I would like to start by taking a different direction in the budget debate and bring up the matter of saving money at City Hall through conservation and converting San Jose into a green city fit for the 21st century. With a $3 billion budget, even a fragment of 1 percent saved would be a lot of money that could be used for other purposes. I know that steps have been taken in this direction, but a lot more could be done. Every city function should be regularly reviewed and monitored to reach and maintain maximum efficiency. I see lots of gas-guzzling SUVs and pickups with the city logo driving around. They should be replaced by hybrids or other alternative fuel vehicles as they wear out. All city buildings, works and public transportation should be converted to take advantage of modern technological innovations in cleaner, alternative power. The airport takes a huge portion of our budget and it should lead the way in conservation and green conversion. San Jose should actively set an example for our citizens and other cities around the country. This is the center of world technology. Let’s use it and show what it can do!
Outside of the public safety, infrastructure and transportation items that must take priority—police, fire, water, sewer, roads etc.—I would like to see some leadership from City Hall in three areas: health, civic education and quality of life.
The closing of the downtown San Jose Medical Center a few years ago left a huge gap that has not been filled. We need a first class downtown hospital and all the surrounding facilities that it brings with it. This will save lives and make sure the center of our city is adequately served while easing pressure on the outlying suburban institutions where emergency cases from the core must go now.
The city should provide a leadership role in education. The library system is a good focus, but it requires proper funding for staff, purchase of materials and running public education programs. The library buildings can easily be used to house the educational programs, and the executive staff can take the lead in initiatives to provide citizens with information and classes to improve their lives and ours. Improving health through exercise and nutrition, improving the environment through better living, voter and citizenship issues—the list goes on and on—would raise civic awareness and help our city become smarter.
The wild card is the quality of life issue. Everyone has a similar list of priorities but not all in the same order. However, this is one of the most publicly visible areas and goes to the heart of our citizenry. Pools, parks and recreational facilities are certainly at the top of the list, as we have discussed here before. The central Guadalupe Park and its trails need to be completed and properly maintained. The Museum of Art, Tech Museum, Children’s Museum, the Rep and California theaters (including the opera, ballet and symphony) are great cultural centerpieces for our city. While private and corporate sources will continue to provide much of the funding for these institutions, the city must take oversight responsibility to insure their success and constantly monitor their operations for problems that can be nipped in the bud.
If we get these matters right, then not only will we have a well-run city, but a smarter, healthier, cleaner and more enjoyable one as well.
I like these ideas Jack. Seems funding is still an issue however. Maybe we should look closer at Lew Wolff’s theory of urban development. Any new project that that have community benefits by addressing established goals and priorities should be released from the burden of having to pay taxes. This can work in many areas.
The lobbyists can then use their creativity to help establish what community goals should be. Then they would be move loveable.
Anyone know who Wolfe’s lobbyists is?
Jack, this is right on target. But I have a concern about the personnel who are doing an oversight function that you call for. Within the next 3 few months San Jose will have 5 brand
new councilpeople,a new mayor, a new vice mayor and a new city manager. This is not to mention numerous assistants,deputy department heads and staff positions,many of whom will never have served in a public position before. The way it looks we will have a majority of newbies running things.
I know that some of this was needed but as we
tackle these quality-of-life issues going forward, it would be nice to see a continuity
perserved. I hope we can keep this in mind in
the few “new hires” positions(both elected and not) that we still need to fill this year.
Anyone read Rich Robinson’s latest rant? It’s another one about Chuck Reed, definitely more critical towards him than the last one. I’m pretty sure everyone here will have an opinion on it.
http://rant.sv411.com
How long will Reed’s honeymoon last with Mercury, Metro, Democratic Central Committee. other Democrats, Chamber, developers, labor, neighborhoods, City Council members, city staff, Cindy supporters like Rich and public?
Looks like for Rich the Reed honeymoon is over if it even began with some SJI bloggers having questions
What are the bets for honeymoon end for the other groups?
San Jose does not have money to pay for adequate basic city services – public safety, code enforcement, library, parks, community centers, pools, city staff etc – the long list goes on
So, why are we giving money to non profits and community groups like Museum of Art, Tech Museum, Children’s Museum, the Rep and California theaters (including the opera, ballet and symphony) while while they are great cultural centerpieces for our city are private groups which should be supported by private and corporate sources?
