February 25, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Editorial: Ira Ruskin for Assembly

The two other candidates -- Monte Sereno City Councilwoman Barbara Nesbet and West Bay Sanitary District President John Carcione -- each lack seasoning and a broad enough base to win in November.

Barton has been a solid member of the Palo Alto Unified School District board, and has been involved in the creation of the Opportunity Center for homeless persons in the Palo Alto area -- as well as running his own architectural firm and being active with the Chamber of Commerce. He describes himself as a strong moderate who would not need to shift to the center to counter a strong Republican challenge in November for the long-Democratic 21st District.

But Ruskin's record of leadership while serving on the Redwood City Council extends beyond Redwood City. And, while Palo Alto has only been able to talk about joint city-school library/media center services, Ruskin helped create just such facilities in Redwood City.

Fiscally prudent, Ruskin helped his city enact a budget reserve policy and a multi-year budgeting process.

He also took a strong lead in securing a powerful and unprecedented "partnership" voice for the 28 communities who buy Hetch Hetchy water from San Francisco, which earlier had been treated as simple customers. Many called this an impossible challenge when Ruskin, some Palo Alto officials and a few others launched the effort fewer than four years ago, through the Bay Area Water Users Association.

Ruskin also has picked up impressive support from education organizations, the Women's Campaign Fund and the San Mateo County Labor Council, among other labor groups. He has widespread support from other elected officials from throughout the wide-ranging 21st District, including a majority of his own City Council and local school district officials.

Ruskin is endorsed by the Sierra Club and a majority of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Board of Directors.

Ruskin has an impressive record in Redwood City and on regional issues, and is ready for the state Assembly. We recommend Ira Ruskin for the 21st Assembly District.

Editorial: Vote yes on Regional Transportation Measure 2

R egional Measure 2 is a little-noticed but far-reaching transportation-funding measure with direct benefits for the Palo Alto area. It would authorized a $1 increase in the existing $2 bridge tolls to raise about $125 million annually for transportation projects.

It would provide a continuing base of funding for such long-envisioned projects as restoring the old Southern Pacific rail bridge across the bay immediately south of the Dumbarton Bridge for commuter trains to the Midpeninsula -- the largest South Bay project that would be funded from passage of the measure.

It would also fund a plethora of projects to improve safer access to public transit for pedestrians and bicyclists, and fund a major new Transbay Terminal in San Francisco to extend Caltrain into the heart of downtown San Francisco -- making train commuting far more appealing than the present setup.

We urge a yes vote on Regional Measure 2.

Editorial: Reluctant support for Proposition 57

It is a testament to failure on many fronts, involving both Democrats and Republicans, and its repayment will cost each California resident many hundreds of dollars -- some estimates predict $2,000 per person -- in interest payments alone, funds which could go to services that otherwise will need to be cut.

While much fault can be found to the former Democratic administration in Sacramento, today the Republicans' adherence to their ideologically driven "no new taxes" position is putting the state in crisis of rigid thinking that seriously undermines finding a rational balance of solutions.

But the consequences of failing to approve Proposition 57 are immense and unpredictable. Its failure will only increase the slash-and-burn levels of budget cutting that still need to be done even with its passage. The potential toll is inestimable in valuable community and educational programs, in human suffering and wasted lives that are being reclaimed by social programs, in the loss of police officers and firefighters, in the further deterioration of the state's infrastructure of bridges and highways, and in increased user fees for parks and services.

Increased tuition and fees at state colleges and community colleges will be inevitable, reducing the potential of many young lives at a time when the state needs are the educated persons it can get. Such increases are no different than new taxes -- except they fall most heavily on those who can least afford them.

If 57 fails, we simply don't trust the Legislature or the governor's office to do the right thing in a rational, problem-solving manner, and thus we reluctantly support its approval by voters on March 2.

Its passage is an opportunity for state leaders of both parties to quit pointing fingers, build a moderate core of problem solvers and come up with a rational package balancing the three legs of state fiscal operations: budget cutting, prudent borrowing and a judicial increase in taxes -- just the way Republican Governor Pete Wilson did it a decade ago.

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