Measure M fulfills our promise to students
Dear Editor,
I have dedicated my career to investing in Pleasanton students and striving to bring out their best. As a former principal and now PUSD board president, I have had the honor of working alongside dedicated teachers and meeting committed parents who simply want to do the right thing for students. This is a community that cares about its kids.
Our community loves our schools, no doubt. We are among the top school districts in the state and certainly attract families to our area. But what I hear time and again is that our school facilities are decades behind.
We may want to have a competitive edge, yet our labs are outdated; our classrooms aren’t keeping pace. If we want to continue preparing students for jobs or college, we need to do our part to provide them with an outstanding education.
Measure M fulfills our promise to students by updating classrooms and facilities to make sure they are safe and meet current standards. Measure M will make possible the important updates we know are needed.
Accountability is key to Measure M, as it requires audits and independent citizen oversight. These safeguards help ensure that it is the Pleasanton students who directly benefit.
I have had the privilege of watching many children grow up through Pleasanton schools. Now, as a grandfather of Pleasanton students, this issue is even more dear to me. I hope that we can come together as a community to support our students and vote Yes on Measure M.
— Steve Maher,
PUSD board president
Green for Zone 7
Please join me and vote Laurene Green for the Zone 7 Water board on March 3.
Ms. Green has earned an M.S. in civil engineering-water resources from Stanford, and she has years of experience in her field. Laurene has the credentials to be an excellent Zone 7 board member. As a reminder, Pleasanton’s drinking water is sourced from Zone 7 and the city of Pleasanton’s wells.
As your Pleasanton City Council member, I’m appointed as a liaison to the Zone 7 board, and I hold a seat on the “Tri-Valley Water Roundtable.” I know firsthand: Water quality and clean water supplies have become more complex and technical. Laurene’s expertise is needed now.
Please help me ensure we have Clean Safe Water for our families — Vote Laurene Green for Zone 7 water board!
— Karla Brown,
Current City Council member
Tri-Valley mayors all agree: Haubert for Supervisor
We, along with Dublin Mayor David Haubert, represent all the cities of the Tri-Valley. We work closely together on the things that matter most to our communities. We all want to elect the best possible candidate to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, and we unanimously endorse David Haubert.
Mayor Haubert has an impressive background serving for 18 years on the local school board and mayor of Dublin. He has the experience it takes to make unbiased, fair and thoughtful decisions because he is an independent thinker, not tied to any political party or special interest.
He is a team player who works across party lines to get things done. If we want real, practical ideas on solving the homeless crisis, traffic gridlock and housing affordability, then Haubert is the person for the job!
— John Marchand (Livermore), Jerry Thorne (Pleasanton), Bill Clarkson (San Ramon) and Karen Stepper (Danville)
Senior supports Measure M
I have lived in Pleasanton for many years, and even though I no longer have children in local schools, I’m voting Yes on Measure M.
Investing in the children of our community is the most important thing we can do. Our children grew up right here in Pleasanton and attended local schools. Now it’s time for my generation to look ahead and support the next generation that is coming up. This is our opportunity to invest in them and ensure they have the tools they need for the years ahead.
Investing in local schools also provides us with an added bonus — strong home values.
Pleasanton schools have always been top-ranking in the state, making this one of the top places to raise a family. By investing in local schools we are also investing in the resale value of our home — and the return on investment is significant.
As a member of the Pleasanton senior community, I urge my peers to join me in supporting the schools that have served our families so well and to invest in the next generation — Please vote Yes on M.
— Bob Watson
Who cares about water?
If you care about the quality of the water you drink and bathe in: Vote for Laurene Green! This critical election of the Zone 7 board will determine your family’s water future. Zone 7 is the body that provides water to much of the Tri-Valley.
It’s time to bring some fresh scientific solutions to this board that has control of the treatment methods to filter and “purify” water, rates charged and how this precious resource is protected from contamination.
They must have more than basic understanding of the water cycle and cost-cutting plans to effectively protect our water and provide for the health of the Tri-Valley. That’s why it’s critical that you vote for one candidate in this election: Laurene Green.
