June 2006 SLCAN Candidate Questionaire

Responses from Bill Stephens, candidate for San Leandro CIty Council District 5

SLCAN asked each of the candidates to complete a questionnaire and were informed that their responses would be posted on our web site. Candidates responded to the questionnaire by electronic mail. Except for formatting, SLCAN has not modified the candidate's responses.

A. Experience and History

1. How long have you lived in San Leandro?

15 Years.

2. What is your current job and place of work, if any?

Assistant Superintendent, Business, Fremont Unified School District.

3. What community, professional and/or advocacy groups are you a member of?

Association of California School Administrators; California Association of School Business Officials and Northern California School Business Executives.

4. Are you a member of a political party and, if so, which one?

Not affiliated with any political party

5. In a one sentence answer, why are you running for office?

6. What are your relevant skills, experience, or education that qualifies you?

Master in Business Administration; Graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College as a strategic planner.

7. [current office holders] What are the top five accomplishments of your time in office?

• As President of the San Leandro School Board in 1997, the District passed a $54 million bond.
• Passage of the Historical Preservation Ordinance
• Bringing the MacArthur Streetscape to fruition
• Bringing the history walk and down town beautification to birth
• Assisting in the re-emergence of the Bay Fair Center

B. Goals

8. What are your top 3 priorities and what resources/programs would you advance to support them?

• Balance the city budget - Working for passage of Measure I.
• Strengthening community standards for neighborhoods. - Working on stronger enforcement.
• Maintaining an effective police force for citizen protection. - Back Measure I.

9. Do you have any big ideas/visions for the future of the city?

The city has evolved through out the years and has still been a wonderful place. We must do all we can to shape it’s direction through sound development and fiscal policies. I want to see a vibrant downtown where the region seeks to shop and eat. I want to see a rise in the per capita income for our town and yet keep the small home town connections. I want to see clean streets, trees, and the flowering yards maintained so that when visitors come to our town they say “ Wow. I didn’t know this was such a great little town. What else am I missing here?”

C. Opportunities for Public Participation

10. How will you improve communications between residents and city government and improve public participation in city government?

We need to keep open access and be approachable. We need to attend meeting, hold small gathering and seek input from key stakeholders of the community.

11. What would you do to improve the prompt availability of more information (meeting minutes, etc.) on the city web site and other places?

Our web site is o.k. but it is out of date a lot. That’s something we would like to see done better. Will talk to the city manager.

12. What steps will you undertake to improve the transparency and quality of decision making by the City of San Leandro?

That is a two way street. Those people who come to all the city council meetings know what is going on, but it takes time and energy to devote yourself to knowing. City decisions can not be packaged in small easy to eat bites when one is ready. It is a continuous buffet of ideas and action. Jump on and you’ll know what’s happening.

D. Campaigning

13. List your top five endorsements.

Don’t have any.

14. List your top five (in dollar amount) sources of campaign contributions.

Don’t know. The Treasurer keeps the numbers.

15. How would you reform the way that campaigns are currently financed, if at all?

Would like to see fairness. But in fairness, I can not see how we can be completely fair.

16. What is your position regarding changing City Council member elections from city-wide elections to district-wide elections?

No position. There are both pros and cons. One side of the city may have more money and talent, but it would dominate the agenda if only a section of the town had representation.

E. Schools

17. How will you promote collaboration between the city and public schools?

That is what I do for a living.

18. What opportunities do you see for joint use projects between the city and schools?

It would be wonderful to create a performing arts center for both the city and the school district.

19. What do you see as the city's responsibility for impact of new housing development on schools?

The city has to permitt development. Right now the city is pretty much built out. There are only small infill projects going. Going up might produce more people, but not necessarily more children.

20. What was your position on Measure A, the parcel tax for the San Leandro Unified School District? How did you contribute towards the campaign?

I proposed a parcel tax in 1994 when I ran was elected for the school board. It was going to be used for class size reduction which occured in a couple of years later. I supported Measure A and was among the first on the City Council to do so.

F. Positions

21. Briefly state your ideas on how to encourage and protect local businesses development. What is your position on enacting limits on chain businesses? What actions would you propose to accomplish your vision?

I think enacting limits on chain business is not appropriate. I believe in economic choice.

22. What is your position on the establishment of a living wage ordinance?

No one can adequately define what it is and how it would work to me.

23. How would you ensure that community benefits are negotiated into city contracts, development assisted by the city, or franchise monopolies such as Comcast?

There aren’t many city franchises that I am aware of . I want Comcast to contain cost for seniors. I would like to see a fiber optic backbone in the city with connection to all schools. I would like to see city wide WiFi in connection with the rest of the network.

24. Briefly state your position on the use of eminent domain.

Use only as a last resort for the good of community. This is major surgury time and not to be done without lots of thought.

25. What would you do in office to address poverty and homelessness in San Leandro?

We need to establish a true shelter in the city. We simply don’t have the resources at this time.

26. What would you do to improve public transportation and make San Leandro a more walkable city?

We have the Links shuttle for some East-West Mobility. That is the major weakness in public transportation. It would be nice if BART were $1.00 no matter where you rode it. (Mexico city public transist is give-away. Why not here?)

27. How would you promote opportunities within San Leandro for historically-disadvantaged populations/minorities?

We need to continue to encourage and foster participation by all. The city staff reflects diversity. There is no reason that we shouldn’t have it on the council, the school board and commissions.

28. What is your position on the EBMUD Heron Bay groundwater project?

Having studied it along with other city council members that I respect, we can see a little truth and a little hyperbole. We will face a time in the future when we need water. How do we store it? There may be a better way, but I don’t think it is as dangerous as some make it out to be. We may want to examin desalination like Marin County.