The questions were prepared by the the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and asked of all candidates for this office.

See below for questions on Finances, Priorities, Diversity

Click on a name for other candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.

Answer from Victor Frost:

We must have an employment development program that works and can offer day labor for residents, both housed and homeless, so they can put money on the kitchen table at the end of the day for the wife and kids, and also to pay property taxes and the mortgage. (I lost my Eichler home and my wife.) Jobs, work is our issue now!

Answer from Karen Holman:

I support our designated neighborhood centers as they provide critical local services to Palo Altans, increasing our ability to retain sales tax dollars locally and to lessen the need for lengthy car trips. We are losing dollars to surrounding communities because we do not have local, diverse shopping opportunities here.

To be more successful in attracting new business, Palo Alto needs to improve its occupancy, remodeling, and event permit application process that now can take months longer than in other cities. I recommend an ombudsman be used to expedite the process for applicants and to identify permanent improvements.

I support increasing our hotel transit occupancy tax (TOT) to parity with other communities and a business registry that would facilitate the ability to identify complementary businesses, enhancing our shopping districts.

Answer from Yoriko Kishimoto:

My top priority is to help Palo Alto meet its future challenges without sacrificing our environmental and community values.

On the Finance Committee, I have introduced new ways to deliver city services while reducing staffing to 1998 levels by focusing on productivity, innovation, accountability, and community partnerships. For example, in the libraries, I encouraged a self-service system and stronger partnerships with non-profits and volunteers.

On the revenue side, I am working with the California Avenue business district to attract a strong mix of businesses and improve the pedestrian environment. I believe in strategic initiatives such as Fiber-to-the-Home. Finally, I support tax reform initiatives to reduce our dependence on sales tax and have a broader, smaller tax more reflective of our new economy.

Answer from John Barton:

Palo Alto is rightly proud of its broad range of services. If we wish to continue these services we must be more protective of our tax base and more proactive in growing that base. In the current market where housing values are, for the first time ever, trumping commercial values we must protect existing and potential retail areas from converting to just housing. Further we must become much more nimble in attracting business and keeping business in Palo Alto. As Chamber of Commerce Chair I worked with the City to create a nascent "Red Team" which will do just this. However it will take much more work and vision to achieve its potential for the community.

Answer from Larry Klein:

Reduce expenses--

-Reduce the number of managers the City has. A Clinton administration study recommends a ratio of government employees to a manager of 15 to 1. Palo Alto's ratio is at best 7 to 1.

- Employee benefits (retirement and medical insurance) for non-public safety employees are much higher than in the private sector. Through harder bargaining with the union, these expenses have to be contained.

--Eliminate the City's public relations staff. For over 100 years Palo Alto managed without a PR program. Only in recent years has the City established such a program. It's unnecessary.

Increase Revenues--

-Increase the hotel tax from 10 % to 12% which is what, at minimum, all of our neighboring jurisdictions charge.

-Greater efforts to persuade companies to designate Palo Alto as sales tax situs for business to business transactions.

- Creative solutions to retain auto dealerships in town.

Answer from Jack Morton:

With due regard for our existing revenue stream and carefull oversight of expenditures, Palo Alto should hopefully be able to minimize the effects of the down turn. As Chair/Member of the Finance Committee, I have approved four balanced budgets that preserved community services and reduced staffing levels back to those of 1999. Attention will still have to be paid to reducing expenditures and we residents will have to begin showing businesses that we welcome their presence and appreciate their contributions to our community.

Answer from Roger V. Smith:

Palo Alto faces a new fiscal reality that impacts our region and beyond. I will apply my decades of professional experience, working with large and small businesses, to meet the budgetary challenges ahead. We must improve both sides of our balance sheet, controlling expenses through streamlining, public-private partnerships, and other creative solutions. More efficient use of our financial and human resources will ensure high levels of service to our citizens. Looking at revenue, we must address the needs of our existing current retail merchants and encourage new commence, while preserving our neighborhoods and the quality of life that we cherish.

Answer from Harold "Skip" Justman:

We do not need to cut the services which we cherish or defer maintenance of our infrastructure. If we form public-nonprofit service partnerships, the City revenues are sufficient to maintain our quality of life. We can create a sustainable budget. We owe it to our children.

