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Health & Fitness

Election 2012: What does it all mean for Redwood City?

There's lots for a political moderate to be thankful for from the election.

Lots of people are analyzing what the election means, especially from a partisan position, for the entire country, causing some to despair and other to gloat.  I'm looking for deeper meaning and what the silver lining is locally.  I'm finding quite a bit to be happy about.

Education

Looking at the passage of the school district parcel tax in June, and the countywide sales tax increase that passed handily this week and the success of Proposition 30, I think it is safe to say that a significant majority believe that school budget cuts, at least locally, has gone far enough and it is time to start reinvesting.  

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Is there still waste in the system?  You bet.  Whenever you have people involved in anything you are going to have inefficiencies and until we can figure out how to replace school personnel with robots, that isn't going to change.  You just have to do the best you can.  This year, the electorate has told educators, OK, you've cleaned out as much as can be expected.  Let's move forward.

But let's be clear here.  We have not increased spending in education locally or in the state.  All we've said is we don't need to cut more.  I'm sure I'm gonna get comments on this that say otherwise, but rather than get involved I'll just say, you're wrong.

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Health District

Speaking of waste, we have the ongoing discussion about the Sequoia Healthcare District and whether it should continue.  Local tax gadfly Jack Hickey tried to pull a fast one by running for another seat on the board of trustees (while he was still serving in another) to extend his tenure.  Ostensibly he said he was running to get a feel from the electorate if the agreed with him that the district should be dissolved as a grand jury report recommended.  I called "horsehockey" on this plan a few weeks ago and, in fact, and apparently the electorate agreed by a 3-1 margin.

The people of the district may agree that some changes need to be made in the district, and possibly even the dissolution, but going at it underhandedly and bass ackward is not the way to do it.

Supervisors

I'm also happy to see that Shelly Masur was requested by the voters to finish her work as the Redwood City School District trustee, rather than take the next step in her political career.  I think she has done a good job in her current position and with the passage of Prop. 30 and the parcel tax, she still has some work to do. 

I was a bit on the fence regarding district elections for supervisors but seeing how at-large elections tends to ace out getting new blood onto the board  was glad to see that pass.  At least we won't have to deal with it for a while now.

Bad Neighbors

I was specifically overjoyed to see that local busybody Kelly Fergusson lost her seat on the Menlo Park City Council.  Fergy has been actively pushing bayside development that will result in increased traffic in Redwood City, because it benefitted Menlo Park tax revenues and her own campaign fund.  She didn't give a Rodney Rip what it cost us.  I say good riddance and I hope the new players will consider what their decisions do to our quality of life going forward.

Finally, I think the new open primary system has done us a great service in ridding us of the increasingly annoying Sally Lieber.  She went after moderate Jerry Hill like he was a rabid Tea Partier and, as a result, will be lucky to get the endorsement of the Democratic Party for anything in the foreseeable future.  

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