It is not city’s responsibility to insure their success or constantly provide funding for these institutions. If we have extra money ok but for every dollar given to non city groups we have less city services, public safety and other city services which was a clear message from teh voters and taxpayers to Mayor and San Jose City Council
San Jose is and will continue for years to be in budget short situation therefore the city should only take oversight for city services, staff and buildings some of which these groups use and the city should only pay in exceptional cases for maintaining the city buildings not operational expenses until we have adequate city services and staff
Have private sector, foundations or attendees pay for arts, theater etc and if so these groups will put on events people want to attend and are willing to pay a greater cost of the event and prevent gross mis-managment and unpopular events and performances
Let attendees and market not government support these groups
Dear San Jose:
I think that Jack’s right, city functions should be reviewed and with such a large budget, surely savings can be found. I recall that Candidate Mulchay was calling for audits in every city department.
Maintain the parks, fix the streets, repair the swimming pools. Get back to basics and stop using the public trust to underwrite private risk. And, to the citizens of San Jose: be sure to shop within the city’s limits…don’t send your tax money to another city whenever possible.
Pete Campbell
I agree with poster #5 completely! Why are we funding “PRIVATE” non-profits like Team San Jose who oversees the San Jose Convention Center??? Why is this happening with tax payers money and why is the city getting involved with these groups in the first place? I was downtown the other day and the Convention Center looked horrible. The paint is fading, The windows are dirty, the Awning’s were literaly torn to shreds… Where is the money going to keep up on maintenance? This new city aministration better take a deep look of who old Ron “Dis’honor” got the city involved with and what other kind of deals he had made that were illegal. Reed better heed the recommendation of the public. I and many others will be watching how this administration deals with using our tax dollars for someone elses profit, namely the special intersts groups… I’m still at a loss of why money is being given out when the budget is $390 milloin into the red? How do you explain that???? This act of lunacy needs to stop and never happen again.
The closure of the old San Jose Medical Center is something that, I believe, could be easily fixed with some “outside the box” thinking. (hits self with sack of nickels – OUCH! Hmph…)
IIRC, the hospital building itself meets seismic codes, the main problem was its lack of size. If most of the infrastructure is still there, then perhaps a new entity could be born.
Consider: UC-Santa Cruz Medical Center, modeled on a similar fashion as the UC-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
Nuts? Perhaps. Nuts enough to work?
Will anyone even ask the question?
We should expect Chief Davis to revamp his requests to call for even more officers than he requested a short while back, now that he has caved in to the tree police in Willow Glen and has promised them that now cops will respond to the WG busybodies whenever a tree is getting cut.
Let’s see, (1)we can keep the same # of cops, and divert them from responding to rapes, murders, assaults, robberies, gang stuff, injury auto accidents, burglaries, etc. just so they can scurry over to Willow Glen to make sure some poor homeowner has a permit to cut a tree on HIS LAND, without his busybody neighbors calling the boys in blue to stop this heinous crime. Or (2)we can add even more cops to Chief Davis’ request—maybe even have a special detail to watch over WG’s trees—The Willow Glen Tree Savers Squad. They’ll need at least ten sworn officers, a couple of Seagents, a Lieutenant, and maybe even a Captain, who’ll all retire in 30 years on disability pensions from the tension of racing over to protect a falling sycamore, and the horror of being too late. Post Treematic Stress Disorder, for sure.
What’s next—my neighbor doesn’t like the way I pruned my trees in my back yard, so out come the cops? Will we need a permit to prune every spring? OOOh, there’s a way to raise revenue to pay for the new tree police squad.
Let’s get Leslie Nielsen to star in the movie. We can shoot it right in good old WG. OOOps, that would cause too much traffic—which is the only thing Willow Glenners hate more that tree choppers.
I can’t believe all the kow-towing politicos who came scurrying out to handle the earth-shattering problem of three trees down as soon as the politically savvy and loud WG’s beckoned. San Jose is falling apart at the seams, but police chief, mayor, a bunch of council types all came for the photo-op/gripe session.