A study released this week by The Daily Beast revealed that San Jose has the longest life expectancy of any major American city. The study examined lifespan data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention going back ten years, and found that local men live to be 79.2, on average, while women live to be 82.9.
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No More Education Cuts
I ended last week’s column with this wish, “vote yes on increasing funding for the children in 2011.” For me the yearning is as serious as life and death. How we treat our children will be correlated with the quality of our lives in the future. And for me the future is now.
City Passes Plastic Bag Ban
At its meeting yesterday, the San Jose City Council passed the most stringent ban on plastic bags in the Bay Area. Stores will no longer be allowed to hand out plastic bags in 2012, with the exception of restaurants and second hand shops. With this ban, San Jose will be following the lead of ten other cities in California, including Palo Alto, Oakland and San Francisco.
Political Parties: Election Night 2010
Blue skies and 75-degree temperatures were good news for Democrats, who generally lose a couple of points in bad weather, academic researchers concluded in a recent study.
Still, we have to ask the question, “What were voters smoking?” The state voted not to legalize pot, but in 420-friendly San Jose, we voted to tax it anyway, by a 4-to-1 margin. And we re-elected that crazy ole Jerry Brown over the eBay scold who got confused. “Election?” Meg Whitman must have been saying. “I thought you said auction.” No Meg, high bids don’t win. Maybe someday democracy will come with a blue “Buy It Now” button.
No Romance Without Finance
Did you ever have a romantic relationship with someone that tested you in one way or another? Maybe you or someone you know dated or are dating a person where at first the relationship was great. You were carefree and really enjoying yourself—but suddenly realized that some of your actions have consequences?
Bring Back the Vo-Tech
The Pomp and Circumstance March is echoing from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Universities across the nation have been issuing tens of thousands of parchment diplomas this month while final plans are being made for high school commencements and grad nights. With each newly issued high school and university diploma comes a time for each graduate to ponder the next stage of life.
With the unemployment rate at over 10 percent in California and Silicon Valley, too many newly minted college graduates will not have an easy time in securing a job in the area of their undergraduate course of study. At the same time, high school graduates are having an increasingly difficult time securing student slots at community colleges and public universities due to the state’s economic crisis
Shirakawa Hosts AIDS Benefit
County Supervisor George Shirakawa Jr. doesn’t seem like the sort of guy to turn down a good steak, especially when it’s for a good cause. Shirakawa has invited the public to join him at Maceio Brazilian Steak House in downtown San Jose this evening, as part of the Dining Out for Life event to benefit local HIV/AIDS services.
No More Happy Meals
This just in…the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors have decided to take their concerns about “junk food” a step further. Here’s an excerpt from their next press release:
FROM THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
SAN JOSE, Wednesday, March 31-For Immediate Release: Henceforth, all donuts, cakes, and cookies sold in Santa Clara County must remain unsprinkled. We believe that sprinkles on donuts, cakes, and cookies entice children to eat more. While not a part of this new legislation, bakers and cake decorators are also encouraged to refrain from using bright-colored frostings. We recommend an increased use of white colored frostings and battleship-gray. We thank you in advance for your cooperation. Now go jog a few laps.
San Jose 2010 State of the City Address
Full text of San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s 2010 State of the City Address, delivered February 18, 2010 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.
Downtown to City: Wake Up and Smell the Caffeine
This week’s Metro Silicon Valley cover story, excerpted here, discusses a stimulus plan authored by Councilmember Sam Liccardo and three colleagues, and the reaction of downtown businesses to the city’s efforts to reawaken a downtown economy that went off-track.
Are The Raiders Coming To Santa Clara?
Last week, KLIV Radio reported that NBC Sports has learned that the National Football League is encouraging both the 49ers and the Raiders to play in the proposed Santa Clara Stadium. Will the Raiders and 49ers both call Santa Clara home?
The possibility of the Raiders (or another team) making partial or full use of the Santa Clara Stadium is not really “news.” The E.I.R. and Stadium Term Sheet both allowed for the possibility. The Stadium Term Sheet reads, “49ers Stadium Company will have the right to enter into a sublease with a second NFL team, on terms and conditions consistent with and subject to the stadium lease. Conditions of repayment to the city, forgiveness of advances, and additional revenues to the City of Santa Clara are defined in the term sheet’s outline of conditions.
Policing and Downtown’s Emerging Nighttime Culture
Much of the news in recent days has been dominated by the issues surrounding the San Jose Police Department. Last week, several colleagues and I sought greater transparency and disclosure of police reports, but by a 5-6 margin,we narrowly failed to persuade our colleagues to adopt the ordinance proposed by the “Sunshine” Task Force. On Sunday, the Mercury News released a video documenting the use of force by SJPD officers in the arrest of San Jose State University student Phoung Ho. Ash Kalra, Madison Nguyen, and I immediately called for a full investigation and—if any criminal charges of the officers are sought—a grand jury process open to public view.
Bag Ban in the Works
San Jose moved one step closer yesterday to implementing a citywide Bring Your Own Bag policy. A four-member City Council committee voted unanimously to prohibit grocery stores and major retailers from handing out plastic bags to their customers. Taking the issue one step further, they also voted to ban most paper bags, unless they are made of at least 50 percent recycled material. Even then, customers will be required to pay a fee in order to receive the paper bags.
Worth the Cover Charge
The 20th San Jose Jazz Festival was a shining success—for itself, and also for Downtown San Jose. The festival showcased straight-up jazz, Latin jazz, blues, and Brazilian music, at outdoor stages scattered throughout the Downtown. Many of the Downtown hotels were filled with visitors, which means money for the City of San Jose in the form of transit occupancy tax (TOT). Forty percent of this tax goes to the general fund, and the balance is split between the convention center, cultural facilities, cultural grants and arts groups.
Health Care Debate is Lopsided
Lost in the ongoing debate for a national health care system are questions of personal responsibility. If we as a nation accept and require that everyone should receive health care services, shouldn’t there be some minimal standards of responsibility to help the program along?
Cruising With Team Campos
Although I was born and raised in San Jose, my visits to the East Side were not commonplace. As a kid, I was advised of general safety issues about the East Side and was warned not to go “there” at night. My father taught English to adult immigrants on the East Side for about half his teaching career, and I used to accompany him when my school was closed. I would sit in the back and meet his students from all over the world. In high school I would go to East Side high school sporting events, remembering that I needed to be careful—at least that is what I was told.
