PoliticalClimate - page 14

The largest crowd ever assembled in Redwood City’s Courthouse Square – officially estimated at 3,000 but appearing closer to 5,000 people – enthusiastically cheered Saturday as an array of determined high school and middle school students pledged to take the necessary political steps to bring about meaningful and effective gun control and gun reform legislation.

But amid articulate and impassioned speeches and the warm response of a crowd that overflowed the square and shut down Broadway, a question lingered: Will it actually happen? Can the fierce urgency of now translate into a continued effort that will survive setbacks, opposition tactics and the changing tides of time and circumstance?

The students say yes, and there are elements of how this one rally was organized and carried out, and how it occurred in concert with hundreds of rallies on the same day throughout the nation, that suggest they could be right.

In speeches and interviews, participants and organizers acknowledged that this could be a long fight. That was implicit in the repeated calls to vote out of office those who would resist meaningful gun legislation, the calls to register to vote, the assertion that this generation of students would soon be old enough to vote, to launch political campaigns and to run for office. And there was an assertion that the youngest students, middle schoolers, would be right behind them.

“I’ve always been really passionate about gun control and reform,” said Carlmont High School senior Sophie Penn, one of the Saturday rally organizers. “It’s upsetting that this opportunity is before us. I’m really glad to see all these students are really rising to the occasion.”

But less than a year from now, Penn will be in college, miles away from Redwood City and apart from the circle of friends and peers who staged Saturday’s successful rally. And within four years, so will all the other rally organizers.

“There have been a lot of historical movements that have been led by young people across this nation,” Penn said. One of her goals, she said, is to “inspire the next group coming along” of middle school and younger students, many of whom were evident in Saturday’s crowd.

Jordan Hanlon, also a Carlmont senior, said that when the demonstrations and protests die down, “I’ll still be fighting for the same cause.”

Holly Newman, one of the rally speakers, asked for a 17-second moment of silence, symbolizing the 17 students killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Then she said, “The time for silence is over. We are ready to be heard and we are going to be heard. We will not stay silent and we will not back down until we succeed in making our nation a safer place.”

Will they?

Any student of national mass grassroots movements can tell you that each has struggled to sustain itself over the years, sometimes decades, it took to overcome the entrenched interests they were seeking to challenge and to change. Revolution takes time and makes people uncomfortable.

The civil rights movement, which some would argue still has far to go, was marked by dissent and disagreements between established leaders and young activists over tactics, targets and rhetoric, even as an older generation worried about incurring the wrath invited by confrontational behavior.

In the women’s movement, there were decades of dispute about the “proper” role of women in the home and the workplace, disputes still in evidence.

The antiwar movement of the Vietnam era generated mass demonstrations on a scale akin to the gun reform demonstrations. But demands to “end the war now” were also met with counter-demonstrations and an entrenched military-industrial-political establishment and the war continued for years. And the leadership of the movement was a mixed bag of idealist, sincere organizers, opportunists, and outlandish radicals who often dominated the attention of the news media.

So, why might this be different?

For openers, the students leading this effort are the best and the brightest – a generation of students taught to work on group projects and to speak publicly. The speakers at the rally, to a person, were remarkably poised, as if they had been doing this their whole lives. Certainly, it could be argued, their schooling had prepared them for this moment.

Spurred by parents and taught in classes with heightened expectations, they demonstrated a level of critical thinking and sophisticated political understanding that could not be innate but learned.

Brooke Bettinger, a 16-year-old from Los Altos High, carried a large tri-fold cardboard poster at the rally that read: “This used to be my brother’s science project but now it’s a protest sign because politicians think money from the NRA is more important than our lives.”

The antiwar movement of the ‘60s was led by a generation that had grown up with air raid drills, the Cold War and the reality that a nuclear holocaust could destroy everyone in a moment.

This generation has been going to school in the era of school shootings, campus lockdowns and a seemingly unending string of moments of silence and flags at half-staff.

“I’m part of a generation growing up knowing nothing but school shootings,” said Stefan Sujansky, a Woodside High School senior, rally co-coordinator and event emcee. “It’s far too normal. I’m sick and tired of having to watch school shooting after school shooting while politicians do nothing. … We should have a voice in how this issue ends.”

And this is a generation raised on technology and social media, armed with tools that facilitate networks of like-minded people.

