San Jose Inside

We write to express our concern regarding the recent tone of the rhetoric between a few members of the San Jose Police Officers Association and police critics. Issues surrounding race and police enforcement inevitably invite controversy and sharp differences of opinion. Nonetheless, we expect that members of the San Jose Police Officers Association and other community members will confront what they view as distortions of the facts with respectful criticism and correction.

We do not expect, however, that any member of the San Jose Police Department will label critics as “thugs.”

The average U.S. student watches 1,500 hours of TV annually while spending only 1,100 hours in school. If we continue to increase TV viewing while decreasing time in school, we end up with an equation that threatens the underpinnings of our democracy.

The results of my Budget Survey are in.

One of my favorite TV game shows was the original Family Feud with Richard Dawson. His big line was, “Survey Says!” when the survey answer was shared with the audience. I am pleased that my Budget Survey drew more than 700 participants. Thank you to those who engaged. It was long…but then our deficit is large, so the survey needed to at least attempt to grasp the entire budget.

Every Saturday SJI creates a space for discussion about topics that haven’t been brought up elsewhere. What’s on your mind?

With celebratory talk about the 40th anniversary of Woodstock reverberating throughout the land, no one seems to be bringing up the darker side of that era, especially since August will also mark the 40th anniversary of the Tate-LaBianca murders. Since the Conspiracy Convention 2009 just happens to hit the Santa Clara Marriott this weekend, I think I must probe a few seemingly connected spheres of influence.

The San Jose Elections Commission is considering changing the way citizen’s vote for city officials in an effort to save both money and time. At its June 10 meeting, the commission is set to discuss the possibility of San Jose becoming the most populous jurisdiction in the United States to implement Instant-Runoff Voting when casting ballots for city office holders

So Fly was browsing YouTube.com, looking for more videos of Keyboard Cat, when up popped an interesting little video posted by the San Jose Police Officers Association. On it, Raj Jayadev, founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug (and a regular SJI contributor), is seen addressing a San Jose City Council meeting, talking about the distrust brewing between some city residents and the police department.

The City Council last night agreed to soften San Jose’s police tactics when it comes to arresting people for public intoxication, a move they hope will result in fewer arrests. After a few hours of discussion, the council voted 8-1 to sign off on recommendations put forward by the city-appointed Public Intoxication Task Force.

San Jose’s Economic Development office has mysteriously authored a Memorandum that would permanently reverse 25 years of land use planning in the city.

Billed as an “Economic Emergency Amendment” to the North San Jose Area Development Policy, the memo calls for a massive development of one million square feet of retail space, 2,000 hotel rooms, and 8,000 residential units. The memo is signed off on by Paul Krutko, the city’s economic development point man, and is accompanied by a resolution, dated June, 2009, to be sent to the City Council.

“This is the civil rights movement of our times.” “We are bleeding to death.” “This is a public safety issue.” These comments were spoken by members of Supervisor Dave Cortese’s contingent that rode up to Sacramento yesterday to make a bold statement about the lack of funding for public education.

When I ran for city council I was asked many times, “What are you going to do about the schools?” Unlike Chicago or New York, where the care of the schools falls under city government, San Jose has multiple school districts that have separate elected officials that are responsible for the care of the schools, making the City of San Jose and the school districts completely separate.

San Jose Inside’s weekly open forum is a place where visitors are invited to suggest topics for discussion. What’s on your mind?

Last week saw Bay Area electric car maker Tesla sign a deal with Daimler, making it worth half the value of Big Three car manufacturer GM. Yesterday, the company hit a snag when it was forced to recall all 345 of its Roadster vehicles because some bolts on the rear chassis were improperly torqued.

When news broke of a 27-year-old Vietnamese man being shot and killed at his home by a San Jose police officer, the pain of the tragedy in the local community was amplified by a gut-wrenching and unexpected feeling—familiarity.

While questions are still being asked after the May 10 shooting of Daniel Pham, the basic fact pattern that has been disclosed by the San Jose Police Department is sadly reminiscent of a 2003 incident involving a young Vietnamese mother, Cau Bich Tran, who was shot by San Jose police in her home.

The California Supreme Court has upheld Proposition 8 by a 6-1 vote, taking away the rights of gay people to marry in California. But interestingly, the court left a few loopholes.

A guest analysis by San Jose’s OutNow magazine.