Council to Hold Last Meeting of 2011-12

The last City Council meeting of the fiscal year Tuesday will feature a loaded agenda. Last week, the council moved past its stalemate on lower benefits for new employees and approved a second tier—with only Councilmember Kansen Chu opposed—as well as paid time off for most city contractors. The latter item passed 8-3, with councilmembers Pete Constant, Pierluigi Oliverio and Rose Herrera opposing it. Herrera’s vote could be viewed as a shot at labor for union attacks against her in the primary, support for the Chamber of Commerce’s position, or both.

In addition to final adoption of the budget for the next fiscal year, which passed unanimously last week, here are some of the critical items up for the last meeting of 2011-12:

• The council will discuss plans for property on the west side of the airport, which could result in a drastic reduction in price for land in exchange for acreage to be used for a new soccer facility.

• The council will likely approve and authorize City Attorney Rich Doyle to execute a settlement with firefighters Debra Ward and Patricia Tapia. Ward And Tapia alleged they were passed over for promotion from fire captain to battalion chief because of discrimination. They will $395,000, and as part of the agreement the city will admit no fault.

• Council will likely adopt a resolution that allows City Manager Debra Figone to negotiate an agreement with San Jose Arena Management, LLC for financial support of the winning bid for the U.S. Gymnastic Olympic Trials in the amount of $300,000. The trials will take place at HP Pavilion June 28 to July 1.

• The council will decide whether or not to approve a recommendation to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute a services agreement with the San Jose Downtown Association for an amount that cannot exceed $320,000.

• The council could choose to execute a cost sharing agreement between the city of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley Water District to share the cost of developing a strategic master plan for the South Bay Water Recycling Program. The estimated cost is $2,4 million and each party will contribute half the cost. The city and the water district will share a reimbursment from U.S. Department of Interior of up to $1,2 million. They will also choose to set a public hearing on Aug. 7 for sewer service and use charges and storm sewer service charges.

• The council will hear a recommendation to enter an agreement with Sprint Solutions, Inc. for the purchase of radios and cellular and wireless equipment and services for no more than $550,000 per year.

• A recommendation will go before the council to approve an amendment to create a citation fine of $350 for parents caught letting people underage drink alcohol.

• The council will decide to adopt a resolution establishing speed limits on portions of Camden Avenue and Ruby Avenue. This resolution would also change the speed limits on portions of Coleman Avenue, McKean Road and San Ignacio Avenue.

• In an effort to expand on current planning efforts for land evelopment and transportation facilities in the Diridon Station area, the council will hear a recommendation to negotiate a $900,000 grant agreement with the California High Speed Rail Authority.

6 Comments

  1. • A recommendation will go before the council to approve an amendment to create a citation fine of $350 for parents caught letting people underage drink alcohol.

    I’d rethink this to exempt cultural/religious reasons.  Plenty of Christians take communion. 

    • In an effort to expand on current planning efforts for land evelopment and transportation facilities in the Diridon Station area, the council will hear a recommendation to negotiate a $900,000 grant agreement with the California High Speed Rail Authority.

    Free money is always good.  Labor should be happy with their cut for land redevelopment.

    • The council will decide to adopt a resolution establishing speed limits on portions of Camden Avenue and Ruby Avenue. This resolution would also change the speed limits on portions of Coleman Avenue, McKean Road and San Ignacio Avenue.

    How about we fix what got screwed up on Almaden expressway first?  Show me a single expressway that doesn’t have pedestrian islands at every intersection, or a speed limit over 45mph?  Why was the expressway raised to 50mph and the pedistrian islands torn out (oh ya, widen it.. For walmart.. Thanks Don (sigh)

    • The council will hear a recommendation to enter an agreement with Sprint Solutions, Inc. for the purchase of radios and cellular and wireless equipment and services for no more than $550,000 per year.

    I looked at the memo.

    $0.06 per minute with no data seems a little steep to me.  Also the memo doesn’t say what the stipend is for data use. 

    Consider this.

