{"id":8649335,"date":"2022-10-31T10:46:31","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T17:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com?p=8649335&preview_id=8649335"},"modified":"2022-10-31T12:13:05","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T19:13:05","slug":"editorial-as-union-city-council-changes-elect-kennedy-guio-sakakihara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2022\/10\/31\/editorial-as-union-city-council-changes-elect-kennedy-guio-sakakihara\/","title":{"rendered":"Editorial: As Union City council changes, elect Kennedy, Guio, Sakakihara"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Click here<\/a> for a complete list of our election recommendations. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Union City will have two or three\u00a0new council members after the Nov. 8 election as the municipal government rebuilds after the pandemic economic downturn.<\/p>\n

While no city employees were laid off or furloughed, vacant positions were left unfilled, resulting, in the spring of 2021, with over 30% of positions vacant. As the city works to restore its staffing, especially filling open police posts, it also needs long-term budget stability. A key part of that is the Measure Z extension<\/a> of the city\u2019s half-cent sales tax, also on the Nov 8 ballot.<\/p>\n

The other major challenges for the council will be meeting the state\u2019s mandate for nearly 3,000 new housing units over the next eight years — a goal the city can probably meet largely with plans for high-density housing near the BART station — and filling vacant police positions as the chief warns<\/a> of increasing gun violence.<\/p>\n

\"City<\/a>
City Council districts for Union City <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Union City this year completing its transition from at-large to district elections, two council members, Emily Duncan and Pat Gacoscos, cannot seek reelection because of the city\u2019s three-term limit.<\/p>\n

This is a time when the new council needs to work cooperatively. They don\u2019t have to agree. But they need to be respectful of each other. Unfortunately, there has been some troubling immature behavior by Jaime Pati\u00f1o, the one council member seeking a new term.<\/p>\n

The city needs better. For that, voters should elect Chuck Kennedy to replace Pati\u00f1o in District 2, on the eastern end of the city: Lee Guio in District 3, in the northwestern portion; and Scott Sakakihara in District 4, in the southwest corner.<\/p>\n

\"Chuck<\/a>
Chuck Kennedy <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

District 2 \u2013 Chuck Kennedy<\/h4>\n

Kennedy, a computer software developer who now teaches high school, is currently chairman of the city\u2019s Parks and Recreation Commission and served on the General Plan Advisory Committee. He understands the city\u2019s financial and housing demands reasonably well. <\/strong><\/p>\n

He\u2019s running against Pati\u00f1o, who is completing his first council term and has locked into a feud with Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci that he turned into personal attacks in an over-the-top video with racial overtones posted on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Pati\u00f1o apologized for his outburst. But, after, the video remained on his Facebook site until we asked him about it on Friday. And, in our interview, while saying he was at fault, he continued to try to place blame on the mayor. We supported<\/a> Pati\u00f1o in one of his council races, and we expected better from him.<\/p>\n

\"Union<\/a>
Lee Guio <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

District 3 – Lee Guio<\/h4>\n

Guio, a national sales manager for an electronics component company, is a member of the city Planning Commission and a former member of the Human Relations Commission.<\/p>\n

With an MBA from the University of Southern California, it\u2019s not surprising that he understands the city\u2019s finances, including a solid grasp of the long-term budget forecasts, housing challenges and police staffing problem.<\/p>\n

He is, by far, better informed on city issues than his two challengers, Kristy Boer, a consultant for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Jeff Wang, a former New Haven school district trustee.<\/p>\n

\"Scott<\/a>
Scott Sakakihara <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

District 4 – Scott Sakakihara<\/h4>\n

We wish we could clone the two candidates in this race because they\u2019re both smart, respectful of each other and well-informed.<\/p>\n

Sakakihara is a Harvard-trained lawyer who manages the financial expenses of a public software company and has served on the Planning Commission for the past five years. It\u2019s that latter experience and his very knowledgeable answers that gives him an edge over his opponent, Vipan Bajwa.<\/p>\n

Bajwa is an accountant who has had public and private-sector clients. We endorsed him<\/a> when he ran for council four years ago and we remain impressed by him. But this time he has a very strong opponent with city experience.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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