Labor Campaign Statement/Questionnaire

A. Background Information Gave all this information at my interview. Have lived in Antioch since 2010. Own my own home, and want to serve and support my hometown.

 1. Have you previously served in public office? Please list any offices and provide dates of service. Served on the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy Public Advisory Committee, 2015.

 2. Have you failed to vote in ANY election in the past ten years? If so, why? Don’t think so, but I might have missed a primary a few years ago, because I was in Europe.

 3. Briefly describe your educational background. Graduated from Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, OH. Some college at Wright State U, and degree from City College in SF. 

4. Briefly describe your professional background. Brief Resume Ohio [1970-81] Legal Secretary for several Lawyers including a patent attorney, and the Dayton office of the EPA. Realtor at Park Avenue Realty SW Ohio Dept. of Public Health Art Director at Bell PubliCom, an Association Management Firm California: Moved to San Francisco in 1981 and couldn’t afford the rent then, so I became an Apartment Manager until 2007. In 2008 I moved to Walnut Creek and managed 16 buildings there until I retired in May of 2012. Apartment managers have ALL the skills a politician needs. I mix well with people while enjoying what I do. A creative thinker, who helps resolve challenges. Good communicator who can listen as well. [I had to get along with my management company, the owners of the buildings, and all of the tenants, and work on solutions to all of the problems, and I did it well.]

 4. Describe your work and experiences with labor unions. Only with ‘Occupy Walnut Creek” and marched in support of the Nurses’ strike at Kaiser. Worked with Cesar Chavez in the 70’s in Ohio.

 5. Are you a member of a union? If so, which union(s) and level of participation. No. 

6. List any other organizations that you belong to. Red Hat Society. Antioch Lapidary Club.

 B. Campaign Experience and Campaign Plans 1. Which previous political campaigns, if any, have you worked on? What role did you play? 

I first became involved in politics in 1960 when my Father [a WWII vet and prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials] ran for judge and we campaigned with JFK when he was running for President. I rode in the backseat of the limo between them and spoke at the rally. Have also worked on several congressional campaigns in Ohio, and presidential campaigns in California: Mainly data entry, stuffing envelopes, walking precincts. 

2. How much will you need to spend to win this race? How much have you raised? Don’t know; probably less than $2,000. I’ve raised $50 so far, but just started.

 3. Briefly explain why you are going to win? Because people are sadly disappointed with our current city council, and I believe I could be a major asset to our City. 

4. List any endorsements from unions, organizations, and elected/community leaders that you have received. (If needed, attach an endorsement list.) None yet.

 C. Values and Vision 1. Briefly describe your key priorities if elected. My main issues are the lack of cohesion and vision on the Council. While I would hope we would all have Antioch’s best interests at heart, it seems there is little agreement on what that is. While I’m delighted that the Antioch BART station is open, I am appalled at the lack of parking and services at our brand new station. It seems that both BART and Antioch were totally unprepared for this new addition to our city. On August 3rd, I parked in the last spot at 10:05 am in the carpool/permit spaces which are reserved until 10 am. When I entered the station, both the elevator and the escalator up were not working. What’s a senior to do? This station has been open less than three months and it’s already broken! 

2. What differentiates you and your priorities/goals from the other candidate(s) seeking this office and their goals and priorities? I decided to run as a result of seeing a flyer about two seats on the Council at the Antioch Senior Center, and felt that as an elder and a woman in our community, I could be a valuable addition to the City Council [At the very least, I could have easily edited the sales tax proposal to fit the word count 

My communication skills and command of the English language are excellent.

 3. What role would the Labor Council and unions play in advising you and staff on important issues affecting workers? Don’t know, but am willing to listen and respond civilly to anyone who is civil with me. 

4. Do you plan on seeking higher office? Not at this time. 

5. Have you ever been approached by organization aiming to weaken workers’ rights? If so, how did you respond? No.

D. Workers’ Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 1. What have you done to support workers’ right to freely join a union? Worked with Cesar Chavez in the 70’s. He stayed at our commune in Dayton, Ohio.

 2. When workers are trying to form a union, would you urge employers to remain neutral, voluntarily recognize when the majority wants a union, and negotiate in good faith for a first contract? Absolutely.

 3. How can union members be involved in the budget process? What steps will you take to ensure their meaningful participation? Don’t know. Haven’t been elected yet.

 4. Do you support public employees’ right to strike? Yes. 

5. Would you impose furloughs on city or county employees outside the collective bargaining process? Don’t know. 

6. Would you oppose any efforts to weaken basic worker protections, such as the 8-hour day, guaranteed lunch breaks, and prevailing wage? Absolutely.

 7. What is your opinion on the use of independent contractors, temporary workers, and other non-standard work arrangements? Depends on the project, but I strongly support a union presence.

 8. Would you support or oppose contracting out work that is done by the city, county, state, governmental agency, or district? Depends on the project. 

9. What is your opinion on changes to public employee pensions plans through the balloting process? I think it’s just as wrong as stealing money from Social Security.