Her scientific perspective, background as a professional water engineer, experience in groundwater investigations and cleanup of aquifer and reservoir issues is what we need on Zone 7. She brings a robust approach to dealing with flood control, expanding our water capture and storage capabilities and will stand with us to protect our water.
Make the Green choice on March 3.
— Paulette Salisbury
Protect youth from vaping
Vaping and the use of e-cigarettes have become an epidemic for the Pleasanton youth impacting all of our families, directly or indirectly.
Children, parents, schools, and communities are suffering the consequences of youth vaping. Today, 30% of our Pleasanton students have used e-cigarettes and almost 80% believe that vaping devices are easy to obtain (California Healthy Kids Survey). We must address the problem in our own backyards. We cannot leave our children to fight this battle on their own.
It is time we take action. Please join us in encouraging the city of Pleasanton to adopt city ordinances that protect our children. We ask that the city of Pleasanton adopt the recommendations of the Pleasanton Youth Commission:
1. Prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products.
2. Prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes and related paraphernalia.
3. Restrict the sale of tobacco products within 1,000 feet of public schools, parks, and recreation facilities (grandfathering existing retailers).
4. Set minimum pack sizes and prices for some cigars and cigarettes.
5. Update the municipal code to prohibit persons under the age of 21 from the possession of tobacco products.
Additionally, we ask that a tobacco retail license be adopted to provide a mechanism with which to enforce these rules. Currently, tobacco vendors only face a small fine.
The surrounding communities have or are in the process of adopting similar ordinances. We cannot let Pleasanton become the “go-to place” to obtain flavored tobacco/vaping paraphernalia. Please join the Pleasanton PTA Council in advocating for our youth!
— Maritess Simmons, president;
De De Curry, VP of student/community concerns;
Pleasanton PTA Council
Please vote Yes on Measure M
I am proud to endorse Measure M for Pleasanton schools. This is for our children and our city. The time for Measure M is now.
The need for improvements is great. Classrooms and science labs need to be updated. Students need additional space and additional classrooms to prevent overcrowding. Basic repairs to aging buildings are necessary.
Why would we delay when we recognize such a critical need? If we wait any longer for these improvements, they will only become more expensive.
The district has taken the first essential steps toward updating our schools, with many improvements well underway and more planned in the future. Although some progress has been made, over $1 billion in necessary improvements have been identified. Unless Measure M passes, no other source of funding exists for updating our schools. The state doesn’t provide adequate funding.
It is clear that we need Measure M to complete the next phase of urgent improvements. If we wait any longer, the progress made at our schools would come to an end while critical needs still exist. Generations of students would miss out on having modern and safe schools.
Investing in our Pleasanton schools now makes fiscal sense and is the right thing to do. By passing Measure M, we can qualify for state matching funds — funding that would otherwise go to other communities.
I love our city. I hope you join me in voting Yes on M so that Pleasanton students continue receiving the top-quality education we know they deserve.
— Jill Buck
Founder/CEO, Go Green Initiative
Glazer, vote Yes
In the United States, over 260 tons of plastic are produced annually. 91% of this plastic is not recycled, and ends up in oceans and landfills.
From there the plastics make their way into the stomachs of birds and fish, and eventually our own bodies via our food and the air. The average American ingests 310 plastic particles a day. Despite the fact that there are multiple alternatives to single-use plastics, we are still reliant on the plastic industry.
Bills SB 54 and AB 1080 will reduce California’s reliance by ensuring all plastic products sold or distributed in California are recyclable or compostable by 2030. Your senator, Steve Glazer, is in a unique position regarding the success of this bill. Senator Glazer’s support can make or break these bills. Senator, I ask you to vote yes on these bills, and I ask that constituents continue the fight against climate change.
— Easter Murphy
Amador senior for Measure M
I’ve been fortunate to have received a great education from PUSD. I started attending PUSD schools in fourth grade after I moved from Tennessee, so I’ve been part of the school system for most of my education.
Pleasanton schools, specifically the ones I attended (Donlon, Hart and Amador Valley), have a special place in my life because of the formative lessons I’ve learned from my teachers and my fellow students. The impact of my schooling on my academic, personal, and social growth is undoubtedly large and hugely positive. For that reason, I support Measure M.
