San Jose Inside

San Jose Officials Livid: We Stole It Fair and Square

With the coming out party for new UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal at the San Jose Museum of Art last week came the disturbing announcement that he was claiming the title “Capital of Silicon Valley” for his granola-munching campus by the coast.

After my last column on the Mexican Heritage Plaza (MHP) a few months ago, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had missed something and things didn’t add up to some of the conclusions I reached at the time. I spent what time I could spare over the summer searching and researching the matter over the Internet and my hunches were confirmed by what I found.

Two questions are now biting at the heels of the Downtown Association and its Executive Director Scott Knies: namely, just who do they represent and what do they stand for at this critical time in downtown’s evolution? These are questions that must be answered. Although they certainly make an effort lobbying for light rail platforms and bus routes in a constant and pressing manner, on the more significant issues of downtown’s character and direction, they are in a dubious and contradictory position. Knies is a good man with a nagging identity problem. The top-heavy Downtown Association is an enigma at best. At worst, they are a lobbying arm for nightclubs and entertainment promoters. A choice is now necessary. Time is running out for them and the future of downtown.

Sometimes when you grow up in an area as beautiful as the Bay Area, there are many things that are right under our noses that we don’t notice.  Maybe there are so many things to do that we don’t get a chance to uncover the gems that can be found in San Jose and the surrounding cities. 

City Hall Diary

At the evening meeting last Tuesday night (Sept. 25), the San Jose City Council discussed prevailing wage and volunteers and how this relates to city jobs for parks.

I am sure most of you have volunteered your time at some point, whether in your children’s school, as a coach or to pick up trash, etc. Most of you did so because it made you feel good to do something that benefits something larger than yourself.

We were very happy to find out that we won the Metro Best of Silicon Valley 2007 award for Best Local Blog in their annual reader survey poll. We appreciate the Metro’s award and the votes of confidence from the public. We share this award equally with every blogger who participates in the discussions on this site. It is you who make San Jose Inside what it is and we wouldn’t be anything without you.

Incumbent Pyle Confident She Can Beat the Biostatic Noggin

With just nine months until primary elections in San Jose, speculation in south San Jose’s council race has already turned wacky. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ted Williams’s son says that his dad’s severed and cryogenically frozen head will be running against Nancy Pyle as a registered Separatist in District 10 in the June primary.

When Kansen Chu left the Berryessa school board in June to take up his new position as the new San Jose City Council member for District 6, the school board went through a perfectly reasonable and open process to fill the vacancy. A list of 17 candidates was whittled down to five semifinalists and finally down to two very qualified people, Alkesh Desai and David Neighbors, that were considered by the four sitting members of the board. When the vote split two for each, rather than opting for a very expensive by-election to fill the spot which is up for regular election next year in November anyway, the board rightly agreed to abide by a coin toss to decide the winner—a completely legal and common method of settling the matter. The coin toss favored Desai who was considered duly elected and installed as the fifth member of the board. The board and Mr. Neighbors accepted the outcome, and there were no complaints from the public. Case closed? Not quite.

As we watch the first few installments of Ken Burns’s epic and laudable series on World War Two, it is time to consider again and to be mindful of our history—international, national and local. A recent Mercury News editorial is very clear and succinct on this topic. They point to the important and correct decision of the Alum Rock Union School Board in naming schools after Superintendent Tony Russo, a man who dedicated his life to doing good and being an exemplary role model in the education field, and Jim McEntee, an exemplar of decency and courage who encouraged those in public office to be better and more feeling in all things. These were indeed two people to honor and respect, but what of the others?

As mayor, you have the responsibility to make changes, provide vision and get things done. Rarely have we had a mayor of this city who could claim to have all three of those qualities. And, yes, the small things like fixing potholes, listening to the neighborhood associations, and being an accessible mayor are all important too. However, at the end of the day, it’s the “big things” that you will be remembered for.

City Hall Diary

Open space is a very important quality-of-life issue. With so much development happening everywhere, we need to remember to include open space in our plans. I attended two outdoor events this week that reminded me about how important open space is, especially where there are trees. Both of the events were located in pristine areas.

Will Rebuild by Raising Funds for Arts Groups and Politicians Locally

An incarcerated flimflam man and an indicted political fundraiser have filed papers with the Secretary of State in order to form a nonprofit corporation which has effectively put the pair in business in California where they will dole out money for a living.

Police officers are entrusted by the public with an awesome responsibility: the power of life and death. In a city of one million it is inevitable that officers will use weapons in the course of their duties. It’s part of the job and something that is accepted by the citizens whose laws are enforced by the police in their name. Any time an individual officer decides to use any weapon—whether gun, baton, Taser, fists, boots, or karate—that results in death, the act must be just and justified. It seems to me that the best way to assure the public that their law enforcement representatives are making correct decisions in applying lethal force according to the circumstances, and are operating within the law in doing so, is an automatic oversight enquiry by an independent auditor who reports to our elected representatives.

After a brief trip outside of the U.S., I was pleased to see that 1^stACT’s efforts to revitalize our downtown are meeting with great endorsements. With the strong support of Bruce Chizen of Adobe and the solid leadership of Connie Martinez, it seems like the future is quite bright. The business and arts community that care so much about our city center have every reason to be optimistic and it does not hurt to have the Knight Foundation chipping in a few million. The city, Mayor Reed and RDA honcho Harry Mavrogenes are also stalwart supporters. It is a vision that we can all rally around.

This past weekend, I returned to the San Jose Improv Comedy Club, a place that I have written about before and have encouraged people to go to. I had such a great time that I thought I would tell you about it. 

After a nice dinner and a few Mai Tais the size of a small cat (yes, I know, I drink too much), my friends and I hit Jamie Kennedy’s 10 p.m. show. I chose the late show for a few reasons, but mainly because I know how a comedy show can turn and the audience can loosen up when the headliner comes on closer to 11 p.m. at night.