Election 2004: Track record speaks for Assembly candidate Ira Ruskin Election 2004: Track record speaks for Assembly candidate Ira Ruskin (September 08, 2004)

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

For politicians, a track record is a mixed blessing. In speeches and campaign literature, it's a source of strength in its claims of relevant experience. In debates and the literature of one's opponents, it's a ready source of material for opponents to pick apart and apply different interpretations.

With nine years on the City Council of Redwood City, Democrat Ira Ruskin has accumulated a track record, and he is counting on it to help him land the Assembly seat being vacated in December by Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto.

"The best gauge of what a person will do in Sacramento is what he or she has done in the past," Mr. Ruskin said in an interview with the Almanac. "I've passed the tough test of public service."

In March, Mr. Ruskin won a closely contested primary race for the 21st Assembly district. His Republican opponent in the general election in November is Steve Poizner, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Mr. Simitian, who has endorsed Mr. Ruskin and who could have run for another term in the Assembly, is running for the state Senate seat of Sen. Byron Sher, who is being forced out due to term limits.

The 21st Assembly district runs from Los Gatos and the Almaden Valley in Santa Clara County north through Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Atherton, and Woodside to San Carlos in San Mateo County.

Mr. Ruskin, 61, is married and has a bachelor's degree in history from UC Berkeley and a master's degree in communications from Stanford University. Mr. Ruskin has worked for more than 20 years as a communications consultant for businesses, he said.

Mr. Ruskin met with the Almanac recently to talk about his accomplishments and his candidacy. He had plenty to say about public works, the economy, the environment and education.

If it's broke ...

Mr. Ruskin appears to have a bit of the bulldog in him.

Early in his career as a councilman, the mayor appointed him chair of the city's streets committee. At the time, Broadway -- a main street -- was in disrepair, Mr. Ruskin recalled, with slippery sidewalks, cracked asphalt and a hodgepodge of trash bins and newspaper vending machines.

There had been talk of redevelopment, with more than $1 million set aside, but no one wanted to tackle the job, he said the mayor told him. "Consider it tackled," Mr. Ruskin said he replied.

The street now has new benches, lighting, trash bins and bollards. At an outdoor cafe on Broadway, Mr. Ruskin reflected: "This is, for me, a poignant place to be, the beginning of my work in Redwood City and the region to improve the lives of people."

As chair of the Committee for Regional Water Reliability -- a group he helped form in 2001 with officials from 28 Bay Area cities and water agencies that buy water from San Francisco -- Mr. Ruskin led the effort to persuade the state Legislature to compel San Francisco to seismically retrofit the aging Hetch Hetchy water system, which serves 1.7 million Bay Area residents.

A severe earthquake could damage the pipes and leave the Bay Area without water for 60 to 90 days, Mr. Ruskin pointed out, with dramatic impacts on sewage treatment, firefighting, medical care, and the conduct of day-to-day business.

The legislation -- introduced and passed in the 2001-02 session -- requires San Francisco to do the retrofit, creates a regional financing authority to raise some $2.9 billion, and creates an oversight committee, which Mr. Ruskin chairs. He was re-elected as chair in January.

Mr. Ruskin said he considered it a David and Goliath story, with the role of Goliath played by then-mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown. "He was quite formidable," Mr. Ruskin said. But by acting together, the cities could "wield power equal to or greater than (San Francisco)," he said. "It was like the slingshot that David used to put the giant on an equal footing."

Mr. Ruskin said he and 10 other oversight committee members met recently with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and requested that he "accept responsibility" for the project, put his commitment in writing, provide quarterly progress reports, and ensure "best practices" in accounting procedures, all of which Mr. Newsom agreed to do, Mr. Ruskin said.

State issues

Mr. Ruskin supports the so-called "pay-or-play" law which would provide health care for some of the state's estimated 4.5 million uninsured. The law, when phased in, requires California employers with 50 or more employees to either provide them with health insurance or pay into a state fund.

Asked about whether he would support tax increases, Mr. Ruskin said he would first want to close several "loopholes," including a state law that allows stock swaps between very large stock portfolios to avoid paying capital-gains taxes. "It's important that we not raise taxes on everyone until everyone is paying their fair share," he said.

To reinvigorate the economy, including locally, he said he would support restoring the manufacturer's investment tax credit and work toward "the best education system possible."

Acting locally

The financial house of Redwood City government may be in better shape after the city established a multi-year planning process and a budget reserve, two changes that Mr. Ruskin said he helped bring to fruition.

While a councilman, he helped organize the town, community and businesses to pay to upgrade computer and multimedia centers in local school libraries, he said.

On the environmental front, Mr. Ruskin notes his part in creating a city-state funding partnership to reduce water pollution by evicting squatters and derelict boats from the city's sloughs.

A defender of Redwood City's trees, too many of which he said were being cut down during sidewalk repairs, Mr. Ruskin chaired a task force that persuaded the council to issue a temporary moratorium on sidewalk repairs. The city's new policy gives trees the right-of-way, he said.

Funding his campaign

Mr. Ruskin, who has agreed to campaign finance spending limits, has raised some $428,800 for his campaign since February 2004, according to reports published by the Secretary of State. Mr. Ruskin's agreement to spending limits allows him to have a ballot statement in the voter information guide that the county mails to all registered voters.

Mr. Ruskin gave himself about $95,000, the reports show, while the state Democratic party gave about $44,000. Unions and political action committees have given about $245,000.

Some 170 individuals have given money, including $2,850 from residents in Atherton, $4,050 from Menlo Park, and $1,300 from Woodside. State Controller and Atherton resident Steve Westly gave $1,450. Most of the individual contributions come from Redwood City.

"People are giving me money because they look at my record and they believe that my record show the ability to provide innovative good government," Mr. Ruskin said.

Asked about the union affiliations of many of his contributions when compared to the largely individual donors to the campaign of his wealthy opponent, Mr. Ruskin replied: "It's important to be able to raise money from a wide variety of sources if you're not independently wealthy. Otherwise, only the most wealthy will be able to run for public office. This would be a danger to California and the nation."

Asked about his priorities, were he to be elected, Mr. Ruskin said he would "move toward the center and compromise to get things done."

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