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?
Again, I had friends tell me how likable Michael Mulcahy was; a nice guy with a polished delivery. But another friend commented that “a stiff wind could blow that guy over.” Not a good quality in a leader—slightness.
Cindy Chavez had a big “no-show” at the Hyde Park debate, which just cemented my view that maybe she has gotten some sage advice to stay away from the debates. It doesn’t take a genius to know that she doesn’t come away from debates as someone you see as a powerful future mayor, but rather a passive neighborhood champion. Does it matter to the voters that she didn’t feel the need to attend?
Last week, my friend was driving through a nice neighborhood in Willow Glen and was alarmed. She said it was almost like driving through a “Stepford community” because on one particular street, each house had a “MULCAHY FOR MAYOR” sign in the exact same spot on their perfectly manicured lawn. The only thing she didn’t see was a housewife in a gingham apron with a freshly baked pie stepping out onto the front stoop of each house. Mulcahy may not win, but he sure has cornered the market on Yuppytown, USA. (Will houses get vandalized in Willow Glen if they don’t have a Mulcahy sign out front?)
The Mercury News had a good snapshot profile of each of the candidates over the weekend, and I was struck by something I read in the David Pandori one. They said that, according to former Mayor Susan Hammer, Pandori often “had a hard time getting along with others.” I don’t see a candidate’s ability to “get along” with people as being a reason to vote for them or not. Sometimes you have to step on some toes to get things done when you are in office. Pandori has been a tough public servant and I am sure that he has not been popular with some people. But I would rather have a mayor that is tough than a candidate who “gets along” with everyone.
There is still so much time left and I just hope all the candidates can make it to the finish line before they collapse from exhaustion.
SG – You captured this pretty well. It is interesting that Cindy seems to think the less she says in public the better off she is. I would agree. Her weakness is that she promises everything to everyone and can’t deliver. Then, when she can’t deliver, one could make the conclusion that one was not told the truth. There is no shame in telling someone something can’t be done, or we have a disagreement, etc. My experience has been Cindy will tell you what you want to hear and do the opposite. Not a good leadership quality, in my opinion.
David certainly had his clashes while on the council, but you always knew where he stood on an issue. He didn’t only tell you what you wanted to hear, he listened and did his homework, then he told what he believed and acted on it. That’s why David shows up to the neighborhood “debates.” He is not afraid to take a public position and tell you about. Apparently, Cindy fears letting too many people know what she thinks.
It is time for a change and Cindy does not represent change. It is time for a mayor with a city-wide vision, not one who sounds like she really wants to be school superintendent. Cindy’s emphasis on schools and education is nice but so far off the mark about what basic city services are, it makes one wonder if she is really that clueless or just that schools poll well and most people don’t understand what basic city services are.
How about a new rule for this board? It will save all of us time, particularly Rich, if we require all of Rich’s posts to simply say “see previous post.” We already know what he is going to say and Cindy is always the answer. We already know he’s got a thing about the DA’s office. He’s got nothing new to say.
Just a suggestion.
SG, you must not have arrived at the Hyde Park forum in time to hear that, in fact, Chavez was actually doing her job. She chairs the VTA and was working that night – not blowing off her job to campaign, unlike one of the other candidates.
If she had blown off the VTA meeting to go to the debate you would have lambasted her for that. Make up your mind, either you’re happy that she, unlike other candidates, is actually continuing to do her job while maintaining a family and the campaign, or you think she should dump her job to campaign full time.
You’re a woman, you should know better.
Let’s just put RR in charge of the department of redundancy department.
At least NJD2 finally put a sock in it.
Someone made the comment about Pandori’s statement regarding a perceived increase in gang activity. On Saturday I had the pleasure of being at the grand opening of the Community Policing Center in Linda LeZotte’s district.
While there San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis said – Gang activity is stagnant or on the decline throughout San Jose.
What a wonderful accomplishment! Congratulations, San Jose.
I guess the neighborhood that SG’s friend was driving through was not my street. Maybe it was Mr. Mulcahy’s street. We don’t have any of his signs on our street which is a half mile long.
