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Based on candidate forums the Pleasanton Weekly and Tri-Valley Community Television (TV30) have hosted, editorial staff interviews and extensive coverage of this year’s candidates by its news staff, the Pleasanton Weekly today is making the following endorsements in key local, state, federal and school board offices that most closely affect Pleasanton in the Nov. 4 General Election.
Mayor of Pleasanton
Vote for Jerry Thorne
Thorne’s an easy choice for re-election. He serves on numerous local, national, state, and regional boards, commissions and committees. Elected two years ago after seven years on the City Council, his policies and leadership have added to the city’s fiscal strength, wiped out all construction debt and encouraged the addition of multimillion-dollar business growth, including Clorox, Workday, CarMax and a new auto mall on Staples Ranch, adding significantly to the city’s job and tax base.
Matt Morrison, his opponent and a local attorney, is best known for his advocacy of slow growth and environmental concerns, but he is without the public service experience needed to enhance his readiness for mayor.
Pleasanton City Council
Vote for Kathy Narum, Arne Olson
Narum’s list of public service, civic and community involvement and achievements earns her a place as one of Pleasanton’s busiest Council members. Elected last May in a special election to replace Thorne after his election as mayor, Narum has shared in the council’s recent achievements, including adopting a new housing plan that fulfills a state mandate that previous councils ignored, which cost Pleasanton taxpayers $4 million in legal fees. A planning commissioner for five years and member of a host of city task forces and committees before that, she wins our endorsement for re-election.
Olson, a retired high-tech corporate finance executive who stepped down last May after eight years on the Planning Commission, brings the accountability and keen business acumen that we need on the council. He has our support.
Challengers George Bowen and Olivia Sanwong lack the seasoned experience necessary to cope with the tough finance, growth and state and regional pressures Pleasanton faces. Both have good credentials and we hope to see them advance their municipal interests with service on one of the commissions, such as Housing, Planning or Parks and Recreation.
Pleasanton School Board
Vote for Mark Miller, Joan Laursen
It’s been a troubling year for the Pleasanton school district which, despite national achievement awards and high student test scores, faced management turmoil as too many principals and teachers headed to other districts or out the door. The board faced a packed meeting room many times as parents and a few teachers complained about programs, calendar changes and personnel issues.
Mark Miller is a breath of fresh air whose professional demeanor can help end the strife. An IT architect for a major Tri-Valley corporation with children in Pleasanton schools, he became concerned by the recent change of the school calendar and other actions, or inactions, by the current school board. He believes that parental input has too often been ignored and is concerned about personnel issues and the poor relationship between the district and the community. If elected, he pledges to seek a balance of parent, student and staff needs, to be as transparent as possible and to work collaboratively with the community and neighboring districts to improve our schools.
Although Laursen has been a part of the board’s problem in recent months, her longtime work in Pleasanton schools, as a leader in the local and state PTA and now four years on the board provide experience and background the board needs. While it’s easy in considering the recent turmoil to say “throw the rascals out,” there is so little history in dealing with Pleasanton school issues and operations in both the current administration and on the school board that Laursen’s experience is needed.
Two others are seeking election to the board: incumbent Jeff Bowser and challenger Paige Wright. We recommend Miller and Laursen.
16th State Assembly District
Vote for Tim Sbranti
Tim Sbranti, Dublin’s mayor for the last eight years and 16 years as a classroom teacher, is our favorite for election to the 16th Assembly district, which represents Pleasanton. His well-rounded and broad dedication to public service puts him in a unique position to take on the challenges as a member of the State Legislature that few can duplicate. He’s also established good working relations with the mayors of Pleasanton and Livermore, serves with them as board members of TV30 and was responsible for saving our local community television system from bankruptcy a few years ago.
As much as Republicans would like to see another member of their party in the Legislature, Catharine Baker lacks the political savvy needed to be an effective advocate of Tri-Valley needs. A Dublin resident and skilled Pleasanton lawyer with notable social outreach skills, we’d like to see her serve first on a Dublin commission or its City Council.
15th Congressional District
Vote for Eric Swalwell
We said two years ago when we endorsed Swalwell for election to Congress, based on his service as a Dublin city councilman, “What’s there not to like about this guy?” After two successful years, we can say it again as we support his re-election in the 15th Congressional District, which includes Pleasanton. Swalwell is a member of the Dublin Lions Club, Hayward Rotary, Cornerstone Church in Livermore, and serves on the advisory council of Tri-Valley Conservancy. Add to that his “day job” as a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, he’s become a go-to congressman for gaining bipartisan support on ways to deal with ISIS and most recently on protection measures from Ebola.
