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.

It is interesting that the words of a past mayor now seem to carry so much weight in the opening decade of the 21st century. Yet these words uttered by Janet Gray Hayes nearly thirty years ago reverberate now as never before: “Let’s make San Jose better before we make it bigger.”

If you want to analyze how something modern fits within the grand sweep of American history, pose the question and use a Founding Father.  If you want to suggest that democracy and freedom are at stake, use Thomas Jefferson.  Even if it’s a pretentious effort, it’s an excellent way to rebut Larry Stone.

It seems like there are a number of good ideas on how to get our public art program back on a firm historical track. As expected, we have the usual divergence of opinions on Quetzacotl and his/her/its relative worth.  Some wish it melted down or given back; others hope to use it as object d’art discussion.  Both suggestions have merit.

11th Largest City Loses To 227th Largest City

In the wake of EBay’s sneaky abandonment of San Jose as its party headquarters, Mayor Ron Gonzales has admitted that maybe the erecting of tents as a convention center to lure San Jose’s high-tech darling was not such a good idea.