I think we all get tired of reading about Mr. Cupertino’s (Richard Robinson) support for Ms. Chavez. You could save us all the trouble of skipping over your post by simply not writing it. Maybe if you weren”t a full time paid staff member of Ms. Chavez and maybe if you weren’t a full time resident of nimby Cupertino your posts would make more sense. Also Richard if you insist on writing to San Jose voters, try something new instead of repeating your previous posts. By the way Richard, we all know that you got 6 units at San Jose State by running for San Jose City Council in the past.
Rich,
If you poll this blog, Tom would be most the beloved Mayor, especially after bringing us the Shark Tank. The current council can’t even keep the Earthquakes. What is the current tally so far for land and studies for a baseball dream, $16 mil?
Susan killed downtown retail with Santana Row.
Go Sharks!
New rule – I agree it would save Rich some time but he needs to do something otherwise what is Cindy paying him to do?. I choose to ignore him. He has no vote therfore no voice.
ASG, give her a break! If SG knew Cindy was at a VTA meeting, I highly doubt she would have slammed her for it. Better Cindy than Gonzo at the VTA, but only verrrry slightly.
Why is it that the Cindinistas are so defensive, almost like some kind of blue blooded ultra conservative republican mentality supporting her? The remarks from people like Reality Check are so caustic sometimes, it appears there are going to be some seriously sore losers if Cindy comes up short, that is for sure.
Seeing the type of mentality that supports Cindy on this blog only cements my decision to vote for anyone but her. Yet, I have to agree with Rich here. Anyone who is on the losing end of a 10-1 vote or hasn’t been able to build a consensus on the Council yet doesn’t strike me as a person who can lead. Still, in fairness to Dave & Chuck this is a seriously corrupted Council that our disgraced mayor continues to store in his back pocket and it would be difficult for anyone in the minority to ever prevail in that situation.
Pandori was probably on the losing end of quite a few votes when he was on the Council, but at least he’s not a member of THIS Council. That’s a major plus. Mulcahy may not have experience, but in this race, experience is mostly a liability, not an asset. It continues to be a decision between Mulcahy and Pandori for me. Cindy is more of the same and cannot be trusted, Dave and Chuck have been ineffective. And in the event that sometime in the next 4 years something happens that puts our mayor on the national news, our image is bad enough and I don’t want the rest of the country seeing some dork in a flag tie.
Cindy seems to have time for carefully orchestrated, city-funded events like her neighborhood forum but can’t make it to the free-for-all of democracy. What is she afraid of? Reading her answers to the questions in the candidate profile in the Mercury revealed what she is afraid of. Every other candidate listed goals that were specific and achievable by a mayor. Cindy Chavez just mouthed some rhetoric about education with no substance. Just what does the mayor have to do with education? Answer: next to nothing.
She is either a lightweight or a carefully groomed machine candidate mouthing nothing platitiudes put in her mouth by consultants.
Neither option is flattering. So she’s spending the huge cash hoard from special interests on carefully manicured campaigning and using city-sponsored platforms for photo-ops.
I’m sure she finds time to make it to all Labor Council events and special interest fundraisers. We now know she had plenty of time for certain race promoters. Sounds like machine politics to me.
I was looking at Cindy Chavez’s web site and noticed a small change. The main page of her web site today says:
“Making San Jose the best place in America to live, work, play, and learn is my goal.”
If look at the same page saved in Google’s cache[1] on April 30, 2006 it says:
“Making San Jose the best place in America to live, work, play, learn and worship is my goal.”
What happened to worship in the last nine days? Is it no longer a worthy goal or not polling well? Make you wonder about why she had worship there in the first place. Was it just a cheap political ploy for votes or a deeply held belief?
[1] http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:pW3iNY-PJt0J:www.cindychavez4mayor.com/+Cindy+Chavez+mayor+san+jose&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
Well, at least you all didn’t attack my dog.
By the way, I’ll stop repeating the truth, when most of you stop repeating the myth—that includes SG.
Finally, the DA dissing Sinunu is new information. . .see Mercury News article.
I guess if you don’t like the message, attack the messenger—so much for changing the political culture.
Rich,
I’m sick of your accusations that Pandori can’t build a consensus.
This statement:
A Mayor on the constant end of a 10-1 vote is not a leader
IS FALSE
Take a survey of votes for the first half 1998. Pandori was on the NO end less that 2% of the time.
Dando ties Pandori for the number of NO votes, and all votes were related to bad development decisions (Santana Row, he represented downtown) or spending money for items the city didn’t need ($176K for resume scanning software).
