League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA April 7, 2015 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Council Member; City of San Jose; Council District 4

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Experience, Budget, Concerns, Balancing interests, Campaign financing Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council? Answer from Lan Diep: I am a first-time candidate and have no previous experience working in city government. However, my experience as a public interest attorney licensed in California, Mississippi, Texas, and the District of Columbia has afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with various agencies at the state and federal level on behalf of low-income individuals. I understand bureaucracy, budgetary process, and how bad law-making can have unintended consequences. Additionally, I have years of experience helping individuals understand their rights and achieve their goals. Providing direct services is something I'm adept to doing. Constituent outreach and engagement would be as high a priority for me as policymaking. Answer from Tim Orozco: As a community college instructor for 10 years, I developed a strong commitment to education and taught the value of public service. Currently as a legislative aide for a state lawmaker, I've gained a solid grasp of the issues facing our area and the necessary experience to ensure effective representation for Berryessa, North San Jose and Alviso. In this role, I have worked to provide quality constituent service to the community in need. I wish to continue this commitment to public service if elected to the City Council. Answer from Manh Nguyen: I have a broad diversity of experience, from a law education to three decades as a small business owner and media professional. Having built my own business as a newspaper publisher and radio and TV producer, I understand what it takes to encourage job growth. As a journalist, I am familiar with the issues facing San Jose and the community figures involved in those issues. I am not a political insider, but I understand the way our city government operates. I also understand the needs of District 4, thanks to my deep roots in the community. I raised my three children here, and they all went to public schools in the district. Answer from Johnny Lee: I've attended over 70 city council meetings, and over 100 committee meetings. I am able to bring new ideas and technology to make our government work more efficiently. Answer from Alex Coto Torres: I bring over 25 years of community, government, public policy development and involvement with the City of San Jose, local businesses and community organizations. Within that time frame, (please see attached Bio) I have served on numerous non-profit boards and committees within the City. During this time, I have created and advocated for policies that have impacted the current and future of San Jose and District 4 specifically in the areas of economic development, housing, transportation, social and economic justice and investments in our communities. I have helped direct corporate spending to local community organizations while expressing the needs of these organizations to corporations in Silicon Valley who can play a role in building a stronger and healthier San Jose for all residents and families regardless of income and education level. Overall, my in-depth experience and expertise in these areas are what distinguishes and uniquely qualifies me to represent District 4. For over 25 years, I have worked with past Mayors and City Council members from Susan Hammer to our current Mayor and council members, community leaders and numerous non-profits in helping them address issues and needs of our community that often are ignored and or not front and center in the daily political dialogue. Additionally, as a long-time (13 years) resident of District 4 and having raised my two boys as a single father, I have first-hand knowledge of the social, economic and educational needs of District 4. Overall, because of my deep rooted relationships with business, elected officials, community leaders and grass roots organizations I have developed a proven track record of over 20 years working with all of the diverse communities in San Jose. I am uniquely qualified to lead and to get things done that will benefit District 4 and the City of San Jose. Answer from Khoa Nguyen: My experience in government is primarily through my work as a current governing board member with our local school district, where I have spent years providing governance for the education of over 8,000 local students and for an annual budget of approximately $65,000,000. In addition, I also currently provide direction for labor negotiations with three different bargaining groups comprising of hundreds of public employees. 2. San Jose budget difficulties have resulted in unprecedented cuts to staff and services. How will you deal with coming shortfalls? Restoring some of the City services? And, if you think the City needs additional resources, what are your ideas for increasing revenues? Answer from Manh Nguyen: In annual surveys, the taxpaying residents of San Jose are asked to rank their priorities for city services. In the event that cuts need to be made, these recommendations should be followed. Beyond expanding our tax base, I am a proponent of finding new ways to deliver services more efficiently. A few cost effective ideas include the use of predictive analytics to deploy police officers more efficiently as well as ending the practice of deploying fire trucks to all medical emergencies, and instead deploy two-person SUV's to increase emergency medical response times. As