Finally, our new mayor and city council have listened to the voices of San Jose’s citizens and neighborhood leaders and set budget priorities for the coming year that are in accordance with the wishes of the vast majority. In a meeting on Tuesday, the mayor, council members and their staffs made a commitment to funding the items most often mentioned on this site and in the neighborhoods. These break down into roughly three areas: public safety, public works infrastructure, and public recreational services.
It seems obvious that our police force is stretched in securing our downtown area when overrun by groups of teenaged male troublemakers from hell. (Is there no parenting at all these days?) Despite the Mardi Gras pre-emptive strike plan of traffic diversions, motorcycle cops patrolling the sidewalks, helicopters in the sky and the deployment of the riot squad (what did all that cost?), there was still much disorder and wanton damage to property. It’s unclear as to whether this plan is part of the solution or making the problem worse. I don’t think anyone knows the answer for sure. I hate it that so much police presence is deemed necessary, but the downtown situation described by Tom McEnery yesterday is a fact and is only getting worse, so maybe it’s the lesser of many evils. While the force does duty in the city center, many neighborhoods, where the taxpayers who fund downtown police overtime live, are left without watchful protection. Public safety in this environment requires some breathing space the city doesn’t seem to have right now, so the council is correct in defining this as a number one priority in the budget. However, we all acknowledge that this problem is going to take more than throwing money at it to solve it and must make sure City Hall keeps it on the front burner.
Given the number of complaints lately about garbage and recycling pickup problems, this area obviously needs attention. What’s going on out there? If pickups are being purposely missed and complaints to the city remain unanswered, unresolved or go down a black hole, perhaps we have another big problem beyond a budgetary one. I don’t think there is a citizen amongst us who isn’t getting concerned about the poor condition of many of our city streets. Clearing the backlog of street, sewer and water projects needing attention are specifically mentioned in this list of budget priorities and we can all cheer that. Let’s just hope that the momentum carries through to actual timely completion while ensuring that public complaints are dealt with promptly.
Last, but by no means least, there is positive movement on the matters of swimming pools, community centers and libraries—the jewels in the crown of citywide public service. It’s about time, especially for swimming pools which got no official notice for a very long time; but, it looks like a situation of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. We can all thank our neighborhood associations for that, proving that these organizations are a very valuable mechanism of citizenship in our city. If only they wielded the power of lobbyists, the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Association and nightclub owners’ alliance and the Redevelopment Agency, the things that benefit the majority of regular folks in this town might always get top-priority attention at City Hall, which is as it should be.
I only wish someone from the San Jose Mercury News could do some really good investigative research and inform us residents how much money it is costing the City of San Jose to pay all these police officers overtime each for the past six years working at Mardi Gras! Once we get those facts it’s time we start billing those businesses who are profiting such as “Bars” who sell alcohol which are feeding into the frenzy which people get liquored up and people spill into the streets.
I think it’s time to take some legal action against the San Jose Downtown Association because it specificallly caters to many alcohol related events such as “Music at the Park” or “Other Park” and the only persons are profiting from this is “Bars,” which are closed during the day but most of there revenue is made at night. Some Bar owners are profiting and now own 2-3 different bars at the expenses of tax payers.
The Residents of San Jose need to approach the City of San Jose and create a sales tax for businesses who operate after 9:00 p.m. who sell alcohol which can help pay for police services which wouldn’t place the burden on residents of San Jose. This sales tax would also used to pay for damage to property sponsered by the San Jose Downtown Association
The residents of San Jose are being held hostage to a few “Bar Owners” who are profiting at the expense of city resources such as police to promote there events which is now leaving a pattern of 6 years which Mardi Gras doesn’t benefit but drains city services paying for police officers who are working overtime.
I think the residents of San Jose need to stand up and hold these businesses liable for property damage and create a sales tax on them who promote events. It seems some bar owners have profited they now own 2-3 different inside the dowtown core. There seems to be no accountability on there behalf pay for property damage which they are promoting and profiting.
I also request if the San Jose Mercury News could please do some investigative research and find out for the past 6 years how much police overtime has been used to support Mardi Gras. This could also justify charging these business who are profiting and promoting and have them pay for police overtime.
