The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara in partnership with the San Jose Mercury News and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Growth, Mayor vs. Manager, Public Safety, City Finances

Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.

Answer from Kansen Chu:

Yes. San Jose should complete a thorough, public review of its general plan for growth before approving any more major development plans.

North San Jose Vision 2030 is going to be front and center on the minds of the residents and business community of District 4. We have a great opportunity to plan a model community including everything from infrastructure to transportation to where to put parks and schools. If executed properly, with full community input, Vision 2030 will benefit San Jose and District Four by providing jobs, housing, and community benefits that will move our city forward.

However, we cannot overlook the quality of life issues facing the new development and the surrounding communities. I will work to manage the growth of North San Jose to balance jobs, housing, and the impact of traffic and school districts.

Answer from Hon Thi Lien:

"All land use decisions are about jobs and housing. Any land we use for housing is lost to jobs forever."

We need to slow down our industrial land conversions and only do them while reviewing all land conversions once a year. We have converted 1,400 acres in the last 16 years. That is selling out our future and our tax base.

"I feel very strongly that we must not allow any zoning changes in Coyote Valley until a full general plan review is done."

This review should restate our commitment to job triggers which must be met before any housing is allowed.

Coyote Valley is our industrial reserve for many years in the future. Housing in Coyote will put a drain on existing services including police, fire and other neighborhood services. That is why we should not allow new housing until we are sure they will not be a drain on the level of service of our existing neighborhoods.

"No industrial conversions should be allowed in Evergreen until they are reviewed in a full general plan review."

The traffic impacts on the surrounding areas must also be taken into consideration and any mitigation fees generated by the project must be used for all surrounding areas impacted.

"North San Jose, with 4000 acres of industrial land, is the backbone of our economic development."

This tax base, along with other industrial land in Coyote, Evergreen, and Edenvale must be protected for future generations.

The North First Street Vision 2030 plan is a great concept to provide jobs and housing but it could have been done in a more inclusive manner. It has already proven that some companies that were planning on moving out of the area are now staying and growing here. However, this plan is in need of some improvement as the projects move forward. We need more parks and open space, community centers or libraries. The developers need to address the needs of the local school districts to be able to deal with the increased number of students. The design of the project must take into consideration the existing neighborhoods. New housing should not be allowed at the detriment of the existing neighborhoods.

Answer from Kansen Chu:

The role of the council and Mayor is to set policy. The City Manager implements that policy, and his or her role in city government is no less important. We need a strong individual in the City Manager's position to make sure the work gets done in the best, most efficient way possible and in a way that is responsive to and respectful of the needs of the people of San Jose.

Answer from Hon Thi Lien:

We should keep the strong professional administrator form of government. The city manager must be committed to an open and honest form of government. He/she must also be willing to speak up if there is undue pressure being placed upon him or his staff. Unfortunately, I believe this decision will be made before the June 5th election.

Answer from Kansen Chu:

Public safety must remain a top priority. I also know we need to pay attention to the basics. Potholes, crossing guards, and after school programs are at the top of the list. The city budget needs to be looked at as a whole, and not simply as a value judgment of one service over another. The services singled out in this question are all important. The first thing we should look at is what we can do differently. Are there programs we can streamline? Is there duplication between departments that can be eliminated? At some point, you may have to resolve yourself to make painful cuts to important programs and services. However, I would be very reluctant to cut funding for police and fire departments.

The staggering cost of pensions for public employees, including police and fire, is a very serious issue that we need to address. I would support proactive, comprehensive measures to address this looming issue before it depletes funds for essential services.

Answer from Hon Thi Lien:

"Public safety is a city's number one responsibility to its residents."

Our children deserve to be safe in their schools and in their neighborhoods. We must fully fund providing crossing guards in all schools that need them and our truancy abatement program. This will help make our schools safer, keep our students in the classroom thus increasing their ability to succeed, and help protect our homes and neighborhoods against afternoon burglaries and vandalism.

We need additional police and firefighters. The time it takes for them to respond when a resident calls for help in an emergency continues to get longer. We do not have enough officers to investigate burglaries and those crime rates are growing. Gangs, of all types, are becoming a major problem. We need to be more proactive. I believe the city should allocate additional funding for the Mayor's Gang Task Force. If we do not address these problems now, we will likely lose our status as the safest big city in America.

The police chief is asking for 500+ new officers over the next 5 years. I am not sure how we can afford this but we need to start adding new police to make sure we are no longer slipping behind.

The future projected budget shortfalls take into consideration staffing the new fire stations we need to build. We have the capital improvement funds to build them but not the operating dollars to staff them. When budget priorities in those years are made, adding firefighters should be one of our top priorities.

Answer from Hon Thi Lien:

As in the previous questions, we must look to increase revenues without raising taxes. The best way to do that is to make starting a business in San Jose easier and making it easier for existing business to get bigger here. The revenues from these businesses will make more money available to ensure we can can add parks and community centers.

Answer from Kansen Chu:

The city should explore cost sharing and efficiency methods.

Partnering with nonprofits is an important way to make sure our community continues to receive valuable services from community centers right in their neighborhoods. This can also help promote cost sharing.

The city should also consider partnerships with school districts to maintain and operate our parks and recreation services. For new parks, the city should ask the developers to maintain new parks for at least 5 or 10 years.

We need to look at the budget as a whole, and the services that we can and should provide to our residents to preserve and enhance our quality of life. Any family knows you must live within your means. As a city, we must do the same.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.