State Senate Hopefuls Debate in Menlo Park

It may have been the fastest political debate this decade.

In less than 30 minutes, California Senator Candidates Sally Lieber and Jerry Hill shared their positions on high-speed rail, the environment, jobs, and education.

“It went by pretty fast,” agreed John Woodell, president of the Menlo Democrats. Woodell moderated the debate which took place at the restaurant Tuesday night in front of about 35 people. He asked four questions.

Side by side, the candidates made their differences known. 

Jobs/Education: 

Jerry Hill, 19th assembly district representative, positioned himself as the politically-experienced candidate who builds relationships to make things happen. When asked how he would create jobs, he said he would maintain and grow higher education.

“We need to provide the right environment for job education, so we can sustain the quality of life on the Peninsula,” Hill said. He also said he would reach out to the business community and help people appreciate the value of the bio tech, clean tech, and bio medical companies that call the Bay Area home. 

Lieber, former assemblywoman, jabbed at Hill’s ability to be swayed shortly thereafter.

“That gets him the business endorsements,” Lieber said.  “The fact is that the legislature has cut education funding,” she added, noting that the legislature should be asking more of business owners. 

“Since Prop 13, homeowners have picked up the lions share of funding education," Lieber said.  She also said the cut in educational funding is “linked” to the state’s issuance of bonds for high-speed rail. 

Environment: 

Both of the candidates have been endorsed by the Sierra Club California, which aims to protect the state’s natural resources. The question of the night was whether the candidates supported . 

Lieber said the idea was “enticing.”  She said she would prioritize identifying risks in the Bay Delta and removing toxic chemicals from consumer products and the environment.

Hill said the removal of the O’Shaughnessey Dam was “interesting” and proposed leaving that decision to voters.  The O’Shaughnessey Dam buried the Hetch Hetchy Valley in about 300 feet of water in 1923. It is the main water source for millions of Bay Area residents.

“The problem for us is that two million people use that water,” Hill said.  “My first piece of legislation would guarantee that people who use the water will have a say in the process.”

High-speed rail:

When asked whether they supported high-speed rail, Hill detailed how he voted for it in 2008, then changed his mind and opposed it. He gave a three-pronged answer about how to make HSR successful.

1. Electrification with a 45-70,000 ridership estimate
2. Get money for a two-track system only
3. The Central Valley needs to support itself by finding funding

Lieber took a slightly different tone.

“This is a bad idea for the Peninsula and will cause a lot of disruption for the community,” she said.

“We’ve created things in California that astonished the world,” Lieber said.  “We can do that again if we aspire to bigger goals.”

Lieber and Hill are running for the seat that represents California's newly-formed . The victor of the election will succeed Senator , who is terming out. 

Follow us on Twitter | Like our Facebook page | Get our daily newsletter | Blog for us