The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on , ,

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Answer from Diane H. Rolfe:

Since retiring in 2001 I have been fully engaged in working for the Democratic Party and increasing the number of Democratic voters. In 2003 I was asked to lead the Democratic Party Voter Registration effort for North Santa Clara County by becoming the North County Voter Registration Chair. I have been involved registering voters every year since 2000. In 2004 alone, I worked with our hard-working volunteers to register 7,000 voters for the 2004 Presidential Election: At community fairs and festivals, farmers' markets, schools, and other public sites. My job has been to recruit volunteers, organize each event, train party activists on how to do voter registration, and keep track of all voter registration forms collected and related materials.

In addition, I have worked to expand the outreach of the Democratic Party by educating the public on issues facing our state and nation: Health care, education, civil rights, the environment, and ending the war in Iraq have all been major areas of interest.
Related to that has been my work to build a Progressive Community that includes not only Democrats, but environmentalists, health care reform advocates and those interested in voter integrity, funding our schools, and the public financing of elections.

Answer from William J. "Bill" James:

Our county party and affiliated clubs do a pretty good job of giving people the opportunity to register as Democrats, for example by organizing Democratic Party tables at local festivals and other events. That is both a service to voters who are new to the state/county or have moved and an important part of our outreach efforts. What we need to do a better job at, I think, is convincing young people and "independents" to register as Democrats, rather than as members of third parties or, more commonly, indicating that they "decline to state" a party affiliation. Many young people are used to getting information themselves, via the Internet, and feel they don't need the party to tell them who to vote for. Also, many find appealing the idea of being an "independent" thinker, which of course those of us who are in the Party know is not at all inconsistent with being a member of our Party. The large and growing number of "Decline to State" voters makes it very difficult for Democratic candidates to target their outreach efforts at the right voters, since they have no way of knowing which of the many "Decline to State" voters may be receptive to their message and progressive values. We need to bring the progressives among these "independent" voters into the party fold. We need their energy, perspective, and ideas, as well as their participation as voters, volunteers, and donors. We need to make it cool once again to be in a party, our Party, and to demonstrate the power of acting together as a party. One way to do that is to flex our power at the local level, by getting our local leaders to solve problems faced by our communities and then making sure we take credit for getting things done.

Answer from Jim Thurber:

Conduct year-around voter registration drives with particular emphasis on new citizens, high school graduates, and community groups.

Answer from Carolyn L. Curtis:

I've been registering voters for the past 35 years, most intensively since 2003 when the Dean campaign registered 1000-2000 in Santa Clara County. The county party put me in charge of voter registration, & I personally registered voters virtually every weekend May-Nov 2004-6, plus I organized and trained other volunteers for this. Last year the state party appointed me co-lead of the Voter Registration subcommittee of the Voter Services committee, which I served on starting 2005; I edited & wrote large parts of a Best Practices, given out to county parties & chartered organizations statewide. It's a living document, constantly updated & improved.

Answer from Carolyn L. Curtis:

What I've been doing since 1968: get in there & work. I cut my teeth as an organizer in a congressional campaign in the northwest corner of the state in 1979-80, & have been on the county committee when I lived in Napa (1970s) & in San Mateo counties (1980s), where I participated in the campaigns those committees concentrated on. In 2003 I put aside work for a year & gave full-time energy to the Dean campaign in this county, leading meetings, recruiting & training volunteers for voter reg & precincting, giving fundraisers. Since 2004 I've been deeply involved in the county party, especially, designing and executing the precincting effort in 2004, 2005, 2006. The 2004 effort was instrumental in getting Ira Ruskin elected to the Assembly. I've also participated in fundraising for the county party, e.g. working the past 2 years on the annual fundraising dinner, plus getting a monthly donation program off the ground. I was an early (April 2004) supporter of Jerry McNerney, knocking on doors for him & holding fundraisers with other members of the Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley. I've also given or helped with fundraisers for Charlie Brown, Ira Ruskin, Debra Bowen, John Kerry, Barack Obama. I'm particularly proud that our club is an activist club, in the tradition of Democracy for America. We knock on doors, we phone, we write letters, we raise funds.

Answer from William J. "Bill" James:

Campaigns need volunteers, money, and exposure. I volunteer every campaign cycle to walk precincts and/or phone bank on behalf of Democrats running for office. I've hosted a fundraiser at my home, knocked on countless doors, attended campaign rallies, staffed campaign offices, and donated to numerous Democratic candidates over the years. My favorite activity by far is precinct walking. Knocking on doors and talking one-on-one with voters about what they feel is important and why the Democratic candidate I am supporting is the best person to address those needs. I've also worked to ensure that our Party provides support to strong, progressive candidates running for local non-partisan offices. These local leaders make critical decisions about how limited local government resources will be used, and I want those decisions to be made by good Democrats who share our progressive values. Our county Democratic Central Committee endorses Democrats running in local races and provides them with the use of our Party headquarters. As a former Democratic Party endorsed candidate for the El Camino Hospital Board, I found this support to be indispensable to my ability to conduct an effective campaign.

Answer from Diane H. Rolfe:

Since I was in college I have participated and organized voter registration events, walked precincts, held receptions and fundraisers for candidates from city council members to Presidential candidates. The only way to elect Democrats is to get out and work. For example, the voter registration work in 2004 was critical to the challenging campaign that elected Ira Ruskin to the California State Assesmbly. That particular campaign was a excellent example of the importance of grassroots activism. That is the key to growing the Democratic Party and electing its candidates.

Answer from Jim Thurber:

Donate and raise funds for the candidates campaign, telephone and ID prospective voters, conduct door-to-door canvassing for candidate and his/her staff, set-up and operate a locl headquarters.

Answer from Carolyn L. Curtis:

No other party comes close to standing for what I believe in. The Democrats are the people who brought us Social Security, Medicare, and so many other programs that actually improve people's lives. I'm especially proud of it now that Howard Dean has opened the national party to the grassroots: 50-state strategy, Democracy Bonds, more.

Answer from Diane H. Rolfe:

When I was only 15 I met John F. Kennedy, then a young Senator who was running for President. His idealism and the values of social justice that he embraced clarified for me that I was a Democrat. Since that time I have been an activist in the Democratic Party. Building community and caring about our fellow Americans are important ideals that are fundamental to being a Democrat. Those values are expressed in Social Security, the GI Bill of Rights, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Medicare. To strengthen those values, I have served the Democratic Party by being an officer or Executive Board Member in numerous Democratic Clubs and organizations.

Answer from William J. "Bill" James:

My family has been in the Democratic Party fold for generations. My earliest political memory is of my grandmother, who worked for Chrysler before she retired, asking me to help her complete her absentee ballot by putting an "X" by the name of each of the candidates listed in a slate mailer that encouraged UAW members to support the Democratic candidates endorsed by the union. The first campaign I worked on was Jimmy Carter's 1976 campaign for the White House, when I was in sixth grade. My personal and family tradition is reinforced by my ongoing conviction that only our Democratic Party represents the best of what our Nation is and can be, and will be if we continue to fight for policies that are fair to all, lift up those who've started out and/or fallen behind, and protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us.

Answer from Jim Thurber:

I first joined the Democratic Party before I was old enough to vote and have voted Democratic my entire life. I believe in the same ideals that empower the Democratic Party and oppose a majority of the goals of the Republicans.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.