The Sierra Club yesterday announced it is endorsing Brian Steen, Larry Klein, Karen Holman, Gail Price for Palo Alto City Council. READ MORE
Palo Alto Weekly interview - Oct 2
Brian Steen hasn't ventured into local politics before, but he figures he'd fit right in on a City Council where the word "green" gets uttered at least a dozen times every meeting.
An avowed conservationist, Steen was born in Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University, where he earned a degree in forestry. He has spent his professional career preserving forests and sensitive watersheds, first at the U.S. Forest Service and later as leader of two different land trusts.
"I've spent the whole decade of the '70s climbing mountains and working with the public," said Steen, 59, referring to his tenure as a public information officer at the Forest Service.
Given
his passion for land use, Steen says he has more than a passing interest in
California's ambitious high-speed rail project. As presently configured, the
rail line would stretch from San Francisco to Los Angeles and pass through Palo
Alto, along the Caltrain tracks. In recent months, Steen has been volunteering with a group of city officials, finance experts and architects to study the possibility of building a deep tunnel for the high-speed rail, which would travel through the city at the speed of 125 mph. The tunnel project would theoretically be financed by selling air rights above the Caltrain corridor, chiefly in the downtown area at present. CONTINUES
With so many candidates,
how will you choose? - Sept 17On Nov 3 you will be challenged to choose 5 new city council representatives from an enormous pool of 14 candidates. Will your choice be based on how many times you see a candidate’s name or on how many mailers you receive?
Here are serious issues Palo Alto faces, along with my experience and involvement with each. Can the cast of other council candidates compare?
Budget Management
I’ve preserved over 18,000 acres of California’s natural landscape valued in excess of $50 Million, completing over 100 escrows, fully-funded and on time, for The Big Sur Land Trust and the Sempervirens Fund, public service organizations that never had an operating deficit under my leadership.
Palo Alto’s long-term economic sustainability is dependent on prudent budget management to maintain and improve City programs and services.
Environmental Protection and Sustainability
The Sierra Club has endorsed me for my conservation experience and long-range vision, “We are impressed with your knowledge on a range of issues and your obvious passion for serving the public. Your extensive environmental record shows us you are the kind of candidate we can be proud to endorse.”
Environmental protection means caring for all the resources under your stewardship. With Palo Alto, that means the management of its parks and open spaces, but also the stewardship of it financial and social resources.