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A legacy is defined in moments over time. And what guides me (and most of us), whether in public service or our private lives, is the legacy we leave behind.
Many times I have spoken out about the advantages of diversity in our community and how we are all enriched when we embrace other cultures. There is no better way to empathy than to experience the world from the vantage point of another, and I am incredibly fortunate for all the opportunities I have had to do just that.
And in that diversity, we have created a legacy of prospering as a nation by proving that differences amongst us equals strength as a country. However, our legacy as a nation now sadly appears fragile and benign silence will no longer do. For me, this means I must speak out against all these hateful acts that we have seen unfold on the nightly news recently.
Pleasanton defines itself as a community of character, and I believe we are.
Compassion and tolerance are not mere words to Pleasantonians. We take pride in honoring those traits that have shaped this community. Every year, we celebrate those who exemplify the better angels of our nature at the Mayor’s Volunteer Service Award Dinner and the Community of Character Collaborative.
Our very city itself was named after Union Calvary Gen. Alfred Pleasonton, who fought during the Civil War — and but for a typographical error on the part of U.S. Postal Service, the city’s spelling would have reflected the general’s name.
I was in the Army and was sent to Memphis, Tenn. when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I recall how everyone reacted in that moment; I remember the venomous racism of a few, but I also remember the kindness and compassion that outshone the rage of intolerance and demonstrated a fundamental goodness that lives within all of us.
It was a defining moment for me in my life. When we embrace diversity, we reject the rage of intolerance and a misguided belief that our nation belongs to a few, rather than all, citizens.
The foundation of this nation is that of a melting pot. We say it so often about ourselves that we take it as a given. So why, now, are we experiencing challenges to what’s made us great?
Perhaps it’s due to the inevitable ebbs and flows of our evolution as a nation. Or perhaps it grows out of too few of us saying enough is enough.
Whatever the reason, now is the time for each of us to speak up, even amongst friends and colleagues, to reaffirm our commitment to a legacy as a people and a nation that honors our success as a melting pot — that how we respond to this diversity and whether we continue to embrace it will determine whether we are on the right or the wrong side of history and humanity.
* Editor’s note: Jerry Thorne is completing his third two-year term as mayor of Pleasanton after serving seven years on the City Council. A retired corporate executive with more than 40 years in the private sector, he also served for 10 years on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
The mayor does a good job of mouthing the right words of diversity, although I believe the true core of pleasanton’s upswing over the last couple of decades is TECH. Tech is not diverse. It is very close minded about things. Tech cannot allow a person to do code that is not qualified, hence the problem.
But, it’s important to mimic good words that sound good. I’m just not sure Pleasanton is a hotbed of diversity.
What have you done to make the world a better place Chuck Everest?
If you mean that silicon valley tech has not done enough to attract Black and Latino talent from around the country and world, I very, very much agree. These groups are underrepresented, and that needs to change.
I wonder if the mayor is intolerant of violence from the left as well?
I don’t remember him saying anything when Berkley and Oakland where being savaged by the likes of left wing violence over the last few years when Obama was in office.
The companies of silicon valley hire the best/cheapest people they can find, not the whitest.
Unless you’ve been in a position to hire anyone in a tech company, you don’t know what the pool of applicants looks like. Fact of the matter is there just isn’t enough qualified under-represented persons to be hired. The pool is extremely small and competitive.
Given this, there is no way I would hire anybody but the best, regardless of the color of their skin. Anybody who says differently is not seriously into business.
SV companies do not hire the “best/cheapest” people they can find. They won’t hire someone because they are cheap, only because they are good.
I do know what the talent pool looks like here. Some groups are underrepresented, and I think the industry needs to do more to balance it out. The talent is out there.
A rare agreement with DKHSK on this one. Silicon Valley is not to blame here. You won’t find a more egalitarian and color-blind employment culture than Silicon Valley. The problem is simply that the pipeline of black and Latino tech talent is very small, and that’s not a Silicon Valley’s fault. That’s a problem of educating enough black and Latino tech talent through grades 1 thru 12 and college.
