Mayor Chuck Reed’s fiscal reforms, which would declare a fiscal emergency that allows the city charter to be changed in an effort to slash soaring public employee pension costs, will be discussed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. While it seems likely Reed will get the necessary votes to begin the process—he already has the support of Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and councilmembers Rose Herrera and Sam Liccardo—Councilmember Donald Rocha is suggesting the city stop, take a deep breath and consider the possible litigation that could ensue.
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Emergency and Response
When politicians have bad news to deliver, news they don’t really want anyone to hear, they’ll often deliver it at a Friday afternoon press conference—nobody watches the TV news on Friday night and nobody reads the paper on Saturday. But Mayor Chuck Reed’s announcement last Friday that San Jose is in a “fiscal and public safety emergency” was like a big squirt of gasoline on the smoldering heap of embers that is the city’s relationship with its public-employee unions. And the resulting flare-up did not go unnoticed.
Mayor Taking Fiscal Reforms to Voters
Declaring a fiscal and public safety emergency, Mayor Chuck Reed unveiled his fiscal reform proposal Friday afternoon at City Hall. The reforms will focus on pension and health care for current and future employees, and some actions will require changes to the city charter, meaning measures will need to be put on a ballot for voter approval. The proposal being put forward was co-signed by Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and councilmembers Sam Liccardo and Rose Herrera.
Payday Lending Reform
By Ash Kalra
The San Jose Inside April 27 article “Manny Diaz Shilling for Loan Sharks” seems to imply that the lobbying efforts of Mr. Diaz have resulted in a decision by the City to delay accepting Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s grant to study the impact and breadth of the payday loan industry in San Jose. This is simply not the case.
Manny Diaz Shilling for Loan Sharks
Emmett Carson, CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, says it is “hard to understand” why the San Jose City Council chose to delay action on accepting a $50,000 grant to look into anti-predatory lending policies, what with so many people falling deeper into debt. He should ask Manny Diaz, a former city councilmember and state assemblymember who is now a registered lobbyist for Community Financial Services Association of America, a trade group that represents the payday loan industry
Council Caps Medical Marijuana Clubs
San Jose city councilmembers hope to be able to count the number of marijuana dispensaries on their fingers. The compromise measure authored by Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and approved Tuesday by a split council hopes to reduce the number of city collectives, which currently number more than 100, to no more than 10
Councilmembers Threaten Medical Pot Ban
If a framework for regulating medical marijuana distribution in San Jose is not put in place by the end of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Councilmembers Nancy Pyle and Kansen Chu will likely make a move to ban all medical marijuana dispensaries in San Jose. After the council could only agree on a few land use and zoning recommendations last week, Pyle has suggested shutting down all clubs. Chu’s proposal goes even further.
Medical Marijuana Battle Continues
The San Jose City Council once again fell short on Tuesday in its efforts to craft a plan to deal with the popularity of medical marijuana clubs in the city. Many of the ideas being proffered by city staff, Mayor Chuck Reed and councilmembers Rose Herrera, Sam Liccardo and Pete Constant, were wildly ambitious, including things that no other municipality has tried in the 14 years since the passage of Prop 215.
Updated with correction: Apr. 14.
Council to Vote on Medical Marijuana Issue
The debate over what to do with the city’s 100-plus medical marijuana collectives looks like it will finally result in some action Tuesday, when the City Council will vote on setting up a complete regulatory program.
More Unions on Board with Concessions
After the City Council voted 9-2 on Tuesday in support of the agreement reached with San Jose’s Firefighters Union, three more unions, representing city architects and engineers, trade worker supervisors, and mid-level managers, have reached a similar agreement.
San Jose Councilmembers Propose Marijuana Club Shutdowns
UPDATED 2:30pm Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and Councilmembers Rose Herrera, Sam Liccardo and Pete Constant proposed today shutting down 90 percent of the marijuana businesses in San Jose. The City’s Rules Committee will hear the proposal tomorrow, March 9. If approved, the ordinance will be sent to the City Council on March 29, 2011.
San Jose Firefighters Make Concessions
UPDATED WITH CORRECTION: Firefighters Union Local 230 and the city are on the verge of reaching an agreement that would reduce the deficit and possibly even get back some jobs. The most radical concession involves the introduction of a two-tiered retirement plan, and distinguishes between employees hired before and after the agreement is signed. It will be the first such plan for public employees in the entire country.
No Facts Behind Ugly Rumors About Oakland Chief Batts
A couple of days before Debra Figone finalized her selection of Chris Moore as the city’s next chief of police, councilman Sam Liccardo referred to the candidates’ race as “the elephant in the room”—Moore, acting chief for the last three months, is white while the other finalist, Oakland Chief of Police Anthony Batts, is black. The real “elephant in the room,” though, was an inflammatory online report by a small newspaper in Long Beach.
Is Employment Lands Framework Dead?
Tax Base Erosion Night lived up to its name last Tuesday at the Council meeting as a truck drove through the Employment Lands Framework. Council voted 8-3 to amend the General Plan and allow new townhouses instead of reserving land for jobs next to Santana Row. Thank you to Rose Herrera and Sam Liccardo for voting to hold the line and retain our tax base.
The End Is Nigh for Team San Jose
City Councilwoman Rose Herrera didn’t mince her words. “If we were the private sector we would be asking for resignations,” she said about Team San Jose, which runs the McEnery Convention Center and Visitors Bureau.
Councilman Sam Liccardo reported that when compared with six other similar-sized California cities, San Jose comes in dead last in the number of conventions booked. Meanwhile, special events like the Genghis Khan exhibition not only end up losing money—they have to be bailed out by the city. Yet shortly after CEO Dan Fenton informed the city that Team San Jose was $950,000 over budget, he went and gave bonuses to himself and his staff
Political Parties: Election Night Part 2
Though trailing to Xavier Campos, District 5 candidate Magdalena Carrasco’s election night party was nonetheless packed with about 100 exuberant wellwishers.
Downtown San Jose councilman Sam Liccardo attempted to set a mood for the evening: “You guys took on the machine, and I know your going to win tonight!,” Liccardo shouted, to a round of applause.
