San Jose Inside

It’s my turn to complain about traffic. Traffic: another reason to keep jobs in San Jose.

I join over 50 percent of San Jose residents who leave their homes every day to travel to their jobs to earn a living outside of San Jose. Those of us who commute, trek highways 101, 880, 85, 87 and 280 mostly north to the “land of jobs.” I am getting back on the road and joining my fellow residents on our neighborhood streets as we try to snake our way to the freeway entrance—a feat in and of itself.  I hesitate to say this, but now I am reminded why people cut through neighborhoods. Saving a few minutes commuting is a big deal to many with all the traffic congestion to slow us down.

Advance Copy of Series Finale Critical For Competitiveness

When Dan Fenton took his job as CEO of Team San Jose, the prospect of running another organization along with his current duties as leader of the Convention and Visitors Bureau seemed a daunting and overwhelming task until the city made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: an advanced copy of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

There are plenty of proposals for poorly planned, wanton residential developments in the city. Coyote Valley and Evergreen come to mind, but now there are cracks beginning to show in the showpiece North San Jose development. Namely, the lack of proper planning has resulted in insufficient schools for the children of new residents, necessitating going quite a distance to get to one, and the area’s existing schools are rapidly becoming overcrowded, especially in the crucial lower grades. There has even been a spillover into nearby Santa Clara which is upsetting their educational apple cart.

“Part of being a leader is to figure out how to get those six votes,” Chuck Reed said recently. What he did not say was that being a leader also entails being worthy enough to be followed. Reed is figuring out the leadership issues and he is doing very well getting the votes when he needs them. He is admired—not feared—and respected.

The other day, I was talking with some friends about things that San Jose could do to make itself a better place for the single folks (or even the non-singles) that live in this town.  We have already established that San Jose has lots of single people, and plenty of single men to boot, whose main complaint is always the lack of things to do. 

Public and Private Sector Jobs

As I mentioned before, I am working full time in the private sector during the council recess. I enjoy my private sector job and I believe it is healthy for anyone who runs for public office to keep their “day job.”  I like working in the software industry and helping different companies solve problems. I believe that my experience in private industry keeps my brain sharp and ensures that I don’t lose touch with reality.

First Step in Saint-Making Process Appropriate Says Benedict

Just hours after all criminal charges were dropped against lobbyist duo Tony Arreola and Sean Kali-Rai for bribery, conspiracy, perjury, grand theft, fraud, tax evasion, kickbacks and shoplifting, the two were seen boarding a Papal Air 777 for a quick flight to the Vatican after a surprise invitation from Pope Benedict XVI.

If you think they are wasting our money at City Hall these days, you should take a look at the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), the public agency created by the California Legislature to oversee supply of our water and manage flood control. They have a board of seven directors, five elected by region and two appointed by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The SCVWD has a plush, marble-floored and chandeliered $26 million headquarters complete with duck pond, and an extremely well-compensated CEO, Stanley M. Williams.

If, as the old strategist suggested, politics is war by other means, then we are seeing something new in the epic battle between the reformers and the fixers in San Jose; namely, the introduction of legal assaults to buttress the crumbing coalition of lobbyists, developers and labor that has ruled and nearly ruined our city in the past decade. You wonder how gullible, or actually, how dumb these people feel the rest of us are.

The other day I checked my email only to find a note from my sister with the subject line: “My Friend Tried This and it Worked!”  I wasn’t sure if it was a weight loss pill or some ointment, but when I opened it up, I found a link to eHarmony.com where I could set up an internet dating profile.

City Hall Diary

As many of you know, the San Jose City Council is on recess for the month of July.  Therefore, I thought I would share something lighthearted with you.

“Monday Night Live,” a comic theater production by the San Jose Stage Company, is an ongoing tradition for some. The yearly event started about ten years ago and depicts well known San Jose officials in a comical manner. The event acts as a fundraiser for the theater company and mimics the TV show, “Saturday Night Live.” “Monday Night Live” can be very sarcastic, silly and even self-deprecating. I was asked to participate this year as an Italian (what an original idea) in a “Sopranos” skit.

Summer vacation and weather are finally here. I thought we might take time out from the usual political battles and talk about what books we are reading, films we are watching and leisure activities we are doing this summer. There is nothing better than reading a good book at the beach as far as I am concerned—unless it’s too hot, in which case it’s off to the movies where there is air conditioning!

Happy Fourth of July to all of our readers and partners. We are all in this together and we appreciate your support and participation.

It is a good time to take stock of where we are as a city as the birthday of our country is celebrated. There is a new mayor, a new city manager, four new and interesting council members, and a very new spirit in the management of our city. Reform is now the watchword of all and good planning is the hallmark of this regime. While we are not swimming in the greatest competence in some areas of the administration (when has that been true), there is much to be positive about. It is up to the council and city manager to get the most out of the employees and put the best and most ethical of managers in the correct positions of power. There is every reason to believe that this is occurring.

San Jose has the highest number of single men of any city in the nation.  The ratio of men to women is high, and most of those men are successful, well-educated, and have a great work ethic (depending on how you look at 80-hour weeks).  Many of the men are in their twenties and still single.  But do men in San Jose or elsewhere want to get married anymore?  In my extensive research it seems there has been a shift in the mindset of men when it comes to finding someone to marry.