The Santa Clara Weekly has invited candidates running for Santa Clara City Council and City Clerk to speak directly to the voters via our pages and website.
- What are the unique issues in your district and how do you propose to address them?
Traffic, parking, code enforcement, poor road conditions, encroachment of high density housing with loss of retail.
I want our city to keep a high level of city services. I see more shopping carts and trash dumped on our streets than ever before. We need more enforcements and we should issue violations so that we can keep Santa Clara beautiful.
- How would you address Santa Clara’s budget deficit?
Actually the city is showing a surplus at this time but it is imaginary. If you take into account the need for repairs to our city infrastructure the true results of the budget would be that we have a major deficit. We have begun a new practice of hiring in new city employees at outrageously high salaries, most recently the city manager and city attorney. Now they want to increase their staff.
We also need to stop the large payout settlements for frivolous law suits. The city looks like an easy target because we are quick to back down and settle.
- What are the most urgent needs for transportation and housing? How would you address them?
For housing we can develop the north side of the city but no more encroachment onto our single family neighborhoods. Enough is enough.
I would postpone any new “road diets”. Forcing traffic into single lanes is only moving the traffic into our neighborhoods. We should be working with the county to improve traffic flows along our major freeways and expressways so that traffic does not use our city to as their commute paths.
- What policies do you recommend for managing City assets such as the convention center, Levi’s Stadium and the Mission City Center for the Performing Arts?
We need to take the politics out of these assets and venues. Let’s remember we invited the 49ers to Santa Clara. The relationship has deteriorated so quickly once the fan fair died down. How can we promote a stadium we own but constantly be in court with our main tenant? We are sending a message that the city is hard to do business with. We should invite in more events at the stadium to improve our operating profits.
We need closer oversight of the Convention Center. Any new management should be under a 1 year contract.
- Who are the City’s important partners and how can we work most effectively with them?
Intel, Nvidia, Applied Materials, Great America, 49ers, Kaiser Hospital, Santa Clara University, small business owners, and most importantly our residents.
We should hold open forums at least quarterly with their representatives, chamber of commerce, city council, and the public to address concerns openly. Not behind closed doors. Ask these partners to be more of a crucial part of our community.
Mario Bouza
The following City Council candidates did not respond to the Weekly’s opportunity to speak to the voters:
District 2: Nancy Biagini
District 3: Karen Hardy and Srinivasan Sambathkumar