Is it me, or does it seem that all good, big ideas in this City are here today, gone tomorrow? I think so many good ideas fizzle in San Jose, and I really want to know why.
A music hall was once on the forefront of the city council agenda and there were debates in both the council and supervisors chambers on whether to build it downtown or at the county fairgrounds, and then: nothing. It was a great idea but it seemed to vanish into thin air. House of Blues was pumped-up for a time and never materialized. We are all still waiting for another music venue.
BART to San Jose was hot on the minds of voters during Gonzales’s tenure as mayor, but have we seen one jackhammer put in the ground to make this happen? I know it’s still a hot topic—how to do it with limited funds—but when do the issues we vote on actually come to the forefront?
I know people who visit this site stay up to date on these and other projects and are knowledgeable about the ins and outs of politics and better informed than most. However, what about the casual voter who wants to know why they vote to pay for things that never come to fruition? What do we have to show them that will convince them to support the work of the council to make things happen or that they should pay more taxes if needed?
I wonder what the main obstacles are to getting things done in San Jose. Is it a continued lack of leadership? Is it an inability within City Hall to agree or to prioritize goals? Is there too much red tape to meander through? Are special-interest groups making it more difficult or are they affecting the speed at which things get done? I am curious as to what is the main problem; and, being a problem-solver myself, how do we fix it? It may sound too easy, but sometimes things just need to be made simpler in order to accomplish something.
Perhaps in Wednesday’s “State of the City” Speech, Mayor Reed can outline his plans to make his ideas come to life, and start leaving his mark on this city for the better. Otherwise people are going to start believing that all of the headlines in this town are nothing more than pipe dreams.
Public works projects take years to complete, especially when voters are stingy and have zero vision or patience.
Nobody wants a stupid House of Blues. It’s the Starbucks of music. Mass production is over, craftsmanship is back.
It’s my understanding that the music hall in waiting, aka the Civic Auditorium, is still being pursued as an option. As I recall, right about the time the city and county were $ettling their legal issues around the defunct fairgrounds plans, this new plan to upgrade the Civic surfaced. It seems to make sense and it has got to be less expensive than building a facility from scratch.
The problem is that I suspect the pursuit of any projects such as this one will end up on hold as a result of the budget deficit.
There is not enough money for BART without raising the sales tax rate. Even with a tax increase, there may not be enough money. If there were enough money, the first trains on the extension woud not start running for another ten years because of planning and construction.
A music hall is not economically viable at this point in time, otherwise it would have been built already. And it would need government assistance anyway. A better solution is to refurbish the Civic Auditorium as planned. With the Civic Auditorium, California Theatre and HP Pavilion, no other venue is needed.
SG- Great column. I have often wondered that myself. Besides the obvious reasons of money, and politics, I think it has to do with follow through. City staff will push any thing through if they want it badly. If not, you see the results~
Patience, Grasshopper.
Rome, and BART, were not built in a day.
The more I read, especially about the VTA’s fiscal recklessness, the less I am inclined to ever support BART to SJ. As has been stated here recently, an efficient connection to SF is more desirable, and CalTrain is already working on that. I’d rather not have an easy way for Oaklanders to get to SJ. Say goodbye to the low crime rate here if it’s possible to board a train in Richmond and make a beeline for downtown SJ. What good could possibly come from that? The longer we stay inaccessible from the Bay Area’s rust belt, the better.
S.G.
Too many pigs feeding at the public trough. Also, we had 8 years of an incompetent and corrupt administration. And to top it all off, we have an undedicated press and an apathetic citizenry.
The dot com boom set us up for our current fall. The city govt made decisions based on pie in the sky economic projections that were never realized. Rather than investing in the city’s future, money was spent on celebrating the present. (ie the Taj Mahal, new libraries, community centers, etc) What good are new facilities if you haven’t budgeted the money to operate them? Money was spent to build political resumes rather than investing in the future. (Example: The city could have partnered with Santa Clara to provide for its own electricity. What a great (and green) idea that would have been…instead, we have a rotunda that proclaims our majesty…and stupidity.
Pete Campbell
Wow, a House of Blues? That would’ve been amazing!
Maybe the “good, big ideas ” were never that “good” or “big” to begin with.
In particular, BART on the East side of the Bay is a stupid idea.
Why? Because SCC taxpayers are being asked to pay it, yet they will derive little benefit from it.
Other ideas that fizzled: The grand Palladium redevelopment plan, Living Tomorrow Pavilion at 1st and San Fernando, and the Grand Prix. I know the GP actually came to fruition for a bit, but all the promise of an annual world class event, endless stream of money for downtown merchants, putting San Jose on the international map…all up in smoke after 3 years! Anyhow, as #4 alluded to, hopefully someone on the city staff still wants our National Pastime downtown badly.
Plopping down a large venue that will parachute in big names from out of town is not something that would necessarily be successful. Or else someone would have done it already.
A healthy performing arts scene is not based on a “we bring in people you saw on TV” attitude.
