Councilman Williams Vows To “Git ’r Done”
Following through on his promise to save a costly police substation pledged to his district, Councilman Forrest Williams offered a compromise to the council that kept the project within budget by eliminating the public art element, ammunition and squad cars.
“I said I would find a way to ‘git ‘r done,’” said Mr. Williams. “And if these cops can go without bullets and cars for awhile, they can certainly do without the foo-foo, artsy-smartsy crap.”
But experts were divided on what effect this would have on the morale of the force.
“Great cities have art. Great cities have bullets. Great cities have cool, fast cop cars,” said Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio. “This is no way to keep a project funded.”
Bobby Lopez, President of the Police Officer’s Association, agreed with Mr. Oliverio and added that, “if we get a call, how are we supposed to racially profile the perpetrators if we can’t get there, shoot ‘em and then ask questions?”
The city council has yet to decide if they will actually approve the use of police officers at the substation or if they will use Team San Jose to staff the joint.
John,
I like you opening the subject of great cities have… This subject is long overdue.
San Jose it seems has just entered the realm of beconing a great city, but we have a long way to go.
Great Cities have large corporate sponcers active in building a culture in a city. It`s not just the city government`s responsibility. We are in it together.
We have more fortune 500 companies in San Jose/Santa Clara County than many large and larger cities our size. The problem is they have not matured yet, they are all relatively young. We need a group similar to the Silicon Valley Leadership group that participates in our cities cultural growth. Until this happens we wil not be looked at as a great city.
Look at our bueatiful downtown developing.It`s comming along great. We have a good light rail system that needs to be developed. We need a light rail system that links all of our neighborhoods with downtown San Jose, bringing everyone downtown for all types of activities. Downtown could use a large department store like Bloomingdales or…
The City needs to do its thing to. Look at our bus system, we have the noisest buses running around the city speading particulate matter all over the place. We need a Hybrid buss fleet. San Francisco has ordered 86, Alameda County has them, I saw them even in Emeryville, San Mateo County has them. We call ourselves the high tec capitol, but we have low tec buses.
We should be a leader in “Green Cities” but San Francisco is in the top five in the world. Adobe won a world wide award for their Green City High rise but thats all, we were never in the top 25.
Look at our roads, we`re #1 in the top ten worst roads in the country. Richmond Ca. and oakland are in the top 10 crime cities, and San Jose is close behind.
We need to get with the program.
Maybe they could approve its use as former Mayor Gonzo’s office for his lobbying activities.
John,
Forgot one or two items. Great cities have great well supplied police departments. We`ve been told we are operating a SJPD at 1994 levels.
Again look at San Francisco,they have a full staffed PD and have added a special BART police Dept. staffed with a seperate police chief and 206 officers (we`re short 399 officers for a city our size). recently San Francisco has added to the DART PD three more special units; a undercover unit to ride the trains, a canine unit to sniff out drugs and bombs from criminals and terrorist, and a bicycle unit to police the BART parking lots.
Are we falling apart,or falling behind a lot? Alameda County and San Francisco County cities have added extensive high tec photo radar units at several major intersections, San Francisco has decided to add more.
Secondly, Your brother should have continued his political carrer, he should have reached the U.S. Senate by now. Norm is going to retire soon and San Jose, a major city of our size, 10th in the US will have no one in Washington high up. Dianne Fienstien is not looking out for us or Santa Clara.
All said, we need to develop a tax base so we can catch up. We need to expand the downtown area. We need to expand the light rail system to serve all the City.
Very amusing.
Paint, Forrest, paint!!!! And donate it to the new police stattion.
Richard,
You’re right about needing more police but the problem is that the labor unions have driven the costs up so high that we can’t afford it.
Re: #1
SJ is nowhere near the crime rate of Richmond or Oakland. In fact, Oakland has about three times the homicide rate in a city half SJ’s size. Reports of a crime “crisis” in San Jose are drastically overblown.
Secondly, light rail is the WORST waste of public funds ever. Unless it is grade-separated, STOP IT NOW!
