Candidate for
Member, Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of San Mateo; Supervisorial District 3

I have been a grassroots Democrat on the San Francisco Peninsula for the last 30 years.

Above all, I believe the Democratic Party must project an inspiring and optimistic vision for the future, with new ideas and great projects to mobilize and galvanize voters of all ages. We must always fight for social fairness, inclusion and justice, help the disadvantaged, the poor and the disenfranchised, and stand up for our principles at home and abroad. We must never sacrifice our civil rights on the altar of homeland security, nor tolerate torture of any form anywhere.

We must strive for effective government at all levels, control our deficits and reduce our federal debt. Taxes are not a scourge, they are the price we pay for our civilization, as Oliver Wendell Holmes said many years ago.

Social Security and Medicare must be protected. So must the right of a woman to choose. We have to find a way to offer affordable universal healthcare to our country. Education at all levels, basic science and medical research must be promoted at all times and seen as the best ways to make us more prosperous and secure as a free society.

U.S. foreign policy should promote world order, international cooperation, democracy and assistance to developing nations, and show respect for cultures different from ours. Preemptive war should never be used, and we must regain the high ground on the world scene. One of our major efforts should be to dismantle all nuclear weapons, and certainly not build new ones. The other should be to mount a major offensive to control global warming and let the U.S. become an example to the world with a "greener" economy where future generations will find a safe and healthy planet to live and prosper.