Peninsula’s top politicians vie for Hill’s seat
With the Peninsula facing potential massive change amid Caltrain expansion and the increasing demand for housing, seven candidates are hoping to make their mark as they jockey to replace state Sen. Jerry Hill, a longtime legislator and a leading critic of Pacific Gas & Electric.
Hill no longer can run because of term limits, so for the first time in eight years voters will see a new face representing them in Senate District 13, which stretches from South San Francisco to Sunnyvale.
Like Hill, the top Democrats in the field have varied political experience: three are current City Council members — Annie Oliva of Millbrae, Shelly Masur of Redwood City and Michael Brownrigg of Burlingame — and one termed out of the state Assembly: Sally Lieber. A fourth Democrat, Josh Becker of Menlo Park, who has been endorsed by both Hill and Gov. Gavin Newsom, is a public policy guru and founder of a non-profit fund.
Longtime Libertarian candidate and Navy veteran John Webster of Mountain View also is running, as is Republican and Glew Engineering founder Alexander Glew of Los Altos. The top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 3 election.
Since he headed to Sacramento, Hill’s district has become a key player in the fight between local and state control to bring housing costs down in the region. Many of the candidates are staunch opponents to the now-dead Senate Bill 50 — which would have required cities to allow denser housing developments. They maintain they are determined to find a solution to a housing crisis that continues to displace people to other parts of the state or that relegates them to RVs in the industrial parks of the Peninsula. And with Caltrain’s expansion threatening to completely change the character of largely single-family cities in the mid-Peninsula, candidates are toeing a fine line between state intervention and local authority.
Here are the district’s seven candidates, and what they hope to do in Sacramento.
Josh Becker, D, Menlo Park
The only candidate to secure endorsements from both Hill and the governor, Becker is an entrepreneur and founder of the Full Circle Fund, which offers grants to nonprofit organizations working to alleviate the homelessness and housing crisis raging across the Peninsula.
“We have such an opportunity here in California,” Becker said. “My vision for California is one of clean air, clean water, good schools for our kids and grandkids, housing that young families can afford and attainable senior housing. Less time in traffic and more investment in public transportation combating climate change.”
Michael Brownrigg, D, Burlingame
A 10-year Burlingame councilman and veteran diplomat of the Foreign Service, Brownrigg has focused most recently on bringing more affordable housing options to residents of his city.
“I have 30 years of public service, making government work for people,” Brownrigg said. “I think I’m ready for Sacramento. I’m proud of the record I’ve achieved in Burlingame, to build new housing, build new schools, balance our budgets and bring people together to solve land-use problems. I sense anxiety over affordability, over climate, over education. I get it. And I’ll get it done.”
Sally Lieber, D, Mountain View
The sole candidate in the race with experience in Sacramento, former District 22 Assemblywoman Sally Lieber has held the speaker’s gavel in the state’s lower house and served previously on the Mountain View City Council.
“If you want to tell where someone’s going you can look at where they’ve been,” Lieber said. “I’ve served as a council member in Mountain View, as mayor, as county commissioner and for three terms in the state Assembly. Despite all the atmospherics in Sacramento and all the cynicism people have about it, I found it to be a very effective place to be. I’m looking to go back and work on your behalf.”
Anne Oliva, D, Millbrae
A Millbrae councilwoman since November 2018, Oliva is a lifelong Realtor, a broker and owner of the local real estate office that her father founded in 1959. While on the council, she has focused on protecting private property rights, ensuring public safety services work for residents and encouraging the commercial economic development of Millbrae. Oliva said she wants to work to end the homelessness crisis without sacrificing singlefamily neighborhoods.
“Homelessness is a crisis,” Oliva said. “What we are doing is not working. My son has been temporarily homeless; it is a very personal issue to me. I want to treat it like the crisis it is. I want to bring shelter and care for the homeless crisis that needs to be addressed in Sacramento.”
Shelly Masur, D, Redwood City
Currently the Redwood City vice mayor after serving on the city council since 2015, Masur is the sole candidate to support SB50. She is also a former Redwood City School Board member elected three times and served 10 years, and education funding reform is one of her top priorities.
“I’ve been an organizer for women’s health and reproductive rights which made me get my master’s in public health,” Masur said. “I’ve been a fighter for public education first as a teacher and then as a school board member serving a very diverse district during a very difficult time in the recession. I’ve been inspired by the strong women in my life and I want to take all my experience I’ve gained and take it to Sacramento.“
Alexander Glew, R, Los Altos
A staunch supporter of local zoning control, Proposition 13 protections for longtime homeowners and for balancing the state budget, Glew is the sole Republican vying for the District 13 seat in a race saturated with local Democrats.
“I hope that we have common goals and values for California,” Glew said. “We’d all like to see California be financially responsible. We’d like to see better economic opportunity for the 20% living in poverty; we’d like to see better infrastructure, roads, better schools, law and order, and protect property rights and freedoms. If you keep voting the same way, don’t expect anything to change. I’m free to act as I see fit if elected as senator. I’m not beholden to anyone.”
John Webster, L, Mountain View
A Navy veteran and proud Libertarian with years of experience running in local races, Webster believes that the state is moving closer and closer to socialism and would like more protections for property rights, less overreach by the Legislature and lower taxes to keep more people in the state.
“I understand that socialism, that is pushed by Democrats in the Legislature and elsewhere, destroys communities,” Webster said. “It does it by punishing success and productivity and encouraging dependence on the government. If I get to the Legislature, I’m not planning to give anything to anyone. People shouldn’t expect goodies.”