When it comes the garbage services, residents have two simple requests: 1. Pick up the garbage every week in a reliable manner; 2. Do it in the most cost-effective way possible. Easy enough, right? Well, no. Potentially higher costs for garbage services were the topic under discussion at the last City Council meeting.
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Yeager to Give State of the County Address
Gun violence, healthcare reform and community health lead the list of topics Supervisor Ken Yeager will speak about during his State of the County speech next week. Also on Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors will meet to discuss strict fines for not filing campaign disclosure forms on time and funding for the county hospital system, amongst other agenda items.
Term Limits Help Lobbyists at the Expense of Good Government
Voters love term limits for politicians, but they shouldn’t. The quaint notion that public service should be held only for utilitarian purposes for a short period of time, and that these limits create better government, is misguided and fundamentally flawed. The proof can be seen locally in the current mire that represents our public policy.
Fire Chief to Report on Response Times; Survey Questions Racial Biases of Police
San Jose’s fire chief, William McDonald, will present a verbal report along with a 46-page written report about the department’s response times—and failure to accurately report them—at Thursday’s Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee meeting. Also on the agenda is a survey that finds San Jose police officers are about as racist as the rest of local citizens—which isn’t a good thing—and a report on crime around the city’s two casinos.
Tamien Rocketship Charter School Site May Contain High Levels of Toxins
An old industrial lot northeast of the Tamien Caltrain station, slated to house a two-story elementary charter school, contains toxic levels of herbicides, oils and arsenic, according to an environmental report from the city of San Jose. The Santa Clara County Board of Education at its Wednesday meeting plans to discuss a zoning exemption for the new Rocketship charter school. The county board will also discuss in closed session the potential special election over Trustee Darcie Green’s seat.
Police Chief: The Job Nobody Wants
The recent appointment of Larry Esquivel to “interim” San Jose Police Chief, and the “indefinite” time extension given to name a new police chief, is a stark admission of governmental failure for the city of San Jose.
Rocha Considers Calling it Quits in 2014
While everyone and their mom-in-law weighs a run for mayor of San Jose in 2014, Councilmember Don Rocha is considering calling it quits at the end of his first term. He insists no decision has been made, but the Cambrian councilmember has publicly and privately voiced his displeasure with some of his colleagues and their constant focus on pension reform, as opposed to public safety, libraries, community centers and street paving.
Coalition Will Work with County Education Board to Help Students in Need
This year, working with newly elected Santa Clara County Office of Education President Grace Mah and Trustee Darcie Green, as well as city and county leaders, we will launch a grassroots effort to secure quality preschool for all of the county’s 3 and 4 year olds. There is a roadmap to achieve the goal.
Why I voted for a New School
A neighborhood I grew up in was the focus of a land use discussion raised last week at the City Council meeting. The principal question before the council was whether or not a new school should open up in this neighborhood.
The George Shirakawa Legal Defense Fund and the Rural Metro Connection
If you’re interested in making a non-tax deductible contribution to a man who misused thousands of taxpayer dollars, in addition to hiding campaign disclosure forms for years, George Shirakawa would like to speak with you.
Sports Complex Presents Fiscal Curveball
Near the end of last year, the City Council approved the exploration of building a sports complex in one of two places: Singleton Landfill or the county fairgrounds. There are some serious costs and benefits to both proposed sites, but one has an edge based on past council decisions to subsidize recreational offerings.
Better to Have Too Many or Too Few Laws?
The governor signed 876 new laws that went into existence on Jan. 1, 2013. But how many stupid, unenforceable, unconstitutional and simply misguided laws were taken off the books?
The Lighter Side of Mercury News Emails
Turning the page on 2012, it’s also time to close out the final chapter on emails between politicos and Barbara Marshman, the opinionated opinion editor of the Mercury News.
County Updates P-Card Policies; Alvarado Moves to Shirakawa’s District
While the District Attorney’s Office and Fair Political Practices Commission continue their investigations into Supervisor George Shirakawa, the county has moved forward with updated policies on P-Cards and expenditures. Also, sources have confirmed with San Jose Inside that Teresa Alvarado, a potential candidate to replace Shirakawa if he is forced out of office, is moving to District 2.
Campbell Leadership Breaks New Ground
Campbell’s reputation as a sleepy town once known for prunes and Western wear shops—and more recently for its Oktoberfest and Mardi Gras parties—might need an update, as it can now be argued that it has become one of the Bay Area’s hot spots for progressive politics.
How to Save the General Fund $10 MIllion
A housing report revealed last week at the oversight board meeting for the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency (SARA) shows that the city has $10 million in funds that have yet to be allocated. While some people would like to direct these funds to affordable housing, which isn’t taxable and doesn’t create revenue, a better plan would be to direct the $10 million toward RDA debt. If this occurs, the exact same amount can then go toward the general fund, which pays for police, libraries and other community services.
