League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Alameda County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Al Mendall Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Hayward

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Eden Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What is the single most pressing problem facing the City in the next 24 months and how would you work with your elected colleagues to solve it?

The most pressing problem facing the City of Hayward is the budget deficit. If we don't solve that, then all of our other priorities (safety, cleanliness, economic growth, jobs, etc.) will all suffer.

The citizen's of Hayward already passed at tax increase of $14 million per year, that cuts the deficit in half. The remaining balance needs to come from spending cuts. Since 85% of the City's spending is employee costs,that means, unfortunately, asking our employee groups for concessions.

We must negotiate in good faith, be honest with each other, listen to each other, and hammer out an agreement that all sides can accept. No one is happy about this situation, but it is a reality we have to deal with.

2. What is your vision of Hayward ten years from now as it relates to residential growth and business development?

I envision a great deal of re-development, both business and residential, in the flatlands of Hayward. We need more places to shop in town. We need more entertainment options in town. And we need to bring more good jobs to town.

In order to achieve that, we need to do two things. We need to make Hayward more physically attractive, by cleaning up the graffiti, the garbage, and the blight. And, we need to make it easier start a business or develop property in Hayward.

The City has a reputation of being unfriendly to business; we need to change that. We need to make Hayward a welcoming City to the businesses that we all want.

3. Good schools are important for a city's economic growth and well-being. What is the most effective way the City can partner with the school district to improve the academic performance and perception of our schools?

As a parent of school-aged children, this issue is especially important to me. Hayward needs a parent of young children on the City Council.

Good schools are critical to Hayward's long-term success. We all need to work together and be part of the solution. The City has no direct control over the schools, but we can partner with the school district on safety issues, construction of new schools, and after school programs.

The City can also help by providing things for our young-people to do after school. Our teens do not have safe and inviting places to go for fun in Hayward. Just ask a teen...they will tell you. We need to create clusters of private businesses (movie theaters, bowling alleys, pizza parlors, ice cream shops, etc.) that give our teens a safe and inviting place to gather with their friends after school. The cluster is important because the businesses will support each other and most teens can't drive.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: April 24, 2012 15:12
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