Points on the busses and the need for a greener city, however, are right on!!!
Newer high-tech cities like Curitiba, Brazil, and developing, master-planned areas in China are using low-emission and electric busses on elevated tramways. This utilizes most roads better while at the same time giving faster service and priority to bus riders (and bridges and viaducts for busses are considerably smaller and less costly than those built to handle trains).
Downtown SJ will never be a shopping hub, and that’s ok. Downtown SF (e.g. financial district) is not a shopping hub, either, unless you count the Walgreens and Starbucks on every corner. Union Square is where the shopping is, but that’s half a mile to the west. Funny, seems like a shopping district is going in about half a mile north of downtown SJ at the Coleman Marketplace, doesn’t it? Other than the acres of parking lots, what’s the difference?
I’d rather have jobs and restaurants in downtown SJ, frankly.
#6 Richard,
Could you please provide some actual numbers, along with where you got this information, to back up your claim?
It would be nice for the SJPD to have more funding. Redwood City Police use police officers posing as pedestrians to enforce traffice laws. When a “pedestrian” crosses the street and a motorist doesn’t stop or yield, then the motorist is pulled over. The motorist is either warned or cited. Also, the police can check for outstanding warrants and/or impound the vehicle.
The simple thing to do would be to cut out the donut buget for one year. Problem solved.
Perhaps if there are any leftover “Little Saigon” placards they could be used as artwork around the new police station.
#9
That implies that Redwood city has to many police officers.
We don’t we strive for a 1-1 ratio between police and population. Then we can have entrapment stings for every possible crime on the books.
Dave,
I wish you were like many of us and had a real name.
Worst Rads in U.S. was in almost every form of publication we recieve after the TRIP report came from Wahington D.C. In 2005 we were in 2nd place, in 2006 we gained the top spot in the top ten. driving around our city streets would give us some idea how acurate this report must be.
Rich`s Business Directory for San Jose will tell you the names of the Fortune 500 with a physical presance here. It would help us with the daytime population estimates too. I have a copy $96 dollars.
Highest gasoline prices, San Jose came out #1 in a recent FORBES report,2007
“Green Cities” report and awards was just printed in the San Francisco Chronacle, never made the San Jose Mercury. Adobe buildings in San Jose were mentioned in the same report.
NEW
The Reason Foundation, by Robert Poole Jr., director of transportation studies for the Reasons Foundation. “…and now San Jose annual back ups now rank 11th worst in the Nation.
If you were a execuative would you want to move your company to San Jose knowing some of these statics ??
Unfortunately San Jose continues to stack the deck against itself. The need for investments in our roads in our city is going to be expensive.
Dave, I`ve read your previous commemts regarding the shortage of Police officers in our city and see no need to supply stats. at this time.
I believe we have a quality police department and too believe they are grossly under staffed. Our crime is seriously on the rise and when compared to other Santa Clara County Cities we have serious problems to solve.
I hope I have answered your questions.
I find #10’s comments to be a bit over the top. You can’t just elinate the donut budget completely. Perhaps money can be found in the RDA budget. Or, they could go to those “mini-donuts” that you can find at any 7-11. What about donut holes?
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But seriously, the greatest line all year was delivered by Mayor Reed in yesterday’s paper, where after we read about Councilmember Campos’ complainining that she had been “threatened,” Reed said, “Perhaps it is an example of why I don’t think she is the best person to work with me on the Gang Prevention Task Force.” Great stuff! More please.
Pete Campbell
#7 John,
Possibly a better comparison for crime would be San Jose compared to other Santa Clara County cities ie; Palo Alto, Mt View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale. Our crime has risen this year compared to our crime last year.
My concern is our police dept is way under staffed for a city of our size. Every time we have a serious crime problem downtown like the recent one in the jazz club shooting, 50 police officers arrived in 5 minuites coming from the neighborhoods, leaving the neighborhoods without police protection.
Most of these people causing problems downtown on weekends are from out of town. Now add BART from the East Bay and you add more problem people from Oakland/San Leandro/Hayward arriving on BART. The same problem is having with these people riding BART to and from San Francisco from the East Bay.