    I get data/voice/text unlimited for $100@mo.  If we have 2000 employees, then to get them all on the same plan it would cost $200,000.  Where is the other $250k going?

    I have other things to comment about, just no time.

  2. I understand that the city council and mayor traditionally get the entire month of July off every year. It seems this year is a year they should continue meeting in July, considering the state of the city. By the time they reconvene in August, another 20-30 of our police officers will have resigned from this department and been hired by other jurisdictions.
    This city council needs to find a way to stop this hemorrhaging of officers, as well as deal with the other problems.

  3. Even without creating a 2nd tier for public safety, officers are leaving SJPD in droves. As earlier stated, 20-30 officers will likely be gone, having lateraled to other agencies. Given that the controversy surrounding Measure B received national notoriety, it won’t matter where San Jose recruiters go; any potential lateral seriously considering SJPD would have to be completely ignorant of conditions in San Jose or such a fool that he made Barney Fife look like Einstein.

    And, it isn’t just the fact of SJPD officers being paid less and having a far worse benefit package than any other agency in the county – and probably the entirety of the Bay Area which should give potential laterals or recruits pause. It is also the gross mismanagement of the city’s finances, the cavalier attitude towards employees in general and public safety employees in particular which should make any potential employees question whether it’s worth it to come here or to stay.

    Now, let’s talk about gross mismanagement for a second. Mayor Reed stated that if the Library ballot measure passes then he would have to lay off police officers or fire fighters, but why? I’ve seen line items in the budget which are a far cry from necessary and have absolutely nothing to do with supporting charter services. Please, readers ask yourselves this: why does the current budget show a cut to the PD budget of about $900k and an increase to the City Manager’s budget of about $1 million? How does that in any way represent fiscal responsibility when those employed at the City Manager’s office are among the highest-paid in the City. The City Manager herself is THE HIGHEST PAID employee in the city who is also looking at 2 retirement packages.

  4. Also, take a look at what our grossly understaffed police department is dealing with on a day-to-day basis. Understand that this is taken from the watch list on which only the more serious incidents are places. The vast majority of calls for service – burglaries, disturbances, vandalism, traffic accidents, etc. – don’t make it on the list.

    Meridian and Auzerais avenues, 2:47 p.m. June 12 A boy was confronted and stabbed in O’Connor Park by males who made gang-related slurs. His injuries were not life threatening.

    Hester and Park Avenue, 3:08 p.m. June 12 Two 17-year-olds accused of robbing a person at gunpoint were arrested after police spotted their vehicle, located the gun inside and the person’s property.

    3100 block of Monterey Road, 9:19 p.m. June 12 A male robbed a business at gunpoint.

    1700 block of Branham Lane, 11:16 a.m. June 13 An attempt to rob a business at gunpoint was made by a male being sought.

    2200 block of Berkeley Way, 11:18 p.m. June 13 After two roommates tangled over a parking place, one was arrested and the other was treated for a non life-threatening stab wound.

    2000 block of Story Road, 11:31 p.m. June 13 A business was robbed at gunpoint by two males who made off with cash and merchandise.

    2000 block of Sullivan Avenue, 4:26 a.m. June 14 A resident was stabbed when he confronted two people who broke a window at his residence. His injuries were not life threatening.

    500 block of Coleman Avenue, 11:19 a.m. June 14 Police contacted a man seen walking with a gun in a duffel bag, determined

    he was a felon with an active warrant for his arrest and booked him into jail as a result.

    2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., 2:09 p.m. June 14 A male accused of robbing a woman in the parking lot at Westfield Valley Fair mall and striking her with his vehicle as he left was located and arrested. The woman’s injuries were not life-threatening.

    1100 block of Tully Road, 9:34 p.m. Thursday A male fired a gun during a convenience store robbery. No injuries were reported.

    3900 block of Picardy Place Court, 12:01 a.m. last Friday Responding to a report of multiple shots fired inside a residence, police arrested a person, a suspected gang member with an active warrant, who lived there. Other residents present were uncooperative with officers.

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