SUMMARY OF MAJOR POSITIONS

By Gary Fleming

The following provides a summary of the issues that I strongly support and will WORK HARD to promote in San Bruno.

As a candidate for the San Bruno City Council I strongly support the following issues:

1. San Bruno: 2020 Vision Committee

The history of San Bruno has shown that there has been a lack of proper Long-Term Planning and little vision. There has been a lack of priorities and vision to guide decisions regarding the direction of San Bruno leading to the inability of civic leaders to gain support of the general public. San Bruno needs a vision for the future. A vision that sets priorities for the types of development that we want in San Bruno. With a vision, the City can properly prioritize allocation of badly needed resources for infrastructure improvements, new civic facilities, and incentives for specific types of development. To accomplish this I propose the creation of a San Bruno: 2020 Vision Committee. This committee would develop a long-term vision for San Bruno, setting priorities for development and infrastructure improvements through the year 2020.

See Position Paper #2 regarding a "vision" for San Bruno.

2. Reform of Ordinance 1284

Ordinance 1284 (Height Limits) was adopted by the City Council in 1977 after a petition drive received a sufficient number of signatures to place the Initiative Ordinance on the ballot. Ordinance 1284 is a good ordinance however it has had some unintended consequences, mainly it has evolved into a "no-growth" initiative that inherently pits the citizens against the City Council. Coupled with a lack of trust of the City Council, San Bruno is at a disadvantage to neighboring communities relative to investment in the City. I propose that the City Council be provided with three methods of applying Ordinance 1284. These methods include:

a. Place all height limit issues before the voters (current ordinance)

b. Utilize a legitimate citizens' advisory committee without requiring voter approval, with a reasonable threshold (500 signatures)to place issue on ballot for voter approval in the event of abuse of the process by the City Council.

c. Utilize both a citizens' advisory committee and place issue on ballot for voter approval.

Most likely all large developments would follow the procedures outlined in Item b above and small developments, such as a parking garage, would follow the procedures outlined in Item a above. If the development is very contentious the City Council could agree to follow the procedure as outlined in Item c above to assure citizen involvement and support.

Please see Position Paper #3 regarding Reform of Ordinance 1284.

3. Youth Involvement

Quarterly Program on San Bruno Community Cable. I propose that the City support an audio/video program at Capuchino High School that allows the students to produce a monthly or quarterly program regarding local issues. These issues could include matters relevant to youth and issues relevant to the San Bruno citizenry in general. The program could be produced and directed by the students and it would provide a forum for students to get involved in local issues as well as providing a forum to various parties to discuss their position on ballot measures, developments, ordinances, etc. The goal is to provide a forum for citizens to keep informed and to encourage the youth of San Bruno to take an interest in local matters. The program would be aired on the San Bruno Community Cable system.

4. Openness and Involvement in Government

As a councilmember I will hold Monthly "Meet Your Councilmember" meetings at a local business. I believe as a Councilmember, citizen input and involvement should be a top priority. Citizens should be encouraged to get involved in matters pertaining to their community. This can involve a lot of work and having to deal with various people with opposing opinions. Being open and available to citizens is a critical step in building credibility and public trust. To support this I will be available to meet people so that they can openly express their opinions on matters and they can discuss their concerns regarding various issues. It will also provide a forum by which I can discuss my positions and why I voted the way I did on issues before the City Council.

5. Smart Development and Growth

I strongly support "smart" development and growth. I define "smart" growth as the level of development that can be mitigated without causing undue harm to the surrounding neighborhoods. This includes traffic mitigation without the need for calming devices, such as speed bumps on side streets. "Smart" development also includes limiting developments to work within our existing utility infrastructure. We can preserve our quality of life while encouraging investment in our City.

6. New Library Construction

As a part of the San Bruno: 2020 Vision Committee, priorities would be developed to determine the types of civic facilities that the citizens want to invest in between now and the year 2020. One investment that is a high priority and would be included in the 2020 Vision would be a new library. The City Council put forth a proposal in June, 2001 that was not approved by the voters of San Bruno. One element of the proposal was to build the library on San Mateo Avenue in place of an existing business. I feel that it is important for San Bruno to develop a Master Plan for City Hall and to fully explore the possibilities of renovating and expanding City Hall to include an expanded library facility. With the police department moving to the new joint BART facility there is space available to utilize for City staff. The money that would have been utilized for land acquisition could instead be used to invest in the renovated facilities.

This shows even more that San Bruno needs a vision for what we want our City to look like by the year 2020. This will allow us to set priorities on investment of future civic facilities.

7. Redevelopment of Downtown

I strongly support the redevelopment of downtown. This requires that both citizens and store owners be involved in the planning process. Redevelopment funds should be used to provide low cost loans to business owners to refurbish their store fronts to make the area more appealing and encouraging to shoppers to visit San Mateo Avenue.