It is now firmly established that we no longer enjoy the title of “Safest City in America.”  I am glad that it’s over because now we can continue the effort to make our city as secure in all its parts—each and every neighborhood—as any city can be in twenty-first century America. The title, awarded by some group in Washington D.C. (nobody can remember who; okay, who was it, wise guys?), now rests on the sun-kissed head of Honolulu. However, the real question is still the same: are people in San Jose safe in their homes and blissfully free of crime? The answer, as always, is a big “no.” But the struggle endures.

San Jose is in trouble. No, it’s not about losing our title as “safest” big city in America and other meaningless titles. If I had to lose the “safest” and also the “10th Largest City in the US” titles, it would be a more than fair exchange, for few monikers have been so graspingly offensive as that last residue of the ancient regime. Never forget that not only was the Gonzales tenure venal, it was also incompetent and just plain dumb.

It is never too late for a good, economical idea, and getting rid of bottled water at City Hall is a good start. Of course, it does not compare to ethics reform, but it is in the right direction. If you want to see ridiculous ideas, compare the “bottled watergate” fuss to the simple concept presented straight-faced in the pages of the Mercury News by a development lobbyist who says that the building of a new city in the Coyote Valley will significantly reduce the effects of our carbon footprints.

He is coming again, and it will be a sight to behold. Luis Valdez, the playwright, director, trail blazer and visionary, will be honored this Thursday evening at the Camera 12 Cinema as part of the International Latino Film Festival—not for the first time, nor the last. Zoot Suit, La Bamba, the Cisco Kid, and so many other accomplishments have become part and parcel of our stage and cinema tradition and our culture. He has enriched us greatly.

Boy can these guys dance, and it’s always two-step time in our state legislature when it comes to reform. Whenever they sense that there is a legitimate attempt to enact reform, as in fair redistricting or term limits, there is a headlong, panicked, and bipartisan rush to work together. They blunt the reform and maintain the status quo and vow that “they” will reform themselves.

Ah, Sacramento politics. You gotta love it if you are an incumbent.

I had hoped it would happen and it did last night. After a dark decade of flawed land-use decisions and “pay to play” mentality at City Hall, Mayor Chuck Reed, aided by two or three thinking council members, got the San Jose City Council to finally jettison the shortsighted and ruinous policy of converting our job-rich tax base lands to housing. Perhaps, just perhaps, the rump members of the “old” discredited group of Gonzales holdovers will get the “halo” effect of sound planning and begin to live up to their fiduciary responsibilities to the people of San Jose. But, as was once said of second marriages, I am, perhaps, letting hope triumph over experience. There is much left to do.

A simple fact that is often forgotten—though it should not be so—is that we have the finest police department in the nation. Such things do not just happen. We have worked hard to keep that description. Chief Rob Davis has continued a tradition of excellence and community relations that began with Joe McNamara in the seventies. This is a succession of competence that needs to be recognized.

I received a good deal of feedback on my blog on the Downtown Association (DTA) last week. Most people were surprised at the lobbying efforts of “their” executive director in favor of clubs, many of those venues being very large and troublesome. Several people were, frankly, astonished. They held the simple, undeniable belief that unless everyone felt comfortable downtown during the evening hours, then the current policy was an immense failure. They echoed the established fact that our garages are unfriendly, unsafe and unusable to the vast majority of our citizens visiting downtown late or staying late.

Two questions are now biting at the heels of the Downtown Association and its Executive Director Scott Knies: namely, just who do they represent and what do they stand for at this critical time in downtown’s evolution? These are questions that must be answered. Although they certainly make an effort lobbying for light rail platforms and bus routes in a constant and pressing manner, on the more significant issues of downtown’s character and direction, they are in a dubious and contradictory position. Knies is a good man with a nagging identity problem. The top-heavy Downtown Association is an enigma at best. At worst, they are a lobbying arm for nightclubs and entertainment promoters. A choice is now necessary. Time is running out for them and the future of downtown.

As we watch the first few installments of Ken Burns’s epic and laudable series on World War Two, it is time to consider again and to be mindful of our history—international, national and local. A recent Mercury News editorial is very clear and succinct on this topic. They point to the important and correct decision of the Alum Rock Union School Board in naming schools after Superintendent Tony Russo, a man who dedicated his life to doing good and being an exemplary role model in the education field, and Jim McEntee, an exemplar of decency and courage who encouraged those in public office to be better and more feeling in all things. These were indeed two people to honor and respect, but what of the others?

After a brief trip outside of the U.S., I was pleased to see that 1^stACT’s efforts to revitalize our downtown are meeting with great endorsements. With the strong support of Bruce Chizen of Adobe and the solid leadership of Connie Martinez, it seems like the future is quite bright. The business and arts community that care so much about our city center have every reason to be optimistic and it does not hurt to have the Knight Foundation chipping in a few million. The city, Mayor Reed and RDA honcho Harry Mavrogenes are also stalwart supporters. It is a vision that we can all rally around.

You may have missed it, but recently the police forces of San Jose and other cities in Santa Clara County merged with the Sheriff’s Department to form one large and coordinated police unit. This new Metro-County Police Force will allow a level of service unequalled in local or even California history. It will be responsible to a 13-member board consisting of both elected officials and appointed citizens with a law enforcement background.

On a “quiet” Sunday night in downtown San Jose—the evening of August 26—over 30 police officers were called to quell a large disturbance at the Scores/Raw nightclub on South First Street. While the officers were dealing with the ugly scene and arresting 12 patrons, another customer cut loose with a semi-automatic weapon directly into the crowd and toward the officers. Miraculously, no one was hit.

The Business Journal so much reminds me of that old saying about editors: that they “come in after the battle and shoot the wounded.”  Never was it truer than in their recent editorial about Cirque du Soleil. They have been absent in past years concerning the takeover of City Hall by lobbyists; absent on the unconscionable stealing of our future by the transfer of 1400 acres of industrial tax base to residential housing; absent on any meaningful discussion of the proper support for small businesses in the downtown; and absurdly critical of candidate Chuck Reed on some relatively minor issues in the recent election. Not much of a record.

You really wonder how many times the San Jose Business Journal (SJBJ) will blunder into a story, cite a few facts, and then make sweeping comments that stand history, if not common sense, on its head.  The paper did it again with its recent editorial on the binding arbitration award to the Firefighters Union. Whether it’s the citizens’ General Plan or the recent political turmoil at City Hall, the SJBJ displays a Bushian knowledge of local history that is frightening.

Two stories—one local and one national—do much to define the political money chase in the electoral process nowadays. Nationally, the proliferation of “independent committees” is about to sink the process in a sea of dollars and special interest “juice.” The so-called “Swift Boat” attacks on John Kerry in 2004 that came from such a committee that raised $25 million from many dubious sources, was fatal to his chances. They managed to turn a decorated war hero into a wimp and shirker. After the election, the Federal Elections Commission fined this committee $300,000. Big deal! The dirty job was done; the election was won.