Young progressives vs. the old order

By Sue Lempert
Aug 22, 2022
Aug 22, 2022 Updated Aug 29, 2022
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Are the young progressives dominating city councils or is the old order still in charge? (The progressives want urgent action on addressing housing affordability and climate change. The old guard candidates are running campaigns focused on traffic reduction, and protection of single family homes and neighborhoods).

That depends on term limits and, most recently, on the switch to district elections — where you vote for one representative rather than several at-large candidates.

(1) comment

Thomas Morgan Aug 22, 2022 1:43pm

It seems the San Mateo District 3 race may decide both the direction of the City and County of San Mateo campaigns. While Dist. 3 candidate Fields claims not to be as “progressive” I am not sure her supporters share the same sentiment. (Those supporters would likely encourage voters to vote for progressive candidates in other races while campaigning for her.) The Board of Supervisors race for is too close for Charles Stone, he cannot afford to support a radical candidate in Dist. 3, as it will ensure his defeat. He should support Rob Newsom if he wants to win the upcoming election and encourage his supporters to do the same.

Here are my top reasons not to vote for Fields:

At the May 10, 2022, Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting a couple of things really turned me off for Fields. The first was her question to staff for the Park Development Fee Policy Considerations. At approximately the 43rd minute of the meeting Fields ask staff the size of the playground that has been recently completed at Station Park Green, and then commented “..how little we could go that would still be meaningful.” As a San Matean I place a high priority on recreation and open space.

The second item at the same meeting was the 5-year capital improvement plan, last year Sunnybrae Park was the cover photo for last year’s meeting for the 5-year plan. This year funds are less than expected so adjustments needed to be made, now Sunnybrae Park has been delayed to the final year of the current 5-year plan. For someone who wants to represent District 3 she should have at least questioned the need to alter timeline of the various projects, especially for a project in one’s own district. My guess of an answer would likely be a mixture of I was not a candidate at the time and I was relying on staff’s recommendation.

Then at the August 15th special meeting Fields indicated she supports tenant protections. While I acknowledge there is a shortage of housing, I feel more protections will only end up hurting the very people we are trying to save and help and result in landlords seeking higher quality tenants and charging more for the uncertainty the policy creates.

The final and perhaps most disturbing observation so far comes from Ms. Fields ballot statement (last paragraph of her first priority), "..and the law in mind." I am not fan of Council Members or Commissioners who immediately cave to recently passed state laws that seek to diminish local control. I am not looking for a candidate who wants to talk down to residents treat them as a bunch of school children and told this is the rule and you must follow it. We need a Council Member to say this or that does not really work for San Mateo and be able to propose a solution that is workable to more resident. For me, the right candidate is Rob Newsom.

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