Feb 26, 2004

OPINION

The Almaden Times Weekly supports Rich De La Rosa for City Council

The Almaden and Blossom Valley communities have been privileged for nearly a decade, as they have been served by one of the best City Council representatives in recent memory, Pat Dando. As her tenure on the council draws to a close, residents are hard pressed to find a successor of equal stature.

Rich De La Rosa is a small business owner who fought city hall and won. His tenacious nature, along with Pat Dando and Chuck Reed's support, was crucial in the fight to save the merchants of the Tropicana Shopping Center from falling into the Redevelopment Agency's hands in their effort to take the center by eminent domain. His qualifications, along with Pat Dando's endorsement, as well as those of other prominent members of the community will go a long way in continuing the exemplary representation of District 10 at City Hall.

As traffic continues to remain a hot bed issue in our community, De La Rosa's strong transportation plan seeks to bring experts together with neighborhood associations and Neighborhoods First! to reduce congestion and forge real solutions to the mounting problem on our streets and highways. Additionally, he vows to strive to complete the Guadalupe Creek Trail and protect valuable open space along the Santa Teresa foothills.

His goal is simple—to bring common-sense politics back to City Hall—and like Dando, he's not afraid to take an independent stand in speaking out when a project isn't right—or fighting for one that is. “He'll be a strong voice for our neighborhoods,” said Dando.

De La Rosa is a ‘roll-up-your-sleeves' kind of guy who has attended every forum and community meeting during the months leading up to this election—all in an effort to listen to the concerns of the residents and learn more about the issues that affect our community.

This region is fortunate compared with others in San Jose, because we have strong contenders for our district seat. Nancy Pyle, De La Rosa's strongest competitor, is an accomplished teacher and administrator for the Evergreen College District as well as a board member of the Almaden Valley Community Association. She has lived in this area for 25 years, and has formed thoughtful opinions on matters of interest to the area, sometimes going against the grain of the majority such as in the case of the AYA sports fields' complex. However, we feel that De La Rosa has more of the attributes of a strong community leader and is therefore the better candidate to continue Dando's vision.

Ron Siporen, actively involved as the director of his son's private school, is a banker and small business owner with unquestionable financial qualifications, but he doesn't yet have the experience necessary for a position that carries this much power. Depending on his involvement with the community, he may very well become a serious contender for the seat in the future.

William Garbett, a retired electronics technician, has some interesting ideas and his involvement as an active “voice” at City Hall is unequivocal. However, without Internet access or phone access, and hit or miss sightings at a local restaurant [we tried to find him], he is simply unreachable by the “people” he claims to represent—a critical component necessary to be an effective councilmember.

The Almaden Times Weekly adds its name to the list of Rich De La Rosa endorsements, including County Supervisor Don Gage, San Jose Chamber of Commerce CEO Jim Cunneen, The Mercury News, Santa Clara County Sheriff Lauri Smith, Evergreen Community College Trustee Dawn Wright, former San Jose City Councilmember John Diquisto and Vice Mayor Pat Dando.