Dean Wallace

Editorial: 
Elect Dean Wallace in City Council District 1... to provide thoughtful leadership on growth

Wallace is the district director for Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland. For nearly two decades he has done political work or been a district aide for Democratic members of Congress or the state Legislature. Now he’s running for office for the first time — and he has done his homework.

He understands the city’s finances, the need to provide housing, the seriousness of the city’s water problem and the folly of spending millions on a new skate park. And, unlike Nibert, he recognizes that litigating against the state’s housing requirements would be counterproductive.

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Editorial: Vote Wallace for Pleasanton City Council, District 1

District 1: The northwest district seat is wide open in this campaign, as incumbent Councilmember Kathy Narum is ineligible after hitting the city's temporary term limit.

With the slate clean, we see an opportunity with Dean Wallace to add the perspective of a young professional with deep Tri-Valley ties and political experience to the Pleasanton dais.

He presents well-reasoned ideas for addressing top priority goals such as sustainability and affordability, public safety, economic development, transparency, city services and the Stoneridge Shopping Center redevelopment planning process -- the latter of which will probably be the most important project in District 1 over the upcoming four-year term.

Wallace, who works as a staffer for Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Berkeley), did a savvy job differentiating himself and his approach from that of his boss when called out at our candidate forum on Sept. 12. We're also impressed by his wide-ranging coalition of supporters this campaign, including elected officials at the local, state and federal levels, unions and trade associations and other stakeholder groups.

Also challenging for the District 1 seat is Planning Commissioner Jeff Nibert, a longtime resident whose platform focuses on quality of life, the environment, safe drinking water, "smart and measured growth" including affordable housing, and Pleasanton's small-town character.

Nibert has gained some key city experience on the Planning Commission, without question, but we do note that he has not yet truly separated himself as an authority among the commission dais. He brought up smart talking points during our forum and in his public campaigning, but often just at that cursory level without the added depth of actionable solutions. In that way, his opponent stands apart.

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Pleasanton council wants to move forward with Stoneridge Mall redevelopment framework planning

...One of the other key points made by the council was to prioritize public input and make sure that everyone that would be affected in the area is noticed so they can participate in community outreach events that staff will facilitate.

That point was echoed by Dean Wallace, a resident and council candidate who lives across from the mall, who said he has spoken with various neighbors who all support reimagining what the mall will look like, but only if it is done right.

"They want to make sure that it's done right, and I share that desire," Wallace said. "I think there's a lot of anxiety, concern and a bit of confusion about the various different plans that the city is currently considering."

He said there should be more community outreach being done to inform the public about the framework process and what the timeline for the redevelopment will look like. Wallace is currently a candidate running for the City Council District 1 seat, which represents the Stoneridge area...

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