Santa Clara County has faced eight straight fiscal years of budget shortfalls and there's no relief in sight. As the county's District 1 supervisor seat prepares to turn over at the end of 2010, any candidate who hopes to take the reins should be prepared to face a grim financial picture and some tough decisions.
"We basically have a huge deficit, which means that in order to balance the budget we have to cut services," Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage said.
Gage, who currently holds the District 1 seat and who terms out at the end of 2010 after more than 12 years as a county supervisor, said the winner of the five declared candidates vying for his seat earns the right to make some ugly decisions based on a likely budget deficit of between $100 and $200 million, according to county Budget Director Leslie Crowell.
"We don't know what our deficit for fiscal year 2011 is," said Sylvia Gallegos, deputy county executive. "We know we will have a deficit. We also know that the state is anticipated to have a 2011 shortfall of up to $25 billion."
District 1, which has a population of more than 330,000 and encompasses about 70 percent of the county's land area - is the county's largest geographical district. It includes Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Martin, Los Gatos, Almaden Valley, Santa Teresa and Blossom Valley, as well as the Mt. Hamilton Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The field of candidates for supervisor is about as broad and varied as the district itself. Among the pack is Peter Arellano, a medical doctor and Gilroy City Councilman; Teresa Alvarado, a former public affairs professional with nonprofit experience; Rosemary Kamei, a teacher, business owner and director for Santa Clara Valley Water District; Mike Wasserman, a businessman, Los Gatos mayor and the only Republican on the ticket; and Forrest Williams, a former San Jose City Councilman and a retired IBM engineer.
The deadline for filing for candidacy is March 12, and the contenders are still feeling their way and raising funds. Primary elections will be held June 8, 2010, and the general election is Nov. 2, 2010. Each term lasts four years and candidates may serve no more than three terms.
All the candidates are taking notice of the national discussion of health care and how it could translate into serving the county's needs.
In the meantime the county must continue to provide services for the county's uninsured, indigent and underserved to the tune of $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2010. Supervisors will have the particular challenge of funding the initiative, which covers public and mental health, alcohol and drug services, the children's shelter and custody health services, Valley Medical Center's hospital and eight clinics. Residents of the cities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin make up about a half-percent greater ratio of patients served in VMC's hospitals and clinics compared to their percentage of the county's population, according to figures provided by Amy Carta, assistant director of Santa Clara County Health and Hospital system. The figures provided did not include the southern portion of San Jose, which is part of District 1.
These social safety net services are in greater demand as the economy sours and people lose jobs and insurance benefits. Yet for the county it is also a potential source of revenue and one that all candidates agree is a viable option that should be pursued.
"The Valley health plan that the county has is something that has a lot of potential. I would like to see incentives (for insured residents) to join the Valley health plan," Kamei said.
Small businesses could purchase the county's health plan for their employees as well, Arellano said. Arellano also believed the county could do more to push preventative measures to help people avoid developing conditions such as diabetes.
Williams would like to see the county put some of the responsibility to become healthier on individuals. By embracing a healthy way of life, the cost of health care would go down by lowering incidences of chronic disorders, he said.
Beyond the health care debate, Gage hoped the candidates grasp the size and scope of the county's $4 billion budget - which includes the $2.2 billion general fund as well as reserves and capital improvements - as well as the county's mission and services, which reach across city borders.
"People tend to pander to the northern parts of the county because those are areas where the votes are," Gage said. He has had to doggedly pursue approval from other districts to bring South County such services as the health care clinic in Gilroy.
The candidates all believed they could play the role of supervisor without showing favoritism to their own home cities.
"I agree with Don - San Jose is larger, it has a larger role in government bodies and a larger voice. I think it is important to have someone connected to the whole district," Alvarado said. "That's why Supervisor Liz Kniss endorses me. She's worried about too many former city council members being on the Board of Supervisors."
Los Gatos approved a new library and soccer fields under Wasserman's charge and he recently celebrated the grand opening of a new Los Gatos Police Department operations building.
Williams has looked to job creation to garner more revenue for the county and has believed partnering with cities and simplifying the process to set up shop in the county would encourage more business growth. He has not been alone in that idea, nor has he been the only one focusing on the green sector for job creation. The candidates will have the coming days and weeks to express their views and boost their campaign coffers, and Gage said he hopes they all do their homework because none of them have managed a budget as large as the county's.
Who they are ...
Peter Arellano, 59, married to Rochelle Arellano, two daughters. Arellano was raised in and resides in Gilroy. Arellano is a family practice physician at Kaiser Permanente and is in his second nonconsecutive term as a Gilroy City Councilman. In addition to his medical degree from Stanford, Arellano holds a master's degree from UCLA in public health.
Teresa Alvarado, 45, married to Jess Moreles, two stepsons. Alvarado was raised in and resides in San Jose. She was the first executive director of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. She previously worked for Pacific Gas and Electric where she was the government and community relations representative for the Silicon Valley region and as a program manager in PG&E's Charitable Contributions department. She's held positions in both the NASA/Ames Research Center's Environmental Services Office and the City of San Jose Office of Environmental Services. Alvarado holds a master's degree in civil and environmental engineering from Tufts University.
Mike Wasserman, 51, married to Kim, two children. Wasserman was raised in and resides in Los Gatos. He has owned and operated a data processing company, a sports memorabilia store, a property management company and a financial planning firm. He has been on the city council of Los Gatos, where he currently serves as mayor. Wasserman has a degree in psychology from the University of Southern California.
Rosemary Kamei, two children. Kamei was raised in New York and resides in Morgan Hill. She was vice president of development at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, and left to pursue candidacy. First appointed in 1993 as member of the board of directors of the Santa Clara Valley Water District she was the first woman to run for and win the seat in 1994, and subsequent re-elections in 1998, 2002 and 2006. She ran Kamei Nurseries and has been on the Morgan Hill Planning Commission. She holds a master's degree in urban and regional planning from San Jose State University, and now teaches the subject at the school.
Forrest Williams, 72, married to Dorothy, two children. Williams was raised in Alabama and resides in San Jose. After graduating from college he worked at Boeing, and then took a job at IBM where he spent 35 years. He spent eight years as a San Jose City Councilman and 12 years on the Oak Grove School District Board of Trustees. He served in the United States Army Armored Calvary Regiment as a radio operator.
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