The current issue of The Wave speaks of the impending doom of 16 palm trees on Park Avenue to provide a wider passing lane for the upcoming San Jose Grand Prix. The relocation of the trees is not a done deal, but those opposed are being enslaved and relocated to Alviso to work on crawdad farms.
I see no reason to be opposed. First of all, palm trees are overrated. They are the dandelions of the tree world, big weeds of minimal aesthetic value providing scant shade. Secondly, the San Jose Grand Prix is a golden opportunity for San Jose to accrue “wonder manna” points. Yes, I know it is just a once-a-year event, but so is the Grand Prix of Monaco (actually there are several races a year in Monaco, but I am making a point here). Prior to the Grand Prix of Monaco, Monte Carlo was just a scrub of a town lost in the mountains (much like Bolinas) but now it is arguably the swankest city in the history of bipedal hominids. And much credit goes to its once-a-year automobile race.
If the San Jose Grand Prix is allowed to mature, smoothing out rough edges such as bouncing manhole covers, San Jose could very well become the Monte Carlo of California. Mayors would call themselves princes (out loud) and there would be peace in our time.
While the Champ Car series is not as prestigious as Formula 1, or as popular as NASCAR, it is not chopped liver either. The only racing going on in haughty San Francisco, by the way, is by lost tourists running from deranged drug addicts. As for the mayoral race, vote for the candidate wearing a “Ford Racing” ball cap and a “Rubbin is Racing” T-shirt.
I would point out that Daytona Beach does quite well with its once-a-year event, as does Indianapolis. Wider passing lanes are needed for the San Jose Grand Prix to be a viable racetrack. A million or two here and there is chump change for such a wonder.
Down with the hideous palms.
Crawdad farms in Alviso!?
Let’s move Mardi Gras out there!
I agree with you Eric. Why in the world would anyone import palm trees to make the area attractive. When the Redevelopment Agency decided to plant palm trees at every conceivable location I was really appalled. These are not our native tree. When those trees are removed from Park Avenue, they shouldn’t be replanted in the downtown area. However, Eric I wouldn’t consider it slavery to tend to crawdads in Alviso. Such a peaceful, back to nature, endeavor. A mayor thinking he was a prince? I couldn’t imagine that.
Eric, regarding the Alviso crawdads, might they be the rare and elusive albino variant?
Eric,
I disagree and feel the route needs to be changed. Not only to leave the palms undisturbed, but also to eliminate the need to cross over the trolley tracks which caused the majority of cars to become airborne last year. Thay can do this and still showcase our ultra fabulous downtown to the rest of the world.
As for the palms, take a look at any of the remaining old parcels around town that haven’t yet been obliterated for stamped out Mc Mansions. You’ll likely see a couple of date palms or California fan palms of the Park Avenue variety flanking the driveway. Some developers actually left the palms after pushing over the house and worked them into the landscape for whatever new project they were building, and you can spot where this has happened. These trees have been in use for landscaping around here for well over 100 years. Pull out an outdoor photo from the Clyde Arbuckle collection and you’ll likely see a palm. The taller and slimmer Mexican fan palm has indeed become a weed around here and I suspect would have eventually become naturalized on its own, as I have them coming up all over my yard on a regular basis due to seeds blowing over from a pair of 50 year old Mexican fans that grow next to a swimming pool across the street from my home.
So while there is no palm that’s native to the Bay Area, the California fan is the only palm native to this state or the U.S. and the three varieties of palms I’ve mentioned have been in landscape use around here for so long, it’s like they’re native anyway. Drive along 280 through town and you’ll see the naturalization of Mexican fan palms in action along side the roadway.
So count me among those who appreciate symmetry and don’t feel that an event that lasts for one long weekend out of the year should have Park Avenue looking lopsided for the rest of the year. I’m fine with the race and am not against it. I just don’t think removing the palms is the only option available. Besides, aren’t we still waiting for Champ to repair the fountain in CC plaza that was ruined at last year’s race? If we keep up this appearance of being desperate to keep this race in town, what other kind of controversial alterations will Champ come up with next?
I was at the David Pandori event last night and he said we are the only major city to pay for a race like the Grand Prix. Does anyone know the specifics of that?
