Tag: City Council
District 8 Endorsement: Rose Herrera
May 16, 2012, by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics Comments (1)
Rose Herrera was elected in 2008 with endorsements from the San Jose Chamber of Commerce as well as the Santa Clara County Central Labor Council and the San Jose Police Officer’s Association. Somehow labor thought their endorsement would seal her loyalty. When she sided with the mayor on pension reform, Big Labor decided it was time to teach her a lesson.
District 6 Endorsement: Pierluigi Oliverio
May 16, 2012, by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics Comments (0)
San Jose-bred Pierluigi Oliverio works tirelessly for his constituents and is fully immersed in his district’s business. While sometimes too idealistic for his own good, his independence and intelligence make him a strong asset on the dais. Willing to speak his mind even when it has a political cost is rare in local politics, where compromise and backscratching can sometimes lead to lowest common denominator policy making.
District 2 Endorsement: Ash Kalra
May 16, 2012, by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics Comments (0)
Despite a DUI conviction that may have damaged his chances of running for mayor in 2014, Ash Kalra quickly bounced back and will coast to an easy re-election victory next month. The former public defender, a consistently labor-aligned councilmember, has stood up to Mayor Chuck Reed’s less-than-artful approach to pension reform while consistently noting that Measure B relies on no legal precedent.
City Concealed Street Closure Docs
May 15, 2012, by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics, Business, Culture, Media Comments (9)
The 500 block of South First Street fills up in evenings with cars of customers patronizing SoFA’s businesses.
Despite the city’s stated commitment to sunshine and open government, city officials and proponents of a proposal to permanently close a block of South First Street concealed critical documents from affected parties for a year—until the eve of a council vote. Promoters of the “pavement to plaza” conversion say a $500,000 grant from ArtPlace requires the street’s full closure. San Jose will contribute $98,000 in park and economic development funds, under the plan, which goes to the City Council at today’s 1:30pm meeting.
Mayor, Liccardo Push for High-Rise Towers
May 14, 2012, by Josh Koehn Politics, Business, Culture Comments (6)
Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilmember Sam Liccardo authored a memo last week that would give high-rise builders in downtown San Jose new incentives to start constructing towers before the end of next year. At its meeting Tuesday, the City Council will discuss the incentives as well as last week’s budget hearings, restricting payday lending offices, targeting parents who let their teenagers throw parties with alcohol, and a potential park expansion that could alter the view from San Jose Inside’s office.
Surplus or Cushion or Neither
May 14, 2012, by Pierluigi Oliverio Politics Comments (14)
Some people have called the fact that San Jose will have 9 million dollars more than anticipated a “surplus.” Having this money will allow the city to avoid layoffs and add funding for libraries, as well as anti-gang programs this coming fiscal year. The mayor has called it a 1-percent cushion, because this money came about from last year’s budget action of layoffs and across-the-board pay cuts for all employees. Having enough money to provide some services does not equate to a “surplus” or a “cushion,” in my opinion.
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