San Jose’s police department, unfortunately, is not equipped for San Jose’s imminent stumbling into being a large City, nor are they interested in being so. A successful downtown is hopefully safe, yes, but more because of the large numbers of people on the street acting as deterrants to radical violence that occurs in dark empty alleys. As a frequent downtown bar/club user, I’m dissatisfied, and at many times, offended by the police presence. Yes, we need policing. But we also need the illusion that we are free to walk, and to talk, and to have a few drinks and then hail a cab without having to hike seven blocks because the police decided to close down Santa Clara street to keep people “safe.” I long for the day when our Police Department gets progressive, but I fear that will only come with a new Chief of Police.
And… along another vein, Mardi Gras, Cinco de Mayo, Pride, SoFa Festival, Jazz Festival, and any other unofficial holiday, sanctioned or otherwise, are what create the urban atmosphere that people think we don’t have here in San Jose. San Jose has no culture, people say. I wonder why… we squelch it between our pointer finger and thumb the minute it gets exciting.
Those streets are our streets. We have the right to walk around and smoke marijuana and yield replica AK-47’s and brass knuckles.
Why are cops all over us, man? We own the streets. Just because it’s a toy AK-47 doesn’t mean the cops should be getting all up in our biz’ness, trying to steal our civil rights.
It’s Mardi Gras, for crying outloud. I have no idea what Mardi Gras means or what it represents, but all I know is that it’s an opportunity for me and my homeboys to get lit up and go walk down the street. We ain’t looking for trouble, but if we see other fools rollin’ up on us, then it’s time to get dirty, know what I mean?
Because it’s Mardi Gras. And to me that means carte blanche to get medieval on the streets, know what I’m sayin? ‘Cause I don’t.
I read in yesterdays Murky News that CSJ managers and staff thought their #1 priority was promoting San Jose as safest big city in USA.
WRONG That’s just PR B.S. Managers and staff still don’t get it, apparently. We want BASIC SERVICES, not some lame slogans like 10th biggest city in America, or safest big city in America.
The difference in their attitude as shown by how they title public safety shows that there is an incredible chasm separating their idea of what’s most important from the residents’ idea of what’s most important.
Send every manager and staff member who checked off that box on the survey to a re-education camp in N. Vietnam for 6 months; and if they still don’t get it, can them all and find people who do get it.
I heard on the news that most of the vandalism occurred near 21st & E. Santa Clara—hardly downtown. Is that accurate? Care to venture a guess on the demographic of the vandals on 21st & E. Santa Clara? So let’s not hear any moans about racial profiling from the arrestees’ families, OK.
I posted re my garbage/recycling travails a while back. Well, a mgr. from Green Team called me, and promised me he’d get back to me to inform me the reason for the problem. He has failed to do that.
It took over one week to get an bounce-back acknowledgment of my email to City SJ customer service, which merely informed me—over a week later—that they had received my email. God knows if or when they’ll ever get back to me with substance.
While the priorities decided upon by the City Council are all worthwhile, I was disappointed that they chose to not include code enforcement for funding. Code enforcement was one of the top recommendations by the citizens group, and it, or its lack of, is a constant topic at SNI meetings I attend.
If there is one area that does have a clearly, demonstrable, positive impact on the quality of life in San Jose it is active code enforcement. To me, it appears to be the single best tool that is currently available for cleaning up neighborhoods. Additionally, I suspect that it is less expensive than more police.
Although there might be some responsible property owners who rent their properties I suspect that most, at least in East San Jose, are like the 3 rental owners in my immediate neighborhood; i.e. slum landlords who do not care about the condition of their property, and the type of tenants renting the property. Having a proactive code enforcement going after these property owners would go a long way towards ridding San Jose of blight, lowlifes, and probably some crime as the lowlifes go elsewhere.
At the very least, with increased code enforcement, various neighborhood’s quality of life would improve as cars are moved off the yard, less tenants occupy the property, constantly barking pit bulls are quieted, lawns are maintained, trees are planted along the curb, and illegal home-based businesses are shut down.
Mormon #1 – I don’t see the police presence Tuesday night as “support” of Mardi Gras. In fact, it was closer to “closure” of Mardi Gras. I’d venture to say that in another year or two that Mardi Gras will be just another day in Downtown San Jose, and that the increased policing will be less necessary.
