San Jose Inside

Might Lead to Pandemic of Political Recidivism

A recently released scathing report by San Jose State University found that many of the state’s mayors were not able to pass the California Mayoral Exit Exam now required in cities with a human population that is less than the number of its registered lobbyists.

Last night, Ron Gonzales gave the final State of the City address of his tenure as mayor. We invite our readers to comment on the text of the speech and reflect on how city politics have changed since Gonzales became mayor. What will be the legacy of the Gonzales years? What is your view of the state of our city and where we should go from here?

I know art is often spoken of in phrases like “art for art’s sake,” but when I survey the status of public art in our city, I just scratch my head. I can’t fathom what we are doing.  We all know the sad and bizarre story of the statue of Captain Fallon raising the flag. My fingerprints are on that series of mistakes and I share blame. And the Aztec god in Chavez Plaza is, likewise, a well-known saga. But those are the past and we need to move on.

I found myself throwing an impromptu Super Bowl party at my place on Sunday because I didn’t know one person who was having one.  Anyone who didn’t have anything else to do came over. I was thinking: does anyone even throw Super Bowl parties anymore, or is it just too much work?

Part Two

Prohibition brought chaos. There was no longer any control over alcohol quality or purity.  Bootleggers flourished, sometimes killing their customers with bad hooch.  If you knew the password, usually “Joe sent me,” and could afford it, then you could get a shot of “bathtub gin” at George’s on South First Street, out at the Hoo-Hoo House on Stevens Creek Road, or at many other local “blind pigs.” 

Government Expected to Reduce City’s Dependence on Oxygen

Despite the surging population growth expected in San Jose with development of Coyote Valley—which estimates place at as many as 120 million people, or the equivalent of any 40 U.S. states combined—the city is expected to have a full supply of oxygen through early 2010.

Albinos have been sighted chasing cars on ominous Hicks Road. They have been seen lurking about in the woods above The Cats Restaurant in Los Gatos. And a large enclave of albinos frolics in the gorges of upper Alum Rock Park. Urban legends of flesh-eating albinos are not unique to San Jose. Google “albinos urban legend” and countless links from communities all over the world provide harrowing accounts of albinos emerging from the dark in search of human flesh or poodle meat.

The mayor’s annual State of the City speech just seems to get smaller and smaller. Where will it stop? When I moved from the old Parkside Hall to the new Fairmont in 1989—for what I hoped was a new, new State-of-the-City era—I thought it was going to be a great day; and it was, for a bit. After the Unity Breakfast, as we used to call it, the fire marshal—in a fit of pique—cited the event for overcrowding; not quite the ending I had hoped for. (The citation inspired a few negative articles and cartoons, including one depicting a dog with my head on it urinating on a fire hydrant labeled “FIRE CODE.”) 

This weekend I had the distinct pleasure of celebrating not one, but two engagements over appetizers and wine.  There was lots of talk of weddings and babies, but—best of all—the parties were great for seeing old friends and reminiscing, which is right up the Single Gal’s alley.  I spent the earlier part of the evening in a gorgeous house in Willow Glen with civilized people and cosmos, while the second half of the evening was spent in a cute condo in Los Gatos having nice glasses of wine. (Don’t worry—Single Gal wasn’t over her legal limit when driving.)

Old Joe’s Steam Beer— “It’s pure that’s sure!”  Have you ever heard of this beer or this slogan?

Joe Hartman was a 49er who came to California in 1852 from Germany to make his fortune finding gold nuggets. That didn’t work out as only one in five of the gold seekers ever made expenses.  So Joe came to San Jose and, in 1853, started the Eagle Brewery in a shack on South Market Street.  Joe made steam beer—a brewing process that takes only a month rather than the four months that lager beer requires.  Joe had a good delivery system; if a saloon needed a keg of beer, Joe put the keg in his wheelbarrow and delivered it himself.  But his personal delivery service didn’t last long as there was tremendous demand for his product and the brewery expanded rapidly. 

Must Spend Weekend in Detention

During a charity fundraiser at Palo Alto High School on Saturday night, Supervisor Liz Kniss took to the dance floor with her husband and starting “freaking” to the horror of school officials and anyone within sight of the spectacle.

Just before the hockey season started in September, I appeared on a televised “NHL Preview” show and boldly predicted that the Ottawa Senators would meet the San Jose Sharks in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. Now that we’re a little past the halfway point of the schedule, lets see how I’m doing. 

The city council has an opportunity to make the right decision and appoint Les White interim city manager. He is a man of integrity and competence, and he has served the city well in the past.  Although their options may be limited, choosing White would be a smart and very popular move by the council. 

Where is a Single Gal to go if she wants to walk and shop?  I know we are a suburb—with malls and mini-malls galore—but where is our downtown shopping?  Where is our Union Square?  They have bums and homeless people there too, but they also have big-time shops and street performers and it all works together in one place.  Why don’t we try to create something like that now in San Jose?

Let’s get back to the man in charge of change—A.P. “Dutch” Hamann.  He graduated from the University of Santa Clara during the early stages of the great depression.  Although his name was Anthony P. Hamann, everyone I’ve ever known called him “Dutch,” a nickname derived from his German heritage.  Dutch was the alumni director of the University when I first knew him prior to World War II.  When the war broke out, Santa Clara became practically deserted as the priests, students, faculty and administrators were called to military duty.  Dutch joined the Navy where he rose to the rank of Lt. Commander.  After the war he returned to Santa Clara as business manager, but after a few years he left to join General Motors as division manager in Oakland.