By Khalida Sarwari
About 50 miles south of AT&T Park, where the San Francisco Giants were dominating the Detroit Tigers in the first game of the World Series, a crowd of dedicated teenagers gathered in Cupertino for a political forum that offered its own brand of entertainment–and education.
The Pizza and Political Forum, organized by the Cupertino Teen Commission in conjunction with the Saratoga Youth Commission, featured a series of three debates, each about a half hour long. Participating in the first were candidates for the Fremont Union High School District, followed by candidates for the 28th Assembly District and finally Saratoga Mayor Chuck Page and Campbell Vice Mayor Evan Low in a Republican vs. Democrat debate.
Assemblyman Paul Fong and Chad Walsh went toe-to-toe in the second debate. Fong is running for re-election in the 28th Assembly District, which includes Los Gatos, Campbell, Cupertino and Saratoga, and Walsh is the challenger.
When introducing himself, Walsh said he was running because he is “deeply concerned about the future of California” and that high school students, such as the ones in the audience, would be ultimately inheriting a “very broken state.”
“I believe partisanship is the problem,” said Walsh, who is running as an independent. “The party gridlock has got to stop.”
If elected, Walsh said he’d work with both parties to address the most pressing issues facing the state, from unemployment and the pension crisis to education.
Walsh said he would not support Proposition 30, a ballot initiative that will affect funding for schools, calling it an “unfair policy” to education. Fong, however, said he would vote for the measure, saying that it is a necessary source of funding for schools, which have been “cutting beyond the bone marrow” for some time now.
Fong said more than anything, his political record reflects consistency with his values, specifically those pertaining to social justice, education and the environment. Stem cell and career technical education are also important to him, Fong said.
Meanwhile, Walsh said he would be in favor of a tax increase if the revenues are allocated to education. A great education system must be rooted in a strong private sector, he said.
Both acknowledged that the achievement gap must be addressed.
“We’ve got to be innovative in terms of the way we teach,” Walsh said. “We’ve got to give schools the resources and the freedom to try different things to unlock the potential in these kids.”
The third and final debate featured Low and Page, each representing their party’s viewpoints. When asked why he chose to be a Republican, Page jokingly answered, “Because my parents were, and I’ve been too lazy to change that,” prompting laughter from the audience.
Ultimately, he said he believes in the idea of government providing programs that help the poor, but that he agrees with the Republican Party’s stance on matters such as individual freedoms and rights.
Low said he has a “deep, immense respect for people who want to be a part of the process” to bring about change, but that at the end of the day he is a Democrat, because “the Democratic Party stands for the future, not the past.”
Low and Page addressed questions from the audi-ence on the topics of incentives for small businesses and the necessity of the Electoral College. The Campbell vice mayor advocated for having a national dialogue on both, while Page said it is important that the term “small business” be clearly defined and that the Electoral College be retained because it serves an important purpose.
“The Founding Fathers put this in place to unite states,” Page said.
One thing both did seem to agree on was that term limits deter Republicans and Democrats from reaching agreement on important matters, such as the state budget.
“With longer terms we’re able to build relationships where we can work together,” said Low.
One of the questions from the audience was from a teen who asked the politicians for advice for the youth. Low related a story about how he failed the first time he ran for office at the age of 21, but was successful a few years later.
“I encourage young people to be persistent and be passionate about what you’re interested in,” he said.
Page advised the teens to “lose the word ‘can’t.’ ”
“The other thing is have as much fun as you can on your mother and father’s money,” he joked, prompting Low to respond, “Such a Republican philosophy!”
Several students from Saratoga were in the audience at the Cupertino Community Hall. Sarah Tang, a 16-year-old junior at Lynbrook, said she enjoyed watching Low and Page, both of whom she has worked with in the past on the youth commission.
“It was interesting to see the dynamic between them and how they agreed on some things,” she said.
Ruchi Pandya, 15, a sophomore at Lynbrook, said she also enjoyed learning about national level viewpoints from local politicians she has worked with.
“I think it’s good so many people were involved in asking questions; it showed they have a passion for what’s going on,” she said. “I’m really glad people are taking an interest in their community.”
Ruchi said it was the first time the teen and youth commissions have put together such an event but that they hope to do it again next year.