One of the criticisms of social media is that it reduces our exposure to opposing points of view. But as a tool for unifying like-minded people interested in embracing a singular cause, it is unprecedented in American or world history as a means to that end.

As they prepared, the rally organizers sent out a call for speakers. Those who wanted to speak had to submit a Google form and a copy of their remarks to make sure their speech was in line with the overall message.

And everyone got the message. The words, the sentiment, the calls for action, the list of priorities were in sync with the speakers at the rally in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco and throughout the nation.

So, it could well be that this time is different – that the circumstances, the people, the means at their disposal and their facility in leading have come together at this time and this place and in a way not seen before.

Menlo-Atherton freshman Brynn Baker, standing with four of her friends in the crowd, put it this way: “Something needs to change and the adults are not going to change it. … In four years, we’ll all be eligible to vote.”

The San Mateo County that was simply is no more.

Once a hotbed of social rest, San Mateo County is an increasingly urbanized technology focal point in the regional, national and global economy, and there is no going back.

Nowhere is this more evident than at the San Mateo County Economic Development Association’s annual showcase of new and innovative companies.

At these events, held every year at the Oracle Conference Center in Redwood Shores, recognized companies have run the gamut from science to medicine to toys to transportation and every other iteration of the new economy imaginable. The presentations often have audience members reaching for their smart phones to look up products and stock symbols.

This year was no exception as seven companies were honored as Innovators. They included startups that are delving deeply into virtual reality animation programming, customized shopping, a convincing alternative to meat and cancer diagnostic tools requiring only the drawing of blood.

Of the seven companies recognized by SAMCEDA, five are in Redwood City, two are in Menlo Park and one is in San Mateo. More interestingly, of the 42 companies honored at this event between 2010-17, 36 still are headquartered in San Mateo County — only six have left. Combined, these 42 companies employ 17,000 people.

As SAMCEDA President and CEO Rosanne Foust told Political Climate, San Mateo County used to be known for its annual “churn” rate of 50 percent – the percentage of companies that would start in the county and then leave. Most companies, if not all, would reach a certain size and then move elsewhere, usually in seeking space for manufacturing facilities.

But then came companies that “laid the foundation,” Foust said. In the late 1970s, Oracle established its world headquarters in Redwood Shores and then Genentech opened in South San Francisco. At first, they were the only major employers from the new economy, but they were the forerunners of companies that now abound.

One key characteristic they share is that their products are virtual and don’t require physical production plants. Facebook is the most dramatic example with its plans to grow substantially in the next decade without leaving Menlo Park. At Facebook, they manufacture ideas and they need their employees to remain together, generating and executing new ideas at a clip that will maintain the company’s success.

Certainly, San Mateo County’s unique setting is an essential part of its appeal – its proximity to San Francisco, the ease of access to the redwoods and the beach. Just as crucial is the presence of Stanford University as a feeder of workers and innovators, and it’s no accident that Stanford is expanding into San Mateo County.

The net result is a reconstitution of the county’s DNA.

“There’s an energy here,” said Foust, and the world’s leading innovators sense it, understand its appeal and want to draw from it and contribute to it.

“The vitality of Redwood City in recent years has created a virtuous cycle with the diverse people and local, national and international businesses fueling an incredible ecosystem,” said Kristy Stromberg, chief marketing officer for Shopkick, one of the Redwood City companies honored at the SAMCEDA event. “It’s a great location for a tech company like ours.”

Stromberg referred to Redwood City as “being in the heart of Silicon Valley.”

There’s something no one would have said 20 years ago, or even 10.

These changes are the most profound to face this community in our lifetime. As I spend more time meeting and talking with the people who are making this change happen, I will revisit this topic with an eye to fully understanding what has happened, what will happen and why.

Yes, the San Mateo County we once knew has changed forever. It’s better – more diverse, more interesting, more dynamic and economically more powerful.

OUT OF THE GATE: Diana Reddy this week became the first Redwood City Council to formally launch her campaign. This is notable in that the council election is in November and the filing period has yet to be established or opened.

Reddy announced Monday before more than 40 friends and supporters at the Main & Elm Restaurant. In brief remarks, Reddy said she has a “passion for the least of us” and that she would be an advocate for those who have been left out or pushed out by the economic boom in Redwood City.

“We have much poverty in the midst of plenty and much fear in the midst of security,” she said. She vowed “we will have a seat at the table” if she is elected.