His opponent is Hugh Bussell, a Republican.
Whatever your choices, be sure to vote by mail or at the polls on Nov. 4.
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Candidates in the Pleasanton municipal election on Nov. 4 are (from left) Mayor Jerry Thorne, Matt Morrison, Kathy Narum, Arne Olson, Olivia Sanwong and George Bowen. (Photo by Jeb Bing.) -
Pleasanton voters will elect two candidates for the open school board seats during the Nov. 4 election. (Left to right) Mark Miller, Joan Laursen, Paige Wright and Jeff Bowser. (Photo by Amanda Aguilar)
Hey PE your approach is dead wrong.
I am assuming the staff at PE is suggesting who we should vote for.
If it is a suggestion, then DO NOT SAY, “VOTE FOR ETC. ETC”
It appears the staff at PE thinks and believes they are in the know when they are NOT.
Suggest ONLY and do NOT command.
Totally out of class.
Thank you for listening, Julia Pardini from Alamo
I agree
PW mentions that Laursen IS part of the problem
Exactly why i am NOT voting for either her or Bowser
Kudos for at least getting one recommendation right in recognizing Miller as a sensible choice.
PW has it right
These are some unbelievably bad, tone-deaf endorsements. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the school board endorsements since the Pleasanton Weekly has done everything in its power to stoke outrage and conspiracy theories regarding the school board’s activities. Let the conservative war on teachers begin! It’s funny that they hold the school board to such scrutiny while they have nothing but praise for a city council largely controlled by developer money and the chamber of commerce. The Pleasanton Weekly has decided to serve a small minority of vocal conservatives in this community and ignored the interests of the majority of our residents.
On a side note, I find it funny that every election season a different right-winger with the last name “Miller” runs for office in this town. Is there some requirement in this town that at least one right-winger with the name “Miller” has to run for office?…and they are always “IT professionals”. Hilarious!
You are endorsing a person for school board that you say is part of the problem? Then why endorse her if she is part of the problem? Endorse Miller and Wright and give us new blood on this board that seems to have so many issues!! Bad call Pleasanton Weekly!
I will not vote for any of the Candidates that the Pleasanton Weekly is Endorsing!! We need change and they are just going to keep things in this City stagnant. All of these candidates take big money from heavy pocketbooks and don’t listen to the people??? Vote for Matt Morrison & George Bowen and we will see a great Pleasanton again!!!
Pleasanton weekly has these endorsements all wrong. Vote for Bowen for council if you want real change in Pleasanton, and Morrison for mayor. Make smart choices pleasanton voters!
Ps- what happened to newspapers and writers priding themselves of being unbiased?.. Endorsements and opinions by writers for the papers themselves doesn’t make them seem unbiased.
Don’t be brainwashed to believing that voting for some candidates based on experience is the right way to go. Sometimes, the new wave of thinkers who are new to the game have the most innovative ideas and bring about a healthy, cost efficient and environmentally safe change to Pleasanton that this town desperately needs. In the end, vote for what you believe is right in your heart.
After the hatched job article right before school opens the PW can’t endirse both sitting board members or they would be admitting that they are wrong. What amazes me is that the candiates running against Joan and Jeff have no qualifications, just watch the PTA candidate forum: http://www.pleasantonpta.org. It sadens me that the PW has become a tabloid where people are allowed to shout hate, ignorance and racist comments. “Troubled Newspaper.”
Endorsing someone who is part of the problem because of their “experience”. Come on, Pleasanton Weekly, that’s wrong. Wright and Miller are the right candidates for the school board.
Sal: I have no idea where you got the impression Mark Miller is a “right winger” because he asks for accountability and transparency. I can assure you he is not. It seems to me two things should be a given.
If you want more Developer Controlled City Officials go ahead and vote the way the Weekly Demands…
If you want a chance to slow the sprawl that is over-crowding our schools, clogging our traffic and depleting our water even more…
Our only chance is to Vote for Matt Morrison for Mayor and…
Make your Council Vote a Super Vote by voting only for George Bowen because the rest are taking money from the Developers.
