San Jose Inside

San Jose’s plastic bag ordinance will save local creek bed ecosystems, bankrupt mom-and-pop shops, drastically alter consumer habits, spark grocery store riots on Thanksgiving, bring down the plastics industry and destabilize the global economy—all at the same time. Or it could just force shoppers to bring their own bags to avoid a 10-cent fee per paper sack. The reality is the bag ban was designed to nudge other cities into action. San Jose wants to set a local trend that already is spreading across the country.

High-speed rail looks like it’s on the fast track to nowhere as more people speak out against the project, while the BART system received some excellent news earlier this week. The Federal Transit Administration sent word earlier this week to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority that $900 million in federal funding has been recommended for approval. Construction crews could break ground as soon as this spring on a 10-mile extension that would take trains into the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose.

President Obama, here’s some free advice on how you can be re-elected. We have created 50 State Strategy, a Federal Super Political Action Committee designed to recapture the many people your advisors have lost over the past four year because of their lousy advice.

People within the San Jose Police Department are keeping close tabs on Chris Moore, as an important milestone approaches for the police chief. At the end of January, 12 months will have passed since Moore was officially named the San Jose’s top cop by City Manager Debra Figone. The year mark means that Moore’s retirement pay and sick-time buyout can be cashed out at the highest possible levels when he decides to call it quits. According to police spokesman Jason Dwyer, that won’t be any time soon and definitely not this year.

Some residents in San Jose were surprised to receive a holiday card last month from Steve Kline, who is running for a City Council seat in District 6 against incumbent Pierluigi Oliverio. Kline says the card was nothing more than him and his husband wishing a happy holidays to a few of their close friends and neighbors. How many friends and neighbors? Oh, Kline’s ballpark figure is about ... 1,000.

In my life, I have been inspired by bold and courageous individuals who worked tirelessly to give of themselves for the greater good of all people, especially those who are most needy. This region seems to have more than its fair share. Last week, I was proud to be present as a guest during State Assemblyman Jim Beall’s public hearing to develop an action plan for the state to better nurture the needs of foster youth.

“Scared Straight”, the popular 1978 documentary by Arnold Shapiro, has been brought to television as “Beyond Scared Straight.” I avoided watching the new reality television series because all the research shows the scare tactics of taking kids to jail for a day does not work. I was hoping that after one season the show would die and just go away. Unfortunately, it is back for a new season. 

Kansen Chu had a productive holiday season, mainly, the council member says, because he didn’t take a vacation. Fundraising for the District 4 City Council race later this year, Chu says he raised $45,000 for his campaign in the final two weeks of the year.

As you may have heard, last month the California Supreme Court terminated all Redevelopment Agencies (RDA) in California. As a result, they will be dissolved by Feb. 1, 2012. The first step is for each RDA to form a “Successor Agency.” This agency will enforce any and all obligations and agreements that are currently in place.

Considered the strongest challenger to Joe Simitian in the upcoming race for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors, Mt. View Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga sent a letter to her supporters Thursday announcing she will bow out of the race and throw her support behind the current state senator. That leaves former Saratoga Mayor Kathleen King as Simitian’s lone competition.

Councilmember Pete Constant is leading the charge to terminate the CalPERS pension program for the mayor and City Council. Originally asking City Attorney Rich Doyle to study the proposal in June, Constant’s Dec. 19 memo, which suggests Doyle draft a resolution that gives notice of the city’s intention to terminate its contract with CalPERS, went in front the Rules and Open Govt. Committee on Wednesday and was unanimously approved.

The San Francisco 49ers’ season notwithstanding, anything less than a Super Bowl victory is a failure. It’s old fashion, but making the playoffs is not success. Maybe it’s because of my own chosen profession, but coming in second is not a successful outcome. My clients don’t pay me to come in second.

A day before New Year’s Eve, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters validated the necessary amount of signatures for a referendum to go forward on the City Council’s medical marijuana ordinance. While some city officials were offering tough talk in the final months of the year, statements by Mayor Chuck Reed on Tuesday seem to suggest a softened stance that would allow for a compromise rather than the referendum going to voters.

The Iowa Caucus is finally in the books, and hundreds of reporters are saying adios to the heartland. I said my own goodbye to Iowa a little more than a year ago, when I packed up my old Cadillac and drove the 1,864 miles to San Jose. Looking at the results from Tuesday night, when Mitt Romney edged out Rick Santorum by a mere eight votes and Ron Paul made his presence felt, I’m left thinking two things: One, no one benefited more than Romney from the suspension of Cain’s campaign, which dispersed those tea party voters; and two, Santorum’s support will likely fade the further he gets from Iowa.

Voters approved Measure O in 2002 to bolster public safety throughout San Jose, and the city started issuing $159 million in bonds. Much of the money was intended for constructing the south San Jose police substation on Great Oaks Boulevard. Nearly 10 years later, those ambitious days seem like a distant memory. The 107,000-square-foot facility—officially completed at the end of 2010 at a cost of $90.8 million—is currently one of five publicly funded buildings in the last 15 months that have yet to open or were closed the same day they were completed.