SPUR board member Dianne McKenna goes by the title of regionalist these days, and her bio certainly backs that up.
A former Sunnyvale mayor, Santa Clara County supervisor, and chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the California Transportation Commission and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, she was instrumental in founding both the Caltrain Joint Powers Board and the Valley Transportation Authority.
Earning her Master’s degree in urban and regional planning from San Jose State University has helped her grapple with land use planning issues throughout her career as a public servant.
When did you first become interested in cities, and how did you end up in California?
I was raised an inner city kid in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My family didn't have a car and took streetcars around town, so I’m a city girl.
In 1963, my husband [Regis McKenna] was working for a technical publishing company and was offered an opportunity that would change our lives: to move to California and work in the burgeoning tech industry. In a split-second decision, I said “Let’s go!” In reflecting back on that, I realized that other than the decision about who to marry, we made the second biggest decision of our lives in two minutes.
How did you first learn about SPUR?
I learned about SPUR while pursuing my master’s degree at SJSU. Through one of the assigned readings, I was fascinated that there was an organization looking at how people dealt with issues in cities. Over time, being involved in local government and planning, I routinely saw SPUR materials and came away with a positive attitude about SPUR because the issues the organization talked about were helpful to me as a policymaker.
What's your favorite city?
New York City. I love to walk around in Central Park, attend plays, view art and dine in restaurants. At the same time, I wish that New York would better maintain its subway system and reduce the number of cars on the street.
Favorite view?
Anywhere in the Sierras. Over the years, we spent a lot of time backpacking in the Sierras. I love every view, from switchbacks to peaks to seeing waterfalls and camping alongside lakes. But the California coast is also pretty spectacular. So I guess we made a great decision to move here, where we have the best of both worlds.
Favorite book, film or work of art about cities?
Paradise Lost: California’s Experience, America’s Future by Peter Schrag, which is about California pre-and post-Proposition 13. It’s very poignant about what it was like in the ’60s; there was a feeling of building a community for us all. Then Proposition 13 came along and created an attitude about not wanting to pay for services for others. It should be required reading for every Californian.