As I read the weekend paper, it was so apparent, once again, that those who do not remember history are condemned to see it repeated on the front page of the paper. They will suffer the consequences of failing to act on known information. Such is the case in the controversy over Watson Park, once the site of a garbage dump and a 125 foot incinerator that was in use until the 1930s. It is now the location of Empire Gardens School, a popular park, soccer field, and community garden, and much is – or was – planned for this beautiful neighborhood at the end of Jackson and Empire Streets on Coyote Creek.
Reputedly, the first warnings were sounded in 1987; I was on that watch and fail to recall one single word of concern. Subsequent clarion calls were sounded up to and including the recent reports of 2002 and 2003. Still, no one signaled any particular note of alarm in dozens of community, school, and city hall meetings. Interesting.
I believe that the conspiracy theory does not hold here, that is, someone or some group did not want it brought to light and that plans went forward in spite of dire warnings. I feel that this is too simplistic an interpretation. I take a more sanguine view, namely, that there are so few people in the current city hall that can remember seven years ago, let alone seventy, that errors of omission not commission are quite common. Besides, Cindy Chavez is a devoted neighborhood representative and would not willingly allow this situation. With such staff snafus, there will be many more of them in the months and years ahead.
Coyote Update
I note, with some dismay, that the current councilmember for south San Jose wants the development of the virgin Coyote Valley “re-evaluated.” Check the shorthand of Forrest Williams and follow the money, because the logic is dubious at best. An entire new city is planned for this valley that fails to meet several common sense tests. This area was always to be a reservoir of industrial land for our tax base to provide basic services – if you save it, they will come. And anyone who thinks that Silicon Valley will not need the land of the Coyote Valley in the future knows little of development and less of our history. We only have to stave off the more mercenary desires of developers pushing for immediate action. Patience and a bit of courage are the prerequisites for sound planning here. We’ll see if we have those virtues present on this council.
Whether it is Watson Park or the Coyote Valley, we need people in San Jose with a sense of our history and the fortitude to remember it.
Note: The mention in the Mercury Sunday singled out Ron Gonzales’ quote of Churchill in “ First we make our buildings and then they make us.” I used it in my book, “The New City State” – I know Ron has a copy and I’m glad he read it. I first hear the quote when Frank Taylor used it in a presentation he gave to the Chamber of Commerce leadership in the late eighties. I still like it.
City agencies seem to have short institutional memories. In the run-up to the massive & far-reaching land use changes approved by the City Council in June, there was no testimony offered by any city employee at any of the public Planning Commission or City Council meetings about the impact of the housing price bubble on the June policies.
It is obvious that even a small downturn in housing prices will have a severely large impact on city budgets, more devastating than the dot-com bust, especially under the newly-adopted June policies.
Nevertheless, from the Economic Development Director to the Planning Department Director, and all points between, there was nary a word warning policy-makers about this potential impact.
I raised the issue at the public hearing level only to be scoffed at, but the bubble is real and dangerous to the financial health of San Jose just as Watson Park is dangerous to the health of the children who wish to play there.
For What Its worth, ( San Jose city employee anthem ) adapted from—Buffalo Springfield
There’s somethin’ happenin’ here
What it is, is exactly clear
There’s Joe with a threat, over there
Tellin’ me I got to beware
(I think it’s time we)
Stop, people, what’s that sound?
Everybody look
I think #2 needs to get some kudo for the best adaptation of a song, and also the best responde to the post.
How ironic that RG would use a quote even remotely associated with Tom Mc or Frank Taylor.
You are so right about the dangers that lie ahead of us as a result of the Mayor’s dismantling of city staff and with it the institutional memory of the city.
It’s no surprise that city staff does not raise the important issues about the attempt to destroy Coyote Valley. As the Merc editorial so accurately points out today, the Mayor has “spent the past six years creating a City Hall culture that discourages dissent and stifles public debate between professional staff and political leaders.
Any staff member with integrity who wants to keep their job must be a good soldier, even when they know it is not the best for the city. Those without integrity have no problem directing others to withhold iformation and just plain lie.
And how about Cindy’s comment today about how disappointed she was to find out she was making decisions without complete information. How scary is it that the woman who wants to be mayor supposedly doesn’t know what is going on at City Hall until a reporter tells her about it? How is it possible that so many other people have known for years but our City Council was clueless? Time for a change.
Tom:
The only conclusion I can draw is that Ron knowingly swapped it from you after you swapped it from Churchill. Your disdain for RG informs most of writings. Get over it.
There is likely no conspiracy as you knownly admit Tom, but the City’s environmental process is run as if it were a developer’s office – when problems are uncovered that might affect a pre-determined project approval, they get buried in hopes of not having to deal with them – in the same way that garbage was buried in the past that couldn’t burned, recylced, or eaten by pigs. Dale’s warnings on the housing bubble is right-on, and the impending grid-lock due to housing development at any cost will provide fuel for future historians to easily equate today’s actions to the rampant growth policies and inner city destruction brought on by Anthony Hamann at the City and Olney Smith at the Redevelopment Agency (both activities suppported by the then “reformist” City Council)
The City just lost it first legitimate Historic Preservation Officer, Courtney Damkroger, who brought integrity to the position even though her efforts were often futile within the political orientation of the current Planning Office. Don’t expect the current leadership to seek out someone of equal stature, as it goes against the grain.
City Anthem Person:
GREAT adaptation of an important old hippie anthem.
Too bad you can’t come out to testify to the mendacity, paranoia, and “be a good German” atmosphere @ our city hall.
It is impossible for me to believe that the tone set by Gonzo/Guerra does not pervade all aspects of our current city government.