Diversity is a two way street. Many cultures are moving into Pleasanton bringing their heritage, food, and traditions with them. Unfortunately, the new people coming into Pleasanton are not as apt to share those cultures with the existing residents and create a more diverse community. They keep to themselves, they do not participate in City committees or volunteer activities, they do not volunteer at the schools, and they do not mingle at city functions such as concerts in the park. They open restaurants but name those restaurants with names that only resonate with those from their cultures. Many of those moving into the city only socialize with members from their community.
Yes, a diverse community is a stronger community, but it is a two way street. Current residents need to make newcomers welcome, but newcomers need to strive to integrate with the community and not isolate themselves.
@Curious :”They open restaurants but name those restaurants with names that only resonate with those from their cultures”
So I take it that you would, for example, prefer going to a Japanese restaurant named something like “Barney’s Sushi and Hamburgers” rather than “Momiji” because the latter name does not “resonate” with you?
The tech industry is probably one of the most open industries when it comes to diversity. I have worked in tech for many decades. Nobody cares about your color, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Is it really tech’s fault that some ‘groups’ are not applying for these jobs? I have advertised in papers (when that was the norm), online, gone to college fairs, job fairs, etc. Outside of knocking on doors in undeserved communities, I am not sure what the industry can do.
I agree with most of what Curious has mentioned. We have lived in Pleasanton for over 25 years and have enjoyed living in this beautiful city. I am a first generation immigrant so had to work much harder and put in more hours to achieve a decent life for my family. That did not leave much time to give back to the community. But now that we have achieved the American dream we are very much involved. But sadly many new residents to the city do not mix up and stick to their own groups.
THANK YOU, MAYOR!!!!
Well written by the Mayor and I couldn’t agree with him any more.
The assumption by some that there is all this “diverse” untapped talent going unutilized (the implication is that this must be due to wilful neglect or discrimination), is very dubious at best and blatantly false at worst.
Recently, for instance, the State of California released data that demonstrates the “gap” is real, not artificial. Are employers supposed to hire workers that can’t READ?
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/05/75-of-black-california-boys-dont-meet-state-reading-standards/
This is the talent pool you are all referring to!
Isn’t this a solution to a non problem in this city? How many streets and parks do we named after non whites? Very few I suspect. It like pulling down these confederate statues. It makes a few feel good but doesn’t fix the problem. Just symbolism over substance. What would work? naming white supremacists, black lives matters, and antifa as domestic terrorist organizations.
There’s a definite skills gap in this country, no doubt about it. Across many industries actually. Funny though I would expect our leaders to discuss it a bit more. I guess in the end it’s easier to import the brains from elsewhere. Kudos to the new citizens that have worked hard and will add so much to this country..however with tens of millions of Americans out of the workforce I find it sad in a way. I’m an old fossil anyway so what do I know..
Billie – add the teachers union, bart union, and any other government affiliated union to that classification and I’m in
It is common knowledge that the elected council members will not support Pleasanton as a sanctuary city.
Mayor Jerry Thorne, you never determined your support or your non support for Pleasanton as a Sanctuary city.
So, mayor Jerry Thorne, does this opinion piece state your support for Pleasanton as a sanctuary city????
We have no business or reason to be a Sanctuary City.
I hate to say Back Then, but the skills gap is largely the result of educators swallowing the Everyone must go to College myth. In the 60’s in public school, we not only had driver’s ed with real cars, we had auto shop, wood shop, and electronics classes. Plus P.E.
It was possible to learn a trade in school and apply for an apprenticeship after.
What has happened to our schools? I was shocked to hear that there were no longer lockers for a kid to keep all their stuff in. I can’t imagine being forced to carry all my heavy school stuff on my back.
Mike,
One of my kids goes to Foothill and her book bag is nearly 40lbs.
The discontinued use of lockers is all in the name of “safety”.
