League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Rose Herrera Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of San Jose; Council District 8

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council?

As a former CEO I know what it takes to grow businesses. If we want to solve the city's budget crisis we need to evaluate the whole budge while exploring options to encourage businesses to locate to San Jose and thrive here. Having also worked on the Human Relations Committee I understand what it takes on a ground level to achieve results.

2. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them?

Budget: As a businesswoman, I'll make sure city government is run efficiently and effectively. I founded a software company and grew it into a ten million dollar business. Running a city calls for the same skills as running a business; you need common sense and an ability to set priorities and say "no".

To solve our budget problems, we need a lean and efficient government that does not waste public money. This means cutting unnecessary and ineffective programs wherever possible, while preserving essential services like public safety and programs for young people and seniors.

We also need to find ways to increase revenue without raising taxes. We can do this by making San Jose a more business-friendly city; supporting local small businesses and providing further incentives for large companies looking to move to this region.

The residents of Evergreen have spoken loudly and clearly on what our priorities are for the city budget- Police, Potholes and Parks. As your councilmember I will fight to keep those high priority items at the top of the list and to ensure that the city budget will keep our city safe, our streets drivable and our parks beautiful and well-maintained.

Economic Development: I am a firm believer in intelligent and well-planned business development in Evergreen and throughout the entire city. We need to find ways to attract good companies and high-quality jobs to Evergreen and fulfill the promise of local employment for our residents so that we can spend less time commuting and more time in our community! As an experienced small-business owner and former CEO of my own technology startup, I firmly believe that we can attract companies to our district that will develop new technologies and bring new jobs to our district, and as your representative on the City Council I will fight to keep those jobs here where the technology is invented!

Traffic: The traffic situation in San Jose and District 8 is unacceptable. When we're trapped in a traffic jam, we spend less time working, relaxing and being with our families. And gridlock is bad for the health of our region. It increases air pollution and hurts our local economy.

We must take immediate steps to invest in public transportation and modernize our highways, including fixing the Yerba Buena/Capitol Expressway interchange to reduce congestion around Evergreen. I believe this is a regional problem with a regional solution. As councilmember, I will work with state and local government to find a lasting solution that keeps us moving.

In addition, I am a strong supporter of intelligent solutions to calm traffic in our District and our neighborhoods. These include measures such as improved traffic light timing on major arterial roads such as Aborn, Quimby, Tully and White roads, and (when necessary) local solutions to calm traffic in residential neighborhoods, such as added stop signs or speed humps.

3. How would you balance the needs of the City as a whole with groups' interests?

The most important part of dealing with group and City interests is the ability to make sure everyone's voice is properly heard. By encouraging growth of commissions and neighborhood groups we can ensure that ideas will be vetted by the community and be presented to city staff in a clear and efficient manner. If we can ensure that all stakeholders are properly notified and have adequate time to respond we can bring all sides together and find common ground for sensible solutions

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 1, 2008 16:15
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