Fiscalini, Diquisto and Fernandes all have more solo NO votes than Pandori. Pandori had only 1 solo NO vote, and that was against paying Spectrum Gaming Group $135K to review of the City’s cardroom ordinance and regulation of cardrooms.
We need more leaders that vote like Pandori, but that can change since most council members can’t think for themselves and just follow the mayor’s lead no matter who is in the chair.
You might want to stop listening to Hammer’s spin and check out Reed’s NO vote record.
We need a mayor with a backbone, not a Gonzalez pawn.
I agree with #9. How can Susan Hammer be the most beloved mayor when she pushed for Santana Row and let the the turd get plopped on our front doorstep? Tom wanted Captain Fallon there, much more appropriate, much more aesthically pleasing, but Susan caved in to the noisy low lifes and let them shit on our front lawn. And she’s everybody’s favorite? Where’d that take that poll? King & Story?
Check your facts:
I did not mention any candidate by name in my post.
The simple fact that statistics don’t tell the real story. I’m sure Cortese, Reed et al have a similar percentage of voting with the majority.
Most votes on the Council are consensus, procedural and/or noncontroversial.
A better measure for the Pandori record would be on the times there was disagreement, how many times did his position prevail with the Council majority.
As Mark Twain once said, there are lies, damn lies and statistics.
One last point, just because Pandori lost on votes doesn’t make him wrong. What we are talking about here is the ability to persuade and collaborate with your collegues.
And just for comparison purposes, how many times was Susan Hammer on the losing end of a vote during the time she was Mayor.
I can’t think of one. I don’t remember Tom losing a vote either, though there may have been one or two.
Finally, I’m not attacking David Pandori or any other candidate, I’m simply pointing out that being able to build a consensus is a integral part of being the Mayor of San Jose.
Rich,
Cindy’s ability to build consensus means rounding up rubber stamp votes from the likes of Pyle, Chirco, Williams, Campos, etc. It’s right out of the Gonzales Playbook.
That’s all the more reason for new blood at City Hall, and not just in the Mayor’s office!
Building consensus on terribly costly mistakes has become a way of life in this city. The councils decisions have cost this city dearly in a time when money is hard to come by.
Instead of blaming 9/11 for our lack of revenue someone (hopefully our new mayor)
needs to focus on the income/revenue side of the ledger rather than expenditures/ liabilities.
With basically a labor party council and an anti-business message this will never be the best place to live and work, play and learn.
Mark T I understand your point about the statue in Cesar Chavez Park and I am one of the biggest criticizers of it. It is ugly and has no meaning for 90% of the people who see it. I would much rather have seen Fallon and his group there.
Richard, I have to congratulate you. You have about the thickest skin of anyone I’ve ever met. But then as an out-of-towner working for a loser I guess you have to have thick skin.
By the way Finfan I forgot to mention in my last post, Viva La Raza!
Mal, you are so right-on with post #18. We need to get somebody in there who will shake things up and force members like Campos, Chirco, Pyle and Williams to think before they vote. Well, speaking out about an issue once in a while would be nice from this group too, except for Williams. He’s hopeless.
Can you imagine four more, or even eight more years (I have such little faith in the apathetic electorate of San Jose) of the same old routine with Cindy as we currently have with Gonzo? This town simply cannot afford to put itself in that situation.
ANYBODY but Cindy!
Where do I start…..
Lisa – I attended a neighborhood watch/Megan’s law training where they said that gang activity is up 20%
Rich – Sure Cindy will be able to build consensus with the ethically challenged council but who cares if they make the wrong decisisons.
Here is a dream: Pandori becomes mayor, Reed & Cortese are still on the council and Mulcahy wins in District 6. Think that they might be able to get the majority on some good ideaa?
Richard,
How can you say unlike SF and Oakland San Jose doesn’t have a strong mayor form of government? What do you think we’ve had the last few years under the Gonzales/Borgdorf administration?
With Les White as City manager, we finally have a City Aministration functioning under a true Council/Manager form of government, and I’m sure the Councilmembers, city employees and residents can appreciate the great improvement in openness and competency.
P.S. where do you keep your dog?
#5 AlsoSingleGal:
I’ve been waiting for someone to play the Woman/Mommy card in discussions about this campaign. Congratulations, you’re the first to do so.
For the sake of women and mothers everywhere let’s hope you’re the last.
