Issues - Public Safety

Strong support for public safety in Santa Clara County is a commitment, not just an empty campaign promise. A Supervisor’s priority must be to give law enforcement the tools they need to get the job done, in our neighborhoods, our city centers, our schools and parks. It is a fundamental right to be able to walk our city streets in safety, and we should have nothing less than zero tolerance for crime in our neighborhoods.

I talk to citizens every day that want to keep our neighborhood quality of life, a quality of life that is once again threatened by county and state record budget deficits that could impact the local budgets of our Police and Sheriff Departments, courts, and District Attorney's office. A large portion of the County’s annual budget is dedicated to public safety, and those funds must be protected.

We are fortunate to have Laurie Smith as our Sheriff, and I’m glad that she has endorsed me in this campaign. She deserves to work with Supervisors who have extensive experience overseeing complex multi-million dollar budgets in tough times, because in the case of law enforcement, that experience will often make the difference in the safety of our communities. National security concerns are also a reminder that local law enforcement is the first level of response in any assault on our security, and we need leaders who won’t hesitate to put our safety first.

As a Councilman and Vice Mayor, I have been a staunch and outspoken supporter of public safety, as shown by my 11 years of service on the PAL Board, my support for the San Jose Police Chief’s five-year staffing plan and my support for additional sworn personnel in the budget. I’ve been proud to help put more cops on the street in San Jose, and even in these challenging times we’ve included 15 additional officers in this year's budget.

It was a rewarding experience serving as Chair of the 2002 Public Safety Bond campaign, which funds important projects such as the Driver Safety Training Center and the Police Southside Substation. My close working relationship with the SJPD began during my early days on the East Side Union High School Board, where I worked with officers to improve safety at our high school campuses. The safety of children must be our number one concern.

With my neighbors, we brought the Weed & Seed Program to the King Road area to fight gang activity. I have served as a past member of the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task force and initiated the Rigoletto Initiative in my district in response to youth violence. Still, there are renewed frustrations about youth crime and gangs that are suddenly on the rise in other parts of the County.

It has been my privilege to work side by side in San Jose’s Evergreen neighborhoods with parents, teachers, church leaders and others who want to significantly reduce the incidence of crimes including home and car burglaries. As a result, Evergreen has gone from a community with two neighborhood associations to 27 in just a matter of years, and with cooperation among groups we’ve seen a difference. Let’s take that grass roots message to ensure that there is full cooperation among all law enforcement agencies at the city, county, state and federal levels.

My long history of law enforcement support has lead to endorsements from the San Jose Peace Officers Association, the Latino Peace Officers Association, and others. They’ve protected us, and now is the time for us to support them, and we need your ideas and input to make things better.

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