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Editorial
Re-elect McNerney to Congress

We first met Jerry McNerney when he and his wife Mary stood at the corner of Farmers Market and Main Street seeking votes for his singular effort among Democrats to challenge Richard Pombo's re-election bid for the 11th Congressional District. Few stopped to shake his hand, but we did and took an immediate liking to this long-time Pleasanton homeowner-turned-citizen-activist whose son urged him to challenge Pombo when other Democrats wouldn't. He lost that race, but came back strong in 2006 to win the Democratic Party nomination and in November the Congressional election.

In just two years, this freshman congressman has made his mark in Washington and the district he serves, especially in areas of energy, transportation, education and veterans' affairs. Most recently, he embraced the $700 billion bailout bill but not before insisting on heavy oversight by Congress and the inclusion of specific financial help for the financially distressed homeowners, including thousands right here in the 11th District. All during the Washington deliberations, McNerney fielded hundreds of calls from his constituents and kept us advised on what was happening and how he planned to vote. In fact, perhaps his strongest suit is constituent communications. He comes home to Mary and his family and their Val Vista home almost every weekend, but not to rest. Most Saturdays and often on Sundays, we find him at meetings with constituents here on Main Street and throughout his sizeable district. On one weekend, he's with Congressman Pete Stark at a health forum in City Hall; another time he's talking to seniors at Pleasanton Gardens. His unique "Congress at Your Corner" one-on-ones gives everyone a chance to talk with him directly out of earshot of others. Since his election 23 months ago, he has held these sessions at 45 places, including at Richert Lumber, Cold Stone and other locations. He also started a call-in telephone program where hundreds more have signed up to dial into a special number and join others--up to 3,000 at a time--in discussing their interests and concerns.

A professional energy scientist, McNerney went to Washington vowing to support alternative energy measures to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil. He's an expert on wind energy, although the recent energy bill that Congress approved provided only one-time and one-year incentives to wind energy investors. McNerney hopes next year's bill will be better. He did score a major victory, however, in winning congressional support for incentives to help solar energy developers. As a result, the Pleasanton school district is already realizing substantial savings on its electric bills because of the power solar panels on school rooftops are now providing, thanks to McNerney's efforts. He also supports offshore drilling 50 to 100 miles off the coastlines where states agree and increased drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to make continued use of drilling rigs and pipelines already in place. He's even willing to stray from what's been loud opposition by many Democrats by favoring nuclear power. He believes safety and disposal/storage concerns with spent fuel are "solvable," and that it's the still-high cost of building nuclear plants that's delaying construction of this environmentally clean source of power.

McNerney also gets high marks for his efforts to keep the Livermore Veterans Hospital open, probably not as a major clinic which has been moved to Palo Alto, but certainly as an administrative facility with a plan to turn it into a special-use center for nurturing in its vineyard-surrounded site soldiers who have suffered brain injuries and post traumatic stress and need its peaceful environment to recover. Just two years ago, the VA center was scheduled to close; McNerney brought the House Veterans Committee here which agreed with McNerney that the Livermore center is too valuable a resource for veterans to shut down.

In our view, McNerney is also a valuable resource--for Pleasanton and the 11th Congressional District and the country. We urge our readers to re-elect Congressman Jerry McNerney.

Posted by mark, a resident of another community, on Aug 17, 2009 at 1:35 am

The way I remember it, Mcnerney vowed(loudly) to get us out of Iraq, but instead voted with Bush to fund the war each and every time it came up. He flat out lied to us. We might as well have left Pombo in there because nothing has changed. Just another lying bought off self-serving PUPPET.

Later he voted for the Surveillance Bill that included a controversial provision giving retroactive immunity to the telecom companies that assisted the Bush administration in its warrantless wiretapping program.

He also voted for the Cap and Trade Bill that is going to tax us to death and bankrupt more businesses adding to the unemployment lines.

Next thing we will see is the soup line. Face the facts, as it now stands, we the people have no control over our destiny."...Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." NOW A DELUSION

Posted by Jerry, a resident of the Oak Hill neighborhood, on Aug 17, 2009 at 2:46 am

How can "up to 3000 at a time" discuss their "interests and concerns" during a "call-in telephone program"...

Assuming this "3000 at a time" means 3000 people could be on the phone together(joining others)and if each person is given, say, 2 minutes to state their "interests and concerns" during this call, the "call-in" would last for, if my math is correct, 100 hours, or 4.16 days...

I would assume not all 3000 would stay and listen to their fellow citizens "interests and concerns" for the full 4.16 days. That would greatly decrease the time line...:)

Posted by Aaron, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 18, 2009 at 10:07 am

McNerney is Pelosi's lapdog, pure and simple. He has not demonstrated the ability to have a creative thought during his tenure. We must vote this guy out of office in 2010. While he is there its just like Pelosi having an additonal vote.

Posted by mark, a resident of another community, on Aug 18, 2009 at 12:18 pm

Taking it one or two steps further, who is Pelosi a lapdog for? The owners of this country are the International Bankers which includes the Rothchild family and I believe 12 others.

Posted by Dominic Di Blasio, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Aug 18, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Dominic Di Blasio is a member (registered user) of Pleasanton Weekly

We need much better government representation than Jerry McNerney who never goes against party line politics from what I can tell...The fact that he will not hold a public town hall event is telling also...Why is he not standing up against this ill-constructed, ill-advised, rush to vote without debate, Obamacare bill? Because he is not out to represent the people, he is just another run of the mill democrat (the country is full of them) pushing their social agenda and taking choices and freedoms away from you and I.

Posted by Arroyo, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 18, 2009 at 5:40 pm

Jerry McNerney was elected because the Democrat power machine annointed him as their candidate and bankrolled a large part of his campaign. If he doesn't toe the line, he's gone. Remember that dope, Cindy Sheehan, who used to be the Democrat darling? If Jerry bucks Nancy, we'll soon be saying the same thing about him.

Posted by David, a resident of the Walnut Hills neighborhood, on Aug 18, 2009 at 11:01 pm

Congressman Jerry McNerney's tele town hall meeting last week was an embarrassment. The congressman only took about 10 questions and limited the call to 1 hour. We sent him to Washington to represent us but when he comes home he only spends1 hour on the telephone with us!! Why doesn't he just stay in Washington if he's going to "phone it in". To make matters worse, the questioners were only able to ask the initial question without a chance to follow up. This allowed McNerney to misdirect and obfuscate without fear of challenge or rebuttal. This is unacceptable!

I will be at the "Recess Rally" this Saturday at McNerney's Pleasanton office from 1-3pm. It is my first rally, but I feel this is the only way to get McNerney to hear my displeasure over his representation of district 11. Join me Saturday. Stand up!! For more info goto: Web Link

David

Pleasanton

Posted by Jerry, a resident of the Oak Hill neighborhood, on Aug 19, 2009 at 12:32 am

McNerney was elected because Pombo took this area of his district(Livermore/Pleasanton)for granted. He very seldom visited this area, even during the election period...

Pombo was attempting to re-write the Endangered Species Act to make it more equitable for all concerned, which made him an enemy of the environmental bunch...

He took McNerney's challenge lightly and was burned...