Silicon Alleys

IT SEEMS like the San Jose McEnery Convention Center just can’t get enough attention these days, and the brutal paradoxes keep on coming.

Food for Thought

Why is it that every time we get behind the wheel of a powerful automobile weighing thousands of pounds we think it gives us the individual right to break the laws that were put in place to protect everyone? Last week’s avoidable vehicular killing of a young girl by an unlicensed driver in the Rose Garden neighborhood may be the latest example, but is by no means an isolated incident, as statistics from across the country show.

We are getting ample proof that the “thugocracy” that has been created with the proliferation of nightclubs is finally destroying the hopes for a real downtown. With the closing time near-riot early last Sunday morning, it is becoming painfully clear that we cannot have a growing and prospering downtown of residents and small business entrepreneurs as long as these raucous nightclubs and out-of-control bars continue to operate. It is turning ugly and this ugliness is killing the hopes and dreams of generations of hard working San Joseans for their downtown.

When I drove around the Boys Ranch in Morgan Hill a month ago, I expected some sort of military-style, boot-camp atmosphere. Almost all of the young men I knew who went there years ago had run from the Ranch like it was part of the protocol: Go to “the Hall,” then the Ranch, and run from the Ranch back to the Hall. I figured there had to be a reason, something unacceptable that would make youth run when they knew for sure they would get caught. However, after talking to dozens of youngsters as to why they ran, it turns out it wasn’t that deep—it was just easy.

The current issue before the city council about hiring additional police officers is one that I am not sure is as cut and dried as it may appear. It shocks me to hear that Chuck Reed is “verbally tussling” with anyone, let alone Nora Campos, who sounds for all intents and purposes like someone that could get under your skin in a hurry about this issue. Crime is up; therefore, more law enforcement officers are needed. However, is it really that simple?  Chuck Reed agrees, but wanted to add only 25 officers so that other programs are not cut.  Nora Campos says that we still need more.  I am not totally convinced of either one.

Preservation Question Obscures the Numbers

A lot of attention is being given to the question as to whether or not the old Martin Luther King library building should be recognized as a “historic building.” Almost no attention is being given to the fact that the building currently houses staff members from several city departments.

City Hall Diary

Last week the city council unanimously approved a concession agreement for the new airport terminal.  Believe it or not, the Chamber of Commerce and the Working Partnerships Labor Union both agreed on the selection. Whew!  If only agreements like this could happen more often.

Please feel free to join this week’s open forum.

Consumers Inconvenienced, Restaurants in Pain

As the illness toll from salmonella tainted tomatoes grows, and the popular red fruit becomes scarcer, unheralded and ripe California tomatoes are finally getting the recognition that’s been long overdue. They are showing up in illegal underground produce markets and on popular auction sites such as EBay and Craig’s List at exponentially inflated prices.

LAST WEEKEND, the 01SJ Global Festival of Art on the Edge took place in downtown San Jose and it was a mammoth cultural achievement, both for the city and SJSU, as well as the public and private sectors—true collaboration as only Silicon Valley can achieve. Some random notes:

Food for Thought

Lately, I have been researching great presidents, including Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR and JFK, for a commercial educational writing project. Reading through the collected speeches and writings of each of these men, all of whom led during crucial historic times, it struck me that through their superior communication skills, they were all able to articulate a vision of a better future in such a way that the average American was inspired to act in accordance with that vision for the common good. In the classical sense, isn’t that what great leadership is all about?

Usually after elections, there must be the counting (and sometimes recounting), and the obligatory, if not always enlightening, analysis.  With the end of last week’s battles, there are two salient facts beyond debate. First, the fight over “Little Saigon” was traumatic for the city and more so for the hopes of Vietnamese-American candidates.  And second, the attempts of the Democratic establishment to boost and support candidates that would be solidly in their camp failed miserably with the crushing of Craig Mann in the Evergreen district.

On June 3, the San Jose City Council passed the controversial promoter ordinance that will regulate downtown nightlife by imposing fees and mandatory permits on event promoters and organizers. I don’t want to put too much on it, but the day after the ordinance passed, it was like someone had shot live entertainment in the head.

Oy vay. I have had it. Maybe they caught me on the wrong day, and maybe it’s always this way, but my last dealing with a city employee makes me realize why people curse them.

City to Spend $2.2 Million on Golf Nets!

Let’s get this straight: The City of San Jose is spending $2.2 million to install posts and netting at the city owned Los Lagos Golf Course to prevent errant golf balls from damaging people and property.  According to press reports, the city has paid $22,300 in claims over the past six years. 

Did you know the city has a central warehouse that costs over $850,000 a year to operate?  (Yes, we do. We really shouldn’t be surprised; this is the same city that spends over $30 million on three public golf courses.) Back to the warehouse: It stocks items like toilet paper, batteries, landscaping materials and cleaning products. The $850,000 is the annual cost of the seven employees and running the warehouse, and does not include the cost of the actual inventory.