The questions were prepared by the the League of Women Voters of Alameda and asked of all candidates for this office.

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Answer from Tony Daysog:

As a Councilmember, I have successfully promoted two innovative programs for our youths. I created the "small capital improvement" (CIP) program and the "round-up" voluntary contributions program.

Capital improvement programs (CIP) run a wide gamut of projects, from multi-million dollar infrastructure projects at Alameda Point, to hundred-thousand dollar street re-surfacing projects, to low-budget playground equipment improvement projects of no more than $15,000 for our parks.

Unfortunately, low-budget CIP projects for children and youths, while listed in the budget, were never truly funded, as funds continuously went to big-ticket items, in large part because the criteria for determining which CIPs to fund were weighed toward big-ticket items.

The "small CIP" program that I created ensured that City Hall always includes the needs of youths, children and neighborhood parks when making budget decisions.

I also brought to the attention of the Alameda Unified School District, Alameda Power TelCom and City Hall a way to have rate payers, on a strictly voluntary basis, help fund the school district's Internet-based educational program. This is called a "round-up", where rate payers can choose to voluntarily "round-up" their electric or cable TV bill to the nearest dollar, with the difference going to the school district's Internet-based educational program.

Thus, as a Councilmember, I have demonstrated my committment to creating programs and funding programs to ensure that all youths fulfill their god-given talents.

A particular program for at-risk that I want to work on, if re-elected, has to do with making sure all children and youths access food programs. If a youth goes to school hungry, she or he is not prepared to learn. Unfortuantely, the families of many low-income children are not accessing food programs although they are eligible to do so.

I also believe we need to enroll more children in low-cost health care programs. The State and county has failed to hit their targets when it comes to enrolling children in the low-cost health program: I believe local government must work on this as well.

In particular, we need to ensure that youths who enroll in one program (food program) are also enrolled in others (such as low-cost health insurance), as often-times the eligibility for these programs for at-risk youths are the same. Sadly, there is a disparity in number of kids accessing either programs, meaning that the City Hall needs to help the county in coordinating these social services.

I will continue to work with innovative non-profit programs such as the HOME Project, whose child care program I think is critical. As a Councilmember, I worked directly with the HOME Project (helping in construction of their site) as well as advocated for them in terms of finding space at Alameda Point.

Finally, we need to have a City Hall that understands the unique needs of youths. A youth recently sent me an e-mail saying that a local park no longer allowed him to access padded mats that he was using to "break dance": he didn't understand why the park changed its mind. I looked into the situation and now am working with him and the park department to make sure that he and his co-horts have padded mats. Break dancing allows him and his friends to stay out of trouble. City Hall needs to provide programs, services, and equipment that keeps joyfully active during after-school hours, when some might be prone to delinquency.

As it is, I grew up in Alameda, in the working-class West End, and I know that I benefitted tremendously from organized activities provided at Longfellow Park in the 1970s. I want to make sure youths of all backgrounds have the same opportunities that I had in the 1970s.

Answer from Jean S. Sweeney:

This is a very important issue. Young people need to be challenged. The Home project, Island High, and Xanthos all work very closely with these young people in our community. And these groups need to be supported. It is important to get their GED and to learn to write a resume and handle themselves in an interview and then they are helped to get a job. Apprentice programs are good.
Drug education and treatment is very important as well.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.