Electing East Palo Alto's new mayor

After a spirited series of discussions that took place over several months, the East Palo Alto City Council modified Resolution 738 which specified how the mayor of East Palo Alto should be selected.

Some thought the resolution stipulated that the position of mayor would rotate annually and go to the next city council member who had not previously served as mayor. If this interpretation had prevailed, then City Council Member Peter Evans would have automatically become mayor. But, at its meeting on Tuesday, November 20, the East Palo Alto City Council ended the debate. By a 4 to 1 vote, the council took away any confusion about the resolution by modifying it to state that the new mayor would be elected by the majority vote of the council.

So, at its last meeting on Tuesday, December 4, the East Palo Alto City Council elected by a 3 to 2 vote Vice Mayor Patricia Foster as East Palo Alto's new mayor. City Council Member Donna Rutherford was elected as the city's new vice mayor.

Given the long debate over the issue, do you approve of the changes the East Palo Alto City Council made to Resolution 738? Do you believe that the vice mayor or the council member who has not served as mayor should automatically become mayor or do you think the city council should elect as mayor the council member who gets the most votes?

Is a civilian review board necessary?

On Tuesday, October 2, a recommendation was made during the East Palo Alto City Council meeting to create a civilian review board in East Palo Alto. It was said that a board composed of East Palo Alto residents who had civilian oversight of the police department would give the department greater transparency, would create a safer environment for residents and police officers who file complaints against the police and would foster more trust for the police. This body would be appropriate for the city, it was said, since a similar body existed in East Palo Alto previously.

Given the “Chat with the Chief” meetings that East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis holds in the city, the monthly community beat meetings that take place throughout the city, the recent policies and programs designed to improve the East Palo Alto Police Department’s relations with the community, and the reduced crime rate within the city, do you think a civilian review board is necessary? Would civilian oversight of the police department improve the police’s effectiveness and lead to more trust and cooperation between the residents and the police? Tell us what you think.

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

On July 3, the East Palo Alto City Council voted to allocate $45,000 to the East Palo Alto Boxing Club, a nonprofit organization within the city that teaches boxing skills to the city’s youth. The organization also encourages its young participants to set personal goals, maintain high standards and stay out of trouble.

When the city council agreed to allocate the money to the boxing club, it requested that the city’s staff provide the council with potential funding sources from which to take the money. At the council's evening meeting on July 17, the staff suggested three city funded areas: the fund for children and seniors, the technology fund and the council’s budget allocation fund.

One resident remarked, during a community forum after the suggestions were made, that if the council followed through on the suggestions, then it would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, since the boxing club’s funding would be taken from other city programs.

So, we’d like to know whether you think the council should take the money that it plans to give to the boxing program from other funded programs. If the council does what the staff suggested, would it, in fact, be robbing Peter to pay Paul?

Making Community Improvements

Is it hard to make major community improvements? The Hewlett Foundation recently released a report that said it is. The report covers the foundations' 10 year, $20 million effort, through its Neighborhood Improvement Initiative (NII), to bring substantial improvements to three local low-income communities: West Oakland, East Palo Alto and the Mayfair area of East San Jose.

The NII was "an ambitious effort" that was designed to bring community change by reducing poverty and developing new leaders, better services, more capable organizations, and stronger connections to resources. One of the report's conclusions is that the effort to bring community change is not for everyone or for every foundation. The report stated, "Some will find the work too messy, politically charged an/or hard to assess."

Do you agree with the report's findings? Is it hard to bring lasting community changes without a lot of strife and political infighting?

The East Palo Alto Levee is fixed!

photo by Mike Alexander, MPact News 2003

It has been a project that has been underway for years. Now the East Palo Alto Levee has been repaired. After last year’s winter storms left a 37 foot crack in the levee, the East Palo Alto City Council declared a local emergency and called upon the Governor of California and the U.S. Government to provide financial and technological assistance to get the levee repaired. Officials feared that further breaks in the levee during a major storm would put one third of East Palo under water.

In announcing that the levee repairs are now complete, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo said, "I'm thrilled that the repairs are finished and that the residents of East Palo Alto are now better protected from catastrophic flooding."

Are you relieved to hear that the levee has been repaired? Did the break in the levee and the state of emergency that was declared worry you in anyway? Did you fear that the worst would happen? Or, do you think the work should have been done sooner?

Do poverty programs cause more poverty?

In the East Palo Alto City Council meeting held on May 1, City Council member Peter Evans said that he did not support the existence of nonprofit programs in East Palo Alto that feed the hungry and help the poor. He said that these programs cause the people who use them to become dependent upon them.

In Mr. Evans' words, " As long as we support nonprofits saving us, we will never be saved." Do you agree with Council member Evans? Do you think poverty programs lead people into poverty by creating the very problems that they are designed to solve?

The Bible as literature in local schools

Some people support introducing the Bible in English classes as required reading. They think it should be taught as a part of the Bible Literacy Project. The Project has created a text called, “The Bible and Its Influence,” which looks at the Bible within an historical context. Some of the project's supporters, like Chester Palesoo, who is a member of the Ravenswood City School Board in East Palo Alto, say that if the Bible is taught in the classroom, then students would be taught morals and such teachings would cut down on violence within the community

Others fear that bringing the Bible into the classroom would encourage some teachers to use it as part of a Christian agenda. Still others think the Bible as literature can be taught without a religious agenda behind it.

What do you think? Do you think the Bible should be taught as literature? Do you think, if the Bible is taught as literature, then the Holy Books from other religions should also be taught?