Every few years at a showing of movie classics or at a meeting of mystery writers, it once again raises its black, shinny head. Known in lore and anecdotes everywhere as the “Black Bird,” it is the creation of writer Dashiell Hammett and was portrayed in the film noir classic, “The Maltese Falcon,” starring that hardboiled realist, Humphrey Bogart. It is, in short, “the stuff that dreams are made of.”
This week it was in the news again, stolen from the perch of high esteem it held at John’s Grill in San Francisco. Oh, the infamy of it. Don’t those foggy city thieves have any literary feelings? We must hope it was merely birdnapped.
In San Jose, we are still searching for our talisman—our thing that we can make dreams of. For many, it is as simple as the wonderful quality of life we have in our city and in our valley. It is the home, neighborhood and job that we possess; it is an opportunity that our children have. Others view it a bit more obliquely as a city to be proud of: a good school, a well-kept street and neighborhood, or even a special place like a museum or ballpark. We must be careful about our dreams, however; dreaming in the light of day can be dangerous.
When the city is desperately and quite dutifully going about restoring the confidence of our citizens under the new mayor, we must be careful that the chase to find the icon doesn’t perpetuate the mistakes of the past. Each new embarrassment about the San Jose Grand Prix pulls us back into the dismal period that we all long to shed. Continuations of notably foolish flights of fancy are not wonderful dreams, but delusional errors.
I think the ballpark studies fit this latter definition. A baseball team was never going to happen here as it was not about to surmount the time constraints of an election, and a ballpark was very clearly a project that had little support and less forethought. How we so need a Bogie to just sneer and figuratively sock someone in the jaw to get their attention. This thing should never have begun and it should now end. Let’s stop giving the rest of us the bird.
Nice article Tom. You are the master of the
“SEGUE”.
Tom, I hope that our future under Mayor Reed will return us to a sense of what a city should be… well maintained streets, a safe environment, adequate parks and facilities, etc.
As you indicate, ventures such as a SJ ballpark, the Grand Prix, our City Hall (a monument to stupidity) are not contributors to our quality of life. But, as long as we have politicians with low self-esteem – needing to have the biggest or most expensive or shiniest thingamabob – our prospects are uncertain.
Likewise, local developers, working through lobbyists, contribute nothing. Larry Stone and his championing of a local major league baseball team comes to mind.
All we need in san jose is a bunch of high paid primadonnas on steriods. Forget it is right and the haze created by cars going 200 MPH and eating gas at 1 mile pergallon creating COs emmissions.
As Tom points out, spending tax dollars on the proposed ballpark was and is problematic. It is also a violation of a 1988 voter-passed ordinance which forbids spending tax dollars on such a ballpark until voters approve the expenditure. If you would like some information about the city ordinance and some of the events that unfolded during the first half of 2005, go to:
http://www.ballparktaxwatchdogs.org/
Interestingly enough, the city attorney and the other people who met together to circumvent the city ordinance on financing the proposed ballpark are guilty of felony conspiracy in the same way that the past district attorney sought to find certain activities by the past mayor and co-workers that violated city ordinances.
Felony conspiracy is quite a charge, but working together to knowingly violate one ordinance is not different in this context from what the past mayor is accused of.
If you’re going to clean house, folks, recall the people who worked together to violate the city ordinance, and get a new city attorney with clean hands.
Unfortunately, this sort of myopic view has relegated San Jose to the second or third class city that it is.
A ballpark is doable. Naysayers step aside.
Hey, Art—A ballpark might be doable (although highly unlikely). But a ballpark without a team is just plain foolish.
Yes, Art, I think I will step aside today into the tennis at the HP Pavilon, a bldg. that the people of SJ supported and value greatly – a worthy dream. TMcE
Commish,
A ball park without a team fits well in a city without a soul
The ballpark EIR is not about a ballpark. It’s about certifying the draft EIR so the the city (RDA) can scrape the site and prepare the land to market to housing developers. Same methodology used since the beginnings of the RDA in the late 50s that destroyed our downtown before its time. This is not a secret – it was discussed at the Council (including comments by Chuck Reed) last December when the contract with the environmental consultant was extended.
Perhaps we can ransom the Maltese Falcon by offering our own winged talisman, Quetzalcoatl. It would be a net gain for both cities—and pound for pound a bargain for SF.
There once was a town seeking fame
With a history of attempts rather lame
So they gambled their means
And built a grand Field of Dreams
Where all that gets pitched is the blame
#10: just how does an EIR for a ballpark with uses a few days/year, and only part of each day at that, translate into an EIR for a housing development used all day, every day?
Continuing the EIR for that purpose in the face of the certainty that the SF Gigantes would not give up their territorial rights is a complete waste of tax $$; like paying consultants $250k to tell our council and staff for how to open public swimming pools.
Who knows who voted to continue these wastes of public funds? Names please, so I can be sure not to vote for him/her/them.
