League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Alameda County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Libby Schaaf 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?

In 2012, I voted with this rest of the City Council to adopt the Energy and Climate Action Plan (ECAP), a visionary, aggressive and comprehensive plan to reduce Oakland's contribution to global warming.

I find the ECAP provisions related to transportation and land use to be particularly promising. Not only are they areas over which the city has actual control, but the benefits of transportation and land use strategies, while very significant, are realized on a longer timeframe. We need to sow the seeds now to make these efforts bloom as soon as possible. I also feel residential energy efficiency measures, particularly for rental properties, are very important. Not only is energy efficiency our cheapest avenue to reduce emissions, but the benefit of lower energy bills can make a big difference in the lives of thousands of Oaklanders.

The number one priority, however, is ensuring that Oakland has an aggressive and active presence at the regional and state levels to take advantage of grant programs pursuant to the AB 32 cap and trade program. Oakland can be extremely competitive in many of the areas prioritized for funding, including infill development, transit and alternative transportation measures, and climate action plan implementation. Oakland will also stand to benefit from the environmental justice set-asides within cap and trade, which will allow us to target investments into East and West Oakland.

While we move forward with our efforts to reduce GHG emissions we must also become every more cognizant of the need to adapt to the likely impacts of climate change. For Oakland, as noted, a major issue is sea level rise. I look forward to working with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission to create regulations and design standards that make sense for Oakland.

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 time to believe in Oakland again.

Oakland can be safe -- protecting our people with cops in our community, lessening gun violence, building a responsive 911 system, and implementing smart community-based crime prevention.

Oakland can provide high-quality public schools, and stop the truancy epidemic. Oakland can create new jobs and a thriving economy. This is one of the most innovative and creative places on earth. We are going to open our doors to the small businesses and growing industries that will support good jobs and help our neighborhoods flourish.

Oakland government can be transparent, innovative, and efficient. We need budgets that are accessible, understandable, and accountable to the citizens. And we must start delivering the essential services such as road repair and maintenance that will ensure our community thrives.

Oakland can achieve its promise -- Oakland can, and I know Oakland will.

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

As mayor I will bring a holistic approach to public safety, including enforcement, prevention, intervention and addressing root causes. I'll work to hire more police officers so we can implement community policing and particularly hire more civilians to serve every Oakland neighborhood. We must speed up police investigations and keep police officers out in our neighborhoods while building an improved 911 system to speed up response times - so the police come when you call. By improving neighborhood policing we can reduce violence by building trust, identifying the specific needs in the neighborhood, and using proactive problem-solving to know where to step in before crime happens.Oakland won't be safe as long as our children aren't succeeding in school. I will work in partnership with the school district and county to make it an Oakland priority to increase graduation rates in city high schools with successful dropout intervention and truancy prevention strategies. And by working with Oakland businesses I know we can create job-training pathways for Oakland high school graduates to help them gain practical skills. It is essential that we aggressively pursue strategies to ensure ALL Oakland kids succeed in school -- with special focus on correcting unacceptable disparities for under-served communities.

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?

As mayor, I will continue to work for living wages - that's why I was the first elected official to support the Lift Up Oakland minimum wage increase. I intend to make "Made in Oakland" real by growing local manufacturing and providing incentives and assistance to small manufacturing enterprises that hire Oaklanders as well as encourage new startups from high tech incubators and co-work spaces to mobile food vendors and pop-up stores. We must do more to help small businesses expand by cutting red tape and streamlining city regulations and permits and start serious funding of street and pothole repair.

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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 31, 2014 13:06
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