City Council Candidates Forum
07 October 2009
sponsored by Palo Alto Neighborhoods (PAN)

Introduction: Because of the number of candidates present (13), questions were asked of only a subset. The Red Card is a mechanism for a candidate who was not asked a question to give an answer. Candidates were told that they could use the Red Card twice, but several of the candidates over-used the card.

If you find any significant errors, please report to Doug Moran

YouTube videos: Hour 1, Hour 2

Questions:

0. Opening Statements from the candidates
1. Regarding the city budget, how can Palo Alto spend its money more efficiently? What would you encourage the City to do to increase revenues?
   • Starting time: 17:00
   • Asked of: Dykwel, Gaither, Hackmann, Klein, Weiss
   • Red cards: Holman, Price, Levens, Shepherd, Steen
2. What are the top two financial challenges facing the City and how would you address them?
   • Starting time: 31:20
   • Asked of: Holman, Levens, Scharff, Steen
   • Red cards: Weiss, Dykwel, Leong, Klein
3. There is a perception that Palo Alto has too many city employees? Do you agree or disagree and why?
   • Starting time: 40:00
   • Asked of: Gray, Leong, Price, Shepherd
   • Red cards: Klein, Hackmann
4. What two things would you do to support retail that could be implemented in a short timeframe, such as a year?
   • Starting time: 47:40
   • Asked of: Levens, Holman, Klein, Price, Dykwel
   • Begin second hour
   • Red cards: Steen (asked clarification from Dykwel), Gaither, Scharff, Hackmann
5. Should Palo Alto consider encouraging "big box" stores to locate in Palo Alto? If so, where?
   • Starting time: 5:30
   • Asked of: Hackmann, Gray, Gaither, Leong
   • Red cards for this question and miscellaneous: Gray (social justice, police-community relations, tasers), Weiss, Scharff (resist ABAG), Klein (big box & E. Meadow), Gray (on HSR)
6. What is your position on the High Speed Rail project?
   • Starting time: 16:58
   • Asked of: Klein, Shepherd, Gray, Dykwel
   • Red cards: Leong, Holman, Levens, Gaither
7. Explain the budget techniques that you have used that you think would be most helpful as a Council member dealing with the City's deficits.
   • Starting time: 26:55
   • Asked of: Steen, Scharff
   • Red cards: none
8. Regarding low incoming housing, how do you plan financial feasibility?
   • Starting time: 29:00
   • Asked of: Holman, Gaither
   • Red cards: none
9. What two City Council votes in the past two years, you have strong disagreements with, that you feel were serious mistakes?
   • Starting time: 31:35
   • Asked of: Hackmann, Price
   • Red cards: none
10. (Question was not recorded because of a tape change): As part of your experience, you have cited your role as part of PAGE in making "Civic Engagement for the Common Good" into a Council priority. The phrase "for the common good" is highly controversial. Why was including this phrase so important?
    • Starting time: 34:50
    • Asked of: Shepherd
    • Red cards: none
11. Do you feel the Police Dept needs to improve, and if so, how?
    • Starting time: 36:00
    • Asked of: Holman, Klein, Leong, Levens
    • Red cards: none
12. Do you support the closing of the Recycling Center by the Baylands?
    • Starting time: 40:15
    • Asked of: Weiss, Dykwel
    • Red cards: none
13. Stanford is proposing a massive two million square foot regional hospital that will add to gridlocked traffic, overcrowded schools and calls for more housing. Should this facility be limited in size to a site more feasible for the community?
    • Starting time: 41:20
    • Asked of: Price
    • Red cards: none
14. Recently the chair of the Library (Advisory) Commission resigned after Council rejected recommendations drafted after hundreds of hours of citizen time. This is a chronic problem. Asking for community volunteers and then dismissing their work. Will you pledge to defer to the judgment of these committees, task forces and commissions in the majority of cases. What do you say to the community volunteers who have been burned to convince them to stay involved?
    • Starting time: 43:20
    • Asked of: Scharff, Holman
    • Red cards: Shepherd, Dykwel
15. Candidate closing statements (in reverse alphabetic order)
    • Starting time: 48:20