On Aug. 30, The Weekly submitted the following questions to District 1 candidates — Albert Gonzalez, Harbir Bhatia and Satish Chandra. Candidates had until Sept. 13 to reply. Below are the answers The Weekly received from Bhatia and Gonzalez. Chandra did not respond. Answers are presented verbatim.
What are the biggest resident concerns in your district?
Gonzalez: The biggest concerns in District 1 are housing affordability, services for a sustainable quality of life (such as police and fire, senior services, mental health options, city permitting, parks and recreation, and climate sustainability), event day issues (such as traffic, parking and trash) and the leadership dysfunction.
Bhatia: The residents’ concerns are for overall quality of life and affordability, from our seniors to youth. Due to the poor representation, planning for our area, and lack of residents inputs being considered. The overall welfare, parking & traffic, safety, affordability, and beauty of the region are being impacted with no solution insight. Coming from major events, poor traffic demand management, and lack of infrastructure improvement to roads, sidewalks, waste management, cell towers, networks, and more. Due to lack of funding for delayed development like the Tasman development of City Place. Lack of affordable housing and spaces for residents and small businesses
Do you support the formation of a stadium-neighborhood relations committee? Why?
Gonzalez: Yes, I would support the formation of a stadium-neighborhood relations committee. The more communication and input that occurs, the better, more thoughtful decisions that will be made. It will also be able to mitigate issues before they occur.
Bhatia: Yes absolutely. I have been advocating for this from the beginning. It is critical that the community have a greater voice and insights on the large-scale decisions for this region. Especially as the stadium has one of the most significant impacts on the surroundings. The bi-directional communications will improve understanding and solutions, and overall relations for more productive and mutually beneficial outcome, especially the residential experience.
What are your thoughts on negative campaigning? Unless you support such campaigning, how do you plan to address the inevitable campaigns targeting your opponents? If you support such campaigning, please explain why.
Gonzalez: I don’t condone negative campaigning and will not be participating in any negative campaigns. I would denounce any negative campaigning that I may encounter.
Bhatia: My approach is using facts to explain how I am the most qualified through with my past record and plans. The differences are provided by facts not false accusations and personal attacks, especially against the divide and rule practice. People don’t like unethical and divisive behavior. It breaks our communities apart. Everyone needs to look at the facts and remember that we all have to live and work together after the elections. The past negative campaigns divided the community and the City staff. This role is bettering the lives of our residents not a trophy for the mantel. It hurts everyone!
What would you do to promote a collegial and respectful city council?
Gonzalez: Organizations are built on relationships. In my 16 years on the Santa Clara Unified School District Board of Education I have encountered different governance teams, all being different. One thing that I have learned is that you need to build relationships with the different members of the team, in this case the city council members and mayor. This means having coffee or a meal and not necessarily talking about city matters but building respect for each other.
Bhatia: It starts with reestablishment of ethics training by empowering the City Clerk. It is important do have conflict resolution and relationship management training at the city. Council members need to do team building activities and get to know each other persons. New leadership, too!
What actions would you take with respect to the long-stalled Related project? What is your opinion of Related’s new plan?
Gonzalez: Work with the developer to see if we can speed things up. I have looked to work with other organizations and work outside of one’s silos. There maybe some synergies that may exist with another partner or public agency that will benefit the project.
Bhatia: One approach is to start the project in phases that allow investments to improve the infrastructure. Utilize the open spaces to create popup markets and activity spaces. The new plan needs to be made more aware, greater involvement and input by the community. While explaining the fiscal and quality of life impacts. Many residents want understand and can lend with their expertise and insights as well. Overall new developments need to not only create spaces for new people, but provide greater benefit to the existing residents too.
How can Santa Clara benefit from hosting the Super Bowl and the World Cup? What do you plan to do to ensure this?
Gonzalez: The Super Bowl and World Cup will allow for a global view on Santa Clara, which can benefit to have future events at the stadium or convention center.
