Stabilize families.
I spent times in the foster care homes and a reform school as a child. I understand firsthand how county government can play a helpful role in keeping families together. It is often families’ lack of stability that drives kids to negative behaviors like dropping out of school, joining gangs and becoming involved with drugs and youth violence.
As your County Supervisor, I will protect our community by working to create a more comprehensive approach that attacks the root causes of youth violence and drug abuse as well as coordinating with local police and sheriffs to crack down on violent hard core criminals.
Prepare the workforce.
Sometimes people need a “hand-up” not just a hand-out. As President of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District, I expanded partnerships with private industry, initiated model workforce training, and prepared students for high wage jobs and attending university.
As your County Supervisor, I will continue to support such efforts and work with our county social services to ensure we are preparing our residents to compete for our community’s good jobs with decent and wages and benefits.
Promote economic development with decent wages
and working conditions.
For my entire career, I have worked to help some our county’s most vulnerable residents – people who are poor, new immigrants and children better themselves. It is clear that we can neither train nor can we service-deliver people out of poverty. People need jobs.
As your County Supervisor, I will work with industry, our county staff and local cities to attract and retain jobs for the future – identifying best practices and mobilizing the resources to make San Jose a national showcase for clean and efficient energy use, green economic development and job creation, and equitable environmental opportunity. These green collar jobs will benefit our climate as well as our local economy -- paying good wages and benefits.
Government Ethics
Fundamental to ethical standards of government is the notion that residents expect public officials to make decisions with the public's interests in mind, rather than narrow self-interests or private interests. In the City of San Jose recent history, we have seen what happens when ethical questions are allowed to linger and lines are blurred so much that it is no longer possible to distinguish public comment from paid advocacy. Attempts to change this behavior were only done when the city was already in crisis.
As your County Supervisor, I will push for stronger ethics laws that provide true transparency to county government. John F. Kennedy once said "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." While Santa Clara County has its problems, it’s time we fixed the problem before it gets out of hand.
