SVLG Hosts Annual Public Policy Luncheon

Measure B among topics discussed by local leaders, politicians

Erin FoxTHE SANTA CLARANovember 10, 2016

Local ballot initiative Measure B, a countywide plan to relieve traffic and repair roads, passed on Nov. 8, after winning 71 percent of the vote.

“Measure B’s success is a reflection of the vision and values of Valley voters, who don’t whine about traffic, but focus instead on winning solutions to traffic,” said Carl Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

The SVLG is a public policy trade organization which supports prominent businesses in Silicon Valley, has supported and championed Measure B for over three years. The group has also endorsed, funded and led efforts to solve issues with traffic and housing

At an annual luncheon celebrating public service and giving back to the community in the Silicon Valley, Measure B was a major topic of discussion. The Nov. 4 event was hosted by the SVLG. Out of the 1,100 attendees gathered in the Santa Clara Convention Center, 96 of them were elected leaders from various levels of government. Guardino described the audience as his “closest friends.”

One of his friends who introduced Measure B was San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.

“Like a jigsaw puzzle, each one of the component parts is critical to provide traffic relief and fix our roads as well,” Liccardo said in his opening remarks.

Measure B will also improve road conditions and increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists. It was authored by the Valley Transportation Authority and would provide almost $6 billion in funding through a 30 year, half-cent sales tax.

Senior Maddie Anderson has been a campaign organizer for Yes Measure B since September, after interning with the SVLG for two academic quarters.

“Measure B hits on so many wins for Santa Clara University,” Anderson said.

Funds raised by Measure B would extend Bay Area Rapid Transit to Santa Clara, which would electrify Caltrain and make the train much quieter for the students living in the University Villas, which is located right in front of the Caltrain tracks.

University organizations such as ASG and the Center for Sustainability publicly endorsed Measure B.

“Nowhere was that better epitomized than on the campus of Santa Clara University, where students, faculty and staff rallied around the improvements in Measure B not solely for the campus community—but the larger Silicon Valley community as well,” Guardino said.

Other components of the luncheon consisted of several performances given by Marlana VanHoose. She is a blind singer and an ambassador for Best Buddies, an organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There is a Best Buddies chapter at Santa Clara coordinated through SCAAP.

The luncheon also attempted to crowdsource funds for the Young Men’s Leadership Summit, which empowers middle school boys from local, under-resourced schools. The goal to raise $25,000 for the summit was met, aided by San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York and AT&T California who both pledged $10,000 apiece.

The audience contributed an additional $8,461.

The event also included a panel, titled “Lessons on Leadership,” which consisted of a moderated on-stage conversation with Four Star General Lori Robinson, Apple Senior Vice President and former Director of the Environmental Protection Agency Lisa Jackson and Synopsys Co-Founder and Co-CEO Aart de Geus.

Guardino gave the closing remarks and spoke about bettering relationships with students of higher institutions in the Silicon Valley.

“You’re going to see us double our efforts to build a bridge with those great colleges and universities to build that more diverse pipeline for those engineers and those entrepreneurs that we need,” Guardino said. “With that, I hope you embrace each other on the way out, and embrace what we can do when we work together. There’s nothing we can’t accomplish.”

Contact Erin Fox at efox@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.