Last weekend there was a series of shootings downtown. Much of the problem is summed up by the comments of one of the men shot: “It’s part of the bargain,” said bouncer Noel “Jaws” Chavez.  Well, the bargain is now costing far too much.

In the last election there were 153 congressional and legislative districts on the ballot. The results were 153-0 in favor of the incumbent Democrat or Republican. This was certainly not the system that our founders had in mind. As John McCain has said, “You have more of a chance of being replaced in the Politburo in Havana than the United States Congress.”

Most of the time we can forget the madcap antics of our legislature in Sacramento and just do our work, live our lives, and take care of our families.  Yet it is imperative that we always remember the importance of the actions that they take in our Capitol; once in a while they are absolutely devastating in the damage that they do to us.  Such is the case in their recent actions regarding sex offenders in our midst.

Once again our neighbor to the north has an intriguing proposal by the mayor of San Francisco. Stealing a march on San Jose, the true epicenter of innovation, Gavin Newsom has positioned this new program as a way to offer universal and affordable broadband Internet access to the city’s residents and businesses.  Google has responded in a big way, promising free wireless Internet service. The Mountain View company has a pile of cash and is thirsting to make a big impact.  This is important because it is unique and ground breaking.

I know a few things about mistakes. I have made my share of them, sometimes before rather large audiences.  In the last two weeks I have noted two doozies that deserve to be nominated on this year’s list.

Turmoil on Immigration Forum

The off-again-on-again forum on immigration and enforcement at the Mexican Heritage Plaza is now on again.  That’s good.

The actions of the City Council are moving from mysterious to indecipherable.  A majority refused to send the Ron Gonzales-backed response on the garbage scandal to the Grand Jury; they opted to wait.  This is, of course, the Council who according to the Grand Jury report of early summer was “duped” by Gonzales while he made a side agreement with Norcal, the garbage service provider.  Cindy Chavez, Judy Chirco and Nancy Pyle joined the early critics Dave Cortese, Chuck Reed and Linda Lezotte in refusing to rubber stamp the document authored by Gonzales with the city’s Manager and Attorney. Also, the ethically tardy Ken Yeager has refused to sign on to the report while telling confidants that he is fearful of the Gonzales’ reaction to his late blossoming of concern on this issue.  Of such stuff is San Jose’s “Profiles in Courage” made.

This week’s quote was a bit unusual in that it comes from the redoubtable Scarlett O’Hara, but how else to emphasize the incredible stupidity of the former Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency, Susan Schick? I remember how several members of the Rotary Club suggested that I was too tough on her when I criticized her plan in 2001 to seize over fifty pieces of private property, our citizens’ “land,”  in an astonishing, wrong-headed and aggressive plan invoking eminent domain in San Jose.

I have a modest suggestion for our city manager.  (No, not that one. That one should come from his bosses on the San Jose City Council.)  This one is genuinely intended to help rectify some of the immediate problems at City Hall. It is comprised of four words: concentrate on your job.

There have been a number of questions since San Jose adopted the title of “Capital of Silicon Valley” in the eighties.  Some say we were undeserving or that we just assumed the title. There was truth to both accusations. I like to quote the words of our late and unlamented Senator, S.I. Hayakawa, who, when roused from his slumber during the debate over the return of the Panama Canal, shouted out: “Give it back? Hell, we stole it fair and square!”  It was a pithy, accurate comment, analogous to the current situation with WiFi in our city.

As I read the weekend paper, it was so apparent, once again, that those who do not remember history are condemned to see it repeated on the front page of the paper.  They will suffer the consequences of failing to act on known information.  Such is the case in the controversy over Watson Park, once the site of a garbage dump and a 125 foot incinerator that was in use until the 1930s. It is now the location of Empire Gardens School, a popular park,  soccer field, and community garden, and much is – or was – planned for this beautiful neighborhood at the end of Jackson and Empire Streets on Coyote Creek.

Yesterday was the first meeting of the city council in the new chambers on East Santa Clara Street.  It was an historic day. The new building is one that evokes much thought.

There has been a good deal of discussion and debate in the community and on this site concerning the relative powers of the mayor and the meaning of the City Charter in the specific areas of Mayoral power.  Being intimately involved in the Measure J changes that the citizens adopted in 1986, two things are clear: people wanted a strong, effective leader in the mayor and, secondly, imperative in the proper functioning of the city was a strong and independent city manager.

A few weeks ago I wrote that the current people at City Hall could not tell the difference between telling the truth and not getting caught in a lie.  I wonder what was going on in their minds as they savaged the grand jury’s report. Did they not know what they were risking?

It’s new! It’s here! It’s ours.  The new City Hall is ready to take its place in the heart of the city.  Credit Frank Taylor first, who envisioned it, and Frank Fiscalini and David Pandori who got it on the ballot when everyone else was afraid.  Joe Guerra was also critical to the effort. Ron Gonzales stayed the course, for better and worse.  Jude Barry also deserves credit along with Rob and Goodie Steinberg, our local architects who gave Richard Meier the level of support a world-class architect demands and deserves. Thank them for the dome.

Before we go too far in looking at the many problems that San Jose is suffering from, let’s look back a mere twenty years or so.  There was a downtown in the making, but it was only on paper and in studies and reports, and, of course, in the hopes and dreams of many in the neighborhoods. 

There was no battle between the suburbs and downtown – quite the contrary, people in Evergreen and Willow Glen and Berryessa wanted our city to have museums, sports venues, parks, and historical assets.  They had faith that sooner or later we might get them, and voted for downtown development time and time again – up to and including the watershed win for the Arena in 1988. Some may whine or try and rewrite history, but the facts are simple.  There was no there, here.  We were embarrassed to host the few notables and events we had at that time in the Holiday Inn. This is not an insult to that establishment, but a criticism of the leaders of San Jose, political and business, who allowed us to become a laughing stock.