• Don FrancesPatch Staff Verified Patch Staff Badge

  • Watsonville, CA

<b>Phone:</b> 650-455-7240

<b>E-mail:</b> don.frances&#64;patch.com

<strong>Facebook: </strong>facebook.com/SanMateoPatch

<strong>Twitter:</strong> &#64;sanmateopatch

<b>Bio: </b>I was born in Stockton, California, and have lived my life in either the Central Valley, Southern California or the Bay Area. Out of college I started working for the Oakland Tribune and other MediaNews newspapers, then for Bay City News, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, and most recently the Mountain View Voice, where I was editor for five years. I now live with my family in San Carlos.

<b>Beliefs</b>: I tend to think of journalism as a craft rather than a profession. Its end result should be simple: to inform the public, accurately and honestly.

<b>Politics</b>: I am a non-partisan, but registered, Democrat.

<strong>Issues in San Mateo:</strong> As with all big towns in populated areas, development looms large as a topic of contention in San Mateo. This can range from neighborhood disputes over minor projects to fights over gigantic statewide projects like High Speed Rail. Meanwhile, budgetary constraints have nearly all parents worried about the future of their kids&#39; schools.

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