Are they poster children for how to evade The Brown Act? Where the hell was our City Attorney?
Why was the DA investigation derailed?
Why did the City Council vote to stop investigating just as the trail pointed to Del?
What happened to the City Auditor?
I’m not saying anyone was necessarily complicit, but can so many people/departments have been so alseep at the switch? Well, actually, we know where Borgsdorf was—yes man for the cabal.
Even San Diego seems to have corruption stopping at the three mayors in a matter of days. Our entire city council seems to be a bunch of easily fooled yes-persons. And three of them want our votes for mayor? They all need to stop backfilling and take a stand. OOPs, silly me, politicians NEVER take a stand that hasn’t been bought and paid for.
Chavez, Reed & Cortese will caucus with their handlers endlessly to try to figure out how to respond to this ethical crisis…and in the end will issue some oatmeal statement crafted by that ethical consultant they paid a whole bunch of money to; a statement devoid of content if analyzed scrupulously.
And journalists wonder aloud each election cycle why so few people vote. GET A CLUE—it doesn’t make any difference in the wake of campaign money. It’s pay to play at all levels of governemnt these days.
Does anyone who does not contribute to this blog even care? Of course not.
So, everyone will go back to watching American Idol. Bread and circuses.
WOW! This has been a rollercoaster week and it’s only Wednesday!! More city employees are implicated, Gas is more then Mad Cow steaks. Baseball goes steroids, priests go pediphile, Hockey just gos. The Niners self destruct. Pelier Park is scooped up by some alien space ship, but leave Fallon untouched. Think they’er telling us something?Our mayor’s actions are called unamerican, or is it unAmexican! The Grand Prix Race becomes a Chase! We bulid a city hall that resembles a refinery. R2D2 rules The center of town!!!!And finally Quetaquadley is not surronded by Port O Lets. With out the marque we could not find them porta pots. Shit! Then to top off the rest of the BS. Our city officials have not spent the dough collected from developers over the many years to build parks that were mandated. And NOW some one wants to change the rules on park spending. Have I left anything out. Oh yes, Watson Park. Daaah! The same guys that put Watson Park there are no doubt the same guys that built San Antonio Elementry school on top of a battery dump site, and built Almaden Park on top of the most live Mercury dump site in the world. Would anyone want to go pan for Mercury. Kayate Guide Sevice can take you there.
Sure I’m hot!!! Is’nt what this site is all about.
Give us a break, OK. I’m throwing the anchor out. I suggest everyone do likewise!
Whew, do I feel better! Gotta run I’m playing poker with the guys tonight!!!!!! One eyed jacks are wild tonight The game is 5 card stud no Peekie, just like San Jose Politics.
The Village Blacksmith
Yeah, what did happen to Pellier Park? Even Leonard McKay doesn’t know. One day it was there—closed and locked as usual—and the next day the olive trees and benches were gone. No warning. Did they take it to the same warehouse where Fallon and his sidekick resided for so many years? If they can beam up an entire park over the weekend, why can’t they get rid of Quetzi?
NO CLOWNS ARE ALLOWED IN COYOTE VALLEY ,RON AND HIS LITTLE GROUP OF DEAF EARS SHOULD QUIT WHILE THERE, WELL THEY SHOULD NOT BE LET LOOSE IN COYOTE VALLEY ,WELL IT ONLY STANDS TO REASON THEY’VE ALREADY DONE SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB AT SCREWING UP JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT THEY PUT THERE HANDS ON PARKS , DUMPS, GARBAGE, WELL LETS SEE IT USED TO BE A DUMP SO LETS TURN IT INTO A PARK AND A SCHOOL ,LETS SEE IF WE CAN HIDE BEHIND THE DUMPSTER DEAL , WHAT THIS CITY SHOULD DO IS MOVE THE NEW CITY HALL TO WATSON PARK PUT UP A 12 FOOT FENCE PUT THE GROUP OF CLOWNS IN THERE NEW OIROUS TENT LOCK THE GATE AND TOSS THE KEY IN THE TRASH
Tom:
Remembering history? What happened to Pellier Park? Over one weekend it was leveled and turned into a Barry Swenson Builders construction site. Where was the notice? Even Leonard McKay doesn’t know what happened. The Fallon Statue was saved from the wrecking ball, howeverunlike the scuplture that just disappeared when the Fairmont project began.
WELL WHAT HAPPENED TO CARL MOSHER ,THINGS GETTING A LITTLE WARM IN THE NEW CITY HALL ,(CIRCUS TENT) WHY DONT ALL THE REST FOLLOW ,WHILE THEY CAN STILL RUN , THEY JUST KEEP GOING AND GOING AND GOING LIKE THAT STUPID RABBIT , AND PELLIER PARK VANISHES AND A BARRY SWENSON SHOE SHINE STAND APPEARS , RON HOUDINI MAKES A POSTAGE STAMP OF HISTORY DISAPPEAR , HE,S JUST A LUCKY GUY, A HUNDRED YEARS AGO YOU WOULD PROBABLY FIND RON IN ST JAMES PARK DECORATING A TREE . HOW MUCH HISTORY IS THIS GROUP OF CLOWNS GOING TO RUIN UNTIL THEY ARE ,HISTORY , AND THAT PILE OF SNAKE SHOULD BE LEFT RIGHT WHERE IT SITS AND RIGHT NEXT TO IT A STATUE OF RON SHOULD BE PLACED , FROM ONE PILE TO THE NEXT ,CAN YOU TELL ONE FROM THE OTHER , ONES JUST TALLER ,WHEN WILL THIS CIRCUS BE OVER ?