Jan 15, 2004

District 10 candidates face off at SVMG candidates’ forum

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Gearing up for the March 2 election, District 10 candidates Nancy Pyle, Rich De La Rosa and Ronald Siporen came together on Jan. 8. It was the their first meeting since entering the political arena as contenders for the District 10 City Council seat that will be up for grabs when Pat Dando steps down due to term limits. The event was a candidate’s forum hosted by the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group (SVMG).

Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group has a long history of hosting forums for key area candidates running for elected offices, offering a pulpit for them to debate important issues facing the community, including the city's financial situation, business climate, transportation, energy, and affordable housing.

“Silicon Valley is the state's economic engine,” said SVMG CEO Carl Guardino. “We need representatives who can help tune that engine so that working families can continue to work, grow the economy, and return the state to prosperity.”

SBC’s Victor Arranaga moderated the event attended by SVMG members. “We want to help ensure that state and local candidates that want to represent the Silicon Valley have an opportunity to communicate their message,” he explained. “And to communicate it directly to the leaders and job providers of the Silicon Valley and the state economy.”

Addressing San Jose’s financial crisis, Pyle and De La Rosa listed employment as a top priority, but Siporen argued that San Jose must first get its financial house in order. “It’s one thing to point fingers at the federal and state governments about balancing their budgets,” he said. “First you have to show you can balance yours. We need to show how governments at all levels have to adjust their expenses to the current revenue streams. What I see missing is a clear vision of the future,” he added. “We need to be thinking long term. We need to lead by example.”

“Right now, we’re not the place to be and it’s unfortunate because we’re keeping industry and big business from coming in to California, let alone San Jose, and becoming the job creators that they are,” admitted De La Rosa. “We need to be sensitive to job creation in this town. I want to know what the city of San Jose can do for businesses so they will come here and grow and expand within our boundaries.”

“Without jobs, our economic climate will not change,” agreed Pyle. “We need to begin with the job corps that we currently have and find out what kind of re-training needs to take place. We need to pay particular attention to small businesses as 80-85 percent of the business in San Jose comes from small business.”

Worse than employment concerns is the potential for additional job loss if companies decide to flee San Jose for greener (cheaper) pastures. “In order to retain the jobs, you’ve got to retain the companies,” said De La Rosa. “One of the major factors right now is workman’s comp. It’s become such a political hot potato that people are willing to stall it. You cannot put all those burdens on business and expect that they would want to stay in California.”

“Reducing workman’s compensation is a must,” added Pyle. “I understand that there is legislation pending to get that down, but it’s only about a 15 percent decrease. That is not a lot, but it’s a start. We should also create a center of innovation to encourage new products and new businesses to streamline the processes and provide tax holidays for new business.”

“I don’t believe in subsidies,” argued Siporen. “Subsidies mask problems and you don’t address them the way you should. There are things that the city can do to help with the cost of doing business, like creating good transportation systems to get people where they want to live—where the real affordable housing is so they can get to work easily.”

Questions surrounding high density housing around transportation corridors led to opinions on hotly debated density issues in Almaden as well, specifically the proposed development on Almaden Road. Only 6,300 acres of San Jose’s 177.4 square miles remains developable, and decisions on how to use that land continue to create controversy.

“I completely understand the anxiety and distress of the neighbors who are opposed to any zoning change,” observed Pyle. “In this case, however, there have been many meetings, a compromise has been reached and a plan developed and approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council.”

“I am concerned about the vision,” argued Siporen. “The general plan is now being changed. This is not about whether the developer met them half way, but whether he is setting a precedent for the future of the south valley urban reserve. I don’t think it’s the people’s vision.”

“They mitigated the concerns as much could be possible and still put that project together,” declared De La Rosa. “Santa Clara Development did a great job in really trying to address their concerns. You’re going to have some people who were not going to be happy no matter what—even if they built one house per acre. In the future, you’re not going to see the City Council, regardless of who is there, approving projects with such low density.”

Another land use issue surrounds the McKean Road Sports Complex. While no one argues with the fact that Almaden desperately needs a facility to accommodate the thousands of kids in youth sports, many aren’t sure if this project is a move in the right direction.

“There are so many complexities and EIR issues with the McKean property,” said Pyle. “It makes sense to me now to find a way to restore the fields at the various SJUSD schools, which are now in deplorable, unplayable condition. Our kids have been waiting for 10 years for a solution to this problem. We owe it to them to move as quickly as possible, but with an eye toward what we will have 10 to 15 years from now.

“The fields now are in lousy shape and spread all over the district,” agreed Siporen. “This will represent a great meeting place. This is a strong community and that’s what we’re trying to build. The question here is how much expense are you going to incur to mitigate all these things and can they generate enough revenue to justify it? It’s a math problem as well.”

“It’s a shame that an area as rich as Almaden Valley is, that they do not have a facility where they can hold a soccer tournament,” scoffed De La Rosa. “In 10 years, no other site has come up. As long as we’re not causing bigger problems, we have to do everything we can to develop this facility.”

“I think our community is fortunate to have candidates who are as committed as these three who are willing to put their hats in the ring and run for public office,” stated Anthony Marek, SVMG director of communications. “We look forward to working with all of them, the one who is elected as well as the others who will continue in their public service.”

Two additional candidates’ debates will be held prior to the March 2 election:

Almaden Valley Community Association Candidates’ Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., Water District Offices, 5750 Almaden Expressway.

V.E.P. Community Association Candidates’ Forum, Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m., Gunderson High School Theater.