Candidate for
Council Member; City of San Jose; Council District 3

ABOUT KATHY

Kathy Sutherland is a proven leader with a track record of success as a strong neighborhood advocate and with extensive experience working inside City Hall. Her credentials as former Chief of Staff, Co-Chair of the Diridon/Arena Strategic Plan, member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Open Space Authority, and member of the Healthy Neighborhoods Venture Fund are powerful, unique, and unmatched.

City Hall experience:

• Initially hired by Councilmember Nancy Pyle as her Policy Advisor for economic development, Kathy worked with businesses, property owners, developers and the Economic Development and Planning departments to ensure businesses had support from City Hall to grow and succeed.
• Promoted to Chief of Staff and worked on a wide range of difficult issues, providing a unique understanding of City Hall and how to successfully navigate city government to better serve constituents.

• Kathy and her husband Craig raised their family downtown. They have lived in the Delmas Park neighborhood for 33 years.
• Elected to the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative Project Area Committee in an election covering 1/3 of the city.
• Founded the Delmas Park Neighborhood Association where she continues to serve.

• Co-Chair of the Diridon/Arena Strategic Development Plan Committee where Kathy helped lead the group to create a long-term development plan for the strategic area surrounding Diridon Station and the Arena. She ensured the preservation of the character of the Delmas Park neighborhood while supporting high density re-development in the greater area.
• Managed the West San Carlos Street Neighborhood Business Association.
• Small business owner and special events coordinator with an emphasis on community organizations and nonprofit events downtown including Bark in the Park and the Guadalupe River Park Grand Opening.

• Active school volunteer with PTA, School Site Council, and the San José Unified School District GATE Advisory Board.
• Led Girl Scout troops and afterschool programs for boys and served as coordinator for the larger community.
• Served as member of the Healthy Neighborhoods Venture Fund which granted funds to organizations focused on providing services to youth, seniors and anti-tobacco to community organizations.

• Open Space Authority + Community Advisory Committee
• San José Parks Foundation
• San José Area Authority
• CommUniverCity Steering Committee
• Tabard Theater

Our future is bright and our possibilities are endless. Our recovering business economy will provide us the opportunity to deliver the services we value. We need a strong, experienced neighborhood voice with a wide range of experience on the City Council when deciding which city services should be brought back and how we can deliver them over effectively.

This includes:

• Ensure San José is America's safest big city. We need more police officers, but public safety is more than cops in cars. It's Code Enforcement, Park Rangers, the preventative programs we used to have like after school homework centers, funding for the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force, and activities in Community Centers.
• Build a strong local economy. Major corporations move through the planning process to quickly open their doors for business. Businesses of all sizes must get the same service. We must remember that when small and medium businesses decide to open in San Jose, they are putting their personal finances and future in our city.
• Support our neighborhood schools so that all our children have opportunities to succeed. It is not the job of the City to teach, but San Jose can help find ways to provide enrichment programs like art, music, dance, afterschool sports, and homework centers. The area of District 3 north of 280 needs a strong magnet school to encourage our young families to stay in the area. Parents will move for better schools.
• Coordinate services for the homeless. San Jose must be a partner with other cities, the county, all levels of government and all organizations working to address this tragedy. We must look at new ways to provide permanent shelter with the necessary services for the chronically homeless.