Politics & Government

City Council Candidate Q&A: Rob Bonta

Alameda Patch has compiled information about the candidates running for office in the Nov. 2, 2010 election. Rob Bonta is one of eight hopefuls vying for two seats on Alameda's City Council.

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? The primary reason I am running for Alameda City Council is to continue and deepen my commitment to public service to our city and to improve the lives of all Alamedans. Alameda is at a critical juncture. The decisions the city council will make in the next four years will have major impacts on the city for years to come. I will listen to Alamedans and fairly represent them in those decisions in order to secure Alameda's future.

I grew up in a home that valued public service, activism and contributing to the common good. Those values were instilled in me from an early age. My parents both worked for the United Farm Workers with the great Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Phillip Vera Cruz. They were part of the civil rights movement. And they dedicated their lives to social justice and the service of others. They each served the people of the State of California—my father at the Department of Health Services and my mother at the Department of Water Resources—for over fifty years combined. That commitment to public service has taken root with me and only grown stronger over time. 

I have been involved in the community in many ways. Mostly recently as a member of the Alameda Hospital Board and chair of the City of Alameda's Economic Development Commission. I have also served as the chair of the City of Alameda's Social Service Human Relations Board and as Co-President of the City of Alameda Democratic Club. 

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I am now running for City Council because it provides the greatest opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Alamedans, to serve our community, and to continue the work that I have already been doing. As a city councilmember, I will promote sound economic development, preserve public safety, exercise fiscal responsibility, build a partnership with our schools, and protect services for our community's most vulnerable. Working closely with the community and fellow city leaders, I will work to improve the lives of all Alamedans and ensure that we maintain and enhance the quality of life in Alameda that we all love.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? My single most important priority will be preserving and enhancing the core public services that our community values most by exercising fiscal responsibility. I will exercise with the city the same fiscal discipline I demonstrated on the hospital board, where we took deliberate and intentional steps both to reduce costs and to generate additional revenue. A critical part of exercising fiscal responsibility for the City is cultivating sound and responsible economic development, particularly in promoting business attraction and business retention, as I have done as chair of the city's Economic Development Commission.

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If we pursue sound economic development at Alameda Point, our business parks, our business districts, in West Alameda, and elsewhere, we can substantially improve the quality of life for all Alamedans while also generating important tax revenue (transfer tax, property tax, sales tax, etc.) to support the services we care about most in Alameda, such as our public schools and our public safety (police and fire).  It will also be important to work successfully with labor unions, as I have done at Alameda Hospital. 

What sets you apart from the other candidates? I have a proven record of success addressing the biggest challenges our City currently faces. On the Alameda Hospital Board, I oversaw the greatest financial turnaround in the Hospital's history, turning a deficit into a surplus, while preserving critical, high quality health care services. During the time that I served on the Hospital Board, the hospital moved in a positive financial direction every single year, which amounted to a total move of $5.5M in a positive direction, and put together the only two consecutive years of a financial surplus in the history of the City of Alameda Health Care District.

I have demonstrated a deep commitment to our public schools. As a councilmember, I am committed to building a partnership with the public schools and to supporting this pillar of strength for our community. I currently participate in a statewide litigation (Robles-Wong Vs. State of California) in which my daughters are named plaintiffs, that seeks to fix the State of California's broken public school finance system and ensure that children in Alameda and throughout the state receive the financing they need to receive a high quality education. And I have worked to ensure that our schools receive the local funding that they need to remain strong, including supporting the school parcel tax Measure E.

I have demonstrated a commitment to sound and responsible economic development. My work as current chair of the city of Alameda's Economic Development Commission is evidence of this. This commitment includes, but is not limited to, promoting effective business retention and business attraction strategies for the city.

I have demonstrated the ability to successfully work with organized labor. Recently, while I served as a director at Alameda Hospital, in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, the hospital was able to negotiate fair contracts with its labor unions that also planned for Alameda Hospital's future. For example, the membership of the California Nurses Association (CNA) unanimously ratified a contract that contributed significantly to the financial health of the hospital. In addition, hospital management was asked, and agreed, to give salary reductions to help secure Alameda Hospital's financial future.