“We need a new direction,” Reddy said, promising to “align our city’s priorities with our community’s needs.”

An advocate for rent control, Reddy told Political Climate that it was highly unlikely a rent control ballot measure will be put on the November ballot. If anyone would know, she would, Reddy said, and it’s clear there isn’t the widespread political support required to take on the interests that would be arrayed against such a measure. There are other ways to take on the issue, she said, implying that she could introduce a rent control measure if she is on the council. … Among those on hand at the Reddy kickoff was Steve Penna, publisher of the monthly magazine Spectrum. Both Penna and Reddy denied a widespread rumor that Penna had assumed a formal role in Reddy’s campaign management. Penna acknowledged that he has worked for business interests in the city, including Main & Elm, helping longtime friends with marketing services. But, he said, “I will never, ever work on a city council campaign.”

A MOMENT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE: Two nonprofit organizations I am honored to support held major events in the last seven days. Sequoia Awards held its annual dinner last Thursday at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City, dispersing 29 scholarships to Redwood City high school seniors for their volunteer service to our community. That’s a total of $215,000 awarded, including $25,000 to the top student, Clara MacAvoy. The Sequoia Awards also recognized Barbara Pierce and Dee Eva as 2018’s Outstanding Individuals for their work on the city’s sesquicentennial celebration and recognized the Canyon Inn and proprietors Tim and Stephanie Harrison for their constant generosity to the community. … Bay Area Cancer Connections held its annual spring benefit yesterday at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club. Award-winning actress Camryn Manheim told the story of her own frontal assault on breast cancer with characteristic brio. I am honored to serve both of these organizations as a member of their boards of directors.

Contact Mark Simon at mark@climaterwc.com

Perhaps you have noticed that your friends at ClimateRWC World Headquarters are holding a contest in which you are encouraged to nominate the absolutely very best stuff in this City of the Redwood – best late-night eats, best barber, best coffee shop, and so on.

This is a great idea and an unabashed effort to market all things Climate, an effort that I respect for its directness and because I’m hoping it means good things for Political Climate, which is not just a column but an attitude.

Speaking of attitude, I’ve been combing Google for the date a billboard appeared along Highway 101 that said something like: “Palo Alto Without the Attitude – Visit Downtown Redwood City.”

It was a fascinating, multi-layered billboard.

Really, there is no other place that has Palo Alto’s attitude. Only Palo Alto officials would call into question whether one of the city’s major downtown employers is even allowed to do business in – you know what’s coming – downtown.

Only Palo Alto has decided to insist that high-speed rail run through town underground, a proposal that now is estimated to cost $4 billion, and a notion every other neighboring city (except Atherton, which really doesn’t count because it’s a town) has abandoned as impractical and too expensive. A tunnel carries with it the possibility of destroying the root system of El Palo Alto, the tree for which the city is named. (At least Redwood City is named for a type of tree and not one measly tree.)

Actually, Palo Alto’s attitude is similar to San Francisco’s – they think people love the city so much it doesn’t matter what officials do to it, or don’t. It is a good example of being born at third base and thinking you hit a triple.

Anyway, when the billboard appeared, a much younger columnist was prompted to conclude that Redwood City, indeed, did not have Palo Alto’s attitude. Or its downtown restaurants. Or its schools. Or its income level or housing values. Or its well-known private university. In short, at the time of the billboard, there was no reason to go to Redwood City unless you liked a skyline dominated by the county jail and a nightlife dominated by empty streets and vacant storefronts.

The billboard would have been an ideal example of satire in that there was little in Redwood City about which to have an attitude, except that the people who put up the billboard were earnest and irony-free.

That was then. Now, Redwood City has all the things it didn’t have when that billboard first appeared. Much better schools, driven by a new generation of well-to-do parents who wanted something better for their kids. Downtown businesses. A staggering array of restaurants. A nightlife. A courthouse square unmatched as a regional gathering place. That well-known private university is expanding substantially into Redwood City, perhaps because the welcoming attitude of Palo Alto is characterized by momentum-deadening process.

And we’ve got Millennials by the Uber-load, packing the restaurants, crowding into bars, enjoying our sidewalk dining and filling up the downtown housing.

Some people in another venue have opted to rail against the techies. I say get to know one. It’s true, they can be skittish, but if you approach quietly, perhaps offering a free hoodie, they will be willing to eat out of your hand. They are as scared of you as you are of them.

