The mayor of a Community of Character loses her cool?

It is quite amazing that as the mayor of a community of character Mayor Jennifer Hosterman lost her cool. Her rudeness did not become her.

Ms. Hosterman, playing directly out of the eco-extremist playbook, has pointed to the community of character admonishments in the City Council chambers to warm speakers, albeit politely, that they should be nice. She also greets speakers with a warm “welcome.” However, it was only a few short weeks into her tenure presiding over the council that she blew a fuse. Citizen Bob Cordtz asked for clarification on how the General Plan update was given over to the Planning Commission and the Council when past updates have been made with the help of a citizen’s committee.

Additionally, she was flummoxed by the question. Mr. Cordtz was simply asking for a public declaration of the obvious. The Council wants to avoid being tripped up on removing road and bridge projects from the General Plan—a decision they have made many months and years ago. A citizen’s committee might just find that the projects are needed to alleviate the rush-hour gridlock. After all a recent Pleasanton Weekly poll showed that four of five think the Stoneridge Drive extension should be constructed.

Planning Commissioner and possible council candidate Mary Roberts felt obliged to rush to the aid of the mayor. Claiming that the “process” is fair and open, Ms. Roberts sounding like a candidate, cited a long list of public workshops as examples of how the “process” is legal, inclusive, and fair. She, of course, did not mention that the meetings were set up to pit neighborhood against neighborhood. The people near the Stoneridge Drive extension, naturally, are out of sorts. The people near the West Las Positas overcrossing are naturally wary of an interchange in their back yards. No one from those two neighborhoods came out in support of the projects. Very few from the other Pleasanton neighborhoods gave testimony in support of the projects. They were steered to offer gripes about their own neighborhoods and diverted from offering traffic solutions for the entire city.

There were many meetings and opportunities to speak. And sure, the public was invited. The reality, however, is that very few people attend meetings. Our community leaders are well aware of this and this gives them the opportunity to say that the entire process was inclusive, fair, and legal—the smokescreen they need to do pretty much what they want. In this instance, they will remove the Las Positas over crossing and the extension of Stoneridge Drive from the new General Plan.

News Opinion

Energy commission is just one more water drop on the rock

Pleasanton does not need a full-fledged commission on energy and the environment as proposed by Counselor Matt Sullivan and supported by The Independent. Moreover, a new commission would be a costly duplication of the work of other commissions and the city staff, already stretched thin by state, county, and city environmental mandates. (Remember, a portion of the $24 million overrun on the Callippe Preserve Gold Course and Open Space was made up of staff time preparing endless environmental reports and proposed mitigations.)

Frankly, it is “nose under the tent” to us as well. Eco extremists are the very best incrementalists. First it was an ad hoc committee, then a formal committee and now a commission on the energy and the environment. Next will come a commission on environmental justice. A natural evolution from environmental justice would be to a commission on sustainability. (Sustainability is what we have always been striving for and we have not even needed it codified by a committee, a commission, or task force.) Sustainability, as proposed by the eco extremists, is simply the socialist agenda of redistributing income and imposing greater regulations on most but particularly those who are the biggest producers.

Mayor goes globetrotting. Nuclear non-proliferation interests her most. Will we be a nuclear free zone sometime soon?

Yes, the mayor of Pleasanton has gone gallivantin’ again. No, not to Dublin, Ireland and no not to Washington, CA. But, yes citizens and friends, Mayor Jennifer Hosterman went to the National Mayor’s Conference in our nation’s capitol Washington, D.C.

She got to participate in some really cool seminars—she got to give policy advice to others. She also signed on to two committees on water and energy “two hot topics in Pleasanton.” But what made the trip “fantastic” was the chance to hear the mayor of Hiroshima, Japan who asked for aid from other mayors in monitoring meetings of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty nations. The group meets every five years and meets this year. Ms. Hosterman hopes she can participate in talking about nuclear non-proliferation at the United Nations this summer. She emphasizes, however, that she will make the trip as a private citizen—no city funds for this leg of her journey.

Interest in energy is manufactured by Ms. Hosterman and fellow traveler Counselor Matt Sullivan and a few well-meaning citizens who sat on a couple of committees. The citizens just want it to pop on when they push the switch. And, they want it cheap. Water has never been on the radar screen.

Quick Opinion

$.17 per bag. Coming soon to Pleasanton grocery stores?

The San Francisco Commission on the Environment passed along to the Board of Supervisors a plan that would have the grocery chains charging for bags--$.17 paper or plastic.

Why is this important to Pleasanton residents? Newly seated Mayor Jennifer Hosterman and newly seated Counselor Matt Sullivan are advancing the idea of a permanent commission on the environment for Pleasanton. Will it be that far behind that commissioners appointed by the mayor will recommend bag fees? Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Hosterman already embrace sustainability a socialist concept with roots in The City.

The San Francisco commissioners denied that the plan was simply an attempt to levy additional taxes. They claim that the bag fee will aid in cleaning up city streets.

The grocers in San Francisco would make money on the plan and that will never happen here. Because we have very little litter in Pleasanton, a bag fee would more likely be a swipe at the evil grocery corporations and those who shop there. Our brand of socialism, though oh so refined, is no less sinister than that of San Francisco and our East Bay neighbor Berkeley.

Guest Opinion

Butt out, we need the rocks


Charles Wiedel, in his letter to The Independent, December 30 2004, hits the nail on the head about Pleasanton’s involvement in Sunol’s litigation over a county approved quarry. Spending one minute of council or staff time on this issue is a waste of taxpayer money.

Asking to be involved in this issue is Counselor Matt Sullivan’s way of obstructing corporate America from providing a needed commodity at favorable rates—especially to homebuilders and road builders. Mr. Sullivan, Pleasanton’s eastern gateway is mostly quarry land, quarry land that is soon to be turned over to city, county, and regional agencies to provide much-need flood control, water storage, and recreation.

If memory serves, much of Stanley Business Park is built on reclaimed quarry land. So, sir, quarries are not ipso facto evil. See if you can squeeze in a little time solving our traffic problems and let Sunol work on its quarry reclamation issues.

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