This is enough for me to say not to vote for these two.

I agree with Resident. With labor costs accounting for 85 percent of Palo Alto's budget, and with benefits threatening to consume even more of our tax revenues in years to come if the Council doesn't get tougher with the unions than the recent ones have been, we can't afford to have candidates in the hip pocket of Big Labor on the council right now.

One has to wonder what Yeh and Espinosa promised the labor bosses to receive this kind of unprecidented support. We don't need outsiders involved in Palo Alto elections -- of any stripe. Yeh is particularly problematical since he received over 75 percent of his donations from out of town.

Actually, the two union folks who stopped at my house live in Palo Alto!

I believe that the ABAG housing mandates may be part of the reason that big labor has suddenly become interested in Palo Alto local politics.

There will be thousands of new housing units built in Palo Alto if ABAG has its way.

The number of units mandated for ABAG makes it a big plum for home building interests statewide. As Karen White's recent Weekly piece pointed out home building interests already are in the position to lobby for these units. Web Link Naturally, unions, who have jobs that might build all this housing will want to have a say too.

It is interesting that Yeh and Espinosa are two of the candidates who've been most coy about their support of the ABAG mandates.

Are these two stalking horses for 3500 new houses in Palo Alto in the next 8 years, including half "Below Market Rate" units? If they're elected will we see our city burdened with all the traffic, crowded schools, and infrastructure loads that come with them?

We need to look carefully at what baggage union support comes with!