Alright, alright people! Not enough politics on this site? Well here is my two cents on the political scene, Single Gal style (as I am sipping Mai Tais in a tropical location far from San Jose). Here are a couple of quick, initial thoughts on the candidates before the real fun begins!
Cyndi Chavez – She is a nice woman, a good talker and she makes you believe in what she says. When I first heard her, she made me have faith in our city, yet her handling of the Gonzales scandals is not something I admire. She should have been tough on him and relentless in demanding that he leave office. She tries to say all the right things, but doesn’t really back it up with action. I associate her with Gonzales more than any other candidate.
Chuck Reed – I like him. He is accomplished and his resume is impressive. I feel he is tough and fair, but I probably know the least about him than all the established candidates. Call it just a gut feeling, but I just don’t see him as the next mayor.
Dave Cortese – I like his thinking. I get behind his message about ethics, concerns about urban sprawl and views on how San Jose needs to change. I know he is a huge proponent of the A’s moving to San Jose, which might not be a big issue to some, but is a huge one to me. He seems that he could accomplish good things for our city. His personality can be a little dry, but I think he would get things done, unlike our current space-filler.
Michael Mulcahy –His success in real estate shows that he has a mind for business and he will probably adapt that approach to being mayor. However, while I admire his desire to get involved to help his city, jumping right in to the most important job in town is a little bit of a stretch for me. I just don’t see this happening, though I think his entry will cloud the race.
David Pandori – He is honest, respected and tough—you don’t deal with the scum of society in the D.A.’s office by being a pushover. I think the fact that he stepped away from politics for a time will benefit him and allow him to be a clear thinker. You can often see from afar what is wrong better than you can if you are mired in a problem. I think that he will boost downtown and make some hard decisions when necessary. You will never see the ethical mistakes that Gonzales made if David Pandori is in office.
Every one of these candidates would provide leadership that would be an improvement on the pathetic administration of Ron Gonzales. The only direction we can go is up….
Until next time, I’m the Single Gal.
If David Pandori is no-growth, no-development of Coyote Valley then he’s got my vote. I wasn’t happy about the answers any of the others gave regarding Coyote Valley in today’s Merc-News.
When and if the DA ever files a report on the Norcal deal, Cindy Chavez will not be long for this world. She has been a partner with Gonzo in many of the ethical “lapses” and back room deals. The unions are driving the Council and need Cindy to continue the Gonzo legacy.
I’m sorry to say, but Cindy is a clone. She is incapable of criticizing Gonzo/Guerra. After the summer primary, all but one of the other candidates will return to their usual routines. The real race starts in June.
Based on the articles that were penned by Phil Yost and Scott Herhold over the past weekend, I sent the following email to Scott Herhold. (A different one went to Phil Yost)
Scott
You seem to be making a habit of leaving some people off the roster when you pen your articles.
I hope this doesn’t keep going on the entire election cycle?
Larry Flores is running for Mayor as well.
http://www.larryfloresformayor.com/home/index.html
Your article today neglected to mention him.
With exclusion from reporters though, I am starting to wonder if the media is in bed with the government right here in San Jose, too.
Can you explain this to us?…..I have ccd Larry and an SJI comment maker. Considering you are quoting the Pandori Blog at San Jose Inside, I would think you would have read the part where Larry Flores link is. I have also ccd Phil Yost who made the same mistake in today’s paper.
Herhold’s response this morning is
Mr. Kyne, as I’m sure you’re aware, it says “in my opinion’’ at the top of the column. My first mission isn’t to fairness, although I hope to be that too. It’s to have a point of view.
Scott
Now, besides the fact that I am trying to figure out if the Mercury will cover the District 3 race at all, and determine how much the current faction is paying off the paper; I have become very concerned that the journalists readily admit journalism is now opinions and not facts. And sadly, there is no obligation to fairness!
Should we demand facts or opinions from the journalists regarding the upcoming Mayoral election? Should we demand an opinion on all the candidates or just the ones that Scott is authorized to mention? Is an opinion what we are looking for? Considering the source?
Yes, Mr. Herrera was excluded here on Single Gal’s post, so was Mr. Flores. I don’t know much about either of them as most people don’t. Are they entitled to equal coverage in the newpaper? At San Jose Inside?
Are we ok with the journalists self authorizing theselves to be unfair and opinionated? To be exclusionary beyond explanation?
My opinion: The judicial arm can’t enfore the Brown Act. The legislative branch (Cortese and Reed) can’t get the executive (ron-g) to quit commiting crimes either. And the fourth check (Herhold) isn’t interested in being fair and considers it the job of journalists to promote personal agendas and opinions.
Where will be in another 8 years if the fourth check on government goes to sleep as Scott has done?
Poor Larry Flores.
Not too memorable, I guess…
If Cindy is elected I think it will be the same stuff different day.
Dear San Jose/Single Gal:
In the Sunday issue of the Mercury News, Reporter Phil Yost wrote the following about candidate Chavez: “She is a natural to capture the bulk of the Latino Voters.” But Mr. Yost did not explain why Ms. Chavez is “a natural” to capture more latino voters, nor did he cite any endorsement that she has received from any latino-based organization.