Without Measure M, necessary improvements will not be made. I have seen firsthand at Amador Valley High School how the moldy rooms, leaky ceilings and the overall deterioration of infrastructure has led to an uncomfortable and poorer learning environment. Many rooms have inconsistent or even broken temperature controls that make students often focus more on the level of heat or cold in a classroom rather than learning.
The physical learning environment has become worse during my four years at Amador, and I believe Measure M will provide a more conducive, proper, and productive learning environment. As I will be gone by the time these projects start, I have a sister who will attend Amador, so I want her and future generations to have the same level of first-rate education that I did.
Let’s keep our schools strong for decades to come. Join me and countless other students in the community and vote Yes on M.
— Rohan Gupta,
Amador Valley High senior
Changing times for Zone 7
It’s time that we, as Pleasanton citizens, think carefully for who we want to serve as members of the Zone 7 Water board. We urgently need educated and professional board members to bring about the significant changes that are necessary to ensure we have safe, clean, drinking water.
I am endorsing Laurene Green for Zone 7 Water board.
Laurene has a diverse, global perspective with a technical background related to water resources. Ms. Green has experience as a water resource engineer focused on groundwater cleanup.
Bottom line, she not only has the qualifications, but she has the expertise. She knows how to ask the right questions to analyze complex water-related and contamination issues to ensure safe drinking water for the safety of our families. She thinks creatively to solve complex problems, because she understands the science behind the issues at hand.
During debates about PFAS and potable reuse (often referred to as toilet-to-tap), Laurene Green brings a professional perspective, with alternative solutions focused on the conservation of water, for improving flood control, expanding water capture, and improving infrastructures for both agricultural and industry, and to improve systematic changes for water storage.
With too many unknowns around potable reuse and its extremely high costs, Laurene supports more practical and much safer strategies.
Join me and vote for Laurene Green for our Zone 7 Water board. We absolutely must have clean, safe water for ourselves and our families!
— Kelly Mokashi
Plastic bills SB 54 and AB 1080
We’ve all heard the mantra: reduce, reuse, recycle. Many Americans think they’re being environmentally conscious by recycling their plastic. But are they?
According to the EPA, less than 10% of plastic in municipal recycling actually gets recycled. California prides itself on being forward thinking on climate change, yet one of our oldest systems of sustainability is broken.
This is why bills SB 54 and AB 1080 are so crucial to reducing California’s plastic pollution epidemic; if passed, they will mend the municipal recycling system by mandating that by 2030, 75% of recyclable content is recycled. They would also make all single-use plastic recyclable or compostable by 2030.
Because State Senator Glazer of this district can sway the votes of other senators, a yes vote from him is critical to the bills’ success. Senator Glazer, we implore you to vote Yes on SB 54 and AB 1080.
— Lillian McIlhane
Bay pollution
We all know that the pollution of our environment is one of the causes of our current climate crisis. A report from the World Health Organization says that, only at our Bay, seven tons of micro plastics arrive each year in higher concentrations than they do in Europe and China.
Even if California is doing something, it clearly appears to not be enough.
That is why SB 54 and AB 1080 are such important bills, as they aim for 75% of domestic recycled content and a reduction of all single-use packaging and products sold or distributed in California by 2030.
In this, Senator Glazer’s vote is decisive. I, as well as everyone should, urge Senator Glazer to vote Yes to these bills, to support the battle against climate change and show a commitment to protect the beautiful biodiversity we have here at the Bay, our home.
— Felipe Navarro
In support of Measure M
As a Pleasanton teacher and parent, I see our aging facilities. Some of our classrooms are 70 years old and are in need of updates.
Measure M is the only way to make these critical updates that our students need. The state provides no funding for school improvements, so without Measure M, our schools will continue to age and deteriorate, and our students will continue to be the ones that pay the price.
By using Measure M funds to repair and modernize, I know every penny will stay local, and that independent citizens’ oversight is required.
As a teacher and Pleasanton resident, the future of our schools is important to me. Please support our local students and vote Yes on Measure M on March 3.
— Sharolyn Borris
