Campaign Points

By Francisco Zermeno

As your Hayward City Councilman, Zermeņo will work towards Protecting, Improving and Preserving our Neighborhoods, providing everyone total and complete access to every opportunity in Hayward.

Protect

Protection of our neighborhoods should be of utmost importance

- lower our crime rate
- increase police youth and community activities for more
community presence and interaction
-P.A.L., Police Explorers, Neighborhood Watch, D.A.R.E.,
Community Policing Unit
- emphasize our students in schools, who will begin to feel more
empowered, leading to better access to opportunities and a
better way of life in Hayward
-Access to education, health, nutrition, housing, business,
college or university, politics
-work on being proactive on gangs and graffiti
-zero gang tolerance with our Gang Task Force
-tattoo removal program
-gun buy back program
-zero graffiti tolerance (it goes up, it goes down in 3 business
days) with our Graffiti Buster, if not by the businesses
themselves
-explore various crime prevention strategies
- maintain our excellent firefighting capabilities
-fast, professional, lifesaving, helpful responses

Improve

Improving Hayward economically, educationally and socially is key

- responsive city services
-complete bus stop station benches for waiting passengers to
increase ridership
-clean up dirty areas, especially freeway on and off ramps, to
build pride
-immediate response to street and sidewalk repairs to walk
and drive safer
- our transportation
-work on traffic solutions within our city limits by building
inter agencies collaboration with CalTrans, Public, City, and
State governments
- easier access to our industrial areas
- reach out to our diverse citizens so that they feel empowered and
will have access to city services better (we are one of the most
diverse city in the USA!)
- S.E.E. (Servicios en espaņol) with city information available in
Spanish
-home buying, small business loan programs, web site,
flyers, etc.
-City Council and Planning Commission material
- anticipate other language needs and meet as needed
- work with senior citizen needs, such as rent stability
- our children's education and retention through effective
Educational Coalition Bridges/Collaborations
-HARD, HUSD, Chabot College, Heald, Cal State, Alameda
CoEdBd., City government
-Create and sell "From PreK to M.A....in Hayward!"
-strengthen present pro-youth programs for extracurricular
and cultural activities
-Youth Commission
-Hijos del Sol
-create others (Puente Parents Program, etc.)
-work to improve school facilities, which will build pride and
will empower our youth
-maintain successful student programs for all students,
especially minority students
-(Puente, Alas, etc.) which will help
-decrease the drop out rate
-raise graduation numbers
-raise student scores
-encourage post secondary education
-("Graduate to College!")
-work for youth participation in the Hayward community
-develop a community service graduation requirement,
and highlight it at graduation, (with HUSD school
board)
-which I will pursue when elected to City Council
-have youth work on political campaigns as volunteers,
working on youth issues
-which I have attempted to do in this election to
City Council
-Natalie Rocha, Elizabeth Morales, Maggie
Rebbero, Pilar Zermeņo,
-internships during the summer with stipend from
political funds
-which I will do this summer by awarding three
$500 internships
-list careers in local government in Hayward and pass
out to students, after inviting them to tour City Hall
and meeting people there
-hold a Student Day at City Hall with student participants
developing pro youth proposals
-promote the joys and rewards, of local community
participation and volunteerism
-empower the Hayward's Youth Commission
-work for a youth/teen center in North Hayward
- help homeowners improve and expand their homes for keeping
their family together, increasing their home value and
improving their neighborhood
-I have done this consistently as a Planning Commissioner
- maintain our attractiveness in single family housing for smart
growth to increase homeownership (presently at 57%)
-every project needs to meet our needs through
-mixed land uses, infill, use existing community assets,
range of housing opportunities, affordable (now a 15%
for new projects of 20 or more units), pedestrian
friendly, attractive developments, open space, growth
in existing areas, transportation friendly, traffic solving
-have done this consistently as a Planning
Commissioner
- Mission Blvd. auto row
-where Hayward Ford sells some 400 cars per month, and is
#138 in the U.S.A., #26 in CA, #3 in Northern California and
#1 in the Bay Area! Hayward is the nation's 150th largest
city, and is California's 30th largest city)
-maintenance, improvement, encouragement, protection,
expansion
-projects such as the Honda and Volkswagen dealership
expansions
-marquee on 92 East to promote our auto row
-("Right on Mission to Auto Row!")
-I will work on this project immediately once elected to
City Council
- encourage and work with small business for their improvement
-they improve the neighborhoods, empower the owners, are
the backbone of Hayward, can be neighborhood centers,
employ teenagers, can be live- work projects, complement
large businesses and light industry, lead to civil involvement,
they recycle a higher percentage of their revenue and profits
back to the local economy,
-I have done this consistently as a Planning
Commissioner
- A-1 Trucking School on Baumberg, with a minority
owner and many Latino students and customers
- Tacos Uruapan on Huntwood and the Solorio Family
- having a small business can be a great equalizer,
where everyone can begin one
- since 1998, more than 4,100 independent video have
closed their doors due to Blockbuster and
Hollywood Video, pointing out the fact that our small
businesses have to be protected
- downtown neighborhood revitalization completion because it
provides a sense of local identity, is a more interesting place
to visit, recycles a larger share of their revenue back into the
local economy, generate more tax revenues than they cost
to serve, it is mixed use, encourages pedestrians, improves the
looks, builds a safe and close community, builds personal and
economic partnerships that are essential to a strong
community,
-develop promotions and events to draw people downtown
-"think globally, eat locally", "local food served with local
flavor", "shop Hayward first", "strengthen our
community and local economy, shop locally"
-recognize their support of local events
-complete the shopping experience with
-music store, stationary, clothing
-celebrate "Independents Week" in July 4, to highlight local
businesses
-completely wireless with wi-fi
-public art (murals, sculptures, sidewalk chalk art contests,
art in the park, festivals, galleries,etc.)
-public heritage art depicting our rich diverse history
-Spain, Portuguese, Italian, Californio, Irish,
Mexican, etc.
-restaurants with sidewalk service
-maintain our Farmer's Market
-open on Sundays
-expanded library services
-coffee shops at the Library and at the Hayward Area Museum
making them activity hubs
-marquee on 92 East to promote it
-("Left on Mission for Downtown!")
- work towards Latino, Senior, Youth and/or Community centers at
Sunset H.S. and/or other locations