Answer from Peter Drekmeier:

Palo Alto needs to aggressively court retail businesses. I favor recruitment of retail over office to increase sales tax revenues. I support an increase in transient occupancy tax (hotel tax). Incentives for energy efficiency will increase business profits in the long-run. Palo Alto should also pursue businesses with minimal traffic impacts (e.g. business-to-business transactions), and encourage point-of-sale in Palo Alto. Placing complimentary retailers near one another will reduce traffic and create more vibrant retail centers.

Answer from John Barton:

Palo Alto's strength comes from its neighborhoods, its businesses and business districts, its realtionship with Stanford and its commitment to education, and public education in particular. We lose something in our community when we assume that any of these areas is more or less important than the others. It is the unique mix of all that creates the special character in Palo Alto. Thus my decision making will be based on what is best for the community as a whole. In the course of making a decision the value of the arguments, rather than the source of the arguments, will be the defining factor.

Answer from Roger V. Smith:

My goal is for a balanced community with adequate housing and jobs, and a vibrant retail sector to serve Palo Alto residents and employees who work here. New development must be carefully considered to ensure that it does not unduly burden our City infrastructure, schools and community services - or strain our budget beyond its limits. I will listen carefully to all stakeholders when making decisions that affect our community and its neighborhoods. Sensible land-use planning, sensitive consideration of environmental impacts, and moderate growth will ensure that the interests and concerns of our residents and businesses are met.

Answer from Jack Morton:

The character of Palo Alto depends on the richness of our neighborhoods. For the most part, neigborhood issues like traffic and preservation of services are City wide issues. Occassionally, a solution like the initial traffic calming measures for Downtown North do not jibe with the needs of even all the residents of that neighborhood. Then we need to take a step back and find common ground for the common good. I was pleased to provide an alternative solution which removed some of the barriers but still accomplished the goal of reducing cut through traffic. That solution has an 85% acceptance rate. Issues like the departure of Hyatt and Albertsons required that the City become a more active participant in finding common ground sooner. No one wins by the loss of millions of dollars in needed tax revenue.

Answer from Victor Frost:

Big question. In this issue we get into constitutional law and residents' constitutional rights. Already there has been too much money spent on this issue -- city vs. people. Where is the line? I feel it is the property line. Palo Alto's new disaster relief plan can be integrated with a shelter to serve the needs of everyone along with the homeless, and provide storage as well.

Answer from Karen Holman:

Balancing neighborhood concerns with the broader needs of Palo Alto is addressed in the City's visionary document, the Comprehensive Plan. It considers compatibility of uses, transition in scale of development, and environmental impacts. These are requisite for the City to enforce. Some recent project proposals that have generated neighborhood opposition and that have failed have also been inconsistent with our Plan. My basis for balancing the needs of neighborhood and community at large are based on consistency with our Comprehensive Plan, our zoning rules and environmental impacts that also govern development.

Answer from Larry Klein:

The broader needs of the community must always be paramount but the concerns of the neighborhoods most affected by a project or issue should be given careful consideration and greater weight than those of other areas.

Answer from Peter Drekmeier:

Palo Alto needs more affordable housing, yet neighborhoods have valid concerns regarding impacts on traffic, schools and other public facilities. I support infill housing, optimally distributed city-wide to not place undue burden on one neighborhood and located near public transport and jobs. I also encourage dedicated parkland as part of large housing projects - such as at the former Palo Alto Medical Center. The impact fees required of new developments should keep up with inflation to reflect true costs of adding new parks and community facilities. Mixed-use development with a retail plaza on the ground floor and affordable housing above will increase available housing while keeping residents close to shopping areas. It is critical that each neighborhood have walkable basic services (e.g. grocery). Market cost housing should not replace our valuable retail areas. We need to maintain our infrastructure and public services (parks, libraries, and community centers) yet balance our budget. Major budget funding should come from the city, but creative use of volunteers and public/private sector collaboration can help augment available funds, satisfy neighborhood needs, and balance spending.

Answer from Yoriko Kishimoto:

We need to listen to neighborhood concerns but always in the context of a broad Palo Alto vision. I combine my background of neighborhood and environmental activism with my leadership at the city and regional level. As Chair of the VTA Policy Advisory Committee, I encourage neighborhood leaders to educate themselves on city and regional issues so they can speak as informed voices.