Dear San Jose:
Single gal is right. Many of the candidates do seem a bit tired as they approach the finish line. (Some more than others). The people of San Jose owe them and their families a lot for the hard work and sacrifice. I especially thank those candidates who have brought the sorry condition of our city to the attention of the San Jose citizenry. The stakes are high and the future of our city is on the line with this election.
I believe that this election is about potholes and rotundas. (You can’t have one without the other). Bottom line: Which candidate do you trust the most to manage the city and its future?
Pete Campbell
P.S. The $960 million total cost figure for the new city hall (debt + interest) averages out to $27 million per year over the next 35 years!)
Could have built TWO Sobrato towers for $200 million, and served the seniors at the Alma Center (and every other senior center) steak and lobster for lunch for the next 50 years!
I was at the May 4 VTA Board meeting at the nearby County Supes chambers, where Cindy performed her (boring) functions as VTA Board Chair.
From experience, last-minute memos for Cindy aren’t limited to City Council. Case in point: a written-the-day-before action item for the March 2 VTA Board meeting on a committee to set transportation spending priorities. I clearly remember fellow Board member Greg Perry’s protests on the last-minute committee and who would be on it. CIndy simply ignored Greg’s protests.
It is high time new leadership in San Jose replace the current regime. If the idea of “San Jose Mayor Cindy Chavez” does not make you cringe, I don’t know what will.
I will try and set the record straight on Cindy Chavez’s lack of attendance at our debate last week.
Two weeks after scheduling the date of the debate with Cindy and the rest of the candidates, I received a call from a member of her campaign staff that there was now a conflict – the VTA meeting. I was too far along in planning to change the date and her staff member thought that Cindy would be able to attend the second half of the debate.
Cindy called me personally to apologize about the mixup and we discussed sending someone to sit in until she arrived.
Two days before the debate, I checked in with her campaign office who said that she would not be sending someone to stand in since Cindy would be able to make most of the debate.
Cindy then called me again the day before the debate to tell me that the VTA meeting agenda was going to be long and she didn’t think that she would be able to make it which in the end she didn’t.
Cindy has always been friendly and helpful to me and my neighborhood so I am chalking it up to poor communication on the part of her campaign staff. Obviously, it would have made for a better debate if she were there but these mixups happen especially in this busy election season.
Sarah Brouillette
President, Hyde Park NA
27 – Welcome to Cindy’s World. She has perfected the last-minute memo drop. Time and time again she has done this and her “consensus” (some might say Stepford-like) colleagues did little about it. Sunshine or not, there is little indication that Cindy will stop this practice of dais-dropping memos at the last minute.
Want open government? Then you can’t support Cindy. Like things the way they’ve been the past 7 years? Then Cindy’s your choice.
#23 nails it
“Sure Cindy will be able to build consensus with the ethically challenged council but who cares if they make the wrong decisisons.”
Given CH’s scandal du jour M.O. – I think less consensus would be a welcome respite indeed.
#23 Keep dreaming, we need a write-in for D5, need to elect Cueva over Chirco, and we Constant in D1.
Any chance we can get Cueva to blog here?
WOW, Willow Glen Dad #12—I couldn’t have said it better!!
Boy, Steve # 13—are you on it or what?
RR#14—Nice try changing the subject, but you had no response for #12 or #13. U slippin’ or what?
Mal # 18 and Jerry # 19 U-Da-Men!!! You hit the nail squarely on the head.
Mark T #22: you have more faith than I in the ability of Campos, Chirco, Pyle and Williams to think before they vote. The four together don’t have brains enough to pass one of them through the high school exit exam.
Sorry, SJ Downtowner # 23, but Mulcahy isn’t running for council in district 6, he’s running for mayor.
Time for another Boston tea Party!!!
Oh Boy! Cindy’s getting ready to hit the airwaves! In her TV commercial we hear how she jumped out of a police car and “took control of the situation” during the Mardi Gras unrest. Gee, I wonder what the police were doing while she “took control of the situation.”
I guess if she becomes mayor there’ll be a new sheriff in town. Look out fire department—you’re next.
In case you don’t follow the CCA-NagleePark e-mails, us downtown folks wish someone would have taken control of the situation this weekend. The cinco crowds were driving on lawns, breaking windows and pissing in flower beds. Wonder which car Cindy was jumping out of.
