“Superhero” Commercials Challenged

Just days after the Chavez for Mayor campaign released a commercial depicting their candidate leaping from a squad car into the melee of the downtown Mardi Gras to save lives, the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, has asked that the last two commercials in the so-called “superhero” series be pulled.

Like other voters, I have received the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce hit piece on Cindy Chavez as well as the “Cindy Chavez stole my home” phone calls from the same Chamber political action committee, COMPAC. Unlike others, perhaps, I am not surprised by their tactics. After all, the Chamber is an organization of, by and for the local business community. They are empowered to look after the special interests of their members, representing a very small but vocal portion of the population of our city who seek a large influence at City Hall. It just so happens that these may not be the same interests of the vast majority of our citizens.

There is never a shortage of cynicism and hypocrisy during election season.  Yet, this year there seems to be an abundance of disquieting events not seen for some time.  While the disgraceful nadir of ethics at City Hall is setting the bar quite low, in this election we may be taking the bar to the ground—there will hardly be room for a slug to go beneath it. 

I have not seen any TV commercials for any candidate for mayor.  Maybe it’s because I choose to get my information from the Mercury News or, more likely, because I have TiVo and hate commercials more than most anything in the world, I fast-forward through every TV program I watch. So this week I am asking for help from our readers in filling me in on what I might be missing. 

“Tiegate” Case to be Heard in U.S. District Court

During a Thursday afternoon mayoral stump speech, current San Jose City Councilman and mayoral candidate Chuck Reed was picked up by federal marshals and detained for several hours after being charged with the desecration of the American flag.

I have an admission to make: right now, I don’t give a damn who becomes the next mayor. OK, maybe I just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or being a news junkie has finally caught up with me. But, given the candidates we have to choose from and the situation in our city, state and world, what does it matter who becomes mayor and why should I care?

As much as I try to stay in a good mood, nothing, other than a Shark loss to Edmonton, gets me as riled as looking at the current seal of the City of San Jose.  The basic logo, with the rising sun symbol, was chosen when I was mayor, and I still like it—but the recent addition of the caption, “10th Largest U.S. City,” was a defensive, clueless decision that just shrieks “bush league.”  The old caption, “Capital of Silicon Valley,” although a reach, said so much and associated us with the most dynamic entrepreneurial spot in the history of mankind.  Apparently, it didn’t reach enough.

Over the weekend, the Mercury News came out with their first mayoral election poll and there were a few surprises as well as a few non-surprises.  I feel that the fact that 37 percent of voters are still undecided is a great sign.  That shows me that people really want to hear what all the candidates have to say and aren’t just voting for the name they know or the person from their district. I hope it is because they are reserving judgment until the end and it’s not a sign of apathy or disgust. And then, there is the question of how reliable these polls really are.

Councilwomen Say Debate Performances Too Good

During a Wednesday press conference, San Jose City Council Members Nora Campos and Nancy Pyle once again grabbed headlines when they accused mayoral candidate David Pandori of engaging in the practice of blood doping before several debates in which his performances seemed “exceptional.”

In life, many events occur simply to maintain the balance of nature. No matter what disturbances may influence nature, nature always seeks to return to equilibrium. In physics, balance is possible only when a body is stable, that is, with equal forces influencing it from opposing sides. In economics, financial markets work best when they have achieved equilibrium.

Well, it’s here in all its full-blown glory. The election is upon us, bringing the arrival of the hair-brained, the half-baked, the unethical, and the mendacious—the time of full employment for the consultants, pundits, and hangers-on. Hail the beginning of “Silly Season.”

Just a few ramblings about the mayor’s race this week:

A few people who attended the Hyde Park Neighborhood’s Mayoral Forum last Thursday all had the same thing to say about the San Jose mayoral candidates—they all look tired, worn-out and “beat to a pulp.”  I think it’s fitting to liken running for mayor to the Sharks trying to win the Stanley Cup—it’s hard to do and you get a lot of nicks and bruises along the way.  But, how much weight do those forums really hold? Are the candidates burning the candle at both ends for nothing?

Judy Chirco Next After Hearing Their Vociferous Cortese Outbursts

After several years of silence as elected officials, San Jose Council Members Nora Campos and Nancy Pyle underwent successful voice box transplants at Stanford University Hospital and, just hours later, were able to attend their first council meeting with the ability to verbalize their thoughts.

Having just returned to my downtown lair from a week of hiking in the southern desert, it is easy for me to see and feel the positive effects of open spaces on the human psyche. Perhaps that is why I am finding it even more difficult than usual to tacitly swallow the Coyote Valley development boondoggle as inevitable. Apparently, given the facts presented in the new financial analysis of the planned community there, and the strong “go-slow” position taken by the Mercury News in a recent editorial, others feel the same way. However, I would describe my own attitude as more of a “no-go” for the development.

How we trust the men and women in blue may be an age-old question, but this time it is not from the usual perspective. We know that in San Jose we have an outstanding contingent of officers who add credit to the uniform in most every encounter. This has long been the tradition of the San Jose PD.  But politics reared its ugly head during the regime of the current mayor when the Police Officers Association (POA) freely gave thousands of dollars to an informal slush fund. This dwarfed the small amounts of money that has been given to all past candidates and previous mayors.

Much has been said about the Grand Prix lately, using words like “swindle” and “shameful” and talking about how it is a huge waste of money.  Now, rumblings have turned into accusations that there were some backroom deals made in order to make this event happen. What is really going on here?