League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Alameda County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Andrew Park Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Oakland; Council District 2

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. 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?

Meeting the challenge of struggling employment rates means your City Council member cannot disappear into City Hall once elected. I am committed bringing City resources back to the community when it comes to employment. Here's how:

Oakland is uniquely situated to attract medium to large businesses, technology hubs, green energy businesses and others. We are a bargain for businesses looking to start, grow or relocate to the Bay Area. We have a talented workforce able to meet the needs and strong college training grounds to prepare future workers. But any effort or incentive offered by the City must include opportunities for Oakland youth and working families to land jobs and contribute to making Oakland an economic power.

The City must be viewed as a government willing to work with businesses to grow the economy and the job base. It doesn't mean that the City becomes a pushover for businesses with lots of incentives and few opportunities for working families and families struggling to find work.

My work at Trybe has in part focused on finding economic and job training opportunities for neighborhood youth. Trybe has also focused on educational advancement to increase such opportunities. We work in partnership with other non-profits to provide our youth and young adults with economic opportunities. There are many locally based non-profit organizations dedicated to helping Oakland residents enter and re-enter the workforce and the City should partner with these organizations. I am committing to bringing city resources to

2. There is an increase in sex trafficking and teenage prostitution in Oakland. What can be done?

Where there is a will, there is a way. Teenage prostitution is increasing while everyday residents are overwhelmed by the degrading nature of it all. Sex trafficking is a classic example of a problem that cannot be fixed by the community alone or City Hall alone. It will take a combined effort, between the City and the community, with leaders from both, to implement a holistic plan to come up with long-term solutions. Specifically, I will champion this issue by organizing residents, supporting groups already involved with the issue such as merchants and non-profits like EBAYC, and bringing city resources to the affected areas between the police, neighborhood law corps, parks and rec, public schools, etc. This problem will never go away until we develop the will to make it go away for the long-term.

3. The city's retirement funds are facing severe shortfalls that will impact the budget over the next few years. What will you do to meet Oakland's pension obligations?

Oaklanders deserve a City Council member who understands budgets, bargaining agreements, and who is not afraid of seeking the truth. We must meet these obligations- they are promises already made, but as we move forward we must consider adjustments and changes in spending priorities and the adoption of policies that serve to avoid this dynamic in years to come.

The pension obligations may be met with restructuring budget priorities and shared sacrifice when city leadership and community members have transparent access to where money comes from and goes to once in the city coffers, true understanding of the current budget process, and the willingness to work together in support of a long term vision of a better Oakland and getting there together.

What meeting Oakland's pensions obligations should not include is breaking past promises arrived at via lawful negotiation, cutting city staff and department resources until the city's functions are effectively hobbled, or kicking the can of this issue down the road with the use of unfair, immoral financial tools like SWAPS, over borrowing, and unhealthy debt to income longhorn bond solutions.

As a Public University Administrator, I've managed a multi million dollar budget and had to make the tough decisions that come with managing a budget in an era of waning resources- without kicking the problem down the road.

4. How would you address the continuing high crime rate in Oakland?

Addressing the crime rate in Oakland effectively means citizens, city leadership, and police must work together. I have already done the real work of creating relationships between the police and my community.

As co-chair of Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council 17, we have a well-recognized record of bringing residents together to work to make our neighborhood safer and encourage victims and friends/families of homicide victims to come forward and work to help solve crimes. Earning trust takes commitment, dedication and compassion. Neither the community nor the OPD can do it alone, we have to work together. From holding neighborhood meetings, to organizing Peace Walks, to hosting a Thank You OPD community picnic, I have worked with community members to address specific crime problems, to connect victims with the OPD and to encourage victims to come forward. This process works.

OPD has brought charges too many perpetrators of homicides in our community. As well, avoiding the negative fiscal byproduct of laying off police officers and achieving the number of officers required to restore beat walking officers is critical to ebbing the crime rate in Oakland and contributing to a flourishing, small business driven economy.

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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: October 9, 2014 22:26
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