a councilmember, I will be committed to these and other reforms. Common sense and fiscal prudence is valuable both in times of scarcity and in times of comfortable revenues. Answer from Alex Coto Torres: I will work with my colleagues and SJ Government to implement strong fiscal management practices of our City's resources. These fiscal policies will positively affect our social infrastructure, public safety, environmental impact, economic equality and controlled development that affects the overall quality of life of our residents. Together, along with the residents of District 4, I will make sure that we implement fair, equitable and socially responsible policies that will allow the continued economic growth without compromising the quality of life of our residents. Having said that, this can only be accomplished by managing our City resources so that these services can be adequately restored. Answer from Tim Orozco: It is my firm belief that core services such as Police and Fire, should not be jeopardized in the event of a budgetary crisis. It is absolutely necessary to provide these services for any city, regardless of budgetary constraints. All other departments are subject to review of required services to temporarily maintain a lean, but healthy quality of life that also provides the optimum level of service to the City's citizens. Answer from Khoa Nguyen: The city budget comprises mainly of employee costs, so I would deal with the shortfalls by collaborating with labor groups and bargaining in good faith to come to an agreement that would allow the city to restore some city services. I can accomplish this by creating an employee friendly environment as I have already done so for over six years with employees of our local school district. Answer from Lan Diep: As the capitol of the Silicon Valley, San José must strive to be a leader in innovation and a place where new technologies are applied to better the lives of residents. At a bare minimum, citizens of San José should be able to rely on the services that the City has chosen to provide and the standard of living it has set. In recent years, this has not been the case. The Great Recession of 2008 brought the American economy to the brink of collapse. It revealed that federal, state, and municipal governments + San José included + had for years been operating beyond its means. As the Great Recession hit, San José's finances began to unravel under the weight of its unfunded liabilities and the City was forced to tighten its belt, to the detriment of residents and City employees. Library hours were reduced, much-needed infrastructure improvements were postponed, and funding for after-school programs evaporated. After some tough decisions and contentious reforms, San José has recently begun to right its finances. But San José still has a long way to go before it can once again provide the full range of services it once did for residents. Moving forward, the City should endeavor to restore basic services and beyond that, fund projects and programs that reflect our values as a city. The decision to fund such programs and services should be seen as a commitment to residents to improve their quality of life. As stewards of the public's money, the City Council should make every effort to ensure that money is spent wisely and cost-effectively. Annual budgets should be reviewed with a fine-tooth comb, and each proposed expense should be justified yearly, rather than automatically approved because it was previously funded. In this way, ineffective programs are weeded out and money is freed up to fund more deserving expenses. The City of San José should be able to pass on to future generations a strong foundation upon which they can build their own success. We cannot kick the can down the road and burden our children with debts and unfunded liabilities. To ensure that San José is a strong city now and in the future, I will work with the Council to implement policies that create a fiscally sustainable city. Answer from Johnny Lee: We have to allow for adequate business and residential growth in our town. This will generate added revenue to the city budget. 3. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them? Answer from Manh Nguyen: First, we must improve the economy by helping small businesses and cutting red tape. When the business community thrives, we will have more high-paying jobs for our residents as well as a greater tax base to restore city services. We need to work on restaffing our police department, creating more affordable housing options, and improving our infrastructure. These priorities are issues that need to be solved in a fiscally responsible manner. Answer from Alex Coto Torres: 1. Fiscal Responsibility and more responsible city government that is held accountable to needs of our local community. Streamlining opportunities should be explored that would increase efficiency within internal operations and how the city does business externally to save money and more effectively meet the needs of residents. Overall, to me it is important to have a more efficient and fiscally responsible the City government that can focus on such issues public safety and economic development that benefits existing residents and businesses. 