It is never too late to make the right decision.  Only fifty years after our city leaders opted out of the heart of our community and moved our government to North First Street—they’re back!  Well, they are nearly back. A big move is underway and a new era is dawning. The problem is packing up a half century of files, reports, and compact some largely unlamented errors in judgment and move them a couple of miles to their new home on East Santa Clara Street.  It is high time that it happened.

Yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger announced a special election for November, 2005.  Since it’s an off year event, it will cost California taxpayers somewhere between $45 and $80 million.  That’s a lot of dough – enough to furnish a new San Jose City Hall.

Some years ago in the mid-eighties, the Mercury News and associated media types used to put on a local Gridiron show poking fun at the local politicians, exhibiting some good writing, and punishing us with some bad singing and horrible acting.  Many of us wondered why they saved all their excellence in writing for this show and seldom flashed it in the paper.

Business Leader’s Job Move Called Bold, Surprising by Al-Jazeera

In what is being called a first in the lingering war in Iraq, aggressive insurgents temporarily laid down their guns and rocks, and vowed to stop all torture and executions in observation of the departure of San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce chief Jim Cunneen.

The campaign for mayor is getting into full swing with several crises and a set of pronouncements from the aspirants for the job.  The main topic is one that has preoccupied the press and alternately paralyzed, polarized, and pushed the City Council into action – lobbyists.  The questions have revolved around who they are and what influence and ties they have to the Mayor and Council. This crisis can be easily avoided.

Today, County Supervisors will name the County Government Center’s courtyard after Jim McEntee. (link)  It’s an appropriate tribute to a great person. 

Well, it seems like it is time for action.  All the votes are in and the campaign is over.  Let’s get on with it.  The “it” is a decision to honor the history of our City, and those who have made it, in a suitable and respectful way.

Effort Aimed at Staying Competitive

In a unique effort to market the downtown against all foes foreign, domestic, or Santana Row-like, the Convention and Visitors Bureau has kicked off it’s Clean Up and Smell Well campaign that is centered around making the downtown smell like a new car.

It is time to look at the City as a whole and think of how it can be reconfigured and improved.  Of course, there can be a look again at some hallowed tenets of sound growth and planning for our future. To what extent do they continue to serve us well?  Additionally, we can try to imagine new and innovative ideas as well, that can lead us into the brave new world of the twenty-first century.

We had guests from my wife’s hometown of Baltimore visit us this weekend.  We did the standard tour:  San Jose, San Francisco, and Monterey.  While our visitors enjoyed all three cities, their photo journal of this trip will disproportionately feature locales to the North and South.  San Jose is just not a “post card” city.

For those of you awaiting the search for the “most despicable” in San Jose, you will have to wait a bit longer.  The nominations are still open. Due to the heavy traffic Price Waterhouse is computing the votes as quickly as possible.

Vows To Kill Pestilent Mosquitoes Himself

In a rare, selfless act by an elected official not involved in a political race, County Supervisor Jim Beall has vowed to single-handily stop the spread of the West Nile virus by killing the pestilent mosquitoes, “one by one, house by house, block by block.”  This would put to rest the controversy surrounding the County’s Vector Control direct-mail voting campaign to increase assessments in order to fund future efforts to search for and destroy the disease spreading insects.

Last week’s column showed that there must be a rationale for accelerated development in Coyote Valley.  With all of the quality-of-life issues involved, a case must be made proving conclusively that such dramatic action is warranted. So far no such proof has been shown. Council members and the Mayor’s office simply must not abandon the solid reasoning of the past three decades.

If it’s Sunday morning, it’s cartoon time around our house.  But this past weekend, I wrestled control of the television from my kids to watch Howard Dean on Meet the Press.  They like Dean and once brought him chocolate chip cookies when we were working in my downtown San Jose office.  But they weren’t sticking around for the show.  Maybe if he screamed, they would have.

Well it seems that the jury is in on the placement of statues in Chavez Plaza and the results are clear:  Quetzalcotl is appreciated by practically no one; many would like to see Cesar Chavez honored in the historic plaza that bears his name.  St. Joseph might also be a fine choice, but some are concerned that a Christian saint is too controversial, unlike the Aztec god – unfathomable but accurate

Unsubstantiated Claim Includes Flushing General Plan Down Toilet

A shocking story in this week’s Metro Newspaper reported that an unnamed source witnessed Mayor Ron Gonzales in a Koran-copycat-type desecration of San Jose’s most hallowed planning document – the General Plan.  This has left neighborhood groups incensed, calling for the swiftest of inquiries and the stiffest of punishments.