Here at SJI we believe blogging about local issues is our civic duty. Traditionally, weekends are devoted to the random pieces of wit and wisdom we call Rants and Raves. This week, Rants and Raves continues its sabbatical to make room for pre-election opinionizing. The questions: Valley Med? BART? VTA? Yes or no? And why?
Your search for transportation returned 740 results
Green Yes. Red No.
About a month ago, I came upon a car accident at a signalized intersection. One car was completely flipped over and on the opposite side of the road. The other car was spun around in the intersection. I stopped to speak to people on the scene and the police. Apparently, a middle-aged driver blatantly ran a red light, striking the other car and flipping it over. Luckily, no one died.
In 2006, almost 900 Americans were killed and an estimated 144,000 were injured in crashes that involved red-light runners. About half of the deaths in red-light-running crashes are pedestrians and occupants in other vehicles.
State Props 1A & 2
Over the next couple of weeks, SJI will be presenting a series of endorsements of the state propositions and local measures that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. These were written by reporters and editors at Metro and its sister-publications, and are presented here not so much to preach any one point of view, but more to spur conversation and debate. Of course we are counting on all of you to contribute your two-cents worth.
Whatever It Is, I’m Against It
Food for Thought
Your proposition may be good
But let’s have one thing understood—
Whatever it is, I’m against it!
With the approach of every election with state propositions to consider, I start hearing Groucho Marx singing “Whatever it is, I’m Against It” from Horsefeathers in my head. That’s exactly how I feel when I look through the 12 propositions on this year’s ballot. Why are we even being asked to consider most of them?
The Da Vinci Mode
Last week saw the opening of “Leonardo: 500 Years Into the Future,” a comprehensive awe-inspiring glimpse into the mind of the ultimate Renaissance man, showing at the Tech Museum for the next three months. San Jose is the only place in the United States where this exhibit is being shown and you will need at least two hours to fully take in all the life-size models, artifacts, drawings, displays, interactive machines, explanations, video and scrupulous documentation of Da Vinci’s ideas and inventions.
Rules and More Rules
Last week I visited the Rules and Open Government Committee which sets the agenda for upcoming Council meetings. The Rules Committee includes Mayor Reed, three councilmembers, the City Attorney, City Manager and the Redevelopment Agency (RDA). The purpose of my visit was that two memos that I wrote were going to be heard.
The first memo was to request that the city update it’s travel policy by using technology. I asked that the “travel request” form include a question asking if the proposed trip could be done via a “web meeting.” And if not, why not?
San Jose Invades Milpitas
Thousands of Milpitans Flee to Alviso
The Milpitas Post reported late Thursday that San Jose’s Honor Guard, backed by thousands of City Team peacekeepers and a bevy of Taiko drummers, invaded the small hamlet of Milpitas, resulting in several dangerous clashes with their loyal and brutal band of Minutemen left over from the city’s War of Independence in 1954.
Grading San Jose Parks, Streets and Libraries
How do San Jose city services compare to other South Bay cities?
Cortese vs. VTA
San Jose Vice Mayor Dave Cortese recently fired off a guest column in the Evergreen Times, hammering the Valley Transportation Authority (he sits on the board) for suspending progress on the Eastridge light rail extension in his district. Cortese says the $334 million project was promised to voters when they approved Measure A, the sales tax measure for a variety of transportation projects, in 2000.
BART: The Sequel
I thought that arenas and baseball stadiums brought out the most dramatic, intense, and even incendiary discussions, but I stand corrected—for now. It seems that currently in our valley, the mention of BART is enough to send many normally sane blokes to the ramparts, girded for battle.
BART Or No BART?
Well, we are on the cusp of another big decision about the future of our valley and our region. Are we going to commit to the biggest transportation project in our history and vote to approve a one-eighth-cent sales tax to raise billions of dollars in a push for rail transit?
Evergreen Ever Growing
City Hall Diary
Vice Mayor Dave Cortese wins the prize for having the most historical knowledge of his district. I had the opportunity to tour District 8 with the vice mayor and get a better understanding of the land we call Evergreen and its agricultural history.
Will We Ever Have BART?
There has been much discussion on this site about BART coming to San Jose from the very beginning. The latest effort to fund the project, a one-eighth-cent sales tax proposal on the November ballot, has brought the issue back into the news and I thought we might take the opportunity to debate the initiative. (There is a very good article by Erin Sherbert in Metro this week that brings the matter up to date.)
Sign of the Times
Your City At Work (Sort Of)
QUESTION: How many San Jose city employees does it take to remove illegal signs? ANSWER: Zero—they don’t do this sort of thing.
The 2008-2009 Budget
City Hall Diary
The city council spent 12 hours on “Budget Tuesday” last week. Here are three of the topics we covered.
Like Berkeley and Santa Cruz?
City Hall Diary
Berkeley and Santa Cruz have a reputation of voting on proclamations or supporting causes that are outside their domains, such as the independence of Tibet, the genocide in Darfur, and federal issues like immigration or going to war. Topics like these are worthy of discussion on a blog, in person, or for our elected officials in Washington DC. However, is it the best use of time dealing with these at a level where you have limited influence instead of spending time on what you can really make an impact on? Like the “City” Council meetings?
