By Guest Blogger Jerry Estruth

Ross Perot would be surprised to know that the great sucking sound he’s hearing is not being caused by NAFTA but by the Great Power Vacuum that has created what I call the Black Hole of City Hall.

OK, technically it isn’t a guest blog, but several readers forwarded us an e-mail that he sent out a few weeks back and we thought we’d share it with you.  Enjoy!

By Guest Blogger Jerry Estruth

In 1978, when I was a candidate running for the San Jose City Council, I supported districting.  At that time, San Jose had 7 councilmembers, including the mayor, all elected at large.  I became the last councilmember to be elected city wide.  Therefore, I think that I am qualified to question whether or not districting has been good for San Jose and whether or not it has outlived its usefulness.  I think the time when the scant support of 2000-3000 people can elect a district councilmember from a district has passed.

By Guest Blogger Jerry Estruth

I had the chance to spend a couple of days in the Valley of Hearts delight last week and several things became clear.  I don’t miss the traffic at all.  The Mercury News still does its thing, whatever that is.  It used to be a good paper but something happened to it.  Actually it had a great editorial about the Silicon Valley Land Conservancy and the good work that Don Gralnek, Eric Brandenburg and Pat Sausedo are doing to preserve open space in the Valley of Heart’s Delight, before it is all paved over and painted green.

By Guest Blogger Eric Carlson

Like countless others before me, I have pondered the way to San Jose; specifically downtown San Jose where, one Sunday afternoon, tumbleweeds literally rolled over San Fernando Street as if in a dream. I saw them, and the only noise to break the dead calm was a whoop from way over at Wave’s Smokehouse and Saloon where the Oakland Raiders were temporarily winning. Downtown San Jose, on certain Sundays, can be the quietest retreat one can imagine. Good or bad?

By Guest Blogger Eric Carlsen

The recent blog-a-rama concerning statues and statue-worthy subjects failed to take note of Dr. Henry D. Cogswell. A man featured prominently in Plaza Park for many years, he stood near where the current fountain spouts geyser-lets.

By Guest Blogger Alex Marthews

After a midnight vote at City Council last week, San Jose is slated to lose the finest of its historic canneries, Del Monte Plant #3. With this decision, we have all lost.

The Cinequest film festival is in the midst of its fifteenth year, with over 200 films being shown to 60,000 people, all in downtown San Jose.  This, I would contend, is what makes a city great.