San Jose Inside

We are approaching the second anniversary of the death of our good friend, SJI colleague and local historian Leonard McKay. I think of him often and still love re-reading his stories over and over, and remembering the wonderful conversations that we used to have. I was thinking that the very best way we can pay tribute to Leonard is to rerun one of his pieces that he wrote for this site and then ask our readers to post comments and remembrances, or tell a good story of your own. When I was trying to decide which piece to post here, I remembered that Leonard had a favorite story that he told again and again. It is also one of his bawdiest tales and it comes with a warning: Don’t try this at home.

It seemed like the grassroots effort to name a San Jose neighborhood Little Italy was cruising along with the grace of a Ferrari on a Formula One track. But in case anyone was getting ready to start belting out “Funiculì, Funiculà” prematurely, the lessons of Little Saigon should have been a warning: Members of an ethnic group don’t always sing to the same sheet music.

The horse head in the bed in this case was an Aug. 26 email grenade lobbed by one of the godfathers of the local Italian-American community to a mailing list of about 75 people, most of whose last names end in a vowel.

As the dust settles on the global meltdown, the state budget fiasco, and the prevailing wage struggles in San Jose, there is one very bright point of light to be seen. Tesla Motors’ decision to locate their primary manufacturing facility and headquarters in North San Jose is indeed a noteworthy event, a major shot in the arm for the local economy.

Is it something to cheer about? Definitely.

... for Froilan Chan-Liongco

Breate deep, East Palo Alto.

The toxics that may have once filled your lungs—the pollutants from the chemical waste plant that threatened cancer, asthma and birth defects—are no longer. Friolan Chan-Liongco, who passed away last week due to a heart attack, cleaned the air for you.

A former employee of the high-tech toxic waste plant named Romic, Chan-Liongco stood up to the company that had for decades sacrificed East Palo Alto community members’ health in its pursuit of profit.

More news from the “Where have I been?” file, but has anyone noticed what the culture is like at a 49er game now? I went to the game on Sunday, the 49ers vs. the Detroit Lions, and I was shocked at how different the culture of the crowd had become since I last was there.

The last time I set foot in Candlestick Park (it was actually Candlestick then, and I was happy to see on Sunday that it has changed back to Candlestick) was about 1998. And there have been a lot of changes.

“Civic-minded citizens are not simply born, they must be taught and nurtured,” writes Norman Mineta. In an article published on “Constitution Day,” Mr. Mineta—a former San Jose mayor and US Congressman, who also served in the Cabinet under both Bill Clinton and George Bush—laments the decline in civic engagement, and expresses his concern that the public education system needs to do more.

If you’re a homeowner, most likely you received your property tax bill in the mail last week. I did and I owe $11,854. (If Washington Mutual does not collapse I will pay this amount from my savings.) My parents, who live next door, with the same size lot, will be paying $1,696.

Why the huge difference? A little thing called Proposition 13, which protects my parents and other seniors.

Welcome to Rants and Raves, the weekly SJI thread where the Bloggers Rule! Crank up that Opinionizer and start clicking those keyboards!

Since Metro’s Best Of issue focuses on a year of change, including the visionary thinkers who make it happen, my vote for Best Quantum Hydration Augmentation Utensil goes to the folks over at Quantum Age Water Stirwands.

Kids First Priority in Removal From Roadways

In a bid to clean up California’s dirtiest freeways, the US government agreed Wednesday to: “provide an $85 billion emergency loan to rescue Santa Clara County roads from litter, debris and children.”

Based on several studies, the state would have to supply billions of dollars a year to keep approximately 250 miles of freeways in a “really dirty, but not visible” state. This means that at a minimum, abandoned cars, mattresses and small children would be removed from the shoulders and medians.

Guitar Legend Ry Cooder Joins Latina Singer Ersi Arvizu in San Jose Concert

Ry Cooder, named by Rolling Stone and just about anyone who knows anything about the guitar as one of the top ten best original guitarists of all time, makes a rare live appearance in San Jose on Friday, September 26, backing popular ‘60s and ‘70s Latina singer Ersi Arvizu, who had virtually disappeared off the radar screen in the intervening decades. Arvizu’s big voice is now back and can be heard in a new CD produced by Cooder, who is credited with her rediscovery and coaxing her back into the musical limelight.

Well, the district attorney may have dropped charges, but exonerated lobbyist Sean Kali Rai isn’t ready to sing “Kumbaya” yet. When political consultant Jay Rosenthal, who along with Kali Rai was an aide to former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, tried to shake Kali Rai’s hand at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual COMPAC picnic a couple of weeks ago, he says Kali Rai responded with a comment so colorfully vulgar that even we won’t print it.

There has been much discussion on this blog, and elsewhere in California, about the state government’s so-called raid on redevelopment funds to help balance the budget. A couple of weeks back, Dan Walters, the longtime Sacramento Bee columnist, weighed in, pouncing on local redevelopment agencies (San Jose’s is one of the biggest) as the epitome of waste, and touting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to take $228 million a year from redevelopment agencies.

September just has a feel to it. The weather is changing, the nights are a little colder, school is back in session and summer seems to become a more distant memory as each day passes.

I started thinking about how much I enjoy the end of September and look forward to the beginning of October for many reasons. The weather seems to peak that first week of October before it starts to rain, Sharks season is right around the bend, and into my head popped the San Jose Brew Ha Ha Festival. Then I wondered, “What happened to it?”