I have demonstrated a collaborative and cooperative approach to leadership. I will work with colleagues and staff to move our city forward, rather than participate in any divisiveness that will prevent the city council from best serving Alameda's residents. I will lead by bringing people from different backgrounds and perspectives together to find common ground.  I will represent all residents of Alameda, not just a particular segment. If we are to move forward as a city, we must do so together, with civility, open minds, open ears, and a healthy and constructive dialogue.

And I will work closely with the community. For example, as a City Councilmember, I will make myself accountable to the voters who elect me by holding regular community meetings. At these meetings, voters will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear from me in person. And, perhaps more importantly, I will have an opportunity to hear from them. I will listen. In addition, I will make myself available to voters through email and telephone. In order to increase the community's access to their government, I was instrumental in ensuring that Alameda Hospital followed a more open and inclusive process for its regular meetings.  I spearheaded the effort to film meetings and make the videos available to members of the public on the internet. I also worked to ensure that all meeting agendas were posted and available well in advance of meetings.

Where do you work and what is your job title? Deputy City Attorney, San Francisco City Attorney's Office

Age and birthplace? Other family information you'd like to share? I am 39 years old. I was born in Quezon City, Philippines. I have lived in Alameda with my wife and three children for over a decade. I love coaching my oldest daughter Reina's soccer team, swimming with Iliana, and taking Andres to the park. I recently had the thrill (along with the rest of my family) of walking Iliana to school for her first day of kindergarten at Otis Elementary School.

Please list the schools and colleges you attended, the degrees you attained and when. I graduated with honors from Yale College in 1993, earning a B.A. and majoring in History. There I received the Roosevelt L. Thompson Prize awarded at graduation to the student with the "greatest dedication to and capacity for public service." I was also honored to receive at graduation the William Neely Mallory Award for the "the best male athlete at Yale." I attended Oxford. I earned my J.D. from Yale Law School in 1998. I attended public schools in Sacramento through high school.

Have you ever held an elected or appointed public office? Yes. I am currently an elected public official representing the City of Alameda as a Director of the Alameda Hospital Board.

The Mayor of Alameda appointed me to the Economic Development Commission in 2006.  I have served for nearly four years on the EDC and my colleagues elected me to be the current Chair.

The Mayor of Alameda appointed me to the City of Alameda's Social Service Human Relations Board in 2003. My colleagues elected me as President in 2005.

Have you run before for an elected public office? Yes. In 2008, I ran for elected public office as a Director of the Alameda Hospital Board and won.

Approximately how much money do you expect to spend on your campaign? I have currently raised over $40,000 for the City Council race and I am close to completing my fundraising. I am proud and honored that my campaign's financial support comes from a broad range of individuals and community members, many of whom have known me for years, including neighbors, community leaders, colleagues, friends, and family. 

As reflected in my campaign financial disclosure statement that accounts for every dollar of campaign contributions I have received through September, I have made a commitment not to accept any campaign donations from any developer. You won't find a single campaign contribution dollar from any developer (including SunCal). Nor will you ever. I do not think SunCal was or is a good fit for our community and I voted against Measure B (SunCal's ballot measure) way back in February. 

I am running an independent campaign. My only concern is what is best for the City of Alameda and I am running to represent all of its residents: our seniors, our working families, our young people, our business community, and all of the other residents of our great City.

What's your favorite thing about Alameda? My favorite thing about Alameda is our high quality of life—the great schools, the "mom and pop" shops that fill our unique business districts, the safe streets, the small-town feel, the parks and open space, and the diverse community. As a Councilmember, I will preserve and enhance this quality of life.

What is the biggest problem in Alameda? The biggest problem in Alameda is the fiscal challenge the City faces, and the attendant threat to our valued public services. Addressing these challenges, will require a comprehensive approach that includes both revenue generation and increased efficiencies/cost-cutting, similar to the approach I took at Alameda Hospital when we effected the financial turnaround that turned a deficit into a surplus.


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