Why hasn’t the CC Fountain been fixed yet? Can someone knowledgeable answer please?
It’s getting harder to tell which columns are satirical and which aren’t. Today’s could be either. If the “leadership” of our city wants to play with race cars once a year I don’t really care—what I do care about is when they are so desperate to play that they freely give away my money so others can play with it. If they want a race then do what every other city who has one does, make the players pay for it, As usual, SJ “leaders” had no problem coughing up $4 million with no public discussion and very little council discussion (if you like this scenario then you will be thrilled IF Ms. Chavez becomes mayor.)
I am still waiting to hear why this race, which we were told would not cost the city any money, needed a $4 million handout and what happened to the money it was supposed to raise for cancer research????
Mark T is right on in his coments about the palms. There are many historic examples going back many years of palms throughout the city.
Dan S,
If the city workers can’t change a burn out street light; how can you expect them to fix a fountain?
Rumors are circulating that the Cesar Chavez Plaza fountain repair will be combined with some modifications and a re-naming ceremony. It will be known as the Cindy Chavez Plaza.
O you of little political faith – apparently you don’t understand that greater powers that you –
Mayor Ron 1st – San Jose’s imperial majesty and ” Grand Poobah” decreed that
taxpayers should be honored to pay billions for BART to San Jose and tens of millions for San Jose Grand Prix which are the future of public transit in Silicon Valley designed by his imperial majesty the ” Grand Poobah” – dreamer of greater political ambitions and public projects named after him.
But has his Ronner ordered the fountain repaired yet out of the funds earned from last year’s race? Needs to be done.
I say plant MORE trees: palms, oaks, redwoods, anything native, and make the Grand Prix a slalom event.
Quetzocotal, however, is in the way and will have to be removed. About 3,000 yards off he shore of Alviso ought to do it.
I was amused to learn that Monte Carlo which celebrated 700 years of uninterrupted governance before it celebrated the 70th race there was nothing before this one race, but that is a thought for another day.
I was in Monte Carlo last year and learned that the normal preparation for that race, in a tiny country where money seems to runfreely from the water taps, is six weeks preparation of the streets before the race and three weeks following it.
In San Jose, where the budget ink more often runs red than black we have a “commitment” to clear it all out in a matter of days to allow our already existing and highly regarded Jazz Festival to fit back into the same downtown footprint.
“Not invented here” seems to garner $4 million without discussion, but recognizing a grassroots success—now that requires years of debate.
As for the palm trees, well as a resident of Palm Haven I am in favor of ‘em.
The fountain is going to be repaired but last I heard some tiles were on back order.
Is everyone so short sighted that we can only see our current financial situation. The city is not a business it’s a public entitiy, yet we do have to make investments to be able to fund our future city services. Putting money into the Grand Prix will yeild 10 times as much over the next few years. Does everybody listen to the Merc’s dribble?
Response to 9. Blaming city workers for not having your street light fixed is ludicrious, they only have a three person staff for the entire city of San Jose.
San Jose works on one of the leanest staffs in California while being the 10th largest city in the Nation. If you want to see spending out of control, look at governments like San Diego. The City does it best with very little in comparision.
Mal,
Since Quetzalcoatl is like a third rail for the existing “leadership” in this town, all we can hope for is some enthusiastic artist to create a giant sized metal pooper scooper sculpture and under cover of darkness a la U.A theaters, install it right next to Quetzie. Or maybe a steam generating machine on top of Quetzie would be easier to manage and provide more visual interest.
I can’t say what I really think about how and why we ended up with this pile of you-know-what because my post would get pulled faster than Mr. Aileron’s did yesterday. Let’s just say we’ve had wimps in charge around here for a long time who have allowed themselves to be manipulated by all the wrong groups.
What I don’t understand is why, if they can do so much other stuff without public input, don’t they just secretly decide to move Quetzie to the Mexican Plaza where he belongs and where he can be appreciated by those who fought so hard and loudly to have him plopped into existence in the first place, instead of the aesthetically pleasing Fallon statue?
#15—The race will yield 10 times the investment of our money? Where do you get your figures – OED? Aren’t they the same ones who told us the race wouldn’t cost the city any money and it cost tens of thousands of dollars and then they came back for the secret $4 million? Perhaps the race is a good idea but not with my money and not with phoney figures about how lucrative it will be.
