San Jose Inside

This scandal doesn’t involve Ron Gonzales or Joe Guerra.  There’s no IT director or cost overruns or grand jury or even a garbage company in the story.  It’s hard to imagine, but yes it happened in San Jose.

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.

“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.”

“Every time I try to get out they pull me back in.”  So said Al Pacino playing the aging Michael Corleone while chewing all the scenery he could reach in Godfather Part III.

Move over, Al.

I was excited when I heard that Mayor Ron Gonzales was headed to Spring Training to make his case to Major League Baseball this weekend that San Jose is a major league city.  Then, I went to his website and … gulp … saw the photos.

“We CAN Carry San Francisco’s Jock!” Thousands Chant

In response to the debate regarding San Jose’s “greatness,” started by sanjoseinside.com bloggers and picked up by the San Jose Mercury News tens of thousands of people gathered at Taco Bell on Bascom Ave. to dispel the rumors of the city’s inadequacies.

If we really want the A’s playing ball in San Jose, we should put the right people at the table – not Bud Selig, the Commissioner who counts votes before acting; not Peter Magowan, the Giants owner who thinks the Giants territory was part of the original Spanish land grants.  Instead, we take the general managers, the A’s Billy Beane and the Giant’s Brian Sabean, and lock them in a room with enough food for 72 hours.  If we’re nice, we give them bathroom breaks. 

It is wonderful to dream—one of the freest and most enjoyable things in life.  Yet, dreams can be destructive and deflating if they substitute obsession, cant, or hype for reality. Dreams must not become your master.

The way that city officials, the Downtown Association and downtown business interests are blithely ignoring the oncoming crises of BART construction along the length of Santa Clara Street, reminds me of the horrible early scenes of the beach goers and vacationers in Thailand who failed to recognize the tsunami that was about to consume them.  But, is it merely a case of avoidance or is it foolishness?

A Rare Unanimous Vote Sends Tough Message

In a first for the city, San Jose Council members approved an extra $34,000 for the Mayor’s Annual speech to spend on over-the-counter stimulants known as No-Doze.  It will be distributed to audience members attending the Mayor’s State of the City Speech next Wednesday at the California Theater in the hopes of keeping everyone awake.

I like San Jose City Manager Del Borgsdorf.  I really do.  He was pleasant and cooperative during the year we worked together at City Hall.

Yeah, I know, most people treat you nicely when you work at a high level in the mayor’s office:  department heads return calls promptly, the janitor puts double ply toilet paper in the staff bathrooms, and cases of expensive wine mysteriously appear in your car trunk.  Okay, I’m only kidding about the wine—but not about the toilet paper or return calls or Del.

Throughout its history, San Jose has maintained a distinguished and courageous business community.  In times of crises, our business men and women have risen to the task when elected leaders were too craven or too corrupt to do the right thing.

One can only feel nauseous and disgusted learning that when a member of one of our most prominent business families is solicited for a bribe, what action is taken?  He calls Ticketmaster instead of the DA!