In other words, Redwood City has attitude and we get to be on the ground floor of deciding what it’s going to be.

So, I’ve decided to supplement the Climate Best Contest with a few categories of my own, all in the interest of developing our own attitude about our on-the-go community.

Best Parking Space – It’s a complaint among those who don’t like how Redwood City has changed – there’s no place to park. We know that’s not true, but, unlike the old Redwood City, you can’t just pull up right in front of the one restaurant open after 7 p.m. any more. There are certain conditions: It has to be a space where you don’t pay and where you’ve never gotten a ticket. The Caltrain lot after 6 p.m. doesn’t count because they allow free parking there at that time. This is your best, most secret, sacred spot.

Best New Building – There are many complaints about all the new buildings in town. They can’t all be bad. Well, maybe they can, but which one is the best? And why? Better looking than the old buildings? More environmentally efficient? Better than what it replaced?

Best Old Building – What’s been saved that was worth saving? And an associated category:

Best Building That’s Been Torn Down – There’s a temptation to remember the past as better than it was. There is a difference between historic and old, however. What building are we better rid of? I’m thinking of the Mexican restaurant where someone died of food poisoning. That might have been a few owners ago, but the place is gone anyway.

Best Techie – Come on. You’ve met one, at least. They’re hard working. They travel in packs – usually three guys, one woman, at least one beard among them, and all sporting those envy-causing plastic ID badges. What was his or her name? What are they doing here? Do they like us? Oh, I hope so.

Best Friday Casual Outfit – In my prior job, I used to wear a necktie to meetings at Facebook, just to be different. Isn’t it great that they’re judged on the quality of their work and not the cost of their wardrobe? One day last summer, I saw two guys in shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops, wearing ID badges. I assumed they were executive vice presidents.

Best Online Publication Devoted To Redwood City News Named After The City’s Slogan – I’m thinking we win this one. I have noticed when I tell people I work for Climate that they think I’m an environmental writer. Depending on the context, I allow that to continue for a while.

Best Best Category – This one is for you. Send me your ideas for the best categories. And, what the heck, enter the Climate Best contest. It doesn’t cost you anything and you might make your barber happy.

Best Attitude – And finally, what is the Redwood City attitude? The city is on the verge of becoming the capital of the Peninsula – if it isn’t already. What should we say about us?

—

In the print edition of Climate Magazine, I incorrectly state Christina Umhofer supports rent control. She has taken no such position. I regret the error.

Contact Mark Simon at mark@climaterwc.com.

As elections go, 2018 could be one we will all remember for years to come, the circumstances of this election being unusual in one aspect and unique in another.

First, uniquely, it will be vote by mail general election as a result of the California Voter’s Choice Act, authored by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco. Voters still will be able to cast ballots at voting stations around the county, but the great majority of votes will be cast by mail.

Second, of San Mateo County’s 20 cities, 16 are holding council elections, having consolidated the local races with the statewide general election in November under threat of legal action.

The expectation among elections officials and most political analysts is that these two changes will result in higher-than-usual voter turnout, but no one really knows with any degree of certainty.

What is certain is that the changes put the city council candidates in a substantially different and potentially uneasy posture to these local campaigns.

Candidates rely on lists of likely voters – those who have voted in the last three or four elections – as a way of targeting their campaign efforts only to those most likely to show up and vote. Because every registered voter will get a ballot, it means the campaign has to take into account less-than-the-likeliest voters. The candidates who campaign door-to-door, which is most of them, will be in the uncomfortable position, perhaps, of walking past homes that may now contain someone who is more likely to vote this time, or expending more time and resources reaching out to voters with only sporadic participation records.

The consolidation with the statewide general election will mean substantially more voters at the polls than in the off-year cycle, historically an election with an abysmal turnout. But after they vote in the high-profile races of governor, U.S. senator, other statewide offices, legislative and congressional offices and statewide and regional ballot measures, how many voters will stick around to vote on the city council races?

Years past, when some local elections were consolidated with general elections, the number of votes cast in city council races tended to be the same as in an off-year.

The real change comes in the opportunities and the challenges these changes present. Candidates will struggle to be heard over the cacophony of a statewide election, particularly in a year when the political discourse is noisier than ever and many voters feel much is at stake.