John, go into “guest blogger”, Norman Kline`s blog for more information on this subject.
I`d like to hear more from you on the problems with the light rail. I think some of those problems exhist on BART as well. Read San Mateo County`s problems with the BART program.
One positive thing about the Light rail is it is above ground. I believe it needs improvement.
Downtown has the chance to become a revenue magnet for the city. To make those new condos and apartments work we need good retail services within the city. restaurants are good as a good restaurant can generate $5 to $7 thousand a month in sales tax revenue. Buit we still need some unique shops downtown like you see in Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Willow Glen etc. It would help downtown if the lightrail connected Westfield mall with downtown. San Carlos street between downtown and I-880 has a huge retail potential too, but the hgh density developers are busy building this area out too, not good.
#7 John, how about some new Hybrid quiet pollution free buses downtown too?
Richard #16—I must have missed it—what jazz club shooting? Which jazz club?
Art? A Police substation needing art? Art a necessity? I don’t think so. While I think Council Member William’s commitment to raise the money is admirable, 1.2 million dollars would hire a lot of badly needed Police Officers. These are the kinds of things that make me scratch my head and go…huh? I don’t think art is a priority in a city that lacks enough Police Officers to keep us safe. We are sorely in need of traffic enforcement, and other vital Police services. I think that art is the last thing I think we need to worry about.
Who picks these artists anyway? Most of the statues I see around San Jose are really ugly, and don’t fit into the surrounding ambience any way. If that is the kind of art that will be contracted and put in front of the Police substation, I definitely think we should pass on it!
#18- Johnmichael, it was in the Merc about two months ago. It made T.V. too. I don`t remember the day. I believe it was commented on, on San Jose Inside.
I`ll look, give me time.
Richard #13,
My apologies to you regarding post #8. I meant to have addressed my question to Jeff regarding his post in #6, not you. If you have read my prior posts you will know that you and I are in agreement that we have a great police department and they are extremely understaffed by anyones estimate, and crimes are on the rise.
If Jeff reads this, would you please post some actual figures and where they can be verified regarding your post #6 in which you claim “You’re right about needing more police but the problem is that the labor unions have driven the costs up so high that we can’t afford it.” Exactly how many police officers has the SJPOA prevented the city from hiring? You obviously know the answer to this question based on your assertion.
#7 John
Check out this site: http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfleet/hybrids.html San Francisco Muni new buses.
Richard #20—I asked primarily because there really are no jazz clubs in SJ.. The De Anza and Ste. Claire book a jazz act now and then, but they’re no Yoshi’s. A shooting @ a jazz club seems so unlikely.
19 Kathleen
re: “1.2 million dollars would hire a lot of badly needed Police Officers.”
Or it would enable SJ to hire and support one officer for 10 years.
Think how much good one officer could do over a 10 yrs to calm traffic, protect neighborhoods, help people and make this a great city.
Johnmichael, the date was Oct. 22nd in a downtown San Jose Bar. Three people were shot, one critically. It was in the Merc,Chronicle, Chan 5, Chan 11. The Ambassador Lounge.
December 7,2007 San Jose homicide count reached the highest total in 10 years. This was the 35th and it was in the Berryessa District, not to far where the proposed BART station, and low cost housing is planned.
My point,” we don`t have enough police officers in San Jose. When this happened downtown, officers were pulled in from the neighborhoods, leaving the neighborhoods without police coverage there.
Later a missing Vietnamese girl from San Jose who had been missing was found dead in a land fill in Milpitas. I believe the homocide count for 2007 is at 39.
Richard # 16 & #73:
The Ambassador Lounge is not now nor has it ever been a jazz club. It is primarily a Rap and HipHop Club, and attracts a very diferent crowd than a jazz club would.
I believe it is now called Club Miami Beach. It is owned and operated by a person or persons who have little regard for the fact that the acts they book attract primarily gangstas and thugs. Code enforcement should shut it down permanently; and deny the owner (s) any licenses to operate in SJ ever again.