JohnMichael – I know that Mulcahy is running for mayor but I have heard the rumor that he will run for Yeager’s open seat if Yeager gets supervisor and Mulcahy gets knocked out in the primary. I thought that you were in the know?
#33, the appropriateness of your handle is not lost on me. I suggest you bring your megaphone to the next Council meeting and call out “Action!” to start the proceedings.
Rich:
I’ll agree with you that a good mayor will be one who can build consensus. It sure helps things get done. Just look at the Sunnyvale Council in the last few years….Almost every vote was 4-3 (or 3-4 depending on your viewpoint).
There is, however, a difference in what the consensus will be. Unfortunately with Cindy, most are fearful that her consensus will be the further union-ization and entitlement mentality of her constituency, if elected mayor.
Its hard for her to step aside from what was the consensus of the Gonzales administration, which some would argue as the most corrupt SJ Mayorship of recent memory…absent stats.
35—Guess I’m not “in the know”. D-6 council would have been a more logical start for him anyway.
36 – Thanks. Glad you caught it. I was beginning to think I was wasting my time trying to be clever.
I’ll dust off my megaphone and have it ready for the next meeting.
Ed #33. Man oh man…the image of Cindy jumping out of the squad car and “taking control of the situation” during Mardi Gras…too funny! The Mayoral Campaign has just become a cartoon.
Good thing for her it wasn’t the police helicopter. The nitwits running her campaign probably would have forgot the parachute!
BTW – Loved your “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”
Putting Santana Row in downtown was never a real possibly regardless of many downtown dreamers
Susan did not kill Santana Row – downtown did
No retail real estate developer, even with millions in tax subsidies, would have ever built any large retail project in downtown after 30 years of retail disasters, pending BART construction, wrong income demographics for their target customers, downtown club problems and great weekend events like Cinco de Gangs would have driven any possilbe customers away and been another downtown retail failure
Solve the downtown problems and get many high income people to live in downtown high rises, make Coleman shopping sucessful and maybe in 5 years you could maybe attract mixed use retail / housing projects downtown – until then be happy with Coleman
What a waste of time.
If Cindy cannot run the Rules Committee what makes her qualified to run the city?
Today’s mail brought 3 separate mailers from Cindy. Guess she’s putting all that special interest money to good work.
I’m surprised no one mentioned today’s MN article about Tamien Towers. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14535199.htm
I wish the project had broken ground earlier so Willow Glen voters would have had a chance to see the impact of this project that Cindy pushed through. High density housing near transit is a great idea, but this project is not a stellar example.
The project needed to go so high because Cindy wanted more park space for her district at the expense of creating visual blight for old Willow Glen with this high-rise misfit.
Hey Single Gal,
Can you count?
A Mayor on the constant end of a 10-1 vote is not a leader. A Mayor has to build consensus to lead in San Jose.
There are two ways to do it. Bully the Council—we’ve been there, done that—got the T-Shirt. Gonzalez perfected this style.
Or you can be collabartive, ie. Susan Hammer. There is a reason she remains the most beloved Mayor in San Jose—with no disrespect to past Mayors (I’m simply citing polling data).
Unlike SF or Oakland, we do not have a strong Mayor form of government. The true Mayor of San Jose has to get six votes to govern.
Cindy already has them and is therefore defacto Mayor. This does not disqualify the others for holding the title, but anybody other than Cindy is going to have a tough time putting six on the board.
But as many on this board support governmental paralysis, it can still happen.
Speaking of train wrecks, what is happening in the District Attorney’s Office?
Kennedy disses his own chosen successor. With friends like that. . .
Also, Sinunu appointed her “best friend” to head the “ethics” programs after he was convicted of drug possession.
I didn’t even know you could stay a District Attorney after a conviction.
Do you think, if this board had been as demostrative of the need for an investigation of the DA, we might have some answers?
But I guess putting innocent people in jail, withholding evidence and other ethical misconduct pales in comparison to preventing a garbage strike.
This stinks.
Dan, great idea and maybe it’ll catch on. The thugs could trash the fairgrounds and nobody would care.