- budget
-It is embarrassing, but we live in the world's 5th
largest economy (California) and in the world's 21st
largest economy (the Bay Area), and we can't provide
for citizen needs adequately...
-short and mid term solutions
-postpone capital projects (street resurfacing, painting,
etc.)
-define fat, look for it, cut it
-reduction in city amenities offered to its volunteers and
employees
-is there anything the city can sell?
-reduction in travel money, perks, etc. for elected
officials
-consultant use reduction
-overtime pay reduction
-cell phone use reduction
-close City Hall on certain days
-employees can make up the day later
-repair of material, not purchase of new one
-reduce personnel expenses through attrition.
-delay purchases
-scale back community events
-freeze staff positions
-look into consolidation of positions and/or
departments
-postpone studies of any kind, if they cost us money
-tax on nonessential items for which people use non-
discretionary $
-raise some fees collected
-consider a 911 tax (with fixed and lower income
protection)
-shift some money around
-go to the employees, asking for cost reduction
measures
-Attrition, NO LAYOFFS!
-NO CUTS IN PUBLIC SAFETY and SERVICES!
-long term solutions
-fight the state for our city monies, and one way is
wholly supporting the "Local Taxpayers and Public
Safety Protection Act" presently making the rounds
in our State and set for a vote in November 2004.
Essentially, if this ballot initiative passes, it will
increase local control over our local tax dollars. Let's
get behind it!
-You can find more information at http://www.cacities.org.
-there is also Proposition 56 - Budget Accountability Act
for ending delays
-speed up bldg. permit process
-continue pressure contacts/pressure/appearances at
Sacramento,
-such as the one of Wednesday, Dec. 10, of the
police chiefs and the firefighters, Puente, and
others.
-make sure that federally and state mandated programs
are funded by the federal and state governments.
-strengthen our small businesses, by shopping there
first.
-strengthen our business and local economies with
dynamic and proactive marketing for a more robust
business environment, by shopping there first.
-(Mission auto row, light industry, shopping centers
like Downtown and Southland, etc.)
-upon election, I plan on working on a marquee on
East 92, to direct traffic to both, Downtown
Hayward and to our Mission Auto Row. I have
also created Bookmarkers with our Downtown
business, and am distributing them)
-explore other revenue increasing avenues for our city.
-build more housing, but not just for the sake of
building for money, but rather looking for attractive
housing which will make Hayward proud, while adding
some funds to our coffers.
-look for and apply for grants

Preserve The preservation of our uniqueness is also key in providing vitality as a responsive city. It is neighbors working cooperatively for maintenance and improved quality of life in a stronger, greater, prouder Hayward, heart of the bay.

-seek and work on good labor business relations
-preserve a good environment with Latino, minority and other
small businesses
-for success, diversity, job creation, revenues
- facilitation of commercial, industrial and business needs for
attracting and building a good business climate for attractive and
positive projects
-Hayward Marquees on 92 east, 580 west and 880 north
-Southland maintenance and improvement
- streamline the building permit process
- maintain our health centers
- work for and maintain a healthier HARD
- work with the community family to improve, promote, protect,
preserve and create a balanced community
-more trees, open space, infill projects, affordable housing,
home remodeling & expansion

I will protect, improve and preserve our neighborhoods. I believe I can be a good councilman because I have the courage to lead, exercise self control, am civil minded, have a good sense of justice, am definite with decisions and plans, habitually do more than what is needed, am a people person, I listen well, I try to understand, do not shy away from details, am willing to assume full responsibility, am cooperative, can lead by consent of others not by force, and am a consensus builder through negotiations and compromise. Because of my educational preparation, business experience and community service, I will provide the leadership to take Hayward into the future. I am the best choice for city council because of my 22 years as a Hayward resident, homeowner, businessman and educator. I have been involved in community advocacy, volunteerism, and service as a planning and library commissioner in Hayward.

Vote Zermeņo for Hayward, Heart of the Bay!