San Francisco Chronicle, front page, 12/26/27 headline,“Hundreds of cars are burgularized or stolen each year.
Chief of Police for BART Gary Gee says,”…if he ever gets special staffing(on BART), he`d like to deploy a team of plains clothes officers…but there is no money now”.
Sounds like San Jose.
Chief Gary gee`s special BART police force presently has over 206 police officers…more are needed.
San Jose is not alone in being able to fund more police officers. San Francisco Chronicle, 12/26/07 Froont page article. “Hundreds of Cars Are Burgularizedor Stolen Each Year”.
Chief of Police for BART with 206 special force of police officers says,”…If he ever gets the extra staffing, Gary said he would like to deploy a team of plainclothes officers to keep an eye on BART parling lots…he conceded that there is little chance that a car burgular or car thief will get caught in the act.”
Between July and September, the first quarter of BART`s current fiscal year, 191 cars parked in BART`s regional parking lots were burgularized; 178 were stolen, the police chief says,” the numbers change little from quarter to quarter, meaning that close to 1500 auto related crimes occur on BART lots every year”.
David,
A safer and financially healthier San Jose would be a great begining. I believe we need to put “San Jose First” in all local decisions and all Santa Clara County cities close behind. We need to do this before we run off and give Alameda County Cities a $10 billion dollar gift with all the construction risks associated with building BART on our sholders, not to mention all BART member financial problems we would be a party of, just for becoming their partner in BART.
Developers have purchased property all along the proposed BART route hoping to move a lot of our jobs from Santa Clara County to Alameda County which will bring those developers huge profits as land along the route is much cheeper in Alameda County. There are less hight restrictions for building , in Alameda County also.
I know the new “A`s” ball park in Fremont is an issue too. I`m sure the “A`s” owners would like to provide a cheep form of transportation to the new park for their “Alameda County fans. There is a major BART station planned at the ball park enterance. The name of the new ball park is going to be “Cisco stadium” and I`m sure Cisco is pushing BART on us too.
Alameda County will get a lot of new jobs at our expense. Their restaurants will pick up a lot of lunch and dinner business generating a lot of Sales Tax dollars for Alameda County.
Look at all the promoters pushing a BART program to us, each and everyone of them are looking for their own financial gains from BART.
These promoters should be pushing Alameda County to build BART not us. The problem is Alameda County is aware with all the costs and problems associated with building more BART.
I believe we should have transportation to the new ball parks, both the Baseball stadium and the new Soccer stadium. We have the light rail that runs above ground and costs a lot less to build and without all the risks and high costs associated with tunneling. We should link the Airport with light rail at the same time we link to the ballparks. We need lhigh speed light rail service along Hwy 237 linking Milpitas with Sunnyvale and Mt. View taking some traffic off #237.
To spend $10 billion or more building BART pluss commiting $30 million a year for 30 years to become a member of the BART system, does not make any sense and it`s a lot of money. Just think of what San Jose can do with all ths money if we spent it here in San Jose. Just think how many of our traffic problems in San Jose and how many of our roads we could repair.
Remember,” Alameda County would not have to pay the additional $30 million dollars a year for thirity years”, “they are allready a member of the BART system”
All our high density construction presently in progress and future construction we can`t stop is going to make a “negative” traffic impact on our local freeways and city roadways. We are headed for a real problem here in San Jose with, “traffic”, shortage of police officers, shortage of money to fix our roads, shortage of new parks and a sewer system badly in need of repair(see Metro live last month).
With all these problems we will need our own, “Rapid Rail System” here in Santa Clara Couty. We need to wake up and put “San Jose First”.
Make the Light Rail even more successful. We have experience with it. why bring in another rail system with all it`s headaches???
New York Times/San Francisco Chronicle 12/26/07
“The Big Dig”. A 3-1/2 mile tunnel under the city of Boston. Cpllapsed and a 39 year old mother was crushed July 10,2006 as she and her husband drove through the tunnel. Celling panels colllapsed on them. The first of many law suits was settled for $6million dollars.
