I can’t resist bringing up a few items in light of Election Day’s results. First and foremost: Where were you missing voters? I went to my downtown polling station at 3:30 p.m., where there are nearly 1300 voters registered, and I was voter number 88 for the day. The poll workers were bored stiff. Is there no sense of civic responsibility any more? I know that many voted “absentee,” but still—88 voters in more than eight hours of polling! According to the official Santa Clara County website, 229,172 voted out of 747,644 registered, including absentee. That’s a little higher than a 30 percent turnout throughout the county. 106,436 ballots were cast for mayor, somewhat less than 30 percent in the city. This is pathetic. Under the circumstances, do we get what we deserve?
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Editorial Board’s Election Recommendations
Decision day has arrived. It’s time for a radical change at City Hall. We need new blood in the office of mayor and on the council so that we can begin to come to terms with the mess left by the Gonzales years and look to a better future. We need leaders with a strong, clear vision based on wide experiences in life that are honest, wise, trustworthy and steady, and open to innovation and new ideas in our rapidly changing world.
Downtown Homeless Services Under Attack
When I graduated from San Jose State University in 1995, I had a list of friends that were homeless. I often wondered if the homeless community, who lived in the bushes and ate out of garbage cans, would ever be relieved from the misery of asking a guy half their age for a quarter or what was left of the overpriced sandwich I was eating on my break from the Spartan Pub. Being a veteran, I was amazed at how many of the handouts I gave went to those with military records. Sadly, some of the same people who used to hit me up for change and food are still circulating in the downtown area over a decade later.
The Scandal of Scandals
Right now it looks like the next few months of the campaign will be dominated with talk about the scandals at City Hall. There’s certainly been a lot to talk about: the growth of City Hall lobbyists, decision-making going on behind closed doors, the garbage scandal with Norcal, City Hall cost over-runs, the Cisco phone contract at City Hall, gift giving, controversy about secret fundraising, and the censure and resignation of ex-councilman Terry Gregory and more.
Culture Wars
Over a period of sixteen years, Cinequest, the San Jose film festival celebrating independent filmmaking, has quietly developed into the premier downtown cultural event. I say quietly because, unlike the current favorite of our evidently lowbrow city council, it doesn’t get a $4 million subsidy (although I am sure they would LOVE to have it), uproot trees and citizens, and disrupt downtown residents and workers for six weeks while they construct, then deconstruct, a racecourse and stands. And, unlike that other event calendar high point, Mardi Gras, it doesn’t attract even one single drunken, underage troublemaker bent on late-night destruction and mayhem.
Dutch Hamann - Part Two
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.
E-mail Peril
After serving as Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, Leon Panetta taught a course at Santa Clara University, his alma mater, about the White House. In early 1999, I met with Panetta to get his advice on how to organize an executive level political operation since I was running a mayor’s office. He told me something I never quite fully understood then: he never used e-mail.
OffShore Oil Drilling Approved for Alviso Slough
Move Necessary to Offset Spike in Gas Prices Decimating City Budget
One of the lesser casualties of hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been the spike in fuel prices that have decimated municipal budgets due to city supplied cars and gas allowances, prompting the federal government to move in and implement President Bush’s plan for oil exploration in the Alviso Slough.
Off Again On Again
Turmoil on Immigration Forum
The off-again-on-again forum on immigration and enforcement at the Mexican Heritage Plaza is now on again. That’s good.
The Norcal Garbage Contract
By Guest Blogger Chuck Reed
The official City response to the Grand Jury Report on the Norcal garbage contract needs a lot of work before the Council approves it. The initial draft is too long on denial and too short on facts.
“Guest Blog” From “Ron Gonzales”
OK, technically it isn’t a guest blog, but several readers forwarded us an e-mail that he sent out a few weeks back and we thought we’d share it with you. Enjoy!
The Duty To Disclose
By Guest Blogger Chuck Reed
Do the Mayor and City Councilmembers have a duty to disclose material facts to each other and to the public when decisions are being made?
The Past, Present and Future of Downtown
By Guest Blogger Dave Cortese
Many times on this site I have read excellent historical narratives on the history of downtown. I have my own perspective, of course, but it is not just a look back. It includes a look forward at some of the promise but also some new threats to the viability of the city’s center.
Evergreen no more…
By Guest Blogger Dave Cortese
Close your eyes and imagine one of the greatest public/private partnerships in San Jose’s history. A $3 billion package of housing, retail and jobs, parks, trails, open space, money for new schools and a new library spanning over 600 acres of true infill lands.
The Process For Replacing Terry Gregory
Now that Terry Gregory’s resignation is a fait accompli, San Joseans may breath a collective sigh of relief representing one long, drawn out victory for good government. Former Mayor Tom McEnery first made the call for a censure investigation publicly last Fall. I followed his lead by making a formal request of the council to open a censure investigation—it died for a lack of support. Now, several months later, with the investigation finally completed, it has ended in a resignation. But resignation is just the “end of the beginning” of the Gregory saga. The council must now put into play the process for selecting his replacement. So don’t relax just yet. In fact the code word for good government advocates should be BEWARE. Let me explain.
For The Sake Of His District, Terry Gregory Should Resign
Guest Blog by Jim Cunneen
This week, I’m turning my column over to a guest blogger, Jim Cunneen, President and CEO of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce. Jim has asked that we use this blog to share his concerns, and the chamber’s, for the handling of Terry Gregory’s alleged misdeeds by the City Council.
-Kevin
