Name: Karen Holman
Address: 725 Homer Avenue
City: Palo Alto
Zip: 94301
Day Phone: 650.321.6170
Alternate Phone: 650.224.2627
Fax:
Email: kcholman@earthlink.net

Current Occupation: Consultant, conservation land use planning
Employer: Self

Office you are seeking: Palo Alto City Council
Name of Campaign Committee: Karen Holman for City Council

FPPC ID #: 1278493
Projected funds needed to win: $20,000-25,000
Funds raised: $16,400
Please Attach your Resume (detailing your Employment & Educational History / Community involvement)

Opponents: John Barton, Norm Carroll, Peter Drekmeier, Victor Frost, Skip Justman, Yoriko Kishimoto,
Larry Klein, Danielle Martell, Jack Morton

Groups in Support:	Sierra Club, Loma Prieta California League of Conservation Voters D.A.W.N. (Democratic Activists for Women Now) SVLGBT Democratic Club
Groups in Opposition:

Please mark only one position per issue below.

Selected Issues of Concern	Support	Support with Reservations	Oppose
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
Availability of multilingual voter information English-only laws	X
Public school bilingual education programs			X
Increasing funding for immigration services	X
Increasing access to health care for immigrants	X
Programs to curb illegal immigration
CIVIL RIGHTS
Collecting racial/ethnic data on government forms			X
Organizations that represent and promote APA issues	X
Affirmative action programs in employment or education		X
Government sponsored racial profiling for national security purposes			X
Increased penalties for hate crimes	X
LGBT COMMUNITY RIGHTS
Extension of benefits to gay and lesbian domestic partners	X
Equal rights for gays and lesbians in employment, housing, and the military	X
Gay and lesbian marriage, or its equivalent	X
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
A woman's right to choose an abortion	X
Public funding for prenatal care, family planning, and abortion services for low-income/immigrant women	X
Comprehensive coverage for contraception and abortion under public and private medical insurance	X
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
Increased civic participation by Asian Americans	X
Initiatives that address the model minority myth expectations placed on Asian American students	X
Governmental hiring practices being reflective of the ethnic make-up of the community	X
Individual APA communities uniting across ethnic divides	X

Please mark one position per scenario below and provide an example of what you have done to further your position.

Diversity in the Workplace

Civil rights organizations and women's groups believe that it is important for employers to hire staff that reflect the community and the nation as a whole. Hiring practices are often alleged to be marred by entrenched institutionalized racism and/or sexism. Do you support or oppose the hiring practices that make a conscious effort to diversify the workplace, along with other practices that would challenge the glass ceiling?

Support  X     Oppose

Please Elaborate: While I support such efforts, I am also aware that at times when quotas have been in force, the most qualified person for a given job may not have been hired because of a need to fill diversity requirements. Hiring practices alone, I believe, cannot solve the issue of diversity in the workplace because until management is also representative of our diversity and attitudes change, true diversity and glass ceiling issues will not be satisfactorily resolved.

Immigrants Rights

Currently, Santa Clara County offers many services for the prevention of and intervention in domestic violence. There were a disproportionate number of domestic violence deaths last year within the Asian immigrant community. There are numerous cultural and language barriers that perpetuate the cycle of violence. Do you support or oppose government funding for specific programs that target these communities?

Support  X     Oppose

Please Elaborate: I support a combination of efforts. Non-profits are often started as a result of personal experience and thus bring the dedication and passion that can be missing in government programs. Schools are a broad way to educate about abusive situations as this is the only exposure available to some, noting also that any program in schools has a budgetary component that needs consideration.

Fair Representation

Civil rights and women's groups also charge that many of those in politics, elective and appointed, are not representative of the community and the State as a whole. They point out that, without fair representation, the voices of underserved communities are not heard nor considered. Often, these groups seek out qualified candidates and encourage them to run for public office. Do you support or oppose the idea that it is in the elected official's best interest to ensure that its political bodies are fairly representative of underserved communities?

