Dave Pine has filled the District 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors for three terms, its legal limit. He has been an able, thoughtful, congenial and intelligent member of the board, who has moved the needle on a number of key issues — most notably environmental. He was the primary mover when it came to adopting Peninsula Clean Energy as the county’s default power provider and one might say the creation of OneShoreline, the climate change resiliency agency, would not have been as seamless without him.
He has big shoes to fill. Of the two people running to replace him on the board, Jackie Speier has her own shoes, thank you very much, and will hit the ground at full speed. She is such an obvious choice that this editorial endorsement is hardly even merited or needed. Speier, who is undeniably the most influential and experienced politician on the Peninsula, knows where all the levers of government are, and when and how hard to pull on them. She will get things done and show others how to do it from day one until she decides it’s time to step away from office once again.
Speier decided to get into the race after it started, when Millbrae Councilmember Gina Papan was running against Burlingame Councilmember Emily Beach. It would have been nice to see them compete and debate the issues of our day, but both bowed out when Speier entered the race.
Credit to Millbrae Councilmember Ann Schneider for keeping it competitive. As much as one might be tempted to discount her candidacy, Schneider has her points she’s been trying to make and is beginning to make them well enough to resonate with others who should heed them.
District 1 covers Burlingame and Hillsborough up to South San Francisco, and some of those cities don’t get the voice or attention they should, according to Schneider. As a representative of Millbrae, Schneider has made it her mission to point out how it is often treated by larger entities such as BART, SFO, the High-Speed Rail Authority and even the county. You may disagree with her on certain issues, but she has been effective in bringing those issues to the forefront. And that’s commendable.
Speier’s main goal is to end childhood poverty in the county. She also wants to bring back decorum to the Board of Supervisors she has seen slipping in recent years. She will bring her congressional and state legislative experience with her when it comes to budgeting, social issues, health care and more.
Speier has been a marvel in any office, but it’s nice to see her back home, on the board where she launched her political career 44 years ago. We look forward to seeing her work up close once again and getting things done for all of us.
(4) comments
Come on DJ, Speier is not bringing anything new to the table. She is just promising the status quo using the same worn out cliches. Not a word about crime, congestion and overturning the atrocious housing bills and natural gas ban. Here is to nothing!
"He was the primary mover when it came to adopting Peninsula Clean Energy as the county’s default power provider"
PCE is definitely NOT a power provider. Its neither producing, nor sourcing, nor supplying, nor distributing power. PCE's only job is green-washing and green-marketing about it.
The Shasta Dam existed 30 years before PCE was created and would create electricity with or without PCE - but PCE bought "bragging rights", so San Mateo can somehow claim they are greener than Shasta County residents now.
If Dave Pine and the rest of the Board were "greenies" we would have a few wind turbines in the county. A real "power provider" would try to make use of our very favorable wind conditions during the peak power hours of 4-9pm.
PCE is 'Astroturfing' at its finest.
Spierer is only qualified if she speaks out against the Board’s decision to protect and shield child rapists that are here illegally. It is not about “decorum.” What kind of person would be pleased with a decision like that?
Well written, PeninsulaLawAndOrder. Is Ms. Speier really in favor of more ICE cooperation or is this just a head-fake to get elected? I’d recommend folks vote for the candidate who will do the least amount of damage, regardless of how long a political career they've had.
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