Editorial Editorial (February 27, 2004)

Pico for 20th District Assembly

Mayor Tom Pico is our choice for the Democratic Party nomination to the 20th Assembly District seat that is being vacated by Assemblyman John Dutra (D., Fremont). A certified public accountant in downtown Pleasanton, Pico has 12 years of service on the City Council, including the last four as mayor. He also has held leadership roles in 10 key Alameda County and regional agencies, including serving as chairman of the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency and president of the Alameda County Mayors' Conference, positions that gave Pleasanton a stronger voice in solving problems that directly affect our community. Well-known and endorsed by business, civic and government leaders throughout the county, Pico would bring a voice of reason devoid of special interest groups and machine politics that have prevailed in the 20th District for years. His election would also give Pleasanton an effective voice in Sacramento, a first for a city that, through redistricting over the years, accounts for only a fraction of the constituents in the 15th, 18th and 20th Assembly Districts that cover it.

Pico has proven skills as a mediator, negotiator and team leader. He persevered in the effort to keep housing to a minimum on the Bernal property, working out a final development agreement that gave the city 318 acres of the 502-acre site free of charge for public uses. He brought Ponderosa Homes together with neighbors in the Mohr-Martin community to achieve a mutually satisfactory development agreement for Pleasanton's last undeveloped residential acreage, which will now include affordable senior housing, a 20-acre school site and a church. His leadership skills have won accolades from such disparate groups as the Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Club, labor unions and government leaders from both political parties. This support is reflected by the fact that 95 percent of his campaign contributions have come from businesses and residents within the 20th District, not from Sacramento or out-of-district special interest organizations. In his campaign, Pico talks about how he, as an accountant, can bring financial expertise to a state Legislature faced with unprecedented budget deficits. We agree. His proven fiscal skills as a councilman and mayor of Pleasanton and his ability to reach across party and government-business lines for compromises clearly make Tom Pico the best Democratic candidate in the 20th District Assembly race.
Yes on Proposition 57, 58; No on all the rest

With so much riding on voter approval of Propositions 57 and 58 in next Tuesday's Primary election, it's disappointing that government agencies up and down the state are also putting their own tax and bond measures on the same ballot. Prop. 57 provides for a one-time $15 billion Economic Recovery Bond to refinance budget deficits and keep California out of bankruptcy; Prop. 58 requires California politicians to balance the budget every year in the future and prohibits bond financing of any future deficits. They are part of a balanced budget package that requires voter approval of both measures to take effect.

Other measures on the March 2 ballot include Prop. 55, a $12.3 billion school-facilities bond; Measure A, that would hike sales taxes in Alameda County by a half-cent; and Measure B, a $498 million bond issue for the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. As deserving as they are, we recommend a No vote on each this time around until we know for sure the outcome and effect of Props. 57 and 58.

As for Measure 2, which would raise bridge tolls by another $1, it would represent a tax increase of $200 a year or more for bridge commuters without a clear-cut plan for using the funds and with no appropriation for Alameda County's worst traffic bottlenecks in the I-580, Highway 238 and Highway 84 corridors. Vote No.

We also urge a vote against Proposition 56, which would permit the Legislature to enact budget-related taxes and spending measures with a 55 percent majority vote instead of the two-thirds vote currently required. Given the current budget crisis in Sacramento and the lawmakers' reluctance to cap spending, this is not the time to make it easier for the Legislature to raise taxes.

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