This opinion piece was prepared for The Sun by the current mayor of Sunnyvale, Robin Parker, along with five of her Sunnyvale mayoral predecessors: Pat Castillo, County Assessor Larry Stone, District 3 Supervisor Ron Gonzales, District 5 Supervisor Dianne McKenna and Lynn Brody.
As mayors past and present representing many years of service to the residents of Sunnyvale, we want to express our unified endorsement for Patricia Sausedo for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, District 3.
Patricia is a former councilwoman with a long and impressive history of working with the Sunnyvale community and political leadership to meet our city's economic development and transportation goals. Patricia clearly understands the need to plan for the future as a means to ensure that necessary policies are in place to create good jobs for our residents while preserving our community's quality of life with safe, livable and family-oriented neighborhoods.
While serving on the council, Patricia forged the public-private partnership necessary to build four state-of-the-art elementary schools, as well as neighborhood parks, community centers and public trails within her represented community. Currently, as vice chair of the Santa Clara County Planning Commission, Patricia led the commission to adopt the countywide Trails Master Plan, the South County Agricultural Preservation Plan and the first-ever Urban Growth Boundary initiatives in Santa Clara County.
Patricia also has demonstrated her leadership in establishing policies and programs that protect and support safe, livable neighborhood schools and workplaces. Project Crackdown, a nationally recognized, multi-agency program to eradicate graffiti, gangs and drugs, was initiated by Patricia in the Stonegate area of her district. Today the families of that neighborhood have watched local crime decline by 44 percent. Patricia plans to bring Project Crackdown to the county, utilizing our deputy sheriffs to combat graffiti and crime in county pockets, the unincorporated areas and county transit corridors. In addition, Patricia wants to enlist the deputies to help crack down on chronic truancy, keeping kids in the classroom preparing for college or the local job market.
Patricia takes her leadership role for Sunnyvale very seriously. To that end, she has committed to holding regular office hours in Sunnyvale and to include a Sunnyvale resident as a member of her personal staff, insuring Sunnyvale's issues as part of her daily agenda.
Bottom line: Santa Clara County needs qualified elected officials who will bring common sense and a straightforward approach to forge workable solutions to our social, education, economic and transportation issues as we move into the 21st century. Patricia Sausedo is the candidate who embodies these qualities along with the leadership skills necessary to get government to work in partnership with the community. In addition, Patricia has the ability to bring the resources together and articulate reasonable, doable solutions.
It is for these reasons that we ask the Sunnyvale residents of District 3 to join us in voting for Patricia Sausedo for County Supervisor (ballot no. 39) on Nov. 5.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 30, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.