Ahead of the June primary election, the Bay Area News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates for San Jose City Council District 7. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.

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Name: Rafael Garcia
Current job title: Journeyman Electrician
Date of birth: March 3,1971

Other political positions held: Multiple youth organizations board member, Association President neighborhood association VP and Member-at-Large of EWMC IBEW 332
District where you reside: District 7

What are the top three problems you’re seeking to solve if elected to represent this district?  

I plan on improving public safety by neighborhood watch programs, I will advocate for youth empowerment with creation of creating more safe learning spaces and work on increasing more community center youth programs, I also plan to research ways to strengthen city departments and work on providing tools and resources to expedite permitting and inspections to ease the pain on the housing issues

Why are you uniquely qualified to address the three problems you’ve identified above? 

I am a community leader, and I know how to organize groups to work together and achieve improvement, I have dedicated many years to coaching and mentoring youth, I also have led organizations to perform at their maximum potential for positive results, I strongly support working in collaboration to achieve the end goal, there is power in numbers.

How do this district’s challenges differ, in degree or kind, from the rest of the city’s, if at all? 

This district has a large diverse population and a large quantity of working families. The challenges here are that these families are always working to make ends meet and the resources are scarce. we need to provide the needed resources and services to be more easily attained. We need for this community to feel safe too and encourage them to participate in community activities as a whole family. The means of transportation are not always available for some residents, and we need to bring those resources to the community and educate them on the benefits and the process to utilize them by building bridges to close gap between the city and community. We can live comfortably knowing that the city cares for its residents and the communication will increase and support for our public safety personnel will also benefit.

What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?   

I am trustworthy and my goal is to be transparent, which I will expect accountability from all and increase the efficiency throughout the city.

What committee or board would you most like to lead, if given the opportunity? And how would that position serve your constituents?

I am comfortable in anything pertaining to improving our way of living. Which can be from planning, building or working with youth, families and seniors.

San Jose is now close to finalizing its third four-year review of its Envision 2040 General Plan, the details of which will shape the city’s future development path. What priorities would you like to see in this revised general plan?

I would like to focus on devising a way to work the housing crisis, i feel that we could utilize some of this open land for this, but it must meet affordable housing criteria. I also feel that finding ways to create new jobs and assisting small and large businesses should be a large focus for the city to move in a productive matter to increase monetary flow back into the city

What solutions do you support to reduce housing costs in San Jose? How are they any different than ones that have already been tried and have failed?

I believe we need to have good working system, so both parties can survive. We need research more ways to create funding to assist with offsetting cost of living increases and explore ways to subsidize childcare to be more affordable for working families.

San Jose has placed a 2% hotel tax increase on the June ballot. Do you support that tax? Why or why not?

I support the tax, as this will increase revenue for the city.

Why should renters in your district vote for you? 

I am blue collar worker that goes to work every day just like they do and I know the struggles. I will advocate for them to increase better conditions in their areas with the understanding that they too have to put their effort to live well.

Is PG&E serving San Jose residents well? If not, explain what actions you would take to lower energy costs for San Jose ratepayers.

PG&E has had some issues here that need to be addressed, but these issues cannot be corrected overnight. The demand has increased dramatically with electrical vehicles, but more reasonable rates can be implemented. There needs to be a resolution to address this correctly. The supply and demand parameters have to be adjusted to a conscious mean.

What actions do you support to tackle homelessness? How are your policy prescriptions different than what’s already been done?

I would start by including and collaborating with organizations that exist and our better prepared to deal with the numerous struggles that are results to homelessness. There has to be a way to engage safely and effectively to get the proper and adequate necessities to the ones that are struggling with multiple heath issues.

Why should your district’s commuters vote for you? 

I believe in alternative ways for everyone to utilize different means of transportation to and from work and also other tasks. I will work on researching different ways to maximize programs that will benefit all commuters.

San Jose is facing a $56 million budget shortfall. With property and sales tax revenue growth slowing and labor costs rising, how should the city balance its budget? What specific programs or services would you cut? What contracts, if any, would you renegotiate?

The city’s budget will take a full team collaboration. All bodies of the governing board must work together to be successful at decreasing this deficit. One way is to support small business engagement to create more employment for local residents. Before cuts are made, we will have to gather data of program and services that are non-essential but still take into consideration of what services they provide. We must make sure this cost do not affect our communities in the long run.

San Jose PD spent more than $71 million in overtime last year. This year, it is on track to surpass its personnel services budget once again. What financial cuts or reforms will you demand of SJPD, if any?

By increasing patrol in high demand areas and possibly redistricting the excising districts to be more manageable to meet the needs of the community. The SJPD will need to hold their personnel accountable for increasing stability. I would like to see more pilot programs to encourage more applicants for our SJPD. I believe we can request from the community fir more volunteer personnel to offset some of this cost to decrease the budget and minimize overtime usage.

San Jose PD has an exceptional record closing murder cases, and the city has a low violent crime rate relative to many other big U.S. cities. But in what ways could SJPD better serve your district?

I would appreciate more police presence in our district to discourage unwanted criminal activity which this could increase more community engagement for residents. I would also like to build a better relationship with community leaders, residents and public safety officers as well as encourage the expansion of neighborhood watch programs.

Explain your position on San Jose’s policy to cite and arrest homeless residents who repeatedly refuse shelter.

I don’t think this is the correct solution, but we definitely need to have rules in place. Public streets, parks and highways should not be used for personal living habitats. These situations create a high exposure to unsafe spaces for all residents. We must continue to work with homeless residents to find ways to address their personal needs to overcome their misfortunes and struggles.

Explain your position on San Jose’s use of Flock license plate cameras. 

This is a positive system that increases assistants for a safer San Jose. There is some inaccurate information on how these cameras are being utilized. We need to continue to educate the community on the proper use of these cameras.

Should San Jose have more data centers than what’s already been approved? Why or why not? 

Data centers are very important to the demand of the tech industry which will help create higher paying jobs. It starts with building them, which leads into maintaining the facility and follows up with updating their programs. All this is work that needs to be done which directly employee’s certain personnel to accomplish these jobs.

San Jose office vacancy rate remains stubbornly high post-pandemic. In downtown, offices sit empty and countless retail storefronts are boarded up. What policies would you support to revitalize the city’s downtown core?

We must find ways to encourage small businesses to return to these areas with possible incentives. We could also entertain into rebranding the area for possible living spaces to cut down the commute of workers in downtown.

San Jose is attracting a fraction of Bay Area venture capital. And the city, relative to San Francisco, is weak in attracting seed- and early-stage startups, per overwhelming VC data reports. What should San Jose be doing to attract tech firms, if anything at all?

We must work on restructuring general areas that can qualify for startups with affordable housing, accessible parking and more efficient transportation. We need to find ways to influence with incentives that can help with rental agreements.

Have you been convicted of any felonies? If so, when and of what? 

No

Are you a plaintiff or a defendant in any current civil litigation? Please explain, if yes.

No

How much has your campaign raised cumulatively as of today? 

$10,000.00

What do the biggest contributors to your campaign expect from you? 

I continue my vision for public safety, youth empowerment, housing solutions, and strengthening community.

What more should we know about you that might inform our board’s judgment of your capacity to serve this district’s constituents?

I am trustworthy and consider myself a strong community leader that leads by example. I am not a politician but a hard-working blue-collar worker that will stand up for the needs of the community in its best interest. I am running for City Council to make our neighborhoods safer, strengthen opportunity for working families, and invest in our youth, small business, and community.