Published: Tuesday, October 31, 2000

East Palo Alto City Council

Robert Alexander
Age: 54
Occupation: Entrepreneur/educator
Residence: Hunter Street
On traffic: "Traffic on our streets has made it difficult to get out of our neighborhoods. The Dumbarton Bridge needs an access road to Embarcadero.
On the police: "The police department has been a problem since incorporation. I'm not sure our approach to the police is right."

Duane Bay
Age: 48
Occupation: General management
Residence: Green Street
On city government: "We've gotten a lot of things started that I would like to see through.
On the police: "The highest priority (police recommendations) are being dealt with. I'd like to see this process play out."

Jose Beltran
Age: 45
Occupation: Apartment manager
Residence: West Bayshore Road
On housing: "We need to create subsidized housing on the West Side."
On city government: "The leadership is just not there. We need accountability and leadership."

A. Peter Evans
Age: 61
Occupation: Business operator
Residence: Beech Street
Comments: "Our City Council has not been working in the best interests of the community. The redevelopment agency has been giving our community away to developers."

Patricia Foster
Age: 58
Occupation: Small business consultant
Residence: Garden Street
Comments: "I think it's a critical time for our city as we develop more and more of the city. Residents feel abandoned. We don't have a grocery store, a pharmacy, a place to hang out. That can all come back, and it will."

Edrick Haggans
Age: 61
Occupation: Project manager
Comments: "Bell Street Park has no grass. The city's infrastructure is in terrible shape. Some people are in office for so long they have no fresh ideas. They grow stale."

Irving Hemingway, Sr.
Age: 49
Occupation: Electrical construction supervisor
Residence: Newell Court
On housing: "We must build more affordable housing so young people raised in East Palo Alto can raise their own families here."
On the police: "We need to hold police officers and supervisors accountable. We need a citizens' review board."

R.B. Jones
Age: 51
Occupation: Small-business owner
Residence: Mission Drive
On housing: "There must be a way to assist people to buy houses through fund-raising.
On his legal problems: I'm not so preoccupied with my legal situation that I can't function at the city. I never felt there would be anything happening that would keep me from serving my community."

Ayodale Ankoanda-King
Age: 23
Occupation: Business manager
Residence: Bradley Way
Comments: "We need a balance in the community. Residents couldn't afford the new homes. I'm happy that a lot of redevelopment has changed East Palo Alto, but the residents' needs aren't being met."

Everardo Luna
Age: 26
Occupation: Shop steward, United Parcel Service
Residence: Illinois Street
Comments: "There has been a tremendous lack of leadership at City Hall. We've come a long way since the 1980s, but there are things that need to be fixed."

Victor Perez
Age: 54
Occupation: Business consultant
Residence: Hunter Street
On city government: "A power establishment has been controlling East Palo Alto since its been incorporated."
On the police: "I would really seriously look at the whole Police Department, and maybe contract police (services) to the county."

Samuel Rasheed
Age: Unavailable
Occupation: Transportation analyst
Residence: Weeks Street
Comments: "We need new blood and fresh approaches. There's a 'us versus them' attitude (at City Hall). There's a perception of arrogance. It's real."

Robert Reynolds
Age: Unavailable
Occuption: Unavailable
Residence: Clarke Avenue
On city needs: "We need a high school, a bank, a grocery store and a cultural museum."
On housing: "I believe we should have more subsidized housing and take care of the people who have been here for a long time."

Donna Rutherford
Age: 48
Occupation: Social rehabilitation coordinator
Residence: Myrtle Court
Comments: "We needed the development to start a tax base, but a lot of mistakes were made. We need to be careful about the types of development we let into the community."

David Woods
Age: 34
Occupation: Real estate broker
Residence: Glen Way
On city government: "The city is basically losing its identity."
On the police: "There's friction between the Police Department and the community."
On redevelopment: "We should be more selective in selecting redevelopment projects."