Are we to conclude that latinos will “naturally” vote for Ms. Chavez simply because of her surname? I know, firsthand, that many “latino voters” are planning to vote for Chuck Reed for mayor for the simple reason that Mr. Reed voted against the city government’s attempted takeover of the Tropicana Shopping Center. (Ms. Chavez voted for it).
Is it possible that “latino voters” (and women for that matter) will vote like everyone else, and simply select the person that they view to be the best possible candidate?
Pete Campbell
(Campbell is a volunteer with the Reed Campaign. The views expressed here are his own).
Finally Singel Gal shows some insight. Your take on the candidates isn’t bad. You certainly got Cindy right—nice woman who is in so deep with the GonzoGuerra form of government that any hope for an open administration would vanish if she were elected. Pandori is indeed the only candidate who is addressing the out of control plans for N. SJ and Coyote Valley. If you want more and more development and the loss of more and more of our dwindling agricultural open space, then vote for any of the other candidates. If you want to see the runaway sprawl curtailed and common sense returned to our planning process, then David is your only choice.
#5 – There is a difference between a columnist (which Scott is) and a reporter. Your arguments would have more validity if aimed at the news desk and not at the desk of a columnist.
Re: #3, Dan, those answers on Coyote Valley were fairly predictable, especially from status quo Cindy. I have not been inclined to vote for Chuck at any point since he announced his candidacy, his answers on Coyote Valley struck me as the worst of the bunch and as a result I won’t even consider him.
Coyote Valley needs to stay as is until we have absolutely exhausted all the resources for development within the urban sevice area. This isn’t the only issue upon which I’ll make my decision, but the candidate who feels Coyote Valley should be left alone will have my attention.
And even though this blog is about San Jose, anybody who likes a nice salad with their dinner, or enjoys an artichoke or a strawberry once in a while, should be very concerned about what’s happening in the Watsonville & Salinas areas.
Dennis #5. You misinterpret the difference between opinion columns and news coverage.
Perhaps the lack of coverage for Mr. Flores is the result of 1) His absence of specific proposals put forward in his web site. 2) His reluctance to do the work necessary to advance his candidacy. 3) His lack of any substantial community support.
Sometimes non-coverage of fringe candidates is not the result of a big media conspiracy; it’s a reasonable reaction to the circumstances.
dennis kyne needs to read scott herholds’ e-mail to him once more. there’s a difference between an opinion piece and a news story. i’ve known scott for nearly two decades. he’s politically astute and definitely not asleep on the job./ellie molloy
Your ahead of me, I don’t know anything about the canidates..
Marginal candidates for Mayor or district races only get press or public attention if are ” news worthy ” by defining local important issues and demonstrate they or their advisors understanding important local issues and propose reasonable politically acceptable solutions
So far, none of the marginal candidates based their speeches, web sites and literature have done anything that is
Mark T, I think we’re on the same team. I mentioned Watsonville, Castroville, etc because of what’s happening there which is similar to what happened to San Jose. If people object to outsourcing our food production then there must be a way to produce it rather than pave over all the agricultural areas. I think what’s happening to our hilltops and hillsides is hideous. No more natural beauty only houses.
Single Gal,
For the record I am Latino and won’t be voting for Cindy Chavez (I’m not a big fan of Gonzo’s either). Like you, I am a huge proponent of bringing Major League Baseball to San Jose, so I’m leaning toward Cortese or Mulcahy. I think both candidates would also represent a fresh start for City Hall (more so with Mulcahy), and be able to effectively take care of other problems in our city…like repaving the streets of my parents Seven Trees neighborhood.
Single Gal,
Great insightful comments.
Can we expect the major San Jose Mayor candidates to be invited soon to write SJI Blog comments?
Have any candidates declined because of our uncensored comments?
Many of us would probably we interested in an occasional informal open invitation San Jose Inside gathering in downtown for drinks and political discussion and debate.
No one needs to identify themselves except as SJI readers unless they want to
What do you or others think?
Good idea Ed,
I would be all in favor of meeting the candidates in an informal, chat session. Set it up and I would be very happy to attend. However, in my case the drinks would have to be coffee. I don’t care if people know who I am, I’d be there.
So, to all those critics of single gal’s blog—Shaddupp!! Girl’s got insights.
To the various bloggers lamenting Coyote Valley’s development: HHHmmm, we criticize under DEVELOPED countries as being third world nothings, yet we also criticize developers, who do nothing more than bring places to live and shop and be enterntained to those of us who just won’t stop breeding. As long as people have kids, we’ll have top develop places for them to live, work, shop, and play. Personally, other than it’s emptiness, I see nothing special about Coyote Valley.
No growth people do not live in the world that is. Growth is inevitable unless we get a zero birth rate. So, let’s grow smart. Nobody visits Coyote Valley as some sort of sylvan open space except a few tree huggers and bicyclists passing through. The crops they bring us are not even a drop in the bucket. Their loss would never be felt in the open market. The landowners in the green zone are getting screwed out of value that neighboring landowners get. For what? To save a salamander? Gimme a break!
