The last San Jose City Council meeting before the summer break has occurred and it was a very long one. Many things happened in that session and there was an equally long list of items that seemed innocuous (some even incomprehensible), but progress was served. Yet, there were a few items that really should be highlighted.
First, if not foremost, is the fact that after an unusually long interim period, Darryl Von Raesfeld was finally selected as San Jose’s permanent fire chief. He is a good man with a pedigree of public service; his father Don was a longtime Santa Clara City manager. Many are hoping for a firm and steady hand in what has been a revolving door of chiefs over the last fifteen years, when the average tenure has been two years. The department can badly use the leadership and Von Raesfeld could be just the right medicine.
A number of items were approved for the downtown, including façade easements and a negotiation period for improvements for an urban market at San Pedro Square, where my family owns property. I hope the council gives this the attention that it and other significant historical areas deserve in the downtown. These areas are great resources for the city and can become major regional draws with their historical assets and friendly environments. It is a perfect public-private partnership. The additional benefit for the city is working with those who have a long and demonstrated commitment to San Jose, and San Pedro Square’s small businesses fit that bill.
Lastly, I always enjoy the discussions on “prevailing wage” that no one really seems to understand but so many orate long and hard on the benefits of. All of these discussions often remind me of Churchill’s quote that “democracy is the worse form of government except any other that has been tried.”
Good luck on the summer break, citizens.
End Note: It is not well known, but one of my enduring if not notable contributions to the good management of the city was creating a summer recess of four weeks to replace the two-week vacation that previously existed. Many think that more good things happen when the council is gone for the break—and the staff is still working—than at any other time.
According to an article in the always reliable Mercury New, this was also proposed at the council meeting.
“Aside from the tax measures, the council voted 6-5 to consider a charter amendment that would tie council member salaries to a percentage of the pay of state Superior Court judges. Currently, a five-member citizen commission recommends pay for the mayor and council members, who then vote to approve it.
If the proposed change were in place now, the mayor’s $115,000 salary would jump to more than $143,000, and council members’ $82,500 pay would be more than $107,000.
Joining Reed in opposition to the proposal were Cortese and council members Forrest Williams, Sam Liccardo and Judy Chirco.”
I am all for these people being well compensated, but the timing of this seems bad in light of the “budget crisis”, as especially well chronicled by some city council members, who apparently voted in favor of considering this charter amendment.
We watch the city falling into the financial abyss. I am sure Vallejo had the same blind spot as San Jose. Growing cost that no one wants to address and declining revenues that have no bottom in sight. But you gloss over this to praise a new fire chief, giving your family (or friends of your family) $6million, and let the raises for a council who can’t balance a budget. If you believe San Pedro Square will be a strong regional draw or a “Third Street Promenade” you are disconnected from the real world that will judge this decision more harshly than you.
Dear SJ in south SJ
No one gives anything to ‘my’ family -what you saw was the last remnants of the Gonzales-Chavez machine, playing politics w. a solid project. We have a lot of money and four generations of work as small business owners in this city – AND we believe in San Jose. Your cynicism connecting this to Council raises is absurd and illogical. Try to be a bit more perceptive when Labor bosses play their games with a few shills on the Council. TMcE
I’m with Mr. McEnery on this one. Having visited Santa Barbara last week, I’m all for San Pedro Square becoming something akin to another State Street: beautifully landscaped sidewalks, awesome paseo’s, retail and restaurants/outdoor cafe’s. The $6 million will be more than made up when the vision becomes a reality…make it happen!
Tom,
I cannot find a single reason to fault you for being an aggressive, and smart businessperson. You should improve your properties, and make downtown more inviting to our community. You’d be a complete idiot not to want to improve San Pedro Square because even in its present shape, it is very successful. It is warm and inviting and has a lot of character, so I hope you don’t build some boring eyesore in its place. But in all honesty, it does need work. So, as my niece would say, “Go on with your bad self!”
(By the way Tom, a hostel in San Jose really isn’t a bad idea! I’ve gone to many in the Bay area and they are beautiful. Any way, think about about all the material Single Gal would get for her column if we had one. You could even build a roof top Bistro for its occupants!)
As to the Mayor and the Council doing you any favors, that is just plain BS. Chuck sees a great opportunity to get revenue out of your businesses and I’m sure that is what motivates him to work with you on San Pedro Square. That and little else! The better business is in downtown SJ, the more Chuck can do for our community. He may be cheap, but he isn’t dumb!
I know Mayor Reed and I know that he has a strong sense of integrity. He wouldn’t allow your friendship to come before his own ethics, nor would he do anything to hurt San Jose. I supported and voted for Chuck because he is an excellent businessman. I knew he could and will get the budget under control, as well as, start returning much needed services to we citizens.
