In these times, our society and our city are suffering from problems which we are tragically failing to address. The housing crisis rages on. Our current government, locally, nationally, and to some extent at the state level too, remains unwilling to respond to this crisis in the ways which it is morally imperative for it to do so.

Untold numbers of our neighbors continue to be displaced. The ranks of the homeless have grown to record proportions in our state. The extreme poor huddle in the shadows cast by extreme wealth. Inequality mounts upon inequality. 

Our Latino neighbors, in particular, live in a time when they are under threat nationally and locally. Latinos have been getting pushed out of our communities at disproportionate numbers. Similarly, landlords and immigration authorities have been preying on immigrant populations. Yet Latinos and other immigrant populations live, work, and stand beside us in making our community what it is.

As a result of the staggering inequalities looming over our society, we continue to see big money elect out-of-touch politicians who care most about the interests of a narrow few, to the detriment of us all.

In San Mateo, it is clear who the candidates are which the regressive big-money interests prefer. And it is equally clear to us at One San Mateo who are the compassionate and independent candidates who give us some hope of changing the course of this terrible tragedy: Rick Bonilla, Chelsea Bonini, and Charlie Drechsler.