On the other hand, the consolidated election is an opportunity for a creative candidate to make the pie bigger, to bring to the election new voters.

REDDY AND WILLING: It took a while to catch up with the other announced Redwood City City Council challenger, Diana Reddy, who, it turns out, is counting on the consolidated election to accrue to her benefit.

Self-described “social justice person” and housing advocate, Reddy is a former administrative assistant at the Sequoia Union High School District, former co-chair (twice) of the social justice activist organization Peninsula Interfaith Action (now Faith in Action), former member of the city’s Housing and Human Concerns Committee and a member of the Housing Leadership Council. She’s also a familiar sight at local labor picket lines, advocating for workers’ rights.

In an interview with Political Climate, she said the campaign issues will be education, health care, housing and transportation and how those issues affect the ability of some to remain in the community.

By background and passion, her focus is on housing for those who feel pushed aside and left out of the boom that has occurred in the last decade. While the city has over-achieved in building market-rate housing, it is far behind where it should be in building below-market and affordable housing, she said.

“San Mateo County has the lowest percentage of affordable housing of all the Bay Area counties, yet we are the wealthiest of those counties,” Reddy said. “It is important to me to fill the void we have in our community.”

She is counting on the consolidated election to bring out voters who don’t fit the profile of a typical likely voter, who is white, more than 50 years old and upper middle-class property owner.

“This is an opportunity for me to go into neighborhoods where they’re not used to candidates coming to their door,” Reddy said.

FAMILY MATTERS: In a truly rare turn of events, all three incumbents up for re-election this year in San Carlos will not be running, a complete turnover of the majority of the council.

In a city that prides itself on being family oriented – in late January for nearly a decade, the city has held a Week of the Family with special events and contests – two of the council members cite the demands of family as the reason not to seek reelection.

Vice Mayor Cameron Johnson told Political Climate that his first term will be his only term. He has two children, a 7-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, and both are entering critical ages where the presence of an attentive father is of incalculable importance. Add to that the demands of his job as director of Product Innovation at Netflix and serving on the council “just takes up a tremendous amount of time. … Where’s my highest responsibility?” In five years, his daughter will be 12 “and I don’t want to miss those years.”

He said he “feels good” about the job he has done on the council, and he hopes to play a key role in the formation of a San Carlos Community Foundation he led the effort to establish with $2 million from a $6 milli9on settlement with PG&E over a faulty gas line.

At the council organizational meeting in mid-December, 16-year incumbent and contrarian Matt Grocott bowed out of consideration for mayor or vice mayor and subsequently indicated he would not run for another term. Grocott said he wants the freedom to devote time and attention to his 15-year-old son, an activity he says speaks to his sense of “the full measure of a man.”

Mayor Bob Grassilli, re-elected mayor for the extra year necessitated by the election consolidated, has said publicly that he will not run again.

As you might expect, these decisions already are prompting several candidates to step up timelines.

AFTER HILL: State Senator Jerry Hill is widely regarded as the model for a candidature who announces early, works hard and effectively closes out possible opposition.

Now, Hill is termed out and among Redwood City City Councilwoman Shelley Masur hopes to emulate the senator, who can be described as outgoing in more ways than one. Masur formed a fundraising committee last week and she expects to spend most of this year “putting some building blocks in place” and listening to voter concerns.

Masur is barely halfway through her first term on the council. She ran countywide for the Board of Supervisors, losing to Warren Slocum, and she served 10 years on the Redwood City School District Board.

The legislative office affords a better venue to tackle the issues affecting her community and about which she is passionate: public health, housing and transportation.

Supervisor Dave Pine confirmed in other publications he is looking at running for the Senate. A prior column mentioned Menlo Park City Councilwoman Kirsten Keith as a rumored candidate, but she told Political Climate she is running for re-election and is “not interested” in running for the Senate seat.

Contact Mark Simon at mark@climaterwc.com.

The flurry of activity in the Redwood City City Council race at the start of February has settled down a bit, but some would-be candidates are still contemplating their options.

Veteran Planning Commissioner Ernie Schmidt, who ran unsuccessfully for the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 2012 and for the city council in 2013, said he is “50/50 about running this time.” He sounds like he’s leaning toward passing this time and running in 2020, when term limits and higher ambitions among current council incumbents may mean more open seats.

