You can only wonder when the sins of the last decade will stop visiting themselves on the people of San Jose. We saw it again late last week when a jury awarded $851,000 to the three businessmen who were injured in a notorious email that originated from then-Mayor Ron Gonzales’ office in the middle of the failed attempt to take over the Tropicana Shopping Center some six years ago. A “young” intern (I think we’re all a little tired of that description and alibi) sent out a defamatory email to a small website impugning the men—Dennis Fong, Rich De La Rosa, and Jose Mendoza—in very strident, disparaging terms. The San Jose jury believed that this was clearly injurious to the three men and the city should pay. Injury is quite subjective here; the award was less than asked, but quite substantial.
First, the money comes out of the city’s coffers that are already depleted and desperately in need of the resources to hire librarians and cops. No one can feel happy about that. Second, the transgressions of the last disgraceful decade are continually raising their ugly, and in this case, expensive head. In biblical terms, one might ask: how long, oh Lord, how long? One would hope that the intern would be required to do some significant community work—stack books in the library on weekends—and his superiors on the ex-mayor’s staff be made to do the same. It must be remembered that it was the environment fostered during the Gonzales years, not the intern, which was the real offender.
I believe that the entire situation has to play itself out issue by issue and infraction by infraction, and the pain and suffering inflicted on all of us is an unfortunate part of the reckoning that must occur. We recall also the painful $8 million judgment against the city in the failed takeover attempt. This, as well as the hundreds of thousands of dollars earned by politically influential lobbyists, is near to the heart of the problem. It puts into very stark contrast the type of decisions and type of people who held ultimate power in the city for too many years, and why so many of these illogical decisions were made.
We can all regret that it happened. Yet, we must understand that the latest chapter in this sad saga almost had to happen. It may be appealed and the decision may stand. One thing is certain: the sins of the last administration will live forever in our minds and will continue to exact a steep price in our basic services.
The pain will go on for decades.
The previous mayor was pushing the BART to SJ project as some kind of “legacy,” and unfortunately the current mayor still stubbornly supports it despite the fact that the official price tag is north of $6 BILLION, before the inevitable cost overruns. Chuck Reed campaigned against the waste of the Gonzales years, citing the Taj Gonzales as the poster child of waste, yet he refuses to acknowledge that the BART project is a much, much bigger waste of money. Even the transit advocates, such as Bay Rail Alliance, agree.
Can’t we move forward? “Pain and suffering inflicted on all of us?” Give me a break. This small issue of an ill-advised email, while costly, hardly proves any larger “sins of the last decade.” How ironic that on Saturday we celebrated the opening of yet another beautiful new branch library in San Jose on Empire St. At least the previous administration saw the benefit of investing in public infrastructure, promoting the complete renovation of our library system and expanding hours to Sunday. Just as this library opened, the new administration can celebrate a legacy of re-shuttering our libraries on Sundays. Now there is real “pain and suffering.”
When I moved to CA in the 1970s Tropicana was a run-down dump. In 2008, it still is a run-down dump.
San Jose worked for years with the owners to fix it up, but they did little to nothing. After years of trying the city used eminent domain on the shopping center. If ever there was a situation that called for eminent domain, it was, and still is, Tropicana. Unfortunately, the city did not wait for the Supreme Court ruling, which would have overturned the local court’s erroneous decision in favor of the current owners, so we are stuck with Tropicana, and all its associated social ills.
The owners were awarded (I think) $8 million dollars for the city’s action. How much of that money has gone into fixing up Tropicana?
The former mayor is exactly right about the other former mayor. “It must be remembered that it was the environment fostered during the gonzales years, not the intern, which was the real offender.” So true.
Mayor Gonzales was a bully. It will literally take decades for the city to recover from his incompetence and corruption. I’m always amused by those who say it’s “time to move on.” If only it were that simple. CONSIDER: The city council closed a $22 million budget deficit. The average annual payment on the “built-too-small-to-hold-the-city’s-workers-but-doesn’t-it-look-great-city-hall-complex) is around $26 million per year!!!
I believe that the Gonzales regime is a case study in modern American politics that should be studied in every college in America. That such incompetence and corruption could be pulled off in the modern age is beyond my comprehension.
Pete Campbell
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Didn’t you lose 28 million of our tax payer money on an accounting error? What happened to the money. In the bank one day; gone the next.
did you bury it in San Pedro Square? Loose it in your Hotel project in Irlend?
So, how many bucks did the red lacquer “tree” recently planted in St. James Park cost us? Is that the sum and substance of the efforts of The 16 member Office of Cultural Affairs public art prograsm thus far for 2008?
#2 Hugh,
I can support Tom on the Redevelopment of San Pedro Square and the Cities $6 million investment in SP Square.
I can not support Tom on the BART project.The $6 billion forcasted cost for BART almost covers the 4.9 big dig through downtown San Jose, nothing else!BART is a 16 mile project, who will pay for the rest of the construction.Who will pay for the $50 million dollar per year fee membership San Jose will have to pay to become a member of BART.
The BART program will “bankrupt” VTA,does the downtown property owners in San Jose care about that, does the Mayor and four other City Council members that sit on the VTA Board care if BART will “bankrupt VTA”,I don`t think so. If passed, the present members of our City Council and Mayor that sit on the VTA Board will pass along the headache they created onto the new City Council members.The new City Council members will brame the bankruptcy on the previous City Council members.
NO ONE REALLY CARES!!!
This is why I will vote against any new bond measure recomended by the City Council,Mayor or City Manager.They don`t care, why should I???