We invited all Sunnyvale City Council candidates to speak directly to the voters through The Silicon Valley Voice website. If you don’t know what Sunnyvale District you’re in, please check the City’s District map on their website.
We asked candidates to answer the following questions in 100 words or less:
- What do you think is Sunnyvale’s major challenge?
- What do you think is the major challenge for your district and how would you address it?
- What’s the first motion you would make as a Councilmember?
Here are the candidates’ answers, unedited. We note candidates who chose not to respond.
Russ Melton
http://www.meltonforcouncil.com/
- The biggest challenge is budget reductions from the COVID-19 emergency. In June, due to decreased Sales and Hotel taxes, Council removed $25 million from our $200 million General Fund. The reductions were: (1) freezing open requisitions; (2) a Workers Compensation reserve release; (3) transferring streetsweeping expenses to an enterprise fund; and (4) spending cuts such as reduced watering of City fields. Any further cuts will be significantly more difficult. We need experienced Councilmembers, such as myself, to navigate further reductions, in consultation with City staff, bargaining units and community stakeholders. The last place I will vote to make cuts is to employees.
- District 4 has diverse housing, including mobile home residents and apartment renters. I voted in 2019 to protect District 4 renters by accelerating the start of California’s rent control requirements. At the onset of the COVID-19 emergency, I voted to adopt Sunnyvale’s eviction moratorium, specifically protecting mobile home park residents in Districts 4 and 6. Someday soon, the COVID-19 emergency will be over and the eviction moratorium will come to an end. Government has to plan to protect renters and mobile home residents. Locally, we will have to explore solutions like lengthening the amount of time allowed to pay deferred rent.
- The first significant motion I’ll make is in February at our annual strategy workshop. I’m going to propose that our Vision Zero and Active Transportation Plans be classified as a Council Strategic Policy Priority. This will marshal the City’s resources to improve Sunnyvale’s safety, walkability and bikeability, and reduce automotive vehicle miles traveled. Sunnyvale has done a great job on environmental protection and next up is reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our transportation network. It’s going to take a lot of resident advocacy at City Hall for my motion to carry. Email me at meltoncouncil@sunnyvale.ca.gov if you agree with my motion and let’s make it happen!
Paul Joseph Lesevic-Campos – Didn’t respond