As first generation immigrants, my parents came to the USA from India in 2000. After evaluating many cities like Cupertino, San Jose, and Saratoga they found a perfect balance of small city coziness and a big city feel in Campbell and decided to call it their home. From the humble beginning as the Orchard City to the current home to sprawling Pruneyard Shopping Center, and original home to eBay, it is the perfect place to live. I was born in our South Bascom Avenue apartment, spent most of my early childhood playing at John D. Morgan Park, across from our then home, and have since been in the same neighborhood. I am Amisha Wadhwa, a 7th grader, attending Moreland Middle School. I am involved in many extracurricular activities including Model United Nations, where I’m learning about social policies, politics, history and ethics to solve real-world problems diplomatically. It would be a dream come true if I could become the mayor of the glorious city of Campbell one day.
If I were the mayor, here are some of my proposals to make this best city even better.
One thing I love about Campbell is its diversity. It is a melting pot of many different cultures, with over 45% residents being Hispanics, Asians or Indians. I propose to have a “Unity-in-Diversity” festival, where we celebrate everyone's heritage and tradition. The festival could have multicultural exhibits such as lectures, performances, dancing, music, theatre, and food! This will be a great outlet for people to explore different cultures while being right in their own Campbell! This inclusion will make everybody feel more appreciated and bring awareness and acceptance to diverse cultures.
I am very big on keeping our environment clean and eco-friendly. I regularly volunteer through my school’s Greenkeepers club. I’ve participated in the “Save the Bay” event and most recently cleaned up the San Tomas Aquino Creek as part of California Coastal Cleanup Day. I’m proud that Campbell already has adopted the Bring Your Own Bag Policy, and I would like to take this a notch higher. I'd like to propose Stamp Out Styrofoam (SOS) program. We all know that Styrofoam is very bad for the environment as it never decomposes. We should ask all Campbell shops and restaurants to stop using Styrofoam and replace it with eco-friendly biodegradable or corn-based compostable packaging. This ban will reduce litter and the amount of garbage going into city landfills. It will help to meet state requirements and avoid increased costs in the future. We can and should make Campbell an even cleaner city!
My last proposal is to have a big-box retailer such as Wal-Mart or a Target store in the city. Since many Campbell residents head out to such stores in San Jose or Cupertino anyhow, it would be much better to have one in Campbell itself. This would create additional jobs and generate new revenue streams for the city, both of which will boost local economy. We could use some of this additional revenue for the city schools. An improved economy and better schools will attract more people, increase the value of the home prices and city will benefit from higher property taxes. Truly a win-win situation. An ideal place for this store could be near South Bascom Ave., where there are a lot of empty lots and sparingly visited shops.
Campbell is a fantastic city, with many social and eco-friendly events and activities. Implementing my proposals will set the bar even higher. I truly hope that my city of Campbell continues to evolve with the times and set the example - environmentally, culturally, and technologically.
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