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Effective solutions for the large number of people living on the streets and concerns about the effects of climate change on communities were some of the issues discussed by two candidates seeking renewing the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in the elections next November.
At the Fair Oaks Community Center in Redwood City, Lisa Gauthier and Antonio Lopez presented their ideas and plans to about 45 attendees via Zoom on Monday, September 23, for an election in which three of the five seats in the county legislature will be up for grabs.
Candidate Gauthier is a member of the East Palo Alto City Council, and Lopez is currently the mayor of that city. Each is seeking to represent District 4 on the Board that oversees county departments, programs and properties, and which has a budget of more than $4 billion for that purpose.
On the issue of homeless people forced to live in public places, Lisa Gauthier said she prefers a policy similar to the one implemented in East Palo Alto, where services, food and psychological help are provided wherever the homeless person is.
Antonio López argued that, for him, cities should not face the problem in isolation but together, in order to act more efficiently, and he defined the situation as “a social crisis but also a health crisis.”
As for climate change, Councilwoman Gauthier noted that her city installed a flood defense wall on the San Francisquito Creek, which she said helped lower insurance costs for families living nearby. She also considered it prudent to reduce dependence on natural gas in the medium term, replacing this energy source with electricity.
Lopez acknowledged that it is difficult to interest people who live “paycheck to paycheck” in the issue of climate change, but warned that people must understand that in order to try to find solutions, it is they who must get involved and do their part. “It is a personal investment,” he said.
There was also talk about the cost of living in the county, and specifically about access to childcare for working parents.
According to Mayor Lopez, current laws need to be adapted so that private individuals can open child care services in more areas of cities. He urged counties to pressure the state of California, and the state in turn to pressure federal authorities, to rectify and update the so-called “benchmarks” or limits on access to financial and health assistance services.
Indeed, according to López, these limits are too exclusive, since in order to "qualify" a family must earn very little in the year, which benefits only the very low-income sectors and leaves out lower- and middle-class households.
Gauthier proposed making it easier for those interested in establishing child care services to obtain permits, and said the county government should support providers so they can receive better salaries and more space.
The two legislators were asked how to involve citizens in the electoral process, and Lisa Gauthier said that “it is very important to let young people know that their vote matters and counts. Many of my ancestors had to die so that they could access the right to vote.”
Antonio López said that he sees every day that young people feel disillusioned by politics. “They tell me: 'The government is not working for me,'” he said, and insisted on the need for candidates to be trustworthy and to truly attract the attention of voters, but for their qualities. “Like when Obama emerged,” he recalled.
Among those attending the forum was Ana Huerta of East Palo Alto, accompanied by her daughter Yuliana. “I liked what they both presented, I think they talked about the issues that are important” for the district, Ana assured Peninsula 360 Press.
Asked about the most pressing problems facing her city and region, Huerta said she was concerned about rising sea levels. “I was not directly affected by the recent floods, but I saw many families” who suffered, she said.
Blanca Rodríguez was in Ana Huerta's group, and also resides in EPA.
“I feel that both candidates are very committed” to improving the situation in the city, admitted Blanca. However, “I would have liked them to talk about employment. If there are no jobs, how are we going to survive in East Palo Alto?” asked this young Latina.
“Years go by and more and more people are moving from EPA to Modesto, to Stockton, because there is not much work and rent is very expensive,” said Blanca Rodríguez.
Another concern, she said, was the state of many apartment buildings in her city after the floods. “It affects people a lot, especially children,” she said, and she wondered if the owners had taken steps to eradicate the mold with the support of the county.
Monday's forum was organized by the Thrive Alliance of nonprofits, the County Leadership Council and Choose Children, a project of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
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