Re-elect Jennifer Hosterman mayor of Pleasanton; elect Brian Arkin to Council

The Sierra Club has endorsed Jennifer Hosterman for mayor of Pleasanton, and Brian Arkin for City Council.

Jennifer Hosterman

This November Pleasanton has an opportunity to elect a great environmental leader to a second term as mayor.

Often, when a candidate is referred to as an "environmental leader", it is based on one or two aspects of their work. In contrast, Mayor Jennifer Hosterman's passion for the environment comes from the soul. It is no by-product or incidental part of her work, but rather a guiding force. In Hosterman's less than four years on the City Council, she has led on a myriad of environmental and social-justice issues including:

• challenging the city to take broader responsibility in reducing greenhouse gases;
• protecting and strengthening the Urban Growth Boundary (south Pleasanton);
• promoting green building in residential and commercial buildings;
• advocating for low-income and senior housing;
• improving the quality of urban creeks and public trails;
• introducing sustainable-energy and water-policy initiatives.

Working with the leadership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Hosterman introduced the Climate Protection Agreement to the City Council whereby cities across the country agree to work collaboratively on reducing global warming. While the Council agreed that work could be done locally to reduce greenhouse gases, it lacked a third vote to make the commitment to sign on. This is an issue that the Sierra Club must be persistent with. We can count on Jennifer Hosterman for continued leadership.

One of the longer-term threats to Pleasanton is potential urban sprawl to the south in the area between the Ruby Hill development and I-680. These several thousand acres of rolling hills of grass and oak woodlands, mostly outside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), are mostly used for private cattle grazing and the GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center off Highway 84. Mayor Hosterman's vision, along with fellow councilmember Matt Sullivan, is to create a patchwork of public lands and permanent conservation easements to not only solidify the UGB, but also provide recreational opportunities through a network of trails connecting Callippe Preserve to Shadow Cliffs and the Vineyard Wine Trail. Her opponent is only mildly interested in protecting against urban growth in these hills.

Perhaps Mayor Hosterman's deepest environmental concern is the lifestyle and habits that lead to incessant waste in our communities. She played a principle role in the city's adoption of a commercial and residential green-building ordinance; she also led the way to the establishment of the free annual E-Waste Day. Working with the Local Government Commission, "a non-profit organization working to build livable communities," Hosterman has brought focus on sustainable water use with the Ahwahnee Water Principles, though it has been a challenge to get sufficient support from the Council to incorporate them as a General Plan policy. She will continue to provide ideas and help educate city leaders on the importance of using natural resources more responsibly and on methods to do so.

Jennifer Hosterman was elected to the City Council in 2002, and then as mayor two years later, making her the first woman in Pleasanton's history to hold the office. In recent years, Pleasantonians have increasingly sought more progressive City Council members for reasons such as slower growth and quality-of-life issues. Getting results on broader environmental issues, however, has been challenging. The city has a strong and stable business base, excellent schools, and a vibrant downtown. Building on these strengths, Jennifer Hosterman is well-equipped to lead Pleasanton to a higher level of stewardship.

Brian Arkin

The Sierra Club also endorses Brian Arkin for the Pleasanton City Council.

During eight years on the city's Planning Commission, Brian has been an advocate for preserving hillsides and open space. He co-authored Measure V, which prohibited the city from selling land in Bernal Park and helped preserve a large parcel of land for parks and open space. He has also participated in referendums and petitions over the years to prevent massive developments that cannot be supported by the existing infrastructure. On the City Council Brian looks forward to continuing his vision of protecting the environment. He has a consistent record of supporting green building and solar energy; he was instrumental in crafting the city's commercial and residential green-building ordinances. He is a strong supporter of transit-oriented development near BART in Pleasanton.

The Sierra Club urges Pleasanton voters to support Jennifer Hosterman and Brian Arkin.