Answer from Harold "Skip" Justman:

Palo Alto needs to support our train transit system. HIgh speed trains have increased ridership. High speed trains make twice the revenues of existing trains. High speed trains enable people to work in Palo Alto without driving to Palo Alto.

Answer from Jack Morton:

The key to socio-economic diversity is affordable housing.Palo Alto has an admirable record of creating affordable housing. We established our own Housing Corporation which has just now completed the Oak Court development in what has turned out to be the area of town. All PAHC projects are integrated into the community and enable individuals whose income levels might otherwise limit their housing choices to fully participate in our community. I was pleased to vote for Oak Court and for the Housing Element which the Council submitted to the state and which the state approved. In that report, the City identifies areas in the City which might provide sites for other successful projects. The problem for Palo Alto as elsewhere in the mid-peninsula is that land is prohibitive and projects are expensive to build. In spite of that, we have been able to do ourselves proud. With the opening of the Opportunity Center next spring, Palo Alto will have provided a facility to help the most destitute in our society.

Answer from John Barton:

This goal is very important to me. As a result I am an advocate for affordable housing. I am a founding member of the Community Working Group which is buidling the Opportunity Center on Encina Street. This facility will include services for the homeless in our community as well as 89 units of affordable housing. As a council member I will work hard to create additonal affordable housing. Specifically I would make the city a real leader in this area by helping to assemble parcels, work for transfers of development rights, and participate actively in state and federal funding applications.

Answer from Victor Frost:

Again, this is a question of constitutionality and equal rights. Palo Alto, California, and the United States are becoming a melting pot. Some can't accept this, but it is happening. What steps? It's on its own way.

Answer from Larry Klein:

I support socio-economic diversity in Palo Alto. I'm proud that our area is probably the most democratic in the world. Our ability to increase economic diversity is limited by the seemingly insatiable demand for Palo Alto housing and the resulting high prices. However, we can do more to bring diverse groups in to the life of our community. In particular, I intend to reach out to our large but under-represented Asian-American community to increase their numbers on our boards and commissions.

To the extent that we have available and appropriate land, I also support the development of affordable housing.

Answer from Roger V. Smith:

I will work to support low-cost housing in our community to preserve socio-economic diversity across Palo Alto. Mindful that even Below-Market-Rate housing is often beyond the reach of some, I will seek new opportunities for subsidized housing to address those needs. Housing built long ago, as a low cost base, can at times be more affordable than new units built in today's heated housing market. A balance of existing and new below-market-rate housing stock, affordable to the widest range of our employees, will protect the socio-economic divesity that is critical to our vibrant community.

Answer from Peter Drekmeier:

Socio-economic diversity creates a vibrant city and allows people of varied backgrounds to work together and enrich our community. To increase diversity, it is critical to have affordable housing. To minimize impact on the surrounding community, housing should be located near public transportation, jobs, and services. I support reduced rates to low income families for utilities or recreation programs. Locally-owned businesses keep money in the community and are better able to serve community needs. People of all income levels living and working together in one community results in less commuting, less traffic and greater quality of life.

Answer from Harold "Skip" Justman:

Palo Alto needs to restructure its affordable housing program. We need to leverage our housing assets by reacquiring and selling BMR ownership units in order to own and manage affordable rental housing. Affordable rental housing does more to retain socio-economic diversity than BMR ownership units.

Answer from Yoriko Kishimoto:

Retaining socio-economic diversity in Palo Alto is one of my top priorities. We have a good mix of renters and owners, people of all races, a mix of single-family homes, apartments, single people and families. I was proud to become the first Asian elected to the city council. Retaining diversity takes constant vigilance. I support below-market and rental housing, our housing impact fee on new commercial development, our partnerships with housing corporations, and a zoning code and comprehensive plan which provides diverse housing types and sizes. I would also like to increase the diversity on our commissions and boards to make sure our changing demographics are reflected in policies and resource allocation.

Answer from Karen Holman:

Healthy economies and social acceptance are dependent upon a diverse population. As a member of the Planning & Transportation Commission, I have supported the retention of small-unit cottage courts and opposed second floors on substandard lots. While I appreciate the needs of growing families, I believe the larger community need is the smaller, more affordable housing units.

I've proposed affordable housing overlays in appropriate locations, to eliminate the need for lengthy, expensive processes to create appropriate exceptions for such housing.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.