Mark T-
It’s simple really. The folks at the Mexican Heritage Plaza have the good sense not to accept downtown’s biggest eyesore. If you were in charge of the MHP would you want Quetzie?
If the city won’t relocate it off the shores of Alviso as suggested in #13 perhaps they should give it to Ron Gonzales as a symbolic parting gift for his years of public service. There’s a certain poetic justice there…
Mal,
I really like that idea!
But really if it belongs on anyone’s front lawn, that would be Susan Hammer’s. Still, the poetry would have a much more appropriate ring if Gonzo got stuck with it.
I have to wonder if the folks at MHP wouldn’t want it, then why would anybody mind at all if that thing was scooped up and “dumped” in the bay?
My most sincere wish is that it get “dropped” on top of the so-called artist/prankster who created it.
San Jose is a chump – to pay the amount of taxpayers money we did for the Grand Prix Champ Car Races as David Pandori said no other city is paying (even 20%) of what San Jose’s chump politicians are paying while at the same time telling us they need to close community, youth and senior center for lack of money
The race payback numbers for the Grand Prix were highly inflated with the highly controversal and now discredited multipler effect where the direct spending on sports event is multipled in the local economy
Prabably the same – Figures Don’t Lie, But Liars Figure – people who developed the creative numbers to justify the BART to Sad Jose came up with the Grand Prix justification
Chump – a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of – San Jose Politicians unless they did it as a political playback to some local groups
Where is the common sense of our Politicians or as Chuck Read says their ” fiscal responsibility ”
to the public
Pay for the basics before the ” nice to have stuff ” that special interests want for their benefit not public’s benefit
Remove the palm trees??!! Don’t the race organizers know they’re talking to greener-than-thou bay area types?
Instead I propose a compromise. Re-route the course so that pit row is adjacent to the new CH.
When the racers pull into the pits our council (decked out in pit crew regalia) is right there to hand the drivers briefcases full of cash just before the cars jet back onto the track.
Eric, welcome back to the blog; I trust you had a wonderful vacation to the hinterlands.
As for the palm trees, I agree with you. They are tall, ugly weeds and are certainly not native to the area.
I don’t, however, know if I can agree with you on the San Jose Grand Prix. While I attended the event last year and enjoyed it quite a lot, the SJ City subsidy is not an effective use of our tax dollars.
As it happens, our politicians are far more focused on glamour than the needs of the citizens… major league baseball in SJ versus fixing the street potholes.
SJDA newsletter gave a URL to learn more about this, but it doesn’t get me anywhere. Anyone know the correct link?
Though palm trees may not provide a lot of shade, that is not the point here. Why should San Jose disfigure its streetscapes for a weekend event, and be left tree-less in those areas for 362 other days?! If San Jose is to remove palm trees, I would expect, at the least, other trees to take root in their place.
The Grand Prix is a weekend event—only!! We live here all year long.
First the palm trees,used for landmarks and whenever you saw them there was a house nearby example dry creek rd in front of the kirk house and a little further only 1 remains where the other kirk house was until it burned in 1962 , as for the fountain ,i can think of a couple of people that should be drowned in it ,and car races ,thers nowhere in city that thestreets are smooth enough to have car like that going that fast ,because the streets in san jose suck , there are so many streets in this city that lack attention its pathetic , minesota ave between meridian and weaver sucks ,meridian between curtner and foxworthy,alma between the whole street sucks,and my favorite the new highway 87 ,whoever built that road should be put before a firing squad ,southbound you can get airborn going 45 mph and northbound is just as bad
Just a couple of points: Quetzi does steam during cold mornings in Fall and Winter. I’ve gotta get out there and take a few photos of it when the sunlight is just right! San Jose is spending so much of my money to plant, remove, and plant unnecessarily for a frick’in car event, and WILL NOT spend any of my money to maintain battered roads in and around downtown, save for the Grand Prix route! Just drive Julian, The Alameda, and I’m sure many others! I loathe city council.
Try driving on Curtner on either side of Booksin. Think there is any chance they will spend $4million to start fixing the holes there or anywhere else around the city???