Support  X     Oppose

Please Elaborate: A broad spectrum of representation on boards, commissions and other bodies is indicative of open government and necessary to hear impacts/consequences on the broader community. Decisions made in light of such information better serve the public at large, are less likely to lead to disenfranchisement of citizens and, even in the face of disagreement, can lead to better trust by the public in its officials.

Please answer and elaborate with questions 1-7.

1. Has affirmative action had an effect upon you or someone you know? Please provide examples.

   Response: Affirmative action has neither helped nor hurt me or anyone I know personally. While I have not known people who have been effected directly, as an woman and independent business owner I have special insight into the difficulties facing women in business. I am also aware of acts discrimination that have effected friends and acquaintances apart from affirmative action.

2. Out of the over 30 Democratic Clubs in Santa Clara County, only 3 are ethnically based. Do you think the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club is necessary? Why?

   Response: I do think it necessary. The Asian population is one of the larger populations in Santa Clara County and can only benefit from a well-run organization that highlights discrimination and works to eliminate it. While it is hard to imagine such discrimination exists here, I know it does.

3. In the late 1990s, Ward Connerly, an African American U.C. Regent, led the University of California to eliminate affirmative action in admission decision. The number of admitted Asian freshmen to U.C. Berkeley has increased since then by around 10%. Do you support Connerly's efforts? Please elaborate.

   Response: I'm not familiar with the particulars of Connerly's efforts and so cannot address the reasons for his success, only applaud them regarding increased Asian enrollment. The question does not indicate what results the program has had on other minorities or how the enrollments reflect the population.

4. The new census data shows that California continues to be by far one of the most diverse states in the nation (much, in part, due to new immigrants). What is your stance on current immigration policies? How do you see new immigrants "impacting" our community?

   Response: In a global economy, (California) companies cannot compete without the best and brightest talents. Immigration policies currently support our economic leadership. While this is a Federal issue, I recognize Silicon Valley's need to recruit talent.

5. What barriers do you see facing the Asian Pacific American community, both in the public and private sector? How will you support the elimination of such barriers?

   Response: While my personal experience indicates that bias is limited, any amount is unfortunate and intolerable. As a City Council member, the areas where I would strive to influence improvement are in city hiring practices and a no-tolerance stance for the City of Palo Alto in all regards.

6. What are the diverse needs of your constituents? How did you go about identifying these needs and, once in office, how will you work to address them?

   Response: One of the greatest needs in Palo Alto is retention of affordable and attainable housing and that any new housing also consider this need. Consistent with this is the protection of our retail space and encouragement of services that serve the diverse needs of the community, a quality that has eroded in recent years. It is the responsibility of the city government, I believe, to set policy and implement zoning that protects the community diversity, a necessity for sustainable community. I will work to the best of my ability to see these needs are addressed.

   I will also be working on developing a roundtable with representatives from each of the constituencies which, should I be successful in being elected, would continue on through my term of office. Appointments to the various boards and commissions should to the best extent possible also be representative of the constituents.

7. Why are you running for the office that you seek? Why are you the best candidate? What is your long-term vision for the Santa Clara Valley? What do you believe you can do to help move towards that vision if you win the office you seek?

   Response: I am running for City Council because I would like to see City Council be more proactive in addressing our economic and environmental health; because I believe we need to consider creative and long-range approaches to restoring our retail sector; and because current market housing development jeopardizes quality of life while still not addressing the greatest housing need: affordability.

   I believe my experience as a Planning & Transportation Commissioner, many years' participation in community issues, and as an independent business owner provide me with a diversity of experiences that can be utilized in reviewing policy, land use planningand financial issues. My many years in the design community also provide me with experience in looking beyond the usual scope of "answers" for true solutions to problems.

   The Palo Alto that is envisioned in our city Comprehensive Plan is basically a good one. It balances growth with (less) reliance on the automobile, environmental protections, vibrant retail centers, and eclectic, safe and attractive neighborhoods. If we succeed in upholding this vision, Palo Alto will be contributing to the quality of life in Santa Clara Valley while also setting the example for other communities in the Valley.

SVAPADC Endorsement Committee
http://www.svapadc.org/