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Q:
What
do you want to accomplish on the City Council?
Q:
What
can you as a City Council member to do to improve Oakland schools?
Q:
What
are the main differences between you and your opponent?
Q:
Your
opponent has said you “pushed” Ebonics in the Oakland schools.
Is that true?
Q:
What
can we do about crime in Oakland?
Q:
What
is your position on Measure DD, the Lake Merritt clean-up bond
measure?
Q:
What
do you think about the Montclair Courtyard proposal?
What
do you want to accomplish on the City Council?
As
your City Council Member, there are six items that I plan to
accomplish:
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I will be accessible to citizens who need help, whether it is with
crime, permits, street repair, or fire safety.
-
I want to see
a stronger partnership between the city and the school district to
improve educational opportunities.
-
I want to see additional
retail shopping in Oakland.
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I want to see a reduction in
both violent crime and petty crime.
-
I want to preserve the
natural beauty of our area and expand parks and recreation programs
in our underserved areas.
-
I would like to improve the local libraries that serve our
neighborhoods.
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What
can you as a City Council member to do to improve Oakland schools?
I
have spent 12 years fighting to improve educational opportunities
for Oakland children. Our
school district and our city must work more cooperatively.
Additional smaller schools and classrooms are needed to serve the
growing student population. Ill-conceived housing policies negatively affect
schools. I want to plan new schools,
housing, libraries and city facilities together to revitalize our
neighborhoods. As a city council member I would institute
after-school programs at every school and insist on the coordination
of the city-run Head Start programs and the school district-run
Preschool centers. I would expand job training and student
internship opportunities.
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What
are the main differences between you and your opponent?
We
agree on many issues, but there are significant differences. First,
I will be a full time council member, he won’t. Second, I will
continue to be an advocate for children and neighborhood services.
He is a lawyer for special interests and developers who have
projects before the city. Third, my experience working in the
schools and with multi-million dollar budgets provides me with a
level of expertise that he doesn’t have.
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Your
opponent has said you “pushed” Ebonics in the Oakland schools.
Is that true?
No.
My goal, as well as the goal of all educators, has been to
ensure that low performing students are taught standard English.
The discussion around ebonics was nothing more than an effort
to provide teachers an understanding of non-traditional English so
they could more effectively reach students. Our students deserve all
the tools that they will need to be successful.
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 What
can we do about crime in Oakland?
I
support Mayor Brown’s plan to increase the number of police
officers. Oakland has
fewer officers than comparable cities; this leads to spending too
much in overtime because of understaffing.
At
the same time, strengthening community policing is key. We need more
beat officers walking the neighborhoods. We need a collaborative
effort between the community and the police department that
identifies problems and involves the community in a search for
solutions. As Councilmember, I would make sure that the Police
Department works with our neighborhood groups, and together they can
focus on the most pressing issue in each neighborhood.
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What
is your position on Measure DD, the Lake Merritt clean-up bond
measure?
I
strongly support Measure DD. Oakland is one of the few cities in the
country with a waterfront that has not invested in improving it. The
cleanup and restoration of Lake Merritt and Oakland Creeks and
waterways will improve water quality and provide significant
recreational improvements for all Oakland citizens. Butters, Sausal,
and Courtland Creek projects as well as Castle Canyon will directly
benefit from the passage of Measure DD.
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What
do you think about the Montclair Courtyard proposal?
I
support creating public community spaces like this.
I am glad the Courtyard group is working with the Montclair
business community to look at the bigger picture of traffic,
parking, and a strategic plan for the whole area. Too many Oakland residents are forced to shop outside of
Oakland. Anything we can do to improve retail shopping opportunities
in Oakland should be considered. I hope to work on similar projects
in the Dimond, Glenview, and Laurel neighborhoods.
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>>Read
about Jean's Issues
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