San Jose Inside

Move Seen as First Step in Winning Back City Hall
Following the successful city council vote in Oakland limiting the amount of dogs allowed in a household, the San Jose City Council sent a strong signal on Tuesday night when they voted unanimously to limit the number of elected officials that individual lobbyists could own.

Councilman Wanders Aimlessly Around City Hall Plaza Encouraging Visitors to Kick His Ass
In a rare show of solidarity, and just moments after a heated debate over the mayor’s official grand jury response regarding Garbagegate, the council voted overwhelmingly to place a “Kick Me” sign on Councilman Forrest Williams for his refusal to abandon the Titanic of local government that is Mayor Gonzales’ administration.

The actions of the City Council are moving from mysterious to indecipherable.  A majority refused to send the Ron Gonzales-backed response on the garbage scandal to the Grand Jury; they opted to wait.  This is, of course, the Council who according to the Grand Jury report of early summer was “duped” by Gonzales while he made a side agreement with Norcal, the garbage service provider.  Cindy Chavez, Judy Chirco and Nancy Pyle joined the early critics Dave Cortese, Chuck Reed and Linda Lezotte in refusing to rubber stamp the document authored by Gonzales with the city’s Manager and Attorney. Also, the ethically tardy Ken Yeager has refused to sign on to the report while telling confidants that he is fearful of the Gonzales’ reaction to his late blossoming of concern on this issue.  Of such stuff is San Jose’s “Profiles in Courage” made.

Here’s the candid situation:  if you talk to local business leaders, they will tell you they’re concerned that the scandals will hurt the city’s ability to attract business.  Many civic leaders wonder how quickly the city’s once outstanding national reputation for good government will be regained, if at all.  Everyone it seems is counting on a new mayor to put the city on the road to recovery.

City Officials Incensed Over “Attention Grabbing Scheme”

San Jose is again knee-deep in controversy, this time not because of a lapse of judgment at the highest levels of municipal government, but because of city officials, who made the bold accusation that San Diego is trying to grab headlines from San Jose by “perpetrating ethics violations that look a lot like ours.”

No One Wants to Serve During “Reign of Ethical Lapses”

Both of the finalists in the District 7 general election to replace disgraced former-councilman Terry Gregory have decided to drop out of the race for fear of losing their ethical compasses.

It is never too late to make the right decision.  Only fifty years after our city leaders opted out of the heart of our community and moved our government to North First Street—they’re back!  Well, they are nearly back. A big move is underway and a new era is dawning. The problem is packing up a half century of files, reports, and compact some largely unlamented errors in judgment and move them a couple of miles to their new home on East Santa Clara Street.  It is high time that it happened.

For those of you awaiting the search for the “most despicable” in San Jose, you will have to wait a bit longer.  The nominations are still open. Due to the heavy traffic Price Waterhouse is computing the votes as quickly as possible.

Last week’s column showed that there must be a rationale for accelerated development in Coyote Valley.  With all of the quality-of-life issues involved, a case must be made proving conclusively that such dramatic action is warranted. So far no such proof has been shown. Council members and the Mayor’s office simply must not abandon the solid reasoning of the past three decades.

Unsubstantiated Claim Includes Flushing General Plan Down Toilet

A shocking story in this week’s Metro Newspaper reported that an unnamed source witnessed Mayor Ron Gonzales in a Koran-copycat-type desecration of San Jose’s most hallowed planning document – the General Plan.  This has left neighborhood groups incensed, calling for the swiftest of inquiries and the stiffest of punishments.

“Granny Units” A Trademark Violation They Claim

In what most legal experts are calling a landmark test-case, the National Association of Mothers-in-Law (NAMinL) has filed suit in Superior Court over the city’s claim that the newly approved accessory housing units are “granny units.”

There are a number of critical decisions in the planning and development area that will be decided in the last year and a half of the Ron Gonzales’ administration.  Much has been written – including a blog by Councilman Dave Cortese yesterday – on the long term implications of growth in Evergreen.  It has been the area of tremendous action and political pressure in San Jose going back to the seventies.  Remember Willie Sutton’s comments on why he robbed banks.