As for 2018, it will be the first council election to be part of the statewide general election, which means much bigger turnout and a base of voters well beyond the number who participated in prior elections, and these voters will have to be contacted. Add to that the noise and attention of a statewide ballot that includes races for governor and U.S. senator, and a local candidate will struggle to be heard.

Schmidt estimates a campaign for city council this year will be the most expensive ever. Do I really want to spend 90 grand?” Schmidt said.

Then there’s the expectation among many that this council race will be distinctly contentious as some of the most controversial issues play out between hardened camps.

“It’s such a weird climate,” Schmidt said. “The race is going to be very noisy. I don’t know if I have ear muffs strong enough for all the noise.”

EXPECTATIONS: Schmidt’s reference to the political climate is accurate: In talking with a number of candidates, it is clear the expectation is for a rough campaign.

That’s one reason my debut column expressed disappointment and impatience with an anonymous complaint filed at the state Fair Political Practices Commission against incumbent Jeff Gee. Since that appeared, I’ve been told that all complaints to the FPPC preserve the anonymity of the complainant, even if that person identifies himself or herself to the FPPC.

Well, that’s not true. Complainants have the option of remaining anonymous. In fact, they have to take an affirmative step to preserve their anonymity. That was the case in this complaint filed by a self-described “concerned citizen of Redwood City.” The same complainant later says, “I am filing this complaint anonymously as I am concerned for my job if named.”

Of course, we have no way of knowing if any of that is true, nor are we able to assess the motives of the complainant.

The timing is significant: the complaint was filed on Dec. 29, 2016, when it still looked as if Gee would be on the ballot in 2017. Was it filed for political mischief and to burden Gee with a political wound at a critical time? Is that fair or accurate speculation? Who knows? The complainant knows, and he or she is welcome to call me up and straighten me out if my speculation is off-base.

NEW FACES: I had a chance to talk to several of the new names emerging for the 2018 council race, one of whom, Giselle Hale, is the most recent to enter the race, doing so today via a Facebook announcement.

Christina Umhofer described herself first as a “lifetime resident” of Redwood City and as someone who believes in actively engaging in the issues that concern her. “If I’m going to have a criticism, I should put myself in the role of doing something about it.”

In prior publications, she has been labeled a “residentialist,” a label she said “other people have put on me.”

The issues of the campaign, she said, will be rent control, growth, parks and open space and infrastructure.

She understands “we have to grow in order to survive and thrive. …I think we could pause for three to six months and see what our city and residents need. We have afforded ourselves the opportunity to pause for a few seconds.”

As a property owner – Umhofer’s family owns a long-established auto garage – the economic growth has benefited her property values. But Umhofer said there have been unreconciled impacts on roads and sewer systems and not everyone has benefited. She said she wants to understand what else needs to be done for the whole of the city’s residents.

Rick Hunter answered questions via email and said the major issues facing the city are “severe budget difficulties, the affordable housing crisis and jobs/housing imbalance and the balance between quality of life and growth.”

With a decades-long record of civic activism as a volunteer and as a member of city and school commissions and foundation boards, “It’s the right time to use my experience to help guide the city through the next very important period.”

A CPA with an MBA from UCLA, Hunter said his background in finance and accounting will be valuable “In making difficult budget decisions as the city faces a growing problem with unfunded pension liabilities.”

As for Hale, her Facebook announcement began with a Valentine to the city: “I love you Redwood City.” She said she is running “because I will work to ensure residents and families of all ethnic and economic backgrounds can live in Redwood City and not just make it here – but thrive.”

Her local experience includes a seat on the Planning Commission and a board member on the Redwood City Education Foundation. A product director for Facebook, Hale’s activism includes Democratic campaign work on behalf of President Barack Obama and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and the leadership council for the National Partnership for Women and Families.

She said she is concerned whether Redwood City can remain family-friendly. She was prompted to ask: “Why not me, why not now?”

“It is becoming unsustainable to raise a family in Redwood City,” she said, noting that her school-age children have seen the families of friends move out of the area because of the cost of living, particularly housing.

“We need to decide how that’s going to play out,” Hale said. “We’re raising the first generation of children who won’t drive cars.”

Like other candidates, Hale said the next step is to spend time talking to fellow residents, understanding their concerns and working together to learn how to address them.

“Any candidate who is running is out listening right now,” Hale said.

Mark Simon can be reached at mark@climaterwc.com.