League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Val Carpenter Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Los Altos

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the city council?

10 years of leadership in Los Altos city government working effectively with my colleagues, City staff and residents on a broad range of issues. Los Altos Mayor in 2008; Los Altos City Councilwoman 2005-present; Los Altos Planning Commissioner and Board of Adjustments member 2005; Los Altos Historical Commissioner, Vice Chair and Chair 2001-2005. Best practices from industry from my decades of experience as a senior executive in Silicon Valley. Stanford MBA.

2. What components of the City's General Plan would you support or modify; e.g., availability of rental housing and revitalization of dowtown area, including the Civic Center area?

The City of Los Altos General Plan was comprehensivly updated 8 years ago and the Housing Element was specifically updated in the past year. I voted to approve the Civic Center Master Plan and worked to ensure that it continues to include an apricot orchard to honor our agricultural heritage. For 2 years I led the City Council-appointed Downtown Development Committee through a public process that resulted in significant zoning changes carefully designed to encourage new development while preserving Main Street's cherished appeal. The renaissance of downtown has already begun with the approval of several major projects, with more expected.

3. What would be your general policy be with respect to maintaining current levels of service during these difficult economic times?

The City of Los Altos is fortunate to be located in the heart of Silicon Valley and to have some of the best schools in the State of California. These advantages, plus its strong sense of community, make Los Altos a highly-desirable place to live. This in turn has resulted in annual increases in the City's property tax revenues, which allow the City, through careful management, to maintain current levels of service within a balanced budget while increasing reserves and continuing to invest in infrastructure. My previous experience managing departmental budgets the size of the City's annual operating budget enable me to set priorities and make tough trade-offs to keep the City financially sound.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. Answers must not refer directly or indirectly to another candidate.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 22, 2010 15:29
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