October 13, 2009

Calif. mayoral candidates clash on merging police departments

By Joshua Melvin
San Mateo County Times

SAN BRUNO, Calif. The two candidates running for mayor have widely differing views on how the city should deal with the recession and what impact the current discussions of merging San Bruno's police department with several others could have on public safety.

Candidate Jim Ruane, 62, said during a recent editorial board meeting at the San Mateo County Times office that the city has a number of construction projects and new business openings coming down the pike which will help San Bruno recover.

He said he supports the talks in the mid-Peninsula about the possibility of merging San Bruno's police department with other police departments in a bid to save money.

But 29-year-old Miguel Araujo, who declined to attend the meeting but responded to questions by e-mail, said he thinks pay for city administrators and tax rates should be cut in order to help San Bruno through the recession.

He also said merging police departments will slow response times and undermine the community's relationship with officers.

That the candidates have markedly different perspectives should come as no surprise.

Ruane, a married father of two, has been on City Council for 14 years, works as a building contractor and previously served on the planning commission. Araujo is single man who ran for council in 2007 but lost. He works as a businessman and has previously been an organizer who rallied community members against water-rate increases.

On economic recovery, Ruane said the three biggest issues facing the city this year are "budget, budget, budget."

He admits San Bruno is facing tough times with furlough days authorized by City Council and the elimination of a handful of unfilled jobs, but, he said, better times are coming.

He pointed to the The Crossing, a 1,000-unit mix of apartments, condos and affordable housing for seniors, which is nearing completion.

Ruane also said the project to raise Caltrain tracks above several accident-prone intersections will make it easier and safer to get into the city. Both projects will hopefully result in more revenue for San Bruno.

For Araujo, cutting the salaries of city administrators is the way back to economic health. He said he would rather see administrators' pay cut "even further to guarantee that our rank-and-file workers who respond to heart attacks and burning houses are there when we need them."

He added the city should lower taxes and fees during the recession in order to lighten the financial burden they place on residents.

Ruane said a police department merger, which is being discussed by San Bruno, San Mateo, Millbrae and Burlingame officials, is worth looking at. He added that the 19 cities on the Peninsula can't afford to have their own police departments.

Administrative costs such as records management could be greatly reduced through a merger, he said. The City Council has not gotten involved yet but Ruane said, "(consolidation) has got a lot of potential."

But Araujo said a police department merger would reduce the quality of the services police officers provide.

He said San Bruno's neighborhoods need to have local police who understand, "our distinct communities and cultures and who know our local people."

"The merging of departments seems like an internal contracting-out for service, not truly serving the local community," Araujo said.