Sales tax

A Conversation with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed: Part I

San Jose Inside editor Josh Koehn sat down for a interview last week with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. In the first part of their conversation, the two discuss the city's controversial pension reforms, the depleted police ranks, the current mayor's race, San Jose's lawsuit with Major League Baseball and Reed's insistence that he's not a closet Republican.

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Xavier Campos Pushes Half-Cent Sales Tax to Hire More Police

San Jose Councilman Xavier Campos has proposed a half-cent sales tax measure so the city can hire more police officers. “Ideally, no one would want to increase taxes,” he writes in a memo going before the Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday. “However, this council has worked before on making tough fiscal decisions to increase services to our citizens.”

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Sam Liccardo Wants Residents to Register Surveillance Cameras with Police

To catch the alleged serial arsonist who plagued downtown San Jose earlier this month, police relied on surveillance footage shared by residents to identify the suspect. Councilman Sam Liccardo is using that incident as a pitch to convince the public to submit their security camera footage to a central database monitored by law enforcement. Other items on the agenda include Councilman Xavier Campos’ half-cent sales tax proposal to restore police positions and Johnny Khamis asking for permission to kill more wild pigs in Almaden.

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Measure D: Add It to the Tab

The new minimum wage law, Measure D, will take effect March 11, 2013. Many business owners I have spoken with plan to cover the increase in payroll costs by raising prices, reducing the hours of current employees and, in some case, simply eliminating positions altogether. But there is another option.

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Council Meeting Focuses on Ballot Initiatives

The first City Council meeting of the 2012-13 fiscal year Tuesday will feature votes on approving language for three major ballot initiatives for November: a sales and use tax increase, a proposal to raise the city’s minimum wage, and an increase in the number of card tables at the city’s two casinos.

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The Councilmember as an Observer

As a councilmember, I interact with many different people on a regular basis and have a chance to observe the different stages of life. One day I might meet a newly engaged couple and, behold, they are married with kids who attend the local elementary school. Or it could be a young family and the next thing I know I am shaking their son or daughter’s hand at a high school graduation ceremony.

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