Bhatia: Our district needs a visionary, experience and strategic thinker that understands economics for better planning. The games will bring funding to a depleted City budget, beginning to return after the past deficit by poor choices and structural deficits, or go back. Our city will be on the world stage, and needs leadership that can help us shine to build City’s brand. We need to ensure the fan programs, not just the games, are in Santa Clara, not just San Francisco. Including, opportunities for large companies and small businesses to participate, hosting watch parties, and tourism bundles that benefit the city.
What other city committees, commissions, task forces, and volunteer efforts have you participated in? For how long?
Gonzalez: I have served over 50 years combined on different boards and associations: Santa Clara USD Board, Santa Clara County Committee on School District Organization, Metro Ed Board, California School Boards Association (CSBA) Delegate Assembly, CSBA Board of Directors, CSBA Executive Team, Santa Clara County School Boards Association.
Bhatia: Highlights. Fought and got funding for the Northside Library. +10 Years providing the low-income students with shoes (Steps4Success), winter jackets and gifts (Christmas4Kids), Scholarships, Youth- Mentorship. Women skills trainings. Know-Your-Rights workshops for immigrants. Anti-Asian-Hate Rally. COVIDRelief, organized 500 volunteers to build +50,000 masks and face shields for schools, law enforcement, front-line works, hospitals. Built Food-Pantry to serve +1000 families and Seniors. Groceries for the low-income students. Daily Online StoryTime. Economic Development Forums. Helping people escape Ukraine’s conflict zones and providing medical, power, and humanitarian aid. Served on Cultural Commission, Library Foundation, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, Sister Cities, Citizens Advisory Committee, and more.
Election Day is Nov. 5, 2024. For a list of all the open offices and who is running for them in the City of Santa Clara, visit the city’s website.
Other Candidate Q&A’s:
Santa Clara City Clerk Hopefuls Sound-Off on Transparency, Qualifications
Police Chief Candidates Square-Off on Safety Issues in Santa Clara
Meet the District 5 Candidates, Santa Clara
I believe leading up to the Measure A & B campaigns, the Gillmor crew opted out of a joint discussion hosted by the Silicon Valley Chamber of commerce. This discussion would have allowed residents to hear both sides of the measures straight from the highest profile supporters. With Chandra (and Kertes in previous article) not participating in the public discussion of their candidacies, it appears he is following the Gillmor Gang playbook and letting outside money and the Trumpster MAGA movement do his talking.
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Bhatia and Gonzalez’s responses to “biggest resident concerns” and “stadium-neighborhood relations committee” were about equal. Bhatia appears more conversant on the topics, likely her many years’ experiences as an executive and engagement with residents.
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Point for “collegial and respectful city council” response, goes to Gonzalez. As hostile as some school boards and interaction with the community have become, I’m sure his experience there has given opportunity to reflect on positive personal engagement.
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The content of Bhatia’s concise response to the Related Project illuminates her project management and executive experience. Simply ‘speeding things up’, as Gonzalez puts it, and looking at outside groups to find a compelling reason to move forward isn’t an effective plan. Bhatia is keen to focus on both fiscal and quality of life benefits that are being negatively affected by this overdrawn and delayed project. Bhatia is the only one who makes sensible suggestions here.
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A true businessperson and community leader realizes the opportunities and benefits another Superbowl, and the World Cup bring to Santa Clara businesses. Bhatia has the executive savvy to branding revenue with businesses like AMD, Nvidia, Avaya, Applied Materials, Kaiser, and other companies headquartered in the city. Santa Clara hotels and restaurants will be booked at premium rates. City services and employees will be afforded opportunities to earn additional income, just look at how SCPD took the opportunity to create their own Super Bowl 50 merchandise: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/333855336548
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Previous experience on city commissions, task forces, or volunteer efforts is good but both Bhatia and Gonzalez should be commended for throwing their hats in the ring to represent District 1. Gonzalez stating “over 50 years combined” in disingenuous. Bhatia is a lot more articulate in her contributions to the community and with that readers can easily see the relevant experience she affords District 1.
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Overall, I score responses 3-to-1 in favor of Bhatia. District 1 residents should elect her their new representative.