The Developer Lobbyists are out in force chatting up everyone but Morrison and Bowen…
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! PEOPLE POWER VOTING IS THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THEM!!
Isn’t the pleasanton weekly the newspaper who decided to put an article something to the tune of, “our troubled schools” on their front page the first week of school this year? An article just rehashing some old and tired BS that most of us have moved forward from. My kids were excited about the new school year and they get the mail and can read. They didn’t need to read a silly negative article about their school and former principal. The Pleasanton Weekly is a big part of the problem and I could care less who they endorse.
If you want change then you can’t keep voting for the same people
So PW says the schools are earning “distinguished awards” and “student test scores are up”? What exactly is the problem? Sounds like what they are supposed to be doing. Why would we change that?
And you are telling us how to vote? You just went from being a “paper” to being a “tabloid”.
Not impressed with your “reporting” or your “politics”.
I will vote for the school board incumbents, for their track record, experience, and progress with keeping education the most important thing.
Sbranti: for BART strikes and the high speed rail
Baker: opposed to BART strikes and the high speed rail
Hmmmmm!!! And PW supports Sbranti????? Poor choice. I will vole for Baker
The Pleasanton Weekly endorsement of Tim Sbranti is nothing short of laughable. Here is a person that used his position as head of the California Teachers Association political action committee to basically smear his opponent, Steve Glazer, with the association spending millions on campaign contributions to assure that their lackey was the Democrats choice. The California Teachers Association has spent a record $211 million in the last decade to influence political outcomes. Follow the money and it is obvious who Sbranti is beholden to. In addition, Sbranti opposes transparency in public – sector collective bargaining, supports BART workers ability to strike, bringing the Bay Area to a grinding halt (refresh your memory on both the frustration and time delays caused by the unreasonable demands by the BART unions) and opposes reduction of future pension benefit accruals. His opponent for the 16th State Assembly District, Catharine Baker would ban strikes by BART workers; Sbranti would not. Baker has refused to fill out any secret questionnaires by interest groups, which are often a condition of endorsements and contributions; Sbranti has played that game. Baker agrees with a Los Angeles judge’s recent ruling that found that California’s overly protective rules on teacher tenure and the primacy of seniority undermine the civil rights of low-income and minority students; Sbranti sees no need to disrupt the status quo on that point.
Is this the type of representation that the 16th District wants?
OK you endorsed Eric Swalwell for Congress, but why did you give his opponent, Hugh Bussell, the brush off.
That’s all you say. “His opponent is Hugh Bussell, a Republican.” You could find more about Bussell without looking very far. http://www.bussellforcongress.org/about-hugh/ At least give him the time of day.
Roz
Saw this in the Tim Talk comments (from “Mom who loves our small town”), but it bears reposting in the Town Square – I agree 100% with Mom:
“Running Dublin is not something to brag about. Under Tim Sbranti’s “leadership” there’s been endless sprawl on the hills and in the canyons, no downtown to speak of, and they give away anything and everything to get more retail. I mean what community the size of Dublin needs TWO Target’s? I’ll tell you who – it’s a selfish city that wants to collect all the benefits of sales tax and business revenue from their neighbors in cities like Pleasanton and Livermore. Dublin under Tim Sbranti has given away any hope of being a nice town because they are more interested in being a sprawling, ugly, tax-grabbing, big-box-store-and-developer-friendly, sell out of a city. Can you imagine what Tim Sbranti will do if given responsibility for a whole REGION in the assembly? Instead of retailers and developers, he’ll sell out his votes (just like he’s sold out his city) to those who are helping him get to Sacramento – the big unions. Don’t let him win – it will be our entire region’s loss.”
Talk about The Pleasanton Weekly getting in the last attempt to sway voters! Today’s paper edition has a little reminder on who the PW endorses. Just be reminded that this is no more than Gina and Jeb’s personal opinions, and as such, should be taken with the proverbial “grain of salt”. Apparently Gina and Jeb feel that BART strikes are perfectly acceptable, transparency in public sector collective bargaining is not needed, and the list goes on. Those are the positions that Tim Sbranti espouses, supported by Gina and Jeb. Do we really want more of the same? Catharine Baker is endorsed by both the Contra Costa Times and the San Francisco Chronicle and would bring a reasoned approach to the table, definitely not beholden to unions (as Sbranti is) that continue to make unreasonable and unsustainable demands.