Measures L and M address two controversial local issues: fire station construction and amending the city charter to allow the leasing of park lands to community groups.

These two local tax measures have already inspired some comments in other contexts on SJI. The pro-tax arguments are presented here to further stir the pot. 

Continued pre-election coverage for SJI’s South County residents: four ballot measures that could affect the political, cultural and infrastructural landscape of Gilroy and Morgan Hill.

Continuing SJI’s coverage of local measures, we today present an argument for a “yes” vote on Measure D, written (as always) by our colleagues at Metro. Have at it.

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?

These two measures conclude SJI’s week-long consideration of the State Propositions voters will be asked to decide on in a couple of weeks. One will redraw the state map, and change the way politics is done in Sacramento. The other will make it possible for war veterans to buy homes.

Twelve state propositions is a lot to consider, and every California voter is being asked to do so. It is admittedly an iffy way to make political decisions—but this is what we’ve got to work with. To assist in the effort, SJI has been presenting two a day, including today. We finish the list tomorrow. Then it’s on to 21 local measures. (Whew.) 

SJI continues the pre-election discussion that began in this space last week, today offering a clear “no” to a muddled plan for promoting renewable energy, and a loud ‘no” to an effort to enshrine one definition of marriage in the California Constitution. Again: These endorsements were prepared by our colleagues on the the editorial staff at Metro Newspapers, and are presented to stimulate discussion of the issues.

Check out this video Jason Wallach made for the East San Jose group Somos Mayfair. It chronicles one of the most interesting get-out-the-vote drives we’ve seen around these parts—a campaign that includes activists in “Luchador” wrestling masks.

The vid portrays such heroes as Super Voto Latino, Super Mama and Super Futuro, doing battle with the black-clad villains Apatio and Discriminacion.

SJI’s esteemed editor, Jack Van Zandt, has adopted a strict (Groucho) Marxist policy regarding the twelve state propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot: “Whatever It Is, I’m Against It.” For those who’d prefer to approach the ideas on a case-by-case basis, we present here the third installment of SJI’s pre-election discussion of state props and local measures.

Rants & Raves is taking a sabbatical this weekend to make room for discussion of two specific questions: one about children’s hospitals and the other about abortion. This is the second installment of a two-week pre-election marathon, during which SJI is presenting endorsements of the state propositions and local measures appearing on the Nov. 4 ballot. The pieces were written by Metro editorialists, and are presented to inspire discussion and debate.

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.

Ever have one of those days when you can’t get an old tune out of your mind? All day yesterday I kept hearing the Steely Dan song “Black Friday.” Use this weekly open forum to tell us what noises and voices you hear in your head.

It was a big week in San Jose and the rest of the world, right? Tell us what you think in SJI’s weekly freewheeling forum of random ideas and opinion.

The Banksters are falling! The Banksters are falling! Leave your homes and cash behind and run for your lives! But before you do, take a moment and tell us what has your gut wrenching in this weekly open forum that is safely sheltered in a secure, undisclosed location.

Welcome to Rants and Raves, the weekly SJI thread where the Bloggers Rule! Crank up that Opinionizer and start clicking those keyboards!