League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 8, 2005 Election
	Harold "Skip" Justman Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Palo Alto

Questions & Answers

1. What specific steps would you support to balance the financial needs of the city with a changing regional business climate and potential effects on the quality of life in the area?

We do not need to cut the services which we cherish or defer maintenance of our infrastructure. If we form public-nonprofit service partnerships, the City revenues are sufficient to maintain our quality of life. We can create a sustainable budget. We owe it to our children.

2. What are your priorities with regard to the balance of neighborhood issues and the broader needs of all Palo Alto?

Palo Alto needs to support our train transit system. HIgh speed trains have increased ridership. High speed trains make twice the revenues of existing trains. High speed trains enable people to work in Palo Alto without driving to Palo Alto.

3. Where do you stand on the goal of retaining socio-economic diversity in Palo Alto, and if you support that goal, what steps would you take to achieve it?

Palo Alto needs to restructure its affordable housing program. We need to leverage our housing assets by reacquiring and selling BMR ownership units in order to own and manage affordable rental housing. Affordable rental housing does more to retain socio-economic diversity than BMR ownership units.