Next project would be to get the people who book acts at the arena to refuse to book any hip-hop, rap, or other negatively based, pro-violent performers. I have no issue with people who want to listen to this type of stuff (sorry but I can’t call it music). To each his own, but we don’t need riots and/or stabbings outside the arena like happened last week. Let the fans drive to the Oakland arena. They’d feel more at home there anyway. The people in charge are inviting more violence downtown by allowing these performances to be held at HP Pavilion.
Newcomer #44: what were those 10 cities—Baghdad, Beirut, Pnom Penh…?
After #s 45-47, we’re sure to be treated to an exhaustive canned response by RR very soon.
Volunteer – Thanks for your insight. Many of us have been saying similar things on this board and your comments further validate our concerns.
Cindy operates very much like Ron. The last minute memos are insulting to the public and the spirit of the Brown Act is violated on an almost daily basis.
It’s time for a change.
Volunteer,
Can you post a link to one of these memos?
Yes, it is pretty well understood that decisions are already made before meetings. Today Gonzalez admitted he came to the meeting undecided about the Campos’s memo, which is not usually the case. The Campos and Cortese memos were only circulated this morning. So much for the Sunshine Laws.
Mark T. Some time back there was a discussion about concert venues and Tom McE amongst others came out in favor of a concert venue in the downtown area. My thought at the time was that the citizens of Santa Clara County own the fairgrounds. When there was a grandstand there, there were car races and stage shows. Now that is all torn down and that huge property is relatively empty and unused. Why not put the concert venue there with cultural events, hip-hop gangsta rap, and groups which appeal to the younger folks. Sports arenas could be built as well. The place is fenced. That’s a point. The huge parking area is fenced. Another point. Crowds would be better controlled and policed. Since the County owns the place, the Sheriff could provide the police augmented by SJPD. There is a 52 acre shopping center going in at South First and Curtner (Tully). There are two freeways accessable from Curtner/Tully, 87 and 101. I was really shot down for suggesting this but I have to agree with you and disagree with Tom McE. about some types of concerts in the center core. The fairgrounds just might not be a bad idea. Keep ‘em out of downtown.
Single Gal,
Thanks for the compliment on my “perfectly manicured lawn.” For the record, we do have a neighbor whose yard sports a Cortese sign…or is it a Chavez sign. Regardless, I can assure you that we will not punish this dissenter with acts of vandalism. “Accidentally” being left off of the annual block party invitee list? Possibly….just kidding.
Definitely anyone but Cindy.
LET’S. GO. SHARKS!!!
#51 – Rich is tied up trying to figure out how to insulate Cindy from the Campos/Pyle fiasco.
In his absence I’ll attempt to proxy for RR and provide said canned response…
The electorate is little more than an unwashed, angry, howling mob of NIMBY’s unworthy of the stalwart leadership provided by the courageous SJ city council.
The only reason the city is in such dire political straits is because of all the meddlesome sunshine laws.
Lobbyists are really our best friends as they help the misunderstood special interests navigate around all the evil laws that would otherwise prevent them from from bringing joy and happiness to the unworthy citizens of SJ.
Oh yeah, almost forgot… all of the above + the DA/“white silence” thingy.
#38 Somebody had to stand up and fight for change. Mulcahy was the first followed by Pandori. After witnessing the ineffectiveness of this council in recent years I certainly dont think city council is a prerequisite for the Mayors office.
Mark T and Finfan, I think it is time for Cinco de Mayo to be a fiesta that used to take place in San Jose. Fiesta de las Rosas was a much better showcase of Hispanic Culture. I believe the same to be true for the Mardis Gras celebration which really has no place in San Jose. These celebrations bring in the outsiders who run riot ruining the well thought of intentions of the various organizers. If the Hispanic Community wants to have a cultural event they can have it at the Fairgrounds like the Vietnamese community does. I applaud the idea of each ethnic community showcasing their culture with a big show. However, showcasing a fiesta type event in the downtown area is asking for problems. I am very much in favor of every ethnic group displaying their culture but I am not in favor of gangs of invaders coming in from outside the community to be rowdy and stir up trouble which has been the case for Cinco and Mardi Gras. Smile Finfan and Mark T I’m with you most of the way.
Dan, you make a good argument for the fairground venue, as not only would it be a more appropriate place for the rowdy types, but it would also be way more convenient for them. It’s even closer to Salinas by a couple of miles.
