, traffic noise and, optimize our public transportation such as buses, Light Rail and BART to Silicon Valley. I have been advocating for the electrification of CalTrain for years which will reduce noise and vibration along the entire rail line.

In Sunnyvale I have helped secure state and federal monies for street repairs and the North Sunnyvale ramp to the Caltrain station as as increased transit service priorities.

• Crime - We continue to be the safest city of our size in Northern California and have one of the lowest crime rates in the county (bested by cities much smaller than us like Los Altos). This has been because the city puts the resources where it's needed to fight crime. I pushed the council to increase funding to drug prevention and traffic cops when we saw increased problems. We saw a surge in auto break-in so a concentrated effort was put together resulting in a sting operation with many arrests.

• Environmental efforts - There are a whole series of initiatives from reducing greenhouse gases in city buildings to changes in building guidelines. As Mayor in 2005 I signed the Mayor's Climate Protection Act endorsing the Kyoto Accords to reduce greenhouse gases.

Answer from David Whittum:

Open Government - We need to open up City Hall and restore the democratic process.

Eliminate Numbered Seats - Voters should have freedom to choose among all candidates. Sunnyvale does not have districts and does not benefit from a seat system. Additionally, this would discourage negative campaigning and promote a focus on the issues.

Register Paid Lobbyists - When a former Councilmember appears before Council to ask for funding, residents are entitled to know who pays them.

Disclose Contributions Online - Residents are entitled to know who has taken money from developers with business before the City. We need California Forms 460 online.

Accountability - We need a Council that takes responsibility for oversight of the City government, and reads the documents it approves, like the budget, and EIR's. We do not serve for the perks.

Strong Neighborhoods - The argument that the "greater good" justifies sacrifice by a residential neighborhood has been abused for too long. The greater good in Sunnyvale is to preserve and promote residential quality of life at every opportunity.

Maintenance - City Hall needs to focus on the basics: clean and maintain streets, care for trees, trimming and repair of broken sidewalks, implementation of street trees, maintenance of city property, including landscape strips.

Parks & Green Space - Our goal should be a park within walking distance of every residential neighborhood. Mountain View is doing it, so can we. We receive 4M$ each year in park dedication fees, let's use those to dedicate parks. We should aim to designate a new pocket park each year. Also, we should leverage volunteer effort and promote community gardens.

Density, Traffic, & Noise - This election will decide the future for density, traffic and noise in existing low-density residential neighborhoods. Density should be limited to transit corridors, Caltrain, VTA, or where the local neighborhood association is supportive, a high frequency bus service. It does not make sense to approve high density without a rationale as to how and why the extra family car can be avoided. If one has density, and still two cars per household, then mostly what one has achieved is a higher density of cars --- and homes that are lower in price because they are lower in quality.

Public Safety - We were the 5th safest City in the US in 2003, now we are 38th. Burglary is up 40% since 2003. Auto thefts are up 70%. Public safety spending is up 25%, having increased by 13M$ from 52M$ to 65M$. Police spending is DOWN from 22.6 to 22.2M$ The crime category that is down significantly is larceny, due mainly to the loss of 30 acres of retail space in the downtown that is still a hole in the ground, thanks to City Hall.

We need to understand what has happened and address the issues, including neighborhood cohesion. The City must nurture neighborhood associations in distressed areas, where initiative is lowest, and where the neighborhood resource officer role over time may reduce the costs of penal code enforcement. We need neighborhood parks where neighbors can meet each other, and begin to develop familiarity with the people in their neighborhood, and eyes on the street.

Answer from Dean J. Chu:

Listen to the entire community.

Many people believe that council members only listen to those who come to council meetings. I listen to everyone from those in the community such as the parents in the parks, my kids' school, neighborhood associations, business groups, unions, and the applicant. I balance these views with the city staff report and input as well as my own extensive education and expertise in order to make a decision.

I also make it a practice to visit the site on land use issues so that I can visualize the changes that are proposed.

I also explain why I vote one way or the other on controversial votes as well as when I think I will be voting in the minority.

Answer from David Whittum:

I have taken no money from special interests. I will have no trouble deciding the right balance by putting the needs of my constituents first.

The City's need is to preserve and improve our residential quality of life. There are preconditions for higher density development and they include:

• an established transit corridor
• acceptable impact on traffic and noise in existing residential areas
• provision for parks and recreation amenities within walking distance
• provision for daily-essentials within walking distance

It does not make sense to approve higher density without a rationale as to how and why the extra family car can be avoided. If one has density, and still two cars per household, then mostly what one has achieved is a higher density of cars.

My Personal Priorities If Elected Include

ADA Accessibility - We should aim to make Sunnyvale a magnet for those with special accessibility needs, particularly the downtown near the train station and buslines. Every sidewalk should have curb cuts at the corners. Provide incentives to encourage developments with accessibility enhancements.

Senior Housing - We need to focus attention on the needs of our seniors to continue to live independently near their adult children. We need to support low-income senior housing in Sunnyvale.

Regional Leadership + I look forward to becoming actively engaged in VTA and Caltrain developments. To reduce the jobs/housing imbalance the emphasis should be on transit. I support regional initiatives to improve transit into the Bay Area, including high-speed rail and the Dumbarton project, provided the environmental impacts of those projects are taken seriously and mitigated. I also would like to see attention focused at the State level on a transit solution to reducing accidents and delays on Highway 17 and reducing traffic and noise on the 85 corridor. While it may be difficult to consider restoring rapid transit into Santa Cruz through the mountains (the "Suntan Special"), our options should be explored.

Mary Avenue Overcrossing + While I am not opposed to halting this project now, a compromise position is to send the DEIR back to staff, to focus on preferred alternative consisting of: a residential designation for Mary Avenue, and an improved connection of Mathilda to Central. A no-bridge alternative should also be considered, including HOV and park & ride.

Murphy Park - Install tot and school age play areas.

Staff Development - Support practice-act engineering licensure for managers in Department of Public Works. Promote and reward title-act and practice-act licensure. Encourage and promote Continuing education for our legal staff, particularly in the areas of Planning & Zoning, Public Records, Brown Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act.

Charter Amendment: City Clerk Appointed By City Council - In the corporate context it is good practice to have one person open the mail, and a different person handle the finances. In the City context, the Clerk's office is the first line of defense of the Public Records Act, the Brown Act, and timely filing of public comments with the City. There would be no harm, and considerable benefit to having Council appoint a certified, registered California Municipal Clerk

Charter Amendment: City Auditor Appointed By City Council - The City's needs are better served when Council can easily inquire about complicated funding patterns.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.