Although the project was estimated at $2.8 billion in 1985 over $14.6 billion had been spent using sales tax dollars.
The project has incurred criminal arrests, escalating costs, the death of 4 construction workers,and charges of poor execution and use of substandard materials. The Attorney General is demanding the return of $108million for shaddy work.
The Bechtel Corporation attorney`s have offered $300million as a settlement but has been refused. Poor work on the project, cost over runsand safety violations are blamed for the collapse.
Richard,
Are you saying we should invest in a safer and financially healthier San Jose before we invest in bringing BART down here?
So Richard, if you’re suggesting that San Jose forgo the $30mil-for-30yrs to join BART and invest it in San Jose ’s quality of life, this is what that might buy us.
—SJPD: add and support 50 new officers ($7.5mil)
—SJFD: add and support 40 new fire and EMT folks ($4.8mil)
—Parks: add 50 gardeners, maint etc. ($4.5mil)
—DOT: add 17 to the staff to include trails and arborist ($1.5mil)
—DOT: traffic calming equipment etc. ($2.7mil)
—Trails: ($3.0mil /yr.)
—Pools: ($1.5mil/yr) for upgrade and maint
—Pools: add 25 to staff and supervise same ($1.5mil)
—Library: add 20-25 to staff longer hours ($1.5mil)
—Bldg & Code enforcement: add 15 folks ($1.5mil)
(1) staff additions note above are one time and supported yr/yr by the $30mil/yr
(2) Capital or equipment numbers repeat each year.
There you have it; give it to BART and sign up for the related risks and unknown cost overruns or use it to improve and protect the quality of life here in San Jose until such time as the City is financially strong again.
On top of that, any other funds we divert from BART for now can go a long way toward bring hybrid busses and NanoSolar to work in San Jose.
All of the above would:
—keep jobs in San Jose
—help attract new business and more jobs
—be easier on the city budget
—improve quality of life
RZ #27: What’s the burglary/theft rate @ park & ride lots for light rail, CalTrain?
Property crimes rank only slightly higher than non-injury auto accidents in police priority.
DD#31: you need to forward this to the mayor and all councilmembers. They are soliciting comment on budget priorities.
Forget it—I just did.
Re #31 $30mil/30yrs
If the voters of San Jose had the opportunity to choose between:
A) $30mil for 30yrs stays in San Jose and provides
—50 new police officers
—40 new fire and EMT folks
—50 gardeners, maint etc.
—17 to DOT staff to include trails and arborist
—$2.7mil /yr for traffic calming equipment
—$3.0mil /yr. for City trails
—$1.5mil/yr for upgrade and maint of City Pools
—25 to staff and supervise pools
—20-25 folks to keep libraries open longer
—and 15 folks for Planning, Bldg & Code enforcement
and…
B) $30mil for $30yrs goes to BART and SJ tax payers accept the other associated costs, risks and overruns.
What do think the outcome would be?
Council members ran on a platform of providing A) but how do you think they would vote if they had to choose between A) and B)?
BART to San Jose: It’s all about how the issue is framed and presented. If times were good and jobs-to-housing were in balance this would not be an issue. But these are tough times and we need to get our collective head out of the sand.
#32 & #33
Johnmichael and David,
Good idea Johnmichael but they should be aware of the discussion on John Mc, “Art, Bullets, Squad Cars” and Guest Blogger.” Norman Kline`s blog”,” A Five point Compass for City Budgets”. The two are inter-related, both are a quality discussion. Maybe they can answer the questions Norman Kline never answered.
Your continous comments on the condition of our roads is an important subject.
This substation is located in what the police call “Yellow Zone”. Currently there are only two police officers assigned to the entire Yellow Zone. It never made sense to build a huge expensive building in an area of relitively low crime… Next time, open an office at the Dunkin Doughnut shop on Capital and Mckey. This area needs one officer assigned for every block. The Police Chief bragged about how much money they were saving by keeping the new building closed… Mean while they are installing lighting and new furniture into the abandononed building (stupid)
Rip Van Winkle…..