Anybody catch Scott Herhold’s piece (or was it Mike Cassidy, or are they the same person?) on the pair of lobbyists? Of course they’re the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet. Persuasion is their livelihood. They can be the nicest guys in the world while they try to screw over the general population pursuing a Council decision that favors their client. What a disappointing read that was.
Did anyone see the council meeting today? Dennis Kyne got kicked out! He was rude and scary. This is not what I want in a councilperson. The man has no control, serious anger issues. His message got lost in his childish outburst.
I just want to say that I have lived in 10 major metropolition cities (including San Jose) and this city is the best. It offers the most services to the people, the parks are terrific, the events (not Cinco Friday night) are great and the support the City gives to non profits is unheard of. The fact that you all are so engaged is wonderful as well. I just wish you could do something positive instead of constantly bashing people.
I volunteer on a City Commission but also have experience in 4 other cities in the state and saw first hand how Cindy Chavez operates and it left a very negative impression of how San Jose has been run behind the scenes to prevent transparency and to circumvent the public’s ability to scrutinize bad policies and poor decision making (at-best) / potentially corrupt actions (at-worst).
Both Gonzales and Chavez circulate last minute memos outlining a proposal with four other council members as co-sponsors (i.e. 1 shy of a quorum majority to avoid violating the letter of the Brown Act “Sunshine Law”) but what the public doesn’t see is how the memo has been circulated before the public hearings to get the needed votes. The memo basically telegraphs to the rest of the Council, I have the votes before the meeting, and implies “you either go along or you’ll have to deal with it later “.
Under the Brown Act, a member of a board or commission can’t individually call or e-mail a quorum of their fellow board members to “poll” (i.e defacto formulate a decision) on an issue prior to a hearing. This is called a “serial meeting”. The memo process heavily used in San Jose (but not in other cities) is in my opinion dishonest because it violates the spirit of the Brown Act and any council member who continues to use it is not an ethical person.
Another example of why I won’t be supporting Cindy Chavez and encourage everyone I encounter to vote for any other candidate is her attempted to broker a deal with the help of a pro-labor lobbying group to roll back a long standing city requirement that was established in the 90’s in a much hard fought public process and based on sound public policy to help improve the lives of the less fortunate city residents (many in her own district). This effort, I believe, was done to encourage projects favored by the Mayor and Ms. Chavez. The Mayor had the matter on a pending Council agenda without the required reveiw of our commission. When our commission correctly asserted with other councilmembers on the Rules Committee and the City staff that we should have been consulted in order to review the proposal and to formulate a recommendation to the City Council, Ms. Chavez and her labor lobbyist, without any serious analysis, worked behind the scenes to offer a weak solution that would have incredibly short changed the public and her own district. It was only with the effort of my fellow commissioners and our unanimous action that we successfully thwarted her proposal.
Dan, I’m afraid even with a military draft, too many of these guys are undocumented or otherwise under the radar, but you make an interesting observation!
Agreed that the troublemakers are mostly coming from points east, anywhere from east SJ to west Pittsburgh, oh wait, it’s called Baypoint now, and all points in between.
Another reason to be concerned about giving these folks easy access to downtown SJ by running BART down here, but I think most of them prefer to jump & thump their way into town by vehicle-code-violating automobile anyway.
Here goes Reality Check again so I know that I hit a nerve. Mark T doesn’t Reality Check read like Richard Robinson. I don’t even remember writing about a mayoral candidate that Rich…Reality Check is referring to. I
I hit the wrong key again. What I was going to write was; I met Ms. Chavez and her major competitors last evening at the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association along with some DA candidates and County Supervisor candidates. I was disappointed that generally the mayor candidates did not come across like they really wanted the job. Reality Check, I didn’t see you there.
Dan, both RR & RC both sound like broken records (dating myself here) most of the time. This is the same kind of hard headed mentality that put a moron in the White House and look where that has gotten this entire country. Politics in SJ have a disturbingly similar image to DC these days, and with Cindy as mayor, NOTHING will change.
#60, 61, 62
http://carouselstore.com/music/BoppCircus.mp3
29. The last minute memo drop is not only Cindy’s staff but Chuck and Dave have been known to many last minute memo’s and then sit on the dias and complain about it. What hypocrites!