2. Housing/Affordable Housing: we need to develop more market rate housing and affordable housing in order to keep Silicon Valley thriving. This growth however, must be tempered with "smart growth" that takes the environment into consideration and provides the infrastructure necessary to support the growth in housing and improves the overall quality of life. 3. Public Safety: San Jose was once the safest city in America. I want to return San Jose to that level again. It not only improves home values, it brings businesses to San Jose, creates jobs, increases tax revenues and improves the overall quality of life for our families and neighborhoods. Answer from Tim Orozco: Creating Jobs and Putting Neighborhood Businesses First The true strength of our economy is in the small businesses that serve our local neighborhoods. Our goal is to ensure that businesses have a healthy partner in City Government, and that the process to maintain or start a business in the neighborhood is made with the ease. Restoring City Services and Repairing our Streets and Roads: Our youth deserve libraries that are open and accessible, our seniors deserve community centers that provide for their needs and all of our neighbors deserve well-maintained roads and viable solutions to reduce traffic. With BART coming to District 4 in Berryessa, there is a tremendous opportunity for smart growth - a mix of residential and commercial development - and the creation of an urban village setting which meets one of the strategies of our General Plan. However, we must be thoughtful of the approach we take and consider the traffic and safety implications that come with such a multi-faceted project. Homelessness/Affordable Housing: Although the San Jose/Santa Clara County Region contains one of the highest concentration of millionaires in the country it still remains in the top 10 list of metropolitan areas with the highest population of homeless individuals. According to the 2013 Homeless Census and Survey, an estimated 12,000 individuals experienced one period of homelessness during the year, and 4,770 were identified as chronically homeless. Additionally, individuals are finding it more and more difficult to afford to live and raise a family in the "Capital of Silicon Valley". Parallel to creating regional partnerships and keeping an open door policy, easing standards to create second units, investing more in the affordable housing funds, increasing overall housing supply, softening land use rules, and promoting inclusionary zoning are some tactics I would support if elected to City Council. Restoring Faith in City Government The fractious environment at City Hall and the negative political dialogue has caused many to lose confidence in their City Government. I am interested in restoring that lack of confidence by actively engaging as many community stakeholders as possible and inviting them to the decision making table. Each election brings new personalities and I am hopeful that with this new council we'll see a new direction -- one where cooperative and collaborative approaches are taken to come up with real solutions. I will work to bring people together to make sure that the City is run efficiently and that the optimum level of services are being delivered to our residents. Answer from Lan Diep: Public Safety Pension reform is a necessary measure, but it has caused problems for San Jose to recruit and retain new police officers. We must take measures to increase officer pay to make working in San Jose as a police officer competitive relative to other cities that have not yet undergone pension reform. In the short run, we must invest more in the Community Service Officer program to help increase response times and make residents feel that their needs are being addressed. Smart Growth and Development The City should prioritize projects that will have an immediate positive impact for current residents, such as the creation of mass transit sites, public parks, and grocery stores. These projects give residents something they can enjoy as soon as construction is completed. The City can attract future development by investing in public infrastructure projects + repaving and widening roads, improving our sewage system, upgrading our electrical grid, expanding public transit and laying the groundwork for San José to have the capacity for superfast internet such as Google Fiber. Done correctly, smart development will pave the way for an improved quality of life and spark more commerce. Fiscal Sustainability The City of San José should not spend beyond its means. In the present economic climate, this will mean making tough decisions regarding the budget. But through outsourcing, private-public partnerships, and reexamining how present services are provided, San Jose may find innovative ways to keep this city moving forward while the Council works to increase overall revenue. What is clear is that we cannot kick the can down the road to future generations, leaving them to make the tough decisions we should be making today. Answer from Khoa Nguyen: I believe concerns of particular importance to the city are education, public safety, and being fiscally responsible. I can address these concerns by advocating for quality schools and public safety by building upon my existing relationships that I currently have with our local school district and with our police department through my roles as both a school board member and as a police officer. I can also promote being fiscally responsible with tax dollars as I have many years of experience in managing multi-million dollar budgets. Answer from Johnny Lee: Public Safety and Growth are the two biggest issues in the city. 4. How would you balance the needs of the City as a whole while also addressing needs of your district as well as those of special groups? Answer from Alex Coto Torres: As a long time resident of District 4 and with career spanning over 25 years in San Jose, I understand the needs of District 4 and San Jose very well. Within that time, I have successfully built collaborative coalitions with government entities, community