San Jose Inside

Due to flat tax revenues and escalating pension costs, the city of San Jose has been forced to cut library hours year after year as well as make million dollar sacrifices in all other city departments. Even with all of the eliminations, San Jose continues to have a budget deficit. We need to re-examine the current delivery model for San Jose libraries and seriously consider how we can incorporate volunteers to fully maximize the hours of operation at all of our libraries.

One year ago, Dave Cortese, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, eloquently declared 2011 the Year of the Child. Many of his priorities had to do with juvenile justice and ending the incarceration of our youth in the juvenile hall. In addition, he supported a closer working relationship with schools. To meet the needs of our children, many whom are so painfully hurting, we must continue some of the bold work President Cortese addressed.

As the year winds down, you can almost hear the collective sigh coming from City Hall. Or maybe that’s an echoing whoosh from councilmembers, the mayor, city manager and their staffs, who hightailed it for the holidays. Either way, 2011 was a tumultuous year, fierce in the manner civic actors clashed over pension reform, public safety, pot, a potential ballpark, ballot measures, pay cuts, occupations of city property and other issues of varying degrees of importance.

A ruling Thursday by the California Supreme Court is more or less the nail in the coffin for the San Jose Redevelopment Agency. It’s also a critical victory for Gov. Jerry Brown, whose budget has been under scrutiny for major shortfalls compared to rosy projections regarding revenue. The state’s high court decided $1.7 billion can be legally taken from RDAs across the state, and the ruling also denies agencies the ability to “pay to play” by giving money over to the state to remain in existence.

Contrary to rumors circulating at City Hall, Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen says she did not tell police officer Tam Truong to run for a District 4 City Council seat against Kansen Chu next fall. Instead, Nguyen says she was introduced to the Dick-Tracy-turned-political-candidate through a friend of a friend. (Isn’t that what Facebook is for?)

As part of its mission to encourage local dollars to be spent at local businesses, the Republican-led San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a trip to Cuba? The Chamber Explorations program sent out a flyer advertising a nine-day, “once in a lifetime travel opportunity!” to visit the socialist island.

San Jose Inside would like to wish you and yours a Happy Holidays. We will pick back up next week with a special Year in Review.

Mineta San José International Airport had trouble living up to its name after a $1.3 billion modernization project was completed in 2010. Simply put, the word “international” left some people dubious about the lack of flights beyond U.S. borders. But a step in the right direction was announced Wednesday. All Nippon Airways (ANA) will soon offer non-stop service between Narita International Airport in Tokyo and San Jose.

It is the height of irony that FOX News and the conservative right wing consider themselves the guardians of Christmas tradition. From all that was allowed to be published regarding Jesus, there is no evidence that Jesus was anything but a liberal pacifist. Thus, the war for Christmas perpetrated by the right would be anathema to Jesus.

In my 38 years in public education, I never witnessed as consequential a vote as was taken on Dec. 14 and the early morning hours of Dec. 15. The Santa Clara County Office of Education Board, on a very controversial 5-2 and 4-3 vote, approved 20 new Rocketship Education charter schools in Silicon Valley.

With so much important business to be done at City Hall these days, one would think petty arguments over wishing someone “Happy Holidays” were a thing of the past. And one would be so very, very wrong in making that assumption.

Last week, the City Council made a change to suspend two construction taxes for a limited time in an attempt to encourage commercial property owners to provide improvements for their existing buildings. The hope is that if owners can improve their buildings at a lower cost, they may find tenants—which is a win for them and for San Jose. 

‘Tis the season for people to ponder making a political run, and a newcomer to the scene intends to shake up San Jose’s City Council. Fly has learned that Tam Truong, a 30-year-old detective for the San Jose Police Department, picked up filing papers from the City Clerk’s office this week and plans to challenge District 4 Councilmember Kansen Chu in the fall. What makes Truong such an intriguing candidate, aside from being young and well educated, is who he intends to align himself with.

Nancy Pyle wrote an op-ed for the Mercury News this week, and in it the San Jose councilmember suggests the always-popular proposal of raising taxes. In the meantime, the city continues to go after pension reform through a ballot measure next June.

In any other time in history, re-election for President Barack Obama would be a cinch. But in the era of FAUX News, twisted truths, instant gratification and public ignorance, this administration will face a tough road to re-election. The Democrats need to do something to energize the base.