Editorial Rich Gordon for Assembly Neither Kishimoto nor Becker come close to matching Gordon’s extensive experience and proven effectiveness at a statewide level onsidering the mess awaiting the successful state Assembly candidate in November, it is surprising to see such diversity and passion among the three seeking the Democratic nomination in the June 8 election. Facing unprecedented budget deficits, extreme partisanship and two-thirds voting requirements that create impasses on any controversial issue, state government in California has become virtually dysfunctional. While the Peninsula is well served by termed-out Assemblyman Ira Ruskin and state Senator Joe Simitian, the grip of party leaders and resulting partisanship makes for a rough-and-tumble Sacramento that is more often gridlocked than not. In this atmosphere, it is tempting to recommend the candidate that is made from the most different mold, Josh Becker. Becker, 40, has law and business degrees from Stanford and describes himself as a “green-energy entrepreneur.” He has engaged in numerous policy issues relating to the environment and education and started the Full Circle Fund, whose members give money and donate time to help local nonprofits focused on these areas. He has an impressive list of donors and supporters that extend deeply into the entrepreneurial fabric of Silicon Valley. Becker is so passionate about clean-technology and its ability to drive California’s economy out of recession that it’s difficult to glean specifics from him on the immediate challenges facing the state, such as how we deal with the $21 billion budget deficit. His only idea for further reducing state spending was to stop work on planning for new prisons. It is hard to imagine how someone with his drive and idealism wouldn’t get to Sacramento and quickly be drained of enthusiasm in the face of the frustrations of a slow-moving government in need of so many institutional reforms. Former Palo Alto City Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimoto, 54, believes she represents the future of California. Having emigrated from Japan as a child, learning English and later getting her MBA from Stanford and starting her own consulting business, Kishimoto is an example of the growing role immigrants are playing in shaping the future direction of California. Her elected experience, however, is limited to her eight years on the City Council, during which she championed quality-oflife environmental issues such as protecting neighborhoods, encouraging sustainability practices and addressing climate change on a local level. While always prepared and armed with a long list of questions for staff on issues before the council, she never demonstrated an ability to lead her colleagues toward creative solutions on complex issues. She has done a good job of organizing Peninsula cities into a cohesive voice on high-speed rail concerns. By contrast to both Becker and Kishimoto, Rich Gordon has a much broader command of the issues facing the state and what must happen to restore a functioning state government. He has a 12-year track record of crafting legislative solutions to problems and building needed coalitions on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, as well as statewide through his involvement in the supervisors’ association. And as executive director of the nonprofit Youth & Family Assistance he was actually responsible for delivering services in response to community needs. Gordon shares Becker and Kishimoto’s environmental concerns and goals, but he is more pragmatic and politically astute to how they can be accomplished. He puts a high priority on the need to reform the way state government works, including repealing the two-thirds requirement for approving the state budget, easing term limits, creating open primaries and tightening the initiative process. Reflecting his consensus-building style, Gordon has support across the political spectrum from people who have been impressed by his ability to reach out to adversaries and craft solutions to difficult problems. Although he enjoys union support in the race, he supports reform of the public-employee pension system and supported the two-tier system currently in place in San Mateo County. For those most concerned about the High Speed Rail project, Gordon is the most knowledgeable of the three candidates and advocates that the legislature implement a new oversight structure for the governing board with greater transparency and local representation. Rich Gordon is the only candidate with the knowledge and experience to be immediately effective in Sacramento, and that is what will be needed to address successfully the serious problems in California. We strongly recommend his election to the state Assembly.
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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
Code enforcement cuts Editor, In response to the news that Palo Alto plans to eliminate one of its two code-enforcement officers (Weekly, May 7), such enforcement is more than complaining about someone’s junky yard. Complaints to code enforcement are residents’ recourse when, for instance, a developer doesn’t perform on their legal agreement with the city to provide certain “public benefits” to residents in exchange for being granted plannedcommunity zoning, allowing bigger, more dense development and vastly bigger profits. I have found that it is not uncommon for residents to never see their hard-negotiated public benefits, and code enforcement is an avenue for at least some redress. To have laws without a means or people to enforce them is ridiculous and only hurts Palo Alto residents. We need more, not fewer, codeenforcement officers, and should not be laying off either of the two we now have. They may need to be more effective and efficient, but that can be addressed. Furthermore, we need serious penalties for a developer who doesn’t perform, and a much more careful drafting of Planned Community agreements in the first place – but that is another subject. If anyone thinks enforcement of our city law doesn’t matter, then let’s go ahead and lay-off all our police officers and save tons and tons of money. After all, if we are going to shoot ourselves in our foot, why do it right? Winter Dellenbach La Para Avenue, Palo Alto
Traffic safety for kids Editor, I urge the Palo Alto City Council to preserve funding in the 2011 budget for the Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD) Traffic Team and the adult crossing guards. Eliminating these crucial safety resources will endanger our children. Imagine this scenario: The City Council approves the 2011 budget eliminating all adult crossing guards, saving $345,000, and the entire PAPD Traffic Team, saving $894,000. Total savings: $1,239,000. Crossing guards and the PAPD Traffic Team disappear. School begins. A girl walking to Fairmeadow is injured when a car makes a right turn on red without stopping at an intersection that used to be staffed by a crossing guard. She is hospitalized with a concussion and broken leg. This accident would have been prevented by crossing guard. A boy riding his bike down East Meadow Drive to JLS is hit by speeding car. He is thrown from the bike and killed on impact. If the PAPD Traffic Team had been pa-
trolling, this driver might have been pulled over and ticketed before this tragedy occurred. Was the boy’s life worth the $1.2 million saved? Was the physical and mental harm sustained by the injured girl worth the savings? What about the increased anxiety in the parent/ student community?
Do we want to risk our children’s safety in order to save $1.2 million? I say NO. I urge the council to put our kids’ safety first and fully fund the adult crossing guards and PAPD Traffic Team. Audrey S. Garfield, parent Tanland Drive, Palo Alto
This week on Town Square Posted May 13 by Gerald Fisher, a resident of the Community Center neighborhood: There is a good solution to most Midpeninsula high-speed-rail issues: Select a different path. Why not the 280 corridor? It could be at ground level and save billions. It wouldn’t need public transportation at the interconnection and the local traffic will be better served by private natural-gaspowered vans/cabs.... It would retain Caltrain and eliminate the complications/expense of interference with the Caltrain electrification plan and the Union Pacific issue.
Posted May 12 by David, a resident of another community: Palo Alto should follow the lead of Mountain View and close all but one library and concentrate ... resources there. To serve other portions of the community, get a bookmobile ... and schedule visits to other parts of Palo Alto. The libraries also need to stop staffing on weekends using overtime. ... This is an abuse to the labor rules to get extra pay for the library staff. The library ... administrators know the libraries will be open, yet they only staff with overtime? Allow flexible staffing and change staff days off so they are required to work weekends. ...
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