10. Would you support “labor peace” requirements when the city/county/agency has a financial interest in the operation of a project, such as when revenue from the operation is paying back municipal bonds or paying for a ground lease for public land? Don’t know.

 11. Do you support community benefits agreement on a project to create a positive impact on the community? Yes.

 12. Many cities and counties are now looking at allowing cities to grow, manufacture, distribute and sell Cannabis. Do you support the efforts to require strong labor protection language in local statues including but limited to efforts to create a point system that gives credit for having collective bargaining agreements and joint labor-management training programs? Yes. I believe drugs should be legal [like Uruguay and Canada] to remove ‘black market’ problems. 

13. Which of the following actions would you take to support workers organizing a union or bargaining a contract?

 a. Write/sign a letter to the employer expressing support for workers ☐Yes

 b. Meet with workers and their union representatives seeking support ☐Yes

 c. Meet with employers as part of delegation of workers and their union ☐Yes 

d. Attend rallies, informational pickets, and other direct actions in support of workers with workers. Maybe, have done so in the past.

 e. Speak at a public event or forum in support of workers. Maybe 

f. Pass ordinances supporting workers’ rights and living wages. ☐Yes 

g. Refuse to patronize employers who conduct anti-union campaigns. ☐Yes

 h. Encourage majority sign-up rights (“card check”) to all workers, including farmworkers and tribal casino workers, so they can organize a union free from employer intimidation. ☐Yes

 i. Oppose efforts making California a “right-to-work” state by prohibiting employers from agreeing to “union shop” contract provisions. ☐Yes 

E. Project Labor Agreements and Wages Project labor agreements bring contractors, builders and developers together with unions to negotiate wage rates, work rules, and working conditions for the life of a public construction project. They have been proven effective in getting quality projects built on-time and on-budget. They have also been proven effective at increasing the employment of local workers, returning veterans and apprentices, & benefitting the area’s economy. Contra Costa County, the West Contra Costa Unified School District, City of Martinez, Pittsburg Unified School District, BART, and many other local and state agencies have adopted PLAs​.

 1. Do you support project labor agreements|project stabilization agreements? Yes.

 2. Would you support the use of project labor agreements on construction projects in your agency/city/county? Yes. 

3. What is your position on project labor agreements for public works projects? Support, union contracts preferred.

 4. Are you familiar with state-approved apprenticeship programs in the building trades? Do you support the expansion of apprenticeship programs that have a capacity to graduate participants? Not familiar.

 5. What do you consider a living wage? Would you support a living wage ordinance in your district? At least $15/hour. 

F. Housing and Transportation 

1. “Smart-growth” principles of economic growth emphasize equitable, sustainable land use, and include policies such as regional tax sharing, in-fill development, and open-space preservation. What “smart-growth” proposals do you support and why? Fixing BART. Using renewable energy.

 2. Do you support an increase of sales tax or a parcel tax to maintain city or county services? Explain. I support sales tax over parcel tax. I do not support bonds as they mortgage our children’s futures.

 3. California is home to some of the highest housing costs in the country and we’re seeing the displacement of working and low-income families. What types of affordable housing would you support? More housing stock? More density? We definitely need more affordable places for seniors and vets and homeless. Our President should not be spending millions of tax dollars on a military parade when veterans are homeless and hungry.

 4. What would you do to protect tenants against unreasonable rent increases and evictions? I think CA needs a ‘rent board’ like SF, but don’t know if anything can protect every tenant, especially in California.

 5. Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs) are used to finance the construction or rehabilitation of a wide variety of public infrastructure and private facilities. What are you views on the use of EIFDs?First I’ve heard of it. Don’t know 

6. Public transit service has been cut radically in the past decades, making it more difficult for workers and their families to get to jobs, school, shopping, health care and government facilities. How would you improve our public transit system? Public transit is alive and well in Antioch, but the new BART extensions definitely need more parking. Use more renewable energy. 

7. What will you do to ensure that transportation policy, programs and project provide valuable jobs and services to working families? Well, I thought of running for the BART board, but it would just be me against a bunch of greedy, unheeding, uninformed members. For example; Why did they approve diesel cars for the BART extension? Makes NO sense at all. Should have gone solar, or at least, electric, like the rest of BART.

 8. How will you ensure that there are sufficient funds to operate the current system and any service increases and expansions currently in the works? Don’t know. Not on Council yet. 

9. How do you prioritize transit spending? Public roadways? Highways? Public transit? BART? Buses? Fixing roads, buses, BART. Indicate whether you support or oppose the following policies. Provide a brief explanation if needed. 

1. Employers intentionally mis-classifying workers as independent contractors to avoid providing benefits and workers compensation insurance. ☐Oppose 

2. Restricting cities and counties from using the municipal bankruptcy process to nullify union contracts. ☐Support

 3. Expanding the privatization or contracting out of public services. ☐Oppose 

4. Protecting employee pensions from further cuts and adjustments. ☐Support 

5. Establishing a two-tier pension system with a lower benefit for new hires. ☐Support. 

6. Split Roll tax reform to Proposition-13 tax. ☐Oppose 

7. Governor’s proposed “Twin-Tunnels” project. ☐Oppose