City of Santa Clara, District 5

David Kertes

My mission is to bring back integrity, honesty, and transparency to the city Council. We need to always have the best interests of our residents of Santa Clara. We need to improve access to youth sports facilities and reduce costs to ensure all children have the opportunity to participate in sports and physical activities.

Over 80% of voters polled say they want elected officials to prioritize children and families. What are the top three issues affecting our children and families and how will you make our region a place where all families can thrive?

Mental health and emotional well-being, economic stability, Access to Quality Education - We need to be sure mental health services are offered to all income levels and should look to add this to schools. We need to invest in more true low costs housing to help with affordability (tiered cost based on income level( Help with families making less than $60,000 per year). We need to look at Childcare costs and make it affordable for all income levels (Sliding scale costs based on Income).
High quality childcare improves school readiness and parents' workforce participation. What will you do to improve access to high quality childcare and preschool programs in our diverse communities?

I am in favor of free preschool programs for all children. This will allow them to be ready for elementary school. We should also offer Pre K schooling to all children. childcare needs to be affordable to all. Many people have to choose between staying at home or working because the costs for Childcare is more than they make at their job. This prevents people being able to work when they really want to be out of the house. This also has a negative effect on taxes that would be generated to support the childcare and educational needs in the area.
Much of the student achievement gap has been linked to the opportunity gap that children in low-income families and children of color confront (e.g., lack of access to healthy food, preschool, tutors, and enrichment activities). If elected, what will you do to increase equity of opportunity?

All meals for students should be free (Breakfast, Snack, and Lunch). We should also offer after school programs that have tiered costs based on income. This helps make it affordable to all children. One of my five goals if elected is to bring down the costs of sports. we need to Improve access to youth sports facilities and reduce costs to ensure all children have the opportunity to participate in sports and physical activities. We should also look to schools to offer extra tutoring and mental health services for low income children to help with their enrichment.
What steps will you take to improve inclusion and outcomes for children with disabilities and their families in our community?

I will work with community leaders and parents of children with disabilities to understand the needs and requests. Mostly importantly I will ask and listen to the children on what they would like and what would help them feel more included in the community. Many times people forget to listen to the children. Take information from the community to create plans for inclusion of all children. I will champion these ideas and help to put together a plan and present at the city council meeting. I will ask the parents and community to help speak at the council meetings to make sure all vices are heard and everyone is treated equally.
If elected, how will you use the resources of your new role to improve children's well-being and access to mental and behavioral health services?

I will first sit down with the community and have an open conversation of positive things that have happed and then focus on the negative or items that have yet to be addressed. I will work with them on presenting the ideas and formulating a solution I can bring to the city council for review. I will then champion this ideas and plans to make sure all voices are heard. I will make sure we are focusing on the future of our children by having access to mental and behavioral services no matter what income level or color of your skin. We need to invest early in our children to make sure they contribute positively to our future. Our future starts with our children.