San Jose Inside

San Jose Convention Center Hosts Google Developer Day

Google held its annual Developer Day at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center last week and I attended the event. (I’m involved with a project that’s being pitched to the Google Foundation.)  I can attest to the fact that the City of San Jose did itself proud last week.

If you thought the downtown problems I described in last week’s column are bad, wait until you see what the Downtown Association and nightclub lobby have in store for the very near future. They call it “soft closing,” which is really just a euphemism for extending opening hours for nightclubs from 2 a.m. until 3 a.m. The city planning department will hold a hearing on the matter of a proposed pilot program for a large designated area of downtown on June 11 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a city council hearing on June 19 at 1:30 p.m., both at City Hall.

It’s all over in the District 4 race and it has proven to be a resounding victory for Kansen Chu. The candidacy of Hon Lien was stillborn. How and why that occurred is a rather simple matter: namely, a well-equipped and prepared candidate bested an ill-prepared one.  Hon Lien was clearly not ready for prime time, or even late night reruns. Usually in small elections, the best candidate wins.

Last week, the unthinkable happened.  My cell phone busted.  For some reason all the keys stopped working and I couldn’t call out, access any phone numbers or get text messages.  When my friends heard that my phone was out of commission, they all automatically assumed it fell in a bar toilet or was flung across a room in a fit of late-night dancing.  I wish I had a great story to go with it, but it just stopped working.  Then, sadly, I realized how dependent I was on this piece of metal I carry in my purse every day and wondered why.

City Hall Diary

Did you ever borrow a friend’s toy as a kid because you didn’t have one of your own? I did.  I would borrow my friend’s Big Wheel.  My parents advised me to be happy with what I had and warned me about becoming dependent on borrowing my friend’s toy for fulfillment.  Well, I didn’t listen to my parents’ sound advice.  Instead, I wanted to ride the Big Wheel more and more.  So, I gave the owner Twinkies and cupcakes in exchange for riding the Big Wheel. 

Chronic Concerns of Housing Costs, Traffic and Worker Visas Disappear

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s annual Business Climate Survey was released yesterday with scandals surprisingly topping the list of valley CEO’s greatest worries.

In what some in the media have termed “The Year of the Philistine,” several chronic concerns such as housing costs, traffic congestion, worker visas and healthcare coverage have been replaced with anxiety over the safety of their daughters attending parties at local community colleges and the fear of getting ensnarled in a stock backdating scandal.

Those of you who aren’t quite sure what the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) is talking about when they promote the “24-Hour City” need go no further than the San Pedro Square/Market Street public parking facility. Use it over any weekend and you’ll find out. For the full effect, park on an upper floor and use the stairways to go between your car and the street.

There have been a number of recent articles in national publications about the brave new city of the west, San Jose. The Wall Street Journal stated its view of our city as the center of innovation and entrepreneurship. There is a strong effort to reap the benefits of locating the new and exciting clean-tech areas of the new economy here to join eBay, Cisco Systems and Adobe. We are trying very hard and the ability to try hard is a virtue in a person and an asset in the development of the city.

I have been following the allegations against the De Anza baseball team closely, and in light of Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr dropping the charges, I think that there are a lot of bad people getting off easy because of some technicalities.  I know it’s the law, but I find it unsettling that the members of the team that were involved will just walk away from this no worse for wear.

Happy Memorial Day

The backbone of San Jose is made of its neighborhood business districts. District 6 has three viable ones: Lincoln Avenue, The Alameda and West San Carlos.  These neighborhood business districts provide tax revenue for our city.  In addition, they are a compliment to the residential neighborhoods they border. 

Eye-Hand Coordination Screening Rejected

In a test case that has the eyes of the nation focused on California, a newly formed state oversight committee has mandated that all elected officials undergo neurological testing as a result of the ping-pong match State Senator Carole Migden was having with her car, the Highway 12 guardrail and other vehicles for no apparent reason.

The San Jose City Council voted on Tuesday to hire two consultants for the Mexican Heritage Corporation (MHC) at a cost to the taxpayers of $100,000, compounding the errors in judgment they have already made on this issue. One of the consultants will be hired to “help” the MHC develop a business plan and fundraising capabilities. The other will take the pulse of the community and advise the MHC on how better to serve the public.

It was in the spring of 1989 when San Jose’s population passed San Francisco. I remember it well because I was with San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos when it happened. We were in Beijing, Tiananmen Square to be exact, and the reporters were apoplectic while the Chinese were frenetic. 

I spent the weekend in “The City” (you know, the other one, San Francisco), much to the surprise of my friends who call the “Foggy City” home.  Some were ready to disown me because it has been about six months since I last made my way up 101 to spend some time there. I had to stop and think about why that was and all I could think of was: It’s a gigantic pain. 

My first post on San Jose Inside spoke about the lack of maintenance the San Jose parks were receiving, particularly the historic Municipal Rose Garden Park.

As I mentioned then, I met with city staff and residents to do an initial walkthrough of the park and I saw firsthand the disarray of the park. Shortly thereafter, I submitted a memo asking the council to consider a “pilot program” for outsourcing maintenance at the park.  My pilot proposal was heard on May 15 during the evening meeting.