Rants and Raves

This is SJI’s weekly open forum, where any topic is fair game. What’s on your mind?

11 Comments

  1. The Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee voted overwhelmingly to supportt the stadium.  Jamie McLeod who revels in secret backroom efforts to oppose the stadium sat there in a corner and pouted.

    Look at McLeod’s record

    opposed a ban on homeless felons sleeping near schools

    supported fees for seniors to use a senior center

    has been working to raise money with Gavin Newsom for SF bigwigs
    to spend in the stadium election

    encourages gadflies to personally attack the Mayor and accused Jamie Matthews as well as several senior citizens of bribery.

    McLeod is prime example of a opportunist and coward.

  2. The San Jose Police Officers Association recently
    donated $5,000 of its own members money to the Martin Luther King association so the Freedom Train Event could continue this year after other sponsors pulled out. In response, groups like the NAACP, Debug (Raj Dayajev), ACLU, Asian Law Alliance, have called for a boycott of the major fundraiser that the MLK association puts on each year, because they don’t like San Jose Police officers. They want to punish the MLK association which has done great things to help the community in very positive ways, rather than be divisive.

    What is really unfortunate is that we have San Jose City council members who rather than support the MLK association are now running scared and pulling their support of the MLK fundraiser and boycotting the event.

    Below is a reprint which appeared recently in ProtectSanJose.com. I hope the council members will do the right thing and support the Martin Luther King association, and all the great work they have done in bringing the community together, as MLK did.

    “If you count yourself a supporter of the police then you need to support our friends. The Martin Luther King Assoc. board has been standing by us. Now they are under attack by the NAACP, RAJ of Debug and the rest of the activist. They have called for a boycott of the MLK’s major fund raiser for the year. We need to stand by them an attend or send donations. We need to also keep track of which politician honor the boycott and boycott them on election day and when they come calling for our support.

    Word on the 18th floor is Sam Liccardo, recently endorsed by the SJPOA Madison Nguyen, Nora Campos, and Nancy Pyle aren’t going or sending an aide. Pete Constant is sending someone but can’t go, Pierluigi Oliverio isn’t going or sending anyone but with him you never know, Mayor’s out of town, Ash Kalra, and Vice Mayor Chirco hasn’t answered the invitation, Kansen Chu and Rose Herrera are going.Paul Fong and Joe Coto aren’t going or sending anyone either.”

    • Jethroe Moore, Raj Jayadev, and Richard Konda are members of the Coalition for Justice and Accountability. They sent this email along with others to the MLK Association. They copied the Mayor, Council, the media and members of the community.

      Jeff Moore is denying boycotting the Freedom Train now that he has gotten in trouble for attacking MLK. At a community meeting last week he was lying and denying boycotting the train and blaming the press for “telling lies about him.”

      Raj and these groups are pressuring politicians and community groups not to go to this scholarship fund raiser. Shame on them for taking money a way from kids. Konda and Moore get money and invite SJPOA to their events too. They just don’t publicize it. Hypocritical bullies!

      Coalition for Justice and Accountability
      c/o ALA
      184 Jackson Street
      San Jose, CA 95112
      408-287-9710
      [email protected]

      January 13, 2010

      Bonita Carter-Cox
      President
      Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Santa Clara Valley
      P.O. BOX 4738
      San Jose, CA 95150-4738

      Dear Ms. Carter-Cox:

      We understand that your association will be “honoring” the San Jose Police Officers’ union in connection with the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Train event.  We further understand the Pastor Jethroe Moore II, president of the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP chapter has demanded that the NAACP be removed as a sponsor of the event.  We fully support Pastor Moore and call on you to reconsider your decision to “honor” Bobby Lopez the past president of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association and George Beattie the current president of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association.

      As you may know, Pastor Moore and I co-authored an opinion piece that appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on November 13, 2009. We wrote this opinion piece because of serious problems with the San Jose Police Department.  We stated, “… the relationship between our San Jose minority communities and the San Jose Police department, one that should be based on mutual respect and trust, has become defined by a lack of trust and even fear. The problem is real, persistent and growing.” 

