What is the primary reason you are running for this office? I'm in this race to provide fresh leadership that focuses on getting results through good city and neighborhood planning, focusing first and foremost on getting Alameda Point going as a vibrant new, mixed-use community. To that end, I will modify Measure A for Alameda Point so we can have a mix of stylish and upscale housing —senior housing, homes for families with school-age children, and townhouses and lofts for young adults. 

 What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? Hiring a developer(s) and keeping them on track to redevelop Alameda Point as a vibrant mixed-use area. Housing is critical as it generates the tax base that pays for world-class amenities, such as open space, public access waterfront paths with breathtaking views of San Francisco, and multi-sport recreational facilities for youths. Also, housing pays for landscaping and infrastructure needed to attract quality industries that provide high-paying, career-track occupations—not dead-end jobs. 

What sets you apart from the other candidates? By education and profession, I am an urban planner, having earned my master's from UC Berkeley's City and Regional Planning. And I am a Senior Associate/Planner with a planning firm called Applied Development Economics. I've used my professional and educational background previously when on Council by championing, from inception to implementation, the community that is now known as Bayport. In a hard-fought battle that I was front and center in, dilapidated, substandard former military apartment structures that others simply wanted to put a new coat of paint on and rent out as below market, were developed into a 70-acre upscale residential community. 

Where do you work and what is your job title? I work for an economic development planning firm called Applied Development Economics, where I am a Senior Associate/Planner. I've been with ADE for slightly over ten years and, before that, worked was the Senior Program Associate with the Northern California Council for the Community, a social service/workforce development intermediary closely aligned with the United Way of the Bay Area. And before that, was with the National Economic Development and Law Center, where I was an urban planner.

 Age and birthplace? Other family information you'd like to share? I am 44. I was born in Kailua, Hawaii.  My brother is a writer for the Sacramento Bee and my younger sister does business development for a litigation consulting firm, and her husband is a professor at Michigan State University. My older sister is a music agent.

Please list the schools and colleges you attended, the degrees you attained and when  UC Berkeley, City and Regional Planning, Masters (attended 1991-1993, degree 1998); UC Berkeley, US History, Bachelor's (1984-1989, degree 1989); Encinal High School (Alameda), 1980-1984, Class of 1984; Chipman Middle School (Alameda), 1977-1980; Paden Elementary School (Alameda), 1974-1977

Have you ever held an elected or appointed public office? Yes, I served on Alameda's City Council between 1996 and 2006. I was twice appointed by Council colleagues to serve as vice mayor (1998-2000 and 2002-2004). 

Approximately how much money do you expect to spend on your campaign? I plan on spending approximately $15,000. I am limiting contributions to no more than $100 per individual. And I am accepting contributions only from individuals—contributions from political committees of corporate entities such as developers or labor unions not accepted.   

Have you ever served in the military? While I have not served in the US military, as the son of a US serviceman, I lived the military life. I was born in Hawaii in 1966 then moved to the Philippines in 1998 when my father served our nation in Vietnam.  Then I  moved to a US military base in southern Japan after my father finished his tours of duty in Vietnam. When my father retired, we moved to Alameda, where my father was decommissioned. Like many ex-military families, once in Alameda, we decided to stay here permanently.

 How long have you lived in Alameda? Alameda has been my home since 1974—for over 36 years. During that time, I lived in Washington, D.C. for two years between 1989 and 1991, but even then I still considered Alameda, and the West End in particular, my home. 

What's your favorite thing about Alameda?  What I have loved about Alameda in all my years here, frankly speaking, is the West End: this has always been a place where multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-income diversity works—where people respect each other and get along in a genuine fashion because we've known each other for years, or known each others' children for ages. It's been that way since when I went to West End schools in the 1970s and 1980s, and continues to be that way to this day. That's why I chose to purchase my home near the intersection of Haight Avenue and Webster, a center that attracts people from all corners of Alameda not just because of the Farmers Market (which is in front my home) but also a social center for diverse entities like the Islamic Mosque next to me (I am Roman Catholic—St. Barnabus is my parish) and an African-American baptist church directly across the street. Then, around the corner on Webster, you have so much flavors of the world just right there—Asian shopkeepers, Latino coffee shopowners, Bosnian grocery store, etc., etc.  It's the type of vibrant urban streetscape you might find in a picture of some neighborhood in New York City, like Little Italy, but all in a small town setting called Alameda's West End.

 What is the biggest problem in Alameda? About communist Russia, Winston Churchill once said, "When Russia sneezes, all of Europe catches a cold."  That's true for Alameda Point: when the former military base closed, all of Alameda was affected. So, to get our school district back on stable footing, we need to bring back young families with school-age children in the West End of town, because as we re-populate schools in that part of town, the District as a whole gets back on stable footing. Likewise, when we build new homes at Alameda Point, those homes will generate fees that will begin to pay for governmental services that residents in historic Alameda right now are subsidizing out at the Point. Likewise for traffic: right now we're already suffering almost 75 percent traffic congestion through the outbound Posey Tube. So, with a WELL-PLANNED Alameda Point, we can leverage Alameda Point redevelopment to create city-wide traffic solutions that decrease congestion through the tube (and I have a traffic plan for Alameda Point). We can use Alameda Point as a sling shot to create a bus rapid transit service that serves all of Alameda, not just Alameda Point residents.  So, in a way, getting Alameda Point going is our biggest problem, but, interestingly enough, when planned-well, it is also a source of possibilities and solutions that help all of Alameda.