League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 5, 2013 Election
	Steve Hoffman Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Sunnyvale; Seat 2

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

3. What has the City done to make its pension liabilities sustainable? Would you advocate for additional changes?

Pensions must be restored to sustainable levels for no other reason other than if we don't we will either have to raise taxes or go bankrupt.

The average annual full compensation of a Sunnyvale Public Safety Officer is a quarter million dollars ($250,000). This is the highest in the entire Bay Area. Second to Sunnyvale is Milpitas at about $200,000. We are paying about $50,000 more than the second highest paying City.

We have significantly less officers than we had 10 years ago while our population has dramatically increased. In 2011/2012 burglaries in Sunnyvale rose at a rate 50% higher than average of all Bay Area Cities.

These total compensations including pensions is the reason we cannot hire more officers and may be a contributing factor to the dramatic increases in crime.

This is why we need to restore pensions to sustainable levels. I know it will be painful for the individuals involved, but it is better than the alternative (i.e. getting nothing through bankruptcy).

5. Who are your top five donors and what total amount have you received from each one? What conflicts of interest can you foresee from your campaign contributions, and how would you handle them?

My top five donors are Sunnyvale Residents whom do NOT work for any organizations that do business with the City. This way Sunnyvale Residents can be assured that I have no ulterior interests.

I find it unbelievable for a council member to see nothing unethical in accepting money and support from organizations that do business with the City and voting on matters that enrich these organizations.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits for answers are 400 words for all questions. Direct 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: September 23, 2013 10:13
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