As Tom McE mentioned to me yesterday @ the gym, Santa Clara has a brand new senior center with MULTIPLE swimming pools. So, let’s fire the $250k consultants, and have our councilmembers call their councilmembers and find out how a city so much smaller than San Ohaze can fund such a thing when we cannot.
Art – The downtown Retail Pavilion was also doable.
I’ll go you one better. Let’s build a fantasy baseball stadium for a fantasy team using fantasy dollars. (I’m sure the city can find a few fantasy consultants willing to hop onto this gravy train.)
Aye Caramba. With the baseball stadium again?
Who’s the demographic around here?
What do we have more of around here than anywhere else on earth?
Geeks.
Where’s our Battlebots arena? Segway racing on banked ovals? Hell yeah!
If you want to put this place on the map – you have to play to your strengths.
Respectfully Mr. McEnery, you disappoint me Sir. I thought you were all for Major League Baseball coming to Downtown San Jose…I was sadly wrong. I guess for the thousands of SJ/South Bay citizens who wanted the A’s to relocate to the downtown, the dream wasn’t worthy enough. And lets get this straight…a lack of public support for TAXPAYER SUBSIDIZED stadiums does not equate to a lack of support for the sport/ballpark itself. Also, like the proposed SJSU/soccer stadium, a ballpark probably wouldn’t have required a public vote (land considerations for Lew Wolff in return for construction costs of a stadium…like Cisco Field). Had you Mr. McEnery, and many on this site, had as much disgust and anger towards the Giants territorial rights as you have towards SJ leaders, perhaps Cisco Field would be going up at Diridon/Arena as we speak. Hey, wasn’t it Mayor Reed who approved the final leg of the ballpark EIR?! Oh well, pretty soon we’ll all be able to travel 12 miles north of the downtown to see our beloved San Jose A’s in action. As for the current SAP tournemant, I’m just as excited about pro tennis in San Jose as minor league soccer. Again, wake me up when an NBA team sets up shop at The Tank!
I do not want Baseball Stadiums
I do not want them
Tom McEn
I do not want them here or there
I do not want them anywhere
I do not want a new ballpark
I would not go there after dark
I would not go there in the rain
I dare not go there on Caltrain
I do not want them in SJ
I would not go there to watch play
I do not want them in downtown
I would not go with DT Brown
I do not want Baseball Stadiums
I do not want them
Tom McEn
Baseball Stadiums
Baseball Stadiums
I do not want Baseball Stadiums
JMoC #13,
Just on a per capita basis, San Jose would need to build 8.3 new centers to do what Santa Clara has done for its residents. (I am assuming the percentage of seniors is the same in both cities).
You should also take a look at the Morgan Hill Aquatic center. You will see how poorly served San Jose neighborhoods are compared to our neighbors in Morgan Hill.
16 – Anthony, have a good sleep, pal. A good, long sleep.
Tom, You could not be more right, I think we all need to focus on bigger and better things. and we can start by getting out of this stupid car race. All you had to do is ask anyone working,living,breathing, in downtown during that month & they could have told the city what a mistake it is. the city must cut it’s loses and learn from this embarrassment.
The hidden Sam Spade
Housing built during the Gonzales administration amounts to at least
10,000 homes, affordable or otherwise. As a result city services such as public safety, maintained streets and sanitation have taken money away from maintaining parks, keeping libraries open and staffing community centers. It is evident the city cannot afforded to house anymore people. Viewing Gonzales website I find nothing about how he intends to grow the economy while building all this housing. Nowhere does he talk to the issues of supporting these homes. Nowhere is any of his speeches does he discuss his building and increasing the businesses in San José. Maybe this administration should start enticing businesses here? And who knows maybe some of our transportation headaches go away. http://www.sjmayor.org/press_room/gfbtw.pdf.
“Transportation and Economic Development
The Mayor has taken a regional approach to solving Silicon Valley ‘s challenge for transportation, smart growth, and environmental protection. His leadership in 2000 led to a remarkable voter approval of a 30-year, $6 billion program to expand transit improvements in Santa Clara County, and Gonzales has spearheaded the regional effort to connect BART to San Jose and Silicon Valley. Gonzales also provided the leadership that enabled the city to begin long-needed improvements to San Jose Mineta International Airport that will result in a competitive, convenient, and comfortable gateway for Silicon Valley.” http://www.sjmayor.org/event_library/new_website/housingintro.html
While criticizing his pathetic administration for its mistakes add this one to the list. He should not be praised for efforts to build housing with complete disregard to building a business tax base to support our growing city.
Wow, where are all the poets coming from??? Tom McEnery must be rubbing off on everyone!
For all of the number crunchers out there, how about an analysis as to what we could have received in the way of useful facilities and services in lieu of the colossal monument to Gonzo, our City Hall. A billion dollars, including interest, it boggles the mind.
Regarding the ballpark, I wonder if developers, Swenson and Stone, will get a piece of the action when the property is rezoned for high density residential. The lobbyists will have a nice payday on that conversion.