Mind you they didn’t stop the contraband, they just made it more mobile and creative.
Government logic.
A few years ago when they brought drug sniffing dogs into the student parking lot at Foothill, there suddenly was adequate parking, as kids begin to parked out on Muirwood Drive.
Regarding the book issue – there is little reason for a heavy book bag as Foothill students have a set of books to keep at home and books to use in the classroom. Unless things have changed since the early 2000’s when my daughter was at FHS.
I do not support the government removing memorials to Vietnam veterans even though the Democrats are trying to remove all references to a war they want us all to forget. Likewise, I don’t support the schools removing the teaching of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar or Roman history because the Romans had slaves and conquered many regions. Trying to rewrite history by removing all memorials to any war and veterans who fought in them is completely wrong. I have a hard time believing Thorne even wrote this guest opinion, but it looks like he did. He won’t ever be getting my vote ever again.
Having protested Thorne choosing to not tell anyone and send in the bulldozers to chop down trees at the Tennis Park last year, I can perfectly empathize with anyone upset that the government would show up and remove trees, grass, statues, plaques, a historic building, etc.and haul them away from a public park.
While publishing a laughable editorial promoting diversity, it is important to note that if Thorne actually believed in diversity of thought, he would hire city employees from different ethnic persuasions or nationalities and the city commissions would be full of various ethnic groups. Instead, he has chosen to appoint employees and city commission and the resulting organization that he runs, the city departments and commissions, is at least 98% all-white.
Hypocrisy at its best.
@ Sam – That is not what I suggested. At least Barney’s Sushi gives a pretty good idea of what they are serving. Here are the names of four restaurants in Pleasanton, #1 do you know these are restaurants from their names only and #2 what kind of food do they serve? Amaravati House, Ananda Bhavan, Sri Venkatesh Bhavan, Bawarchi. I’ve grown up in the Bay Area so I’m pretty sure these are Indian restaurants, but since I do not speak Hindi or Bengali, I’m not sure. Are these names attractive to an English, or Spanish, or Mandarin speaker? On the surface, the naming appears to be designed to only appeal to those familiar with the language.
I look forward to the day when we have a diverse culture where these restaurant names are as ubiquitous as sushi house or pho palace, but we are not there yet.
Hansen Curious,
I’m not lost on the intended sentiment of your statement but I don’t think your examples are representative of the intent.
I think what you’re trying to communicate is we have had a very accute burst in our population by a specific demographic, which has brought with it many services that cater to the needs of that demographic i.e. The business case to open one of the aforementioned Indian restaurants was not the overall population of Pleasanton but instead supported by the sub demographic within that is large enough to support not one, but multiple restaurants.
As such, the need for those establishments to market to you (who may be genuinely interested in trying the food) isn’t there, so they don’t. And traditionally these establishments would be at events like farmers market or wed night street fairs encouraging people to try their food/services – but again given the accute growth in this demographic in a short period of time hasn’t had to.
It feels, and in some cases is, exclusionary as it divides our community. But it’s not necessarily wrong either.
In the past the need to assimilate into the local culture was a requirement not an option where as today the population size and cultural ties provide a large enough infrastructure to operate within the larger Pleasanton population while not necessarily having to be fully immersed in it.
This flows through schools, community events, sports, etc.
I get it, I don’t pretend to have an answer either though.
I will say, the Indian community at fair lands last yr did a great job at trying to encourage Indian and non Indian population in a school fundraising event that also shared in expanding access to the Indian cultural while also getting the Indian demographic more involved in school fundraising. It was a promising start.
What was his point? Was he trying to call out someone, some group? Was he watching leftist news? Was he watching Fox news? Where are his arguments to his rambling?
He obviously is talking about the recent violence in VA, but I find it strange he calls out neither side. Which, ironically, both believe in a socialist form of government with limited liberties for the people. Antifa, BLM, White Supremacist, etc., all believe in government control of the people. Only the elites have freedoms in their ideal society.