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The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Experience,
Budget,
Concerns,
Balancing interests,
Campaign financing
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council?
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Answer from Charles "Chappie" Jones:
My civic involvement serving on various boards and commissions with the city like the Neighborhoods Commission, Small Business Development Commission, Structural Deficit Reduction Taskforce, etc. has given me the training to gather information from residents and city staff, process it, and work with others to formulate recommendations to impact city policy.
Answer from Paul Fong:
For over 35 years, I have been serving my neighbors in District 1 as an Educator, former High School Football Coach, Trustee on the Foothill/De Anza Community College Board, and as your current Assemblymember. I have the passion and proven experience to represent you during this time of challenges and opportunities.
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2. San Jose budget difficulties have resulted in unprecedented cuts to staff and services. How will you deal with coming shortfalls? Restoring some of the City services? And, if you think the City needs additional resources, what are your ideas for increasing revenues?
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Answer from Charles "Chappie" Jones:
My focus is to drive public policy that will restore services and create a positive business climate. I will make the budget and the city's structural deficit a priority. The city will not be able to provide adequate levels of services unless the structural deficit problem is fixed and it grows its tax base through economic development.
Answer from Paul Fong:
Even though the budget deficit was overstated to be $650 million by the Mayor, when in fact the City's own budget reports that there was only a $300 million deficit, deficits are still a problem. However, of great concern is the loss of public safety officers, where hundreds of police have left San Jose because of City mismanagement and scapegoating, leaving San Jose vulnerable to excessively high crime rates. Considering these two issues and the many other needs of the community, I will deal with shortfalls by: (1) insisting on more accurate deficit projections; (2) make the minimum cuts necessary to deal with realistic deficit projections; and (3) support strategic revenues enhancements for libraries and public safety. With this plan, I hope to put more police in our neighborhoods, restore library hours, and restore after-school programs.
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3. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them?
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Answer from Paul Fong:
Safety First. Property crimes are soaring. A car is stolen every hour in San Jose. There is a 20 minute wait for police to respond to a gang fight or rape report. San Jose has the lowest ratio of police officers to citizens of any big city in America. San Jose has an insufficient number of fire stations to protect residents. I would: (1) restore mutual respect and trust at the bargaining table; (2) work to revise two-tier pension reform so that the second tier is competitive with surrounding cities; (3) obtain real disability insurance for police officers injured in the line of duty; and (4) restore fire stations to decrease response times.
Answer from Charles "Chappie" Jones:
Fiscal Reform: Continue to pursue pension reform as part of an effort to secure San Jose's ability to restore services.
Public Safety: Expand the use of Community Service Officers and Crime Prevention Specialists to either free up police to be on the streets or prevent crimes from happening. Seek additional funding for the burglary unit and the gang prevention taskforce.
Economic Development: Provide resources and implement strategies that will grow the tax base through economic development.
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4. How would you balance the needs of the City as a whole while also addressing needs of your district as well as those of special groups?
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Answer from Paul Fong:
I have 21 years of elected experience balancing the interests of voters, my district, and special interest groups. I've made the tough choices to move California and my district forward. My process is straight forward -- (1) I look at my values on the particular issues; (2) I research all the available information on the issue, including site visits and written materials; (3) I listen to both constituents, interest groups and all other stakeholders; and (4) I make a fair and balanced decision that falls within my values and the needs of all involved.
Answer from Charles "Chappie" Jones:
I would look for common ground between all of the stakeholders. Where there is a conflict between the needs of the district, city, or special groups, I would base my decision on facts and input from all sides. I would weigh the impact of my decision on the benefit to the greater good vs. the needs of the district or special groups. Each decision is unique and should go through a well thought through process to arrive at a decision.
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5. How much money do you expect to raise/spend on your race, and how will you assure voters that financial contributions will not affect your decisions/positions should you be elected?
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Answer from Paul Fong:
The maximum cap for the June Primary is just under $135,000. By utilizing my straight forward decision making process, which involves looking at my values, research, and listening to stakeholders and residents, my public policy decisions are prevented from being unduly influenced by fundraising.
Answer from Charles "Chappie" Jones:
I expect to raise and spend $80,000 for my campaign. Since the maximum contribution is $500, no one person or group is able to contribute a significant amount of money to have any influence. In addition, I would never let a financial contribution influence me on any decisions that I would make on the city council.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Candidates' statements are presented as
submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
