Thank you! Thank you for holding their feet to the fire, Gina.

The priorities of the mayor and the majority of members of our City Council *is* absurd. And watching their meetings is an exercise in pure frustration.

Like you said, they'll spend hours questioning the need for a 30-year leadership program run by the Chamber of Commerce — that comes at minimal cost to the City — while then casually rejecting a plan for parks that was the product of years of planning by the community and Parks Commission. Mind you, this is the same group who recently took $2M out of our City’s rainy day fund, all in pursuit of *their* preferred pet projects. Pet projects that are orders or magnitude larger than the city’s cost of Leadership Pleasanton.

And don’t even get me started on how many hours I’ve heard this crew complain about housing policies — but then never utter a single word about the very real crisis facing residents and workers in our city. A crisis impacting their very *own* kids. One who once sat directly across from me and said that their own daughter was “struggling to even afford rent in Las Vegas” — and then said with a straight face a few moments later that she “didn’t believe building more homes has anything to do with the cost of homes.”

Pet projects, settling scores, and a stubborn refusal to see reality — and then denigrating anyone who dares to question their “leadership”— *that’s* how our City Council’s majority operates.

I’d be embarrassed for our city, if I wasn’t so infuriated by it all.

I personally have a very hard time watching the city council meetings. Brown is downright rude to Balch. And Testa putting up her hand and stating she wasn’t going to engage with Balch - what the heck? Debates need to take place. The 4 person majority council members need to be recalled. Disgusted with the 4 of them.

Always thought you had potential, Dean. Sad that you were not elected. But you chose to side with and be supported by the old town mafia of the old boys club, and you paid the price for it. You should act independently and will be elected next time. On a side note, Nibert seems to be sane and sensible in that majority, but he is paying his respects back to the leadership that got him elected. Nibert needs to act independently, and the city needs him to be the sane voice there.

Everyone blocked development in their district for re-election concerns and left all of the mess for you or Nibert to clean up. Both of you got played. We need to get rid of everyone on the council. Two political newcomers got manipulated by career politicians.

The latest cutting of the leadership program run by the chamber for so many years is one of many sinful and tyrannical decisions perpetrated by that group on our city. It's pandering to the builders by one group left with a lone council member fighting with Brown, who is paying back for the past years of similar treatment she received. It only will stop when all of them are out.

Spot on. Thank you, Gina!

Asinine! Yup, that sums it up.

To fund a skatepark before funding Leadership Pleasanton is absolutely the worst decision I have seen in 37 years in town.

The past LEADERS of our ‘planned’ city must be shaking their heads, or rolling over in their graves.

God help us when a 30 year PROVEN program can’t get this city’s support.

Shame on you

So disappointed on this decision! Leadership program was also a great Civics education and one each council member should have.

To answer your last question, Gina, the current City Council majority does NOT speak for me! I find the decision to defund Leadership Pleasanton bewildering and the decision to abandon the Wayside Park improvements before even getting real bids for the project beyond infuriating. Thank you for summarizing the inconsistencies of this council's recent decisions in such a clear and concise manner.

Regardless of where you stand on the Leadership program, there's no reason to throw shade at the skatepark project.

Clearly a mental health crisis has spread throughout the teenage population. Outlets for physical activity and in-person contact with their community is just as critical for these kids as the Leadership program is for adults.

Only one majority-voting council member has been through the Chamber's Leadership Program, during her time on the School Board. PUSD considers it valuable enough to pay a board member's fee. Another council member (who voted to keep the program) is taking it right now, at his own expense. The newest council member sat in on one of the sessions but voted against the funding.
Maybe the Chamber Leadership Program should become a prerequisite for all city council members.