League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Alameda County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Pat McCullough Answers Questions Candidate for Mayor; City of Oakland

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

Questions & Answers

1. Oakland sits on the Bay, and the waterfront, downtown, and West Oakland areas are particularly low-lying. With climate change bringing major changes, including sea level rise, what are your plans to bring this to the forefront of the Oakland mayor's agenda?

My plans for Oakland's betterment include managing the impact of environmental change before problems become acute. Our seaport, neighborhoods and recreational areas are so valuable because of the nearby sea. This essential resource can be held back from engulfing us + if need be.

Deciding upon our solutions from among the many complex social, engineering, ecologic and economic issues in responding to environment change will be a very interesting process I'll enjoy participating in. But as yet, I haven't seen the credible evidence to convince me that Oakland is so endangered by sea level rise that sea level rise should displace other items at the top of my agenda, which includes waste and pollution management. I'll adjust when facts change.

2. What is your vision for Oakland, i.e., what issues are of special interest and concern and what ideas do you have to put Oakland in the forefront?

It's not my intent to put Oakland in the forefront of anything, as the ideas I have are for our own satisfaction.

I know how to bring the police and residents into greater harmony and maintain a high level of mutual trust and cooperation. The anti-snitch culture will succumb to a shared sense of civic responsibility while the peace and absenting of fear I'll shepherd will improve the quality of life for all residents.

I will use volunteers, retired people, non-governmental organizations and privately held resources deliver to augment the delivery of city services, thus reducing the size and growth of our debt obligations.

I will use the power of my office to attract businesses and ensure Oakland residents are hired and have their basic needs met and that Oakland resources are put to good economic use.

I have two visions for Oakland. I see peace, prosperity, and the strengthening of our community upon my election. I see the continuation or worsening of many problems unless I'm elected.

3. How would you address continuing high rates of crime in Oakland?

In a nutshell:
1. Using my unique personal experience as the basis for authentic empathy, understanding and direction, I will directly meet with most of the people in Oakland and converse with them about the crime problem and ask for their help. I will regularly be at the schools, the crime scenes, the churches, in the streets, the boardrooms, the city council meetings, the clubs, the parks, and at all hours, working on this.
2. With appreciation for the holistic interrelatedness, dissect the problem into separable but related components, then publicize the progress we're planning and its relationship to the overall problem and quality of life.
3. Implement solutions for each component.
4. Increase number of officers to 900, including maintaining over 100 retirement-eligible officers.
5. Ballot measure, increased revenue, economy & efficiency to make cost affordable.

4. While most of the Bay Area has the lowest unemployment rate in the state, Oakland is still in trouble. How do you plan to stimulate the economy in Oakland?

1. Make the city safer.
2. Get rid of stupid roadblocks
3. Along with the reality, change the bad perception people have of Oakland.
3. Publicize the progress we've made and convincingly pledge that more is coming.
4. We'll benefit from increased investor confidence in Oakland due to publicity and recognition of the voters' wise choice in electing me to begin my phenomenal 1st term.

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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: September 26, 2014 19:49
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