A group of dispensary owners filed an initiative to bring a full set of marijuana regulations to San Jose voters this fall. The “Medical Marijuana Regulation for San Jose Act of 2014” aims to set a minimum of 50 pot clubs. It also asks the city to form a cannabis commission similar to the advisory boards it has for libraries and parks, land use and transportation, among other interests.
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Rent Control Fight Goes before City Council
With the rental market heating up, more people are asking for the city’s help to mediate lease rate hikes. The City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to pay more for a program to mediate and arbitrate cases between landlords trying to keep up with the market and tenants getting priced out of their homes. Other items on the agenda include a code enforcement audit, a historical landmark designation for a fruit stand and a trash-reduction plan.
County Considers Offering Fairgrounds for San Jose Softball Complex
While San Jose considers where to build a bond measure-funded softball complex, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will discuss a plan to bring it rent-free to the fairgrounds. Also on the agenda: a discussion about contraband being smuggled in with jail laundry, Section 8 housing help and a work-study program for college students.
Dem Central Committee Votes for Early Endorsement for San Jose Mayor’s Race
In a near-unanimous vote Thursday, the county’s Democratic Central Committee agreed to move its endorsement decision for the San Jose mayor’s race from April to February. Moving the schedule up a couple months gives the party more time to mobilize a campaign behind its preferred candidate, who many presume to be county Supervisor Dave Cortese.
Preservationists Ask City to Save Century 21 Dome Theater
An effort to save the outdated Century 21 dome theater on Winchester Boulevard goes before a city commission this week. Preservationists want it designated as a historic landmark.
City Considers Implementing Paid Parental Leave
City officials want to explore the option of giving both male and female employees a month of paid parental leave. The perk could help attract new hires and give existing workers more incentive to stay, according to a plan by Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and Councilman Don Rocha going before the Rules and Open Government Committee meeting this week. Also on the agenda: an ordinance to clarify disability benefits and a ream of letters from town crier David Wall.
San Jose Considers New Tax to Pay for Affordable Housing
Business groups worry that San Jose could scare away developers if it imposes a fee on new home construction to pay for more affordable housing, an effort to recoup a fraction of the money lost when the state closed all redevelopment agencies. The City Council, which was supposed to talk about the inclusionary housing fee in December, decided to table the discussion until the new year.
Starbucks, Developer Want to Bypass City’s Living Wage Policy
San Jose will consider skirting its living wage policy to appease a massive corporation and some developers. The City Council on Tuesday will discuss an appeal from Starbucks and other vendors to be exempt from the rule—they’re interested in leasing space at City Hall and the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
City Manager Debra Figone’s Exit Interview
San Jose Inside’s Josh Koehn sat down in late October with City Manager Debra Figone, who will retire at the end of next week, to discuss her 44-year career in public service. The free-flowing discussion, which has been edited for clarity, touches on topics such as the city’s adversarial relationship with the Police Officers Association, the validity of international travel for elected officials, the possibility of another sports franchise coming to San Jose if the Oakland A’s cannot relocate here, and how Figone views the media’s coverage of local politics.
San Jose’s Next Mayor Can Lead on Education
There is a dangerous shortsightedness about constricting the role of mayor in San Jose and the campaign to only things that he/she can influence. Doing so makes San Jose seem small minded and insignificant. Are we not the Silicon Valley, the economic engine for the state, nation and world? Are we not the 10th most populous city in America? We must think bigger or we will lose out.
Rocketship Asks City for Help Securing a $35 Million Loan
A private nonprofit charter school chain wants the city to act as a conduit financer for a $35 million loan to build another campus and make improvements at a couple others. Rocketship schools, owned by San Jose-based Launchpad Development Company, will ask the City Council to approve the bond issuance when it meets Tuesday. The council also considers plans to regulate pot clubs, accept an insurance settlement for a burnt-down historic home and OK a contract with the city’s police union.
San Jose Considers Stricter Pot Club Ordinance, Outright Ban
Leveraging anecdotal evidence of increased crime and a poll conducted by teenage prohibitionists, the city aims to tighten restrictions on local pot clubs. Under new rules—if they garner a majority vote Tuesday from the City Council—dispensaries would operate no closer than 1,000 feet from a school, 500 feet from a substance abuse clinic and 150 feet from a home.
Councilman Kalra Wants San Jose to Ban Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
Councilman Ash Kalra wants to deliver San Jose from the evils of gas-powered leaf blowers. Also on the Rules and Open Government Committee agenda for Wednesday is a plea from senior citizens for the city to protect older affordable homes, like mobile home parks.
Magdalena Carrasco to Run Again Against Xavier Campos for Council Seat
San Jose Councilman Xavier Campos will face a familiar opponent when he runs for re-election in the June 2014 primary. Magdalena Carrasco, who lost the 2010 race for the East Side council seat by a slim margin, quietly filed papers this week to give it another shot.
District 3 City Council Race Shaping Up
An intellectual property attorney has thrown his name into what is becoming a crowded race to replace downtown San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo. Gagliardi joins four others who have filed statements of intent to run in the June primary for the District 3 seat. Other candidates include community organizer Kathy Sutherland, San Jose police officer and sometimes-model Raul Peralez, downtown club owner Mauricio Mejia and youth sports league founder George Kleidon.
Team San Jose Doubles Revenue Goals
Team San Jose, the city’s tourism and facilities management agency, vastly exceeded gross revenue goals last year. In 2012-13, the decade-old nonprofit generated $23.8 million—more than twice the projected target, according to an annual audit up for review at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Also on the agenda are plans to bring a music stage to St. James Park, a citywide financial audit and a discussion about changing building height requirements around the San Jose airport.
