1. Why are you running for this office?

Response: When I moved to Palo Alto in 1975, its parks, neighborhoods, public facilities, vibrant retail centers and environmental leadership were celebrated. Today, economic trends and budget problems are eroding these valuable assets. I am committed to preserving these qualities that make Palo Alto a dynamic, livable community.

2. Discuss the three local community issues/problems that are most important to you. What solutions do you offer?

Response: With my Planning and Transportation Commission and business experiences I am prepared to address the challenges currently facing Palo Alto. I will do my best to ensure that Council gives clear policy direction, acts in the public's best interests, and minimizes costs. I will focus on maintaining and attracting retail to restore our tax base, and balance housing demand with the ability to provide the city services necessary to continue the quality of life that makes Palo Alto a desirable place to live and work.

3. List the major civic/community activities in which you have participated in the past few years. For each, indicate the nature of your participation and any offices you have held.

Response: 1) I have been on the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commission for the past four years and currently serve as co-chair. The Commission reviews, comments and recommends to the Council on land use issues, traffic, environmental documents, Comprehensive Plan and zoning changes, and we are currently working on the citywide Zoning Ordinance Update. 2) I served as co-chair of the South of Forest Avenue Working Group, which developed a Coordinated Area Plan with new zoning for a several block area south of downtown Palo Alto, vacated by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. 3) Current 1st Vice-president of the 225 member Woman's Club of Palo Alto 4) Current board member of Palo Alto Historical Association whose purpose is to collect, organize and preserve materials pertaining to the history and heritage of Palo Alto 5) University South Neighborhoods Association, former board member 6) Former president of Palo Alto-Stanford Heritage, an historic preservation advocacy group

4. The Bay Area community is facing an affordable housing shortage. What solutions do you support? Do you support the construction of high density, multi-family housing as part of the solution?

Response: I support creation of affordable housing overlays in appropriate locations so proposals will have predictable outcomes for the community as well as the affordable housing developer without the need for lengthy and expensive exception processes to address density and other development standard exceptions appropriate for such projects.

I also support retention of existing, smaller housing units that are equally important as creation of new affordable housing. We are losing cottage court housing units which are the least expensive we will ever have. I have worked and will continue to work to preserve this type of housing.

Some areas near transit may be appropriate for high-density housing with smaller units and thus more affordable units.

5. As with any other business, the rental housing industry has been hit hard during the recent economic downturn. One of the ways to reverse this current trend is through job creation. As an elected official, what will you do to create more jobs in the Bay Area? Furthermore, what steps do you think your city in particular needs to make in order ensure a more business-friendly atmosphere?

Response: The City can improve the processing of applications for businesses that provide new retail and community services to Palo Alto. I propose using an ombudsman for the small retailers who may need assistance with the City's complex processes. An ombudsman may identify a more user friendly and less expensive process.

6. The apartment industry adamantly opposes the adoption of a so-called cause for eviction ordinance (Just Cause Eviction) that restricts the rights of the rental housing owners and managers to evict problem and dangerous tenants such as drug dealers and gang members. What are your thoughts on this approach? Do you support or oppose eviction for cause ordinances?

Response: I can't respond adequately to this question without understanding just what are considered just causes. Clearly, drug dealing and gang activity are illegal and should be just cause for eviction. As a landlord myself, I can appreciate the difficulties of having bad tenants. On the other hand, it is expensive for people to move and they should not be arbitrarily and capriciously evicted from their rental units.

7. In the past three years, the State Legislature has passed legislation that imposed stricter regulations on the rental housing industry. These new laws have made it more difficult for apartment owners and managers to run their operations on a day-to-day basis. Do you believe that your city needs to pass further regulation of the rental housing industry? If so, why? Furthermore, what regulations would you recommend?

I'm not aware of any proposed city regulations of rental housing. I believe the Rental Housing Mediation Task Force has been doing a good job and, as a result, complaints are few.

8. What are your thoughts on legislation that would allow owners and managers of rental housing to use the Megan's Law database to alert residents that a registered sex offender lives in their community and/or evict public safety threats from the apartment community?

Response: Public safety is extremely important and we count on our police force to maintain public safety. Taken to its extreme, there would be no place for registered sex offenders to live if they are drummed out or easily evicted from rental housing. However, there does seem to be a reasonable right to know especially when children are living near. It's not an easy problem to solve.

9. What is your position on rent control?

Response: At the present time, I see no need for rent control. What is sorely needed is more affordable housing created by groups like the Palo Alto Housing Corporation.

10. Increasingly, local governments are faced with the option of either raising fees or assessing new fees on local businesses. In these tough economic times, what are your views on increasing fees or placing new fees on local businesses, a majority of which are small business operators

Response: I do not favor raising fees on local businesses. I think we can look at ways to help the local businesses with lower fees, for instance, associated through the efforts I describe in the answer to question 5.

I do think Palo Alto needs a business registry that may carry a very small fee, but also think a registry will provide opportunity to help businesses including creating awareness so they can be included in the bidding process on City projects or events. A registry also will help with efforts to attract complementary businesses.

11. Do you intend to seek the opinion of trade associations on public policy matters facing your community? Why?

Response: I have always been open to hearing all points of view and I expect to continue that on the City Council. All facets of a community must be in sync with each other for the community to function most effectively, and to the extent that there is understanding of each other's needs, there's more apt to be a more harmonious community.

12. Are you seeking a public endorsement from the Tri-County Apartment Association?