League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 3, 2009 Election
	Larry Klein Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Palo Alto

The questions were prepared by the the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. In light of the economic down turn and possibly reduced income for the city in future years, how do you propose to both balance the budget and meet the cities desires for quality services ?

We can meet our $10 million dollar structural budget deficit by, in roughly equal parts: a) reducing the number of City emplyees, b)a reduction in employee compensation and c) an increase in revenues through the buisness license tax.

2. An updated Comprehensive Plan is due to be approved in 2010. What changes if any should be made to the Plan and why?

The updated Comprehensive Plan should:
--Reflect throughout the reality and challenge of Climate Change. The document's policies should all take into account how they are going to help mitigate Climate Change and/or help us accomodate ourselves to some of the seemingly inevitable problems.
--Minimize the harm to our community from the ABAG requirement that we zone for the possible construction of an additional 2700 housing units over the next seven years.
--Consider the impact of our changed economic circumstaceson our ability to provide services, particularly to any significant new residential developments

3. The Baylands Master Plan guides land use east of Route 101. Several land use changes are currently being proposed relating to composting, recycling, parkland, airport needs, and hotel development. What land uses do you think desirable and what uses are incompatible in the Baylands?

Potential Baylands issues:
--Golf course. A reconfiguration of the golf course could lead to space for badly needed playing fields.
--Airport. We own it subject to a lease to the County which will expire no later than 2018. We should retain the airport land as an airport. It provides vital emergency preparedness, medical services and economic activity to our community.
--Composting. As an environmentally aware city we need to preserve composting within our borders. A presently vacant corner of the airport appears to be the best location subject, however, to a determination that it will not adversely affect the airport's viability.

Housing would not be a compatible use in the Baylands.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. LWV Palo Alto is using Smart Voter information to publish a paper Voters Guide. Therefore, word limits apply to some of the sections. Contact Veronica Tincher <vtincher@yahoo.com> if you misplaced the instruction sheet with the word limits which was mailed to you. Your answers will be taken from Smart Voter at 8 p.m., September 18 and will be published in the Voters Guide. After that date, you are free to enter more information according to the Smart Voter guidelines.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 20, 2009 13:10
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