Summary of Position Statements

By Denise Colette Giordano

Positions of Support

2. I support slowing down growth to allow our schools a chance to catch up with housing. Overcrowding is a serious problem and is getting worse. Our children should have room to learn in facilites that are safe and sound but presently are forced to learn in cramped modular units, some of which are very old and in desparate need of repair. Due to overcrowding, some schools have gone to Year Round schedules. Schedules are inconsistent within the same schools and inconsistent within the district.

3. I support slowing down growth to allow industry to catch up with housing. People should be able to work where they live. People should have time to spend with their family instead of being stuck on the road for hours a day to commute. I support working with regional organizations such as the San Joaquin Partnership and the Council of Governments to bring more high paying, high tech jobs to San Joaquin County.

4. I support building the pipelines to enable the city to use reclaimed water to irrigate our parks and landscaping. At this time we are literally throwing away our drinking water when our wells are being overdrafted and surface water is still years away. Even when the surface water project comes on-line, it makes sense to use treated water for irrigation and save drinking water for human consumption. The money for the pipelines is available now with money from RDA bond proceeds. If we start planning now, the pipelines can be built at the same time the Waste Water Treatment facility is expanded.

5. I support having local control ovr the library distribution and ensuring that children are protected from internet pornography by using filters on computers designated for use of children only. I support the estoppel of renting "R" rated movies to children and banning distribution of pornographic magazines such as 'Play Boy' to children in the public library.

6. I support a consistent bidding process for all city services, except safety personnel such as police and fire, to ensure that the taxpayers are not paying more for quality service than they have to. A consistent bidding process ensures that we are paying current market prices and, if a private company won the bid, the requirements the city could place on the contract would ensure that quality service would be top priority. There are performance clauses to ensure that service levels are maintained, and if not, the contract can be ended. City employees would not loose their jobs because that would also be a part of any private contracts.

7. I support Affordable Housing projects that help first time home buyers through sweat equity programs, not outright give-aways. I believe these projects should benefit homebuyers that have never owned a home and should be reserved for the truly low-income homebuyers who have shown that they are responsible.