Re mayors race—Wow. What posseses all these new candidates to run? Cindy has the labor vote locked, despite her being a yes-woman for the Gonzo. So, except for Herrera who has little or no constituency, the other candidates are just dividing up the non-Cindy vote, assuring her of top position in the primary, and then all the bargaining begins for endorsements by the losers of the second place guy.
Mulcahy’s only chance is to convincde the apathetic masses to go to the polls to vote for the only candidate who is an outsider as a backlash to the Gonzo/Guerra era.
Pandori is a former insider, who was an outsider when he was inside. So does he get the McEnery fundraising machine? What does he bring to the dance that vaults him to the top spot—excuse me, second spot behind Cindy—in the primary?
All the egos need to go away, and run one person in the primary against Cindy, ‘cuz that’s where the battle is. Single issue candidates (like, save coyote valley, or screw the developers types) will just spend money and get nowhere.
# 14 Political and Media etc makes a long but good point
How do our Mayor reform candidates expect to actually pass reforms with current City Council majority returning. Only 2 Council contested races (District 1 & 3) and so far Council has only passed limited reforms
New Mayor + who ? = ??
3 Big Questions for Reform candidates
When will we see your actual proposed reforms?
Who do you expect to vote with you to get 6 or more of 11 votes?
What do you stand for or propose other than reforms?
I like Ed Rast’s idea of an informal political discussion held downtown and propose it be held monthly starting March through May. Invite District 3 and Mayoral candidates to these political roundtable discussions or have two such events per month, one for each race. I would also like to see on SJI a calendar of upcoming forums for both races so that SJI readers can attend and meet the candidates in person. Political discussion, whether in cyberspace, Town Hall or in a pub, is good democracy.
Should Cindy be elected as our next mayor, listen for that gigantic sucking sound as anything and everything will be swept up in a vortex and located in the Downtown district.
Oh Single Gal you just cant win. Now you’re going to hear from the Herrera supporters asking why you excluded him.
Otherwise, I’d say that at this early stage you and I are more or less on the same page about this crop of candidates.
19 & 20: Want open space? Jump on a plane and look down. It remains the VAST majority of our land mass.
So we don’t build in Coyote Valley so a few elitists can wander about someone else’s open fields and forests. Where do we build instead—father away from jobs? So then we have more people driving more cars from greater distances to get to work. That’s really environmentally sound.
#24 – You have an interesting view of those who believe our environment is worth saving and enjoying. Elitists? I guess the common folk developers who pave over the land for profit are just your everyday kind of folks, but those who believe there should be a balance when it comes to planning and development are “elitists.” Too bad you feel that way—there is much to enjoy in Coyote and other undeveloped areas. I guess you haven’t joined the “elitists” in their “club” to find out just what you are missing.
Also, what makes you think that development in Coyote won’t be an environmental disaster when it comes to traffic? How do you think all those people will get to jobs? you don’t really think all those living in Coyote will actually work there do you?
JohnM O’C, I sure glad you made your “pave it over” philosophy known. I know how to evaluate your opinion on issues now. I can only agree with “Wondering”s blog.
I’m always amazed at folks like #19 to think progress only means paving over our last areas of open space. They love to toss out words like “tree huggers” like it’s a bad thing to want to preserve agricultural lands for future generations. Then #19 indicates it’s fine to destroy the fragile ecosystem (”…For what? To save a salamander? Gimme a break! “) Those who feel they are justified to steamroll and pave over the land in the name of “progress” just don’t get it—planning must be a balance between growth and slow or no growth. The answer to the question of progress is not always to build, build, build. Sometimes, to preserve the quality of life, and yes, a salamander, we have to step back and say no to development. Tossing out insults at those who are willing to stand up and say enough is enough will not solve the problem.
Maybe #19 can think about current and future generations a little more, and developing our last areas of open space a little less.
Getting 6 votes is key. Who will have the best chance to bring another voice other than labor to the table. If either Reed or Cortese win it will still be Chuck and Dave on one side. Now if Michael Mulcahy or David Pandori win and some of the council seats move away from the Gonzo clan there may be a chance of Chuck and Dave having 1 or 2 votes on their side. I know in District 1 Jay James has support of Labor.
No, wondering # 25, I don’t think all the people living in Coyote will actuall work there. I do believe lots of folks who work around here somewhere will move from Los Banos and other distant places to Coyote, and keep a lot of pollutants out of the air by significantly shortening their drives to work.
Ecology is a system of balance. The save the salamander folks are not always balanced, and are often one trick ponies.
But the bottom line for me remains the same—if you want to preserve a piece of land, take a clue from the Sempervirens Fund—raise money and buy it. It’s way too easy for folks with no economic interest in a piece of ground to pontificate about its use. That’s why I call many—not all-of you elitists.
It is my understanding that the city of San Jose had a well thought out future for San Jose and it’s neighboring communities. It was put together by some of the best minds prior to the current administration at city hall. Somewhere along the line, most of those plans for smart controlled growth were discarded without regard or consideration to all those people and communities, who spent many valuable hours and effort for a better future. For my money, Pandori is the only candidate who is ready and willing to honor our previous commitments to the people of San Jose, and to our neighboring communities.