Single Gal, I gotta tell you I was highly amussed by the same article when Cindy and her supporters were quoted as saying “Cindy always returns your calls.” About 8 months ago, having been a supporter and a close aquaintance of Cindy, I went to her office to propose an art project for downtown San Jose. I had most of the conceptual details and simply wanted her blessing before proceeding. Her staff turned me away so I asked them to please relay the message to her and give me a call when an appointment or a phone call could be arranged. I waited about a week and didn’t hear from her office so I called to see if staff had relayed my message. Again, a week or so went by. “No teturn call” Feeling a little put off, I called her chief of staff to see why Cindy or her staff hadn’t returned my calls. With a smerky tone in his voice, he suggested I call Cindy’s appointment secretary. It was at this point I was convinced Cindy or her staff had no intention of giving me a “Call Back”
I presented my art concept to Leigh Weimer’s of the Mercury News and the response from the readers was overwhelmingly positive.
As for Cindy’s call back, I’m not holding my breath. To say Cindy always returns your calls is not entirely a true statement.
64 – That may be correct but it has not been my experience. My experience has been that nobody tops Cindy when it comes to last minute memos.
Mark T. I think most of the out-of-towners come from the east bay area. Fremont and points north. Some do come from Gilroy.
Here’s another off-beat idea that’s sure to win me lots of friends: We didn’t have the gang activity when there was a military draft.
I wonder how many posts that will generate.
#65 Refugio Moreno: I’m not excusing the miscommunication by Cindy Chavez’s staff over scheduling a meeting between you and her, but based on your recitation of events it does not appear to be more than simply an innocent mishap.
Chavez, like all the councilpeople, is very busy and has someone to keep her calendar. Her chief of staff is not that person, and his suggestion that you call her “appointment secretary” to schedule a meeting was correct—although I cannot address the tone in his voice you took to be “smerky”.
As I’ve said before, my experience is that Chavez always returns calls. She is also available for meetings. Immediate turnaround, however, is often not possible.
I will also say that I’ve personally had the same positive level of accessibility with councilmembers Reed and Cortese, and former councilmember Pandori, so I’m not claiming it makes Chavez exceptional. Indeed, I expect as much (and so should you.)
#57 Dan Sturges
Any chance of attaching circus music to your posts so that the rest of us get the full effect of your clown like posts—bring back the draft, perfect—can you get your chosen candidate for Mayor to use this in their political mail or tv commercials—great idea…
#65: Chavez’ office is the busiest council office on the 18th floor. Residents call constantly asking about everything from how to get a stop sign put in to attendance at events.
I’ve worked with that office continuously since she was first elected. I rarely direct my issue to Chavez because there is often a staffer whose responsibility it is to manage whatever specific concern I have. I’m always delighted to hear back directly from Chavez but I know that staff makes her aware of issues coming up and gets her input. Not speaking directly to her is not the least bit distressing for me nor does it make me feel unimportant.
When there have been complaints on this message board about her not returning phone calls I’ve asked staff, more often than not there’s a little misdirection occuring here. One gentleman went on about never receiving a call back when in fact he had been invited to contact her scheduler to make an appointment and never bothered to do so. It doesn’t make anyone less important to have to work with the person who manages the schedule.
#‘s 66, 67, and 68 I congratulate you on your ability to access Cindy’s office… or is it because you work for he? In any event, it’s time to move on.
Hmmm. I’m not a Stepford wife. I don’t have a manicured lawn. And while my husband bakes a great pie, I do not. (Of course we also probably don’t have the income most of our neighbors do—we just managed to purchase our house before WG became a popular place to live.)
But anyway, joking aside, I just drove down my (very busy, very long) Willow Glen street. I saw one sign each for all the mayoral candidates. That’s it.
We have no sign in front of our house, and have yet to decide who to vote for. I’m hoping some podcasts will help me make my decision.
#70 Head on down to the Garden Theatre 7:30
-9:30 Tues. tomorrow night. Ken Yeager will be lighting the new marquee at the grand re-opening and you will be able to meet Mulcahy in person for sure.
#70
I’m with you. Being from Willow Glen doesn”t mean you have to vote for Mulcahy. Though I do think he is a nice person.
Have you read Pandoi’s book yet? You can get a copy on line or at his campaign office on Lincoln and Willow. He has a real plan for all of San Jose. I have attended or watched many of the debates and I have decided to go with Pandori. I find Chavez to be the worst of the lot.
#71, Is Michael M going to declare the event as a campaign expense or was it funded by COMPAC?