He has always displayed good business sense, and made sound legal choices from the first day he served as Council Member for D4. He would never sell his soul for a deal with you or anyone else, that is just not who he is. Do I agree with everything he says or does, hell no, but do I think he is a good Mayor, you bet I do.
Just spent a couple of days @ Gaslamp District in San Diego. Ground floor retail, restaurants, and clubs. Petco close. Lots of folks roaming around. Why can’t S J do this?
It’s a good day when I’m actually enjoying a JMOC post. You’re exactly right; why can’t we do this downtown? Petco Mr. McEnery!
Well, well, well. Lookit da tammany hall fat cat today after his pocket pals chucked him a wad of cash to the dark, ominous tune of $6 million mouths that coulda been fed, or da trainin east side biz districts dat coulda been revitalized…sakes alive.
I ain’t seen a more content cat! Da minibush/fitzcarraldo (read my response in his previous blog) is hummin’ as if someone fed him nip. He purrin’ all through his blog and even found hisself da space to pat hisself on da shoulder fo givin more palm-greasin’ time to his tammany pals, aka summer break. Citzens, dats called callin in da chits. And dis provincial perveyor of proprty porn got trunkloads of chits. I mean since wen we name a building for someone alive? he ain’t even no congressman wit a glorious past. I do like the sophism and appropriateness about the current convention center design—it being curled up about da tree of knowledge—so to speak—but not actually a part of da knowledge; just posing rigidly beside it like a crippled sports fan next to an olympic boxer; reflected glory, halleluliah. Dats our mayor turned fat cat.
I got bones wit dis guy cuz if u read my previous post bout da clubs, he speaks outta both sides of da crocajaws. One side love da city. Other side hate da people who live in da city and all da ways of those people. He dream of mayberry neighbors when reality it’s blackberry and brownberry and yellowberry and poor white trashberry neighbors, all just strainin to get by in saint joe lookin’ for sometin to be a part of and gettin’ nothin, not even a hockey team wit da balls to win, and he laudin’ on an on about da big cash handed to his family like a welfar mama bout to buy da big block of cheese. How about $6 million developing transitional training centers to go wit dat sad one beneath 280. Or building up da real blighted areas by 2nd and 1st street sout a da san carlos where convnetion an crack peeps go to mingle? Aint seen no change since da loss o dem porno shops years ago wen i come ramblin in from austin. How you convince da city dat san pedro be blighted when day make da most dollars den anywhere else? I thought redev mean to develop again, not to hyperdevelop or superdevelop! Dats like goin to los gatos and sayen we need to gentrify dis place and get richer whites in here cuz dese only have millions not billions. Make no sense in dis real world.
My proposal:
Get dat silly backwater rag call da merc and use it to line yo shoes cuz dey seem good fo lining pockets given dey orgasmic approval of mcenery’s sweetie pie tap da shoe in da stall deal wit da mayor.
Den round up dem vietnamese dat done brought da city house down and convince dem dat $6 million ought to a gone to tully road or around about dat area for wider sidewalks, a nice plaza or out door little saigon destination mall, and kiosks so dey can be proud a little saigon and all dey done for dis great city. Den recall dis teet-sucklin mayor and his taliban chief o da riot police and do not ever let dis gonza gang back, but in its stead find some real leadership from folks dat know da world furder than da boundaries of 85, 680,280, and 237. peeps dat done lived outsida der and folks dat approach dis city problems wit broad-minded humility an inclusiveness. Not fear-mongering minibush myopia wit empty, sterile, derivitive dreams of a city on a hill or city by da waterfront, or watever cockamamie vision dey be havin from all dat peyote chewin. Heaven on earth is everybody happy wit dey simple lives and de friendships wit nieghbors. Hell on earth is mcenery hungry for an insignificant legacy to leave behind.
Tom,
There is an important missing link in the success of a “new San Pedro Square”.The Redevelopment Department has the funds and the ability to fund the completion of the Los Gatos Creek Trail connecting Downtown San Jose (San Pedro Sq.) with the residents of Willow Glen, its neighbor.The trail connecting the two communities would be an assett for both neighborhoods.
Try to imagine evenings in the spring,summer and fall when Willow Glen residents can walk to downtown San Jose and enjoy an evening in downtown.This would be a real assett.
Consider the great public relations move for the RDA tieing the two areas together. RDA has ignored the Willow Glen area and parts of Willow Glen are in the RDA.
With the trail compleeted to San Carlos Street by the KB Homes people, the Willow Glen portion will be finished.It`s your downtown segament that needs to be connected.The completion would be a “win-win”.Your comments Tom?