Keep in mind that there were no “official” Mardi Gras celebrations Tuesday. There was no reason for masses of thugs to descend on the city.
And, put away your “bar” rant. Most of the thugs that the police shoved around in the city weren’t interested in going to any bars. In fact, most of them couldn’t get into a bar.
Thank goodness the one minute ad on coverage for the bicycle Tour of CA- promoting SJ- failed to mention Top 10 population. At least something was done right in this plug for Silicon Valley. (Will convey the Stockton group did a better job in their PR effort).
Does anyone know penalties for underage youth violating curfewindowntown?
Is it only having your parents or can any adult pick you up from police detention?
Are there fines or community service with increased penalties for being downtown vs. other areas or repeat violators?
What about penalties for adults having underage curfew violators in their vehicles cruising downtown?
What prevents repeat offenders causing trouble over and over again?
#4. JMOC – I think the demographic you are refering to is drunken, brawling Irishmen.
Oops, sorry. Wrong racist stereotype. My bad.
Chuck Reed, along with his political thugs, and the Thug from Nebraska, have lost complete control of the downtown.
Of course Reed never wanted really to be mayor, just a fellow to preside over the city, while the thugs outside ruin downtown, and his thugs inside screw up city hall.
10 – Perhaps you should use the moniker, “Clueless in San Jose.” It would fit much better with your comments.
#11, I think #10 should use his old moniker, “Reality Check”…
Poor Dave, the blow up lady that he got for being a Reedite is not talking to him.
Too bad, oh, well, back to the magazines for Dave
Asian Voter in san jose
What ” Blue Ribbon Task Force ” are you referring to, which member are you referencing and when / when did this group meet, were the meetings public and have they issued any reports or minutes ?
Thank you for your information
Hey folks, just when you thought the neighborhoods were gonna be listened to about protecting Quality of Life Issues, there is another major threat looming on the horizon!!! This time from Reed himself.
Mayor Reed is part of a “Blue Ribbon Taskforce” that is trying to shove uncompatible higher density affordable housing and group homes into established single family neighborhoods while at the same time looking the otherway while the SJ and SCC Housing Authority are allowed to rob the General Fund of dollars so they can be spent on additional Section 8 vouchers to line the pockets of the very same absentee landlords Blue Fox (post #5) talked about.
The Reed Taskforce is suppose to sell us a biased and unverified study that claims to be a 10-yr solution to homelessness and a 20-yr blueprint to end the affordable housing crisis in the Coutny. The study is sponsored by LISC & SJSU and will be released in the next week or two. It has not been analyzed by the Planning Department or seen the full sunshine of public scrutiny.
Here’s some of the details I learned about from one of non-profit staff people working on the project: 1) It will recommend “By Rights Zoning” as a strategy that SJ can adopt so that the operators of drug rehab centers, prison release half-way houses, and mentally-ill group homes can open up shop in single-family neighborhoods without any City recourse; 2) It will champion higher density affordable housing developments; 3) It will advocate identifying a “new affordable housing funding source (Otherwise know as a NEW TAX on SJ residents)
One troubling aspect I also learned is that the “Blue Ribbon Taskforce” is stacked with the very same special interests who will benefit from the strategies recommended in the report to the detriment of our neighborhoods. So much for Sunshine Reforms!!! By-the-way as an ironic twist of fate one of the Reed Taskforce Members also serves on our own City Sunshine Taskforce. I’m wondering if Reed will share all the Blue Ribbon Taskforce Agendas, Meeting Minutes, and Reports with the Strong Neighborhood Initiative Groups and established Neighborhood Associations like mine? Will the members of his Taskforce be subject to our Sunshine Ordinance and have to disclose their financial interest and abstain from votes that may be a conflict of interest? Mercury News, I smell a story here!!! Do you have anyone reading this blog? Ask them to file a public records request with the SJ housing department and Mayor Reeds Office regarding the Blue Ribbon Taskforce and the study..
Inquire with the Mayor’s Office or the Director of Housing. Ask them for copies of the draft report, the list of Taskforce members, and recommended strategies from the report. I am informed that drafts were sent out already by e-mail to certain folks.
Wizeguy # 9. The demographic is what it is. Calling someone racist for pointing out a fact does not change the fact.
Under your logic, if there’s a riot in Compton and someone points out that all the rioters are black, then that person is a racist.