leaders, elected officials, businesses large and small. Also, during that 25 years, I have positively impacted the City of San Jose and District 4 via my volunteer work on local community boards such as Center for Education & Training Corporate Advisory Board, Small Business Development Advisory Board, and the Foreclosure Prevention Task Force. This combination of leadership, exceptional track record and experience has prepared me to build coalitions that will effectively address the needs of District 4 and San Jose/Alviso. Answer from Johnny Lee: I ignore the special groups and represent the people. Answer from Khoa Nguyen: As an experienced trustee with our local school district, I have been able to build consensus and come to an agreement both across the board and with different groups that have different priorities; therefore, I believe that as a city council member, I can continue to balance the needs of the city as a whole while also addressing the needs of my district as I have been able to successfully do this for over six years now. Answer from Lan Diep: The responsibility of the City Council is to establish and maintain a safe, prosperous, and accessible city. The role of any councilmember is to actively participate in this process, while also representing the interest and desires of his or her district while the Council makes its policy decisions. While it is my firm belief that policies that benefit the City benefit all of its residents in the long run, there will be occasions where the desires of the district and the City as a whole are in conflict. On these occasions the equities must be balanced. It is true that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, but our city leaders must find ways to balance the equities and achieve the goals of the City while doing the least amount of harm to any individual, group, or district. I will engage the District 4 residents to keep them informed about what the City intends to do, so that their voice may be heard and their opinions known before the Council votes on matters that directly impact District 4. Answer from Manh Nguyen: While District 4 will likely receive much of the attention in coming years with regards to economic development, I will work with my fellow councilmembers to better understand the specific needs of their districts and find areas where we can collaborate to ensure that no community in our city gets left behind. 5. How much money do you expect to raise/spend on your race, and how will you assure voters that financial contributions will not affect your decisions/positions should you be elected? Answer from Johnny Lee: I expect to raise $20,000 and no financial contribution will ever affect my decision and position. Answer from Khoa Nguyen: I am proud to announce that I am an independent candidate, as financial contributions will not affect my decisions because I have not accepted any money from any special interest groups. In addition, I am also proud to announce that I have been in office for over six years now as an elected trustee with our local school district, where I have also never accepted or spent any financial contributions from special interest groups. Answer from Lan Diep: I have agreed to be bound by the voluntary expense limits in this campaign set by the City. Thus, my campaign will not spend more than this limit, which is currently set at approximately $140k. In regards to the source of my financial contributions, this is publically available information, and I will be held accountable to the public for the appearance of favoritism. The majority of my direct fundraising has come from friends, family, and colleagues throughout my life however, rather than special interests, and the limit of $500 that may be contributed per person or entity ensures that the influence any individual or group might have is minimal, at best. Answer from Alex Coto Torres: During the special election I expect to raise at least 20K which includes 5K personal funds. Overall, I plan to raise as much as is allowed under the campaign cap and will abide by all campaign fund raising laws to accomplish such. I've not sought out or received any endorsement/contributions from special interest groups. All contributions received are from community leaders, neighbors, family and friends. Also, I'm not beholden to any social, political and business interest on the political spectrum - as I have been throughout my career, I am an independent thinker and will continue to be one if elected to office and in order to best represent the interest of my neighbors in District 4. Also, I am a life long democrat and strongly believe that candidates are influenced too much by special interest groups. As such, I offer a new type of leadership and experience that will do what is right for the greater good for San Jose and District for and not just for a particular group. Answer from Manh Nguyen: It is critical to communicate with my neighbors throughout District 4, and campaign contributions help me directly express my goals as a councilmember. At this point, I have had hundreds of supporters donate to my campaign in amounts varying from $5-$500. I am an independent thinker, who will always vote my conscience. I pride myself on the virtues of honesty and integrity. I do not generally like campaign promises, but I can assure the voters that my work as a representative of the people WILL NOT be influenced by campaign donors or special interests. Anyone who is interested in reviewing my campaign finances can find our latest fundraising report on the City Clerk's website: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=451 Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.