Another year. They all seem to blend together at a certain point. Part of the problem of getting older, I guess, is the sameness. But it’s also an opportunity. You can see the similarities with a bit of perspective, and enjoy the way things seems so calm and, even, I venture, understandable. When you look at San Jose, you can’t help but getting a warm and positive feeling. Even in the face of the greatest economic downturn in our lifetimes, people remain positive and even hopeful for the new year.

Incoming Councilmember Rose Herrera is already stirring up drama on the 18th floor after she abruptly fired her senior policy analyst Mark Tiernan—two days before the holiday break. It seemed even more odd to some City Hall staffers, considering Tiernan was the lead man on Herrera’s transition team—and was her top pick for chief of staff. So what happened?

Citizens do the City’s job by revitalizing San Jose’s Rose Garden.

The San Jose Mercury News Editorial Board recently applauded the efforts of Terry Reilly and Beverly Hopper, who trained and organized the many volunteers who repaired and rejuvenated the San Jose Rose Garden. Thanks to the volunteers’ hard work, the Rose Garden regained its certification from the All-America Rose Selections organization. The Mercury News pointed out that the volunteers served to rebuild the city’s relationship with volunteers, and wondered if the Friends of the Rose Garden model could be applied to other public spaces that “lack the magic of roses.”

Now, I’m all for volunteering…but should the citizens of San Jose be asked to volunteer and do work that is supposed to be performed by city employees who are paid by taxpayer money?

As time marches inexorably on we find ourselves just a few days away from the dawning of a new year. With that celebratory sip of champagne at 2400 hours on Dec. 31, we christen 2009. I will clink the glasses of those I am with to toast a year where we will witness the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly No Child Left Behind), which puts public education back on the right course. We have been off course for far too long.

So it seems that this is the end of the road for Single Gal. I never thought I would be typing this, but I finally can take the moniker “Single” off my name—for good. I must break the news that I am getting married.  There, I said it. I will never be called Single Gal ever, ever again. I have found someone who is willing to deal with my whining, and my ability to talk about the same things over and over, without wanting to strangle me.

Hope your Christmas and Hanukkah holidays were enjoyable. City Hall is closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 5 for the annual furlough. Like many people, I am spending time with family and reconnecting with friends. I have known many of my friends since San Jose grammar school in the 1970s and ’80s, so that puts us in the 35-45 age range. Most of my friends are married with children and both parents or partners work. Our discussions usually include catching up and memories of the past. This year, however, our conversations were mostly about the economy.

This is it—the last best chance for SJI reader/writers to rant and/or rave together in 2008. Suggested theme—a time-honored end-of-year tribute: 2008: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

It’s the time of year when we’re all in a very good mood. The Sharks won last night capping the best start in their era and one of the best in National Hockey League history. The rain was light. People seemed festive in Downtown and Valley Fair, although a bit harried in the latter stop.

My dictionary defines “oratory” as the art of speaking in public with style, cogency, and grace. In just four short weeks we will once again have a president that possesses high quality oratorical skills. Obama will make it cool to be an excellent public speaker. Candidate Obama’s speech on race in America, one of the best crafted, written, and delivered speeches I have been privileged to see and hear, was the equivalent to shooting a 35 foot jump shot with one second remaining on the game clock. And the shot got nothing but net…swish.

I believe we should seize the moment as educators, and use President-elect Obama’s public speaking skills as inspiration for the classrooms throughout Silicon Valley.

Tomato Thyme is a popular restaurant in my district that operates out of a typical suburban shopping center—with parking in the front and the buildings in the back. Tenants in this shopping center include Safeway, Rite Aid, Bally’s Fitness, Bank, Dry Cleaner and even a Moose Lodge.

Consumers patronize shopping centers like this, but may never ponder who actually owns the land. In some cases the land is owned by one person, and in other cases there are many owners. In this shopping center, there are six different property owners. They each own their specific building and specific parking spaces. The six owners have had a shared parking agreement in place for years that has allowed customers to park wherever they wanted and visit whichever store they choose without being towed.  This parking agreement is expiring in a few months, and renewing it is up to the private property owners.

In this, the second-to-last 2008 episode of SJI’s weekly open forum, rants are more than welcome, as always. And we’d especially like to see some raves.

By G. Melesaine
A couple of weeks ago the San Jose Eastside School District proposed to cut athletics for next year. There was no debate. The cuts had to be made before the Dec.15th, 2008 date where, according to state law, the district had to turn in their balanced budget for the next two years. The district is already in debt, and the state as well, so cuts had to be made. Athletics was the first choice. I attended the aftermath meeting on Dec. 15 at the district office where athletic directors were confronted by angry parents and students trying to find solutions.

Tom McEnery has plans to revamp the entire San Pedro Square historic district in downtown San Jose and build a permanent outdoor public market neighborhood, anchored by the Peralta Adobe and the Fallon House, and inspired by world-renowned locales like the Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now, for decades San Jose has excelled at allocating public money for failed downtown projects, so some of the citizenry out there in the suburbs is hyperpessimistic about such an ambitious project, especially one that yet again asks for a taxpayer “loan.” But the San Jose Public Market is a great idea, if you flesh it out. I’ll leave the political, legal and financial brouhahas for more specialized commentators and instead offer my own conjecture.

Councilwoman Madison Nguyen was spot on when she said that her Wednesday night shindig at Motif restaurant felt more like a holiday party than a fundraiser for her No Recall campaign. Mayor Chuck Reed set a more serious tone when he grabbed the mic from Nguyen (who reminded everyone that there were no contribution limits in this campaign…”keep writing zeros,” she said ) and greeted the attendees, mostly public officials and elected leaders from around the Valley, who had spent the last hour sipping wine and stuffing shrimp on a stick in their mouths.

Prior to last week’s council decision to invest in San Pedro Square, the Mercury News Editorial Board posed an important question that deserves the consideration of every citizen in San Jose. The paper asked, “Should decisions to invest redevelopment money be based purely on a direct dollar payback to the city…or should they take into account less tangible goals, such as creating public spaces, encouraging private investment and keeping the charm and atmosphere of those rare, older parts of downtown?”

Recently, a blog by The Fly referred to some cops in its title as “Rogues”—few of us who live and work Downtown see it that way.  We admire and appreciate them greatly. But here’s a group of dangerous people that we should be worried about.

Very, very soon, three federal judges will be deciding whether to free 52,000 of California’s 172,000 prison inmates because of overcrowding. And we have to ask the question: “Haven’t we tried this before—and with disastrous results?”