Thank you so much for reaching out. I would be delighted to participate in a Meet the Candidates night on the Coastside. I am beginning to call delegates whom I have not previously met, including from the Coastside club, and offer to discuss by phone or in person, in whatever level of detail is desired, both my background and vision, and the delegate’s policy concerns. I would be pleased to have that opportunity with both of you and with your club.
I have been meeting with/talking to Mike Ferreira of the Sierra Club, who lives in Moss Beach. He has briefed me on a number of Coastside issues. I was aware of Steve Kinsey’s (Chair of the Coastal Commission’s) effort to oust Charles Lester from the Exec. Director position in what appears to be a pro-developer move, so I was very pleased that you raised it last night. Because the Speaker of the Assembly appoints 4 of the 12 Coastal Commissioners, it seems to me that your Assembyperson should support the Speaker in appointing Commissioners who will be good stewards of the California Coastal Act.
In addition to coastal development and coastline access, it seems to me that sea level rise, water use and conservation, and other major environmental issues (SB350 petroleum carve-out, SB32, etc.) would be important to Coastsiders. I also expect that economic inequality and related housing and transportation issues are key on the Coastside, just as they are key in other parts of this assembly district.
That said, I very much want to hear your views and welcome learning about any other Coastside issues that I am missing. My opponents have been in this race for the better part of a year. I launched my campaign on October 30 and am taking meetings with constituents as fast as I can. I would welcome a reason to come to your beautiful part of our district, both to listen and to share my goals and passions.
I look forward to getting to know you and to learning more about your concerns. Please let me know how and when you might like to do that.
INFORMATION FROM HER WEBSITE:
MEET VICKI VEENKER
Vicki has been working with Silicon Valley leaders for nearly 25 years to foster innovation and improve her community.
AN INNOVATIVE AND EXPERIENCED LEADER
A leading patent attorney in Palo Alto, Vicki represents many of the Valley’s top innovators in matters involving new technologies and breakthrough life science inventions. Vicki’s clients have included a Nobel laureate, Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and a low-income custodian whom she represented pro bono in an ADA and employment case. Among other honors, California Law Business selected Vicki in 2002 as one of the state’s Top 20 Lawyers Under 40.
Vicki’s passion for providing equal opportunity for women and girls led her to help found Women’s Professional Soccer, for which she served as General Counsel. Her work to give some of America’s most talented, hard-working athletes a “league of their own” provided a training ground for many members of the US women’s national team who went on to win the 2015 World Cup.
FOCUSED ON COMMUNITY
As a community leader, Vicki has served as President and more than a dozen years on the Board of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, which provides access to justice in underserved communities and fights poverty. The Law Foundation provides free legal services to low-income clients – such as foster youth and victims of predatory lending – through its five programs: Fair Housing, Mental Health Advocacy, Public Interest Law Firm, Legal Advocates for Children & Youth, and Health Legal Services. Additionally, Vicki currently serves on the Alzheimer’s Association Fund Development Committee for the Northern California and Northern Nevada chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
As the daughter of two teachers, Vicki has a natural love of teaching and learning. That passion led her to serve as an Adjunct Professor at both UC Hastings College of the Law and Santa Clara University School of Law.
Both the International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California have appointed Vicki to their mediation panels. Her work brokering compromises on complex technology issues led Vicki to be named on the inaugural list of the world’s leading technology neutrals by the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center, which she now serves as a Director.
Vicki is also proud to lead the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions discussion series in Palo Alto, for which she recruits speakers to provide community education and a forum for public discussion on key international issues facing our world today.
Prior to her career, Vicki attended Georgetown University Law Center, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Law & Technology and served as a Law Fellow. She earned a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University.
Vicki and her husband have two teenage daughters who have attended Palo Alto schools, and a rescue dog named Shadow.