By Jill Escher

It’s time for SJUSD to right its wrongs.  The District was found guilty of unconstitutional backdoor taxation when, in early 2006, it secretly refinanced 1997 Measure C bonds to artificially raise tax rates to repay $22 million of new bond debt.  This week, Attorney General Jerry Brown handed down his much-anticipated opinion that such double dipping violates the state constitution and is illegal.

Mayor Chuck Reed latched onto President-elect Barack Obama’s mantra of Hope as he delivered his State of the City Speech this morning. His Obama-esque message of optimism may have been an effort to cushion the blow of new austerity measures as he outlined the city’s $60 million shortfall and plans for imminent layoffs.

After months of anticipated debate on the politics of airing a reality show documenting the adventures of the Department of Homeland Security on primetime on ABC, the Jan. 6 premiere may have ended the argument before it even could get started. I would like to say that viewers found the notion of celebrating a branch of the government that raids homes and tears apart communities an abhorrent brand of entertainment. But really, Homeland Security USA just sucked.

Last week, I attended in the Santa Clara County Cities Association. This association has a representative from every city in Santa Clara County. In my view, a good portion of the time is spent uniting all the cities to advocate state and federal policy- makers on policies or bills that help Santa Clara county cities. At this meeting, the Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission (RWRC) of Santa Clara County presented the concept of banning plastic bags.

Every week San Jose Inside offers this open forum for discussion of any topic. This is the place to rant and/or rave about the news of the week and/or anything else.

Someone once said that before you can arrive at the answers, you must first fully understand the questions. When it comes to questions surrounding government budgets, it’s hard to know where to begin. Here are a few points to ponder.

After months of anticipated debate on the politics of airing a reality show documenting the adventures of the Department of Homeland Security on primetime on ABC, the Jan. 6 premiere may have ended the argument before it even could get started. I would like to say that viewers found the notion of celebrating a branch of the government that raids homes and tears apart communities an abhorrent brand of entertainment. But really, Homeland Security USA just sucked.

Attentive followers of SJI will notice a subtle change in the front page design:: we’ve begun reorganizing San Jose Inside by topics rather than by writer. This change is reflected in the navigation menu at the top of the page. A drop-down menu appears with the names of regular contributors when a mouse pointer is moved over the “Columnists” tab.

2008 was certainly a roller-coaster ride. From the rise and fall of oil to the housing market collapse and finally the recession. 2009 will be a challenging year for each and every one one of us.

It’s a brand new year, and 2009 means big changes. Posters this weekend are sounding off about the disappearance of a website known for its anonymous personal attacks on its political adversaries.

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.