      Honoring the San Jose Police Officers’ Association at this time is offensive to those of us who honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

      Sincerely,

      Richard Konda
      On behalf of the Coalition for Justice and Accountability

    • There’s no way the source is on the 18th floor. I can guarantee at least one of the elected officials listed is sending someone. You should stop spreading unsubstantiated rumors and half-truths.

      • Insider-” I can guarantee at least one of the elected officials listed is sending someone. You should stop spreading unsubstantiated rumors and half-truths.”

        No one said none of the council are going. No rumors or half truths are being spread. One council member sending someone doesn’t mean there isn’t a boycott. I’m in the African American community and I can tell you that since Bobby Lopez posted this on San Jose Inside pressure on the council has shifted a way from the groups asking for a boycott.

        Do you have proof to the contrary? Please provide it then.

  3. Insider’s Old News

    What are unsubstantiated rumors and half-truths you are claiming?  As Insider you should know or don’t you?

    There’s no way the source is on the 18th floor. * Really * 18th Floor leaks news all the time

    “I can guarantee at least one of the elected officials listed is sending someone.” * Really Old SJI news * “Pete Constant is sending someone but can’t go”

    What “New News” is * other Council members are not going or sending anyone * since they are afraid of losing votes or upsetting NAACP, Debug, ACLU but mostly Murky “We make up” News in election year

  4. Sunday’s Mercury showed ” Tip of City Staff’s $50 – $100 million Wasted Taxes Pyramid”

    The Rep’s last act?
    http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_14524206

    – City paid $20 of $24 million to build Rep on city land and gave Rep 15 year $0 lease

    – City gives Rep $300,000 for building operating and maintenance & $106,000 arts grant = $406,000 per year which was more $ in prior years

    Rep for 9 years got free rent and $400- 600,000 in grants but Rep so badly mismanaged they asked city for $1 million bailout in 2006

    City staff recommended giving Rep $2 million credit line / 4 years = $500,000 + $406,000 =
    $906,000 + year

    American Musical Theater in 2006 got $1 million city loan plus $ millions in grants then went bankrupt in 2008

    City staff has for years recommended budget spending

    a) that voters if asked would never approve wasting millions taxes on mis-managed non profits, developer, downtown property owners and economic development insider tax boondoggles and special interest tax giveaways that have little public benefit, new taxes or decent jobs

    b) while cutting public safety, streets , parks, code enforcement and other basic quality of life spending

    If you have TIPS about Sand Jose Wasted Taxes – email:  [email protected]  –  with details and we will publish wasted tax spending so everyone knows

  5. The issue of park fees is ripe with irony.

    The primary users of public parks are poorer people; yet the housing the city subsidizes for them eliminates the requirement of park fees, which market rate unit developers must pay.  More poor folks get houses with no parks.

    The council’s solution—make affordable housing developers pay 50% of the normal park fees, thus rasing the price of the “affordable” housing.  More irony.

    Of course, none of this makes much difference, since we have little money to maintain the parks we already have.  Still more irony.

    • So JMO, in your world, where do middle class and upper middle class folks take their kids to play?  Only poor people use parks?  Hogwash.

  6. JMOC writes: “The primary users of public parks are poorer people…”

    Can you cite a credible source to support this questionable claim?

    Most studies conclude just the opposite: there are large income disparities in access to public parks with lower income people having greatly reduced access.

    • Just go to the parks and observe.  Even in uber yuppie Willow Glen, check out Willow Street (Bramhall) Park.  If you’re honest about who you see, you’ll realize that the vast majority of folks there are well below the top of the economic ladder. 

      I am not saying that they shouldn’t be there.  All I am saying is that if you go to every park in SJ, the vast majority of folks utilizing this public facility are folks that are below median income for the county.  Look at the vehicles parked there.  See a lot of Lexuses or Mercedes, or BMWs?

      So, I find it paricularly ironic (read my original post) that housing built to be “affordable” does not have to provide for parks for the folks most likely to live there.

      Middle class folks and above are more likely to have their BBQs at home, since they have the space to do so.  Poorer folks don’t have the space, so they go to the public parks…which is why we have public parks.

      Wake up from your PC dreamworld and just go check out life as it is in the real world.

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