The city government is basically hostile to live music. Remember the 1980s when SJ started to have an active music scene downtown? What happened to that?
It would be better to encourage music at the community level. Music in the Park is a good concept and people seem to enjoy that. More small scale events, more small venues and more support of local musicians is the way to create a healthy music scene.
If the city wants to support the arts, rather than subsidizing a national chain to open a franchise here, buy one of the many old warehouses now being knocked down for condos and turn it into an art space. The old Del Monte plant would have been perfect, but it’s too late for that.
For once, I agree with Single Gal. The city leaders are all mouth and no action. They’re all screw ups. Ron Gonzales was much better than Reed since he got the city hall and library done. Don’t forget CIM mixed-used projects. What has Reed done? A big nothing! The worst mayor San Jose has ever had. So, it’s not worth going to “state of city’s address” since there’s nothing for to say, except the progress of reform and sunshine b.s.. That’s what people of San Jose and the Merc wanted, so they got what they wanted: a city in check and no excitement!
4 – City staff does not drive the results. Nothing gets done if the Mayor and Council don’t want it done.
SG – Ask the Mayor and Council your questions. They are the only ones whose answers will make any difference.
#7 is correct that the corruption and incompetence of the previous administration left a lot of wreckage behind. That mess has to be cleaned up before much positive can happen. And don’t forget, there are still some Councilmembers left from that reign of terror. Until they are gone don’t expect any miracles.
Vision, vision, and more vision.
The mayor, with all due respect needs to have a vision.
yes clean up City hall, but after, then what ?
you need a vision, and the City Council, same thing.
do you want San Jose to grow?
or do you want San Jose to stay 1970’s cow town?
we need ambition over there.
stop worrying about yesterday, lets push for tomorrow, it’s coming whether we like it or not!
#13- You are dead wrong about City Staff not driving the results! I’ve watched them fight tooth and nail to get things they want, defeat things they don’t want, carefully control information to the Mayor and Council’s Office, and jerk members of the public around when they don’t want to cooperate with you. I have spoken to many former and present Council Members who know City Staff isn’t following through with constituents, and that on many occasions, haven’t even followed through on directions given to them in Council Meetings.
I’ve watched them work with big business and special interest groups to finagle getting what they want. I’ve seen them argue with Council Members, and ignore questions asked by Council Members in Council Meetings! So, I respectfully have to disagree with you on this one.
15 – Based on many, many years of experience inside and outside of City Hall, I stand by my statement. Nothing happens that the Mayor and Council don’t want to happen.
During the past 8 years (Gonzales/Borgsdorf) staff was prevented from doing their jobs and the Council allowed that to happen. You are kidding yourself if you believe that staff drives what happens at City Hall—ultimately it is the Mayor and Council. Look more closely.
By the time we pay all the concultants, there’s no $$ left for the project. A quarter mil plus, and the pools still aren’t open. Just a small example.
#16- We can agree to disagree. You are not the only one with an “inside view” of the workings of City Staff. I agree with your statement that the Mayor and Council ALLOW staff to get a way with more than they should. I stand firm that City Staff has a very strong influence over getting their way in what passes and what doesn’t. If you truly have been on the “inside of City Hall,” then you know very well how manipulative department heads are when wanting something passed, and how they burry vital information in huge binders going to the Mayor and Council on any given issue. They also have been known to side line Council Members by providing information in huge quantities just a day or so before they are asked to vote on it, hence the need for Council Aides and lengthy discussions on issues before the council.
I’ve seen city Staff neglect to bring ALL the facts to Council after they have been instructed to hold community meetings, or to conduct citizen surveys. I’ve seen them do things that just sicken me, along with violations of the Brown Act being ignored by the Mayor and Council to save the City from being sued. I stand by my opinion on the great influence they have over what passes, comes to fruition, and what doesn’t. The Fire Station # 2 funding is a great example of the kind of bait and switch that goes on in City Hall by staff. Sad but true~
House of what? Downtown doesn’t want entertainment; it appears to be a love/hate relationship. If you’re curious as to why…Visit a downtown establishment and leave at say 1:15AM and then ask a policeman for directions. That’ll set you straight.
Everyone,
Fact !! The minuite we allow the first BART train to cross over the County line, jusy one inch over the line into Santa Clara County, it will “cost us $50 million dollars + every year for the rest of our lives.
If we allow this to happen, ” VTA has to “GUARANTEE” the BART people $50 million will paid, and if not, because of the legal GUARENTEE, BART has the legal right to attach the VTA bank account until all moneys owed them are current. VTA has to GUARENTEE BART will be paid.
It`s just like a “house payment at the Bank ! Pay the bank or your house will go into foclusure proceedings and you lose the “whole thing”!
Our bus services and all other VTA services would shut down. VTA would not be even able to make their payroll obligations.
Ask your City Council people, ask the Mayor, ask your County Supervisor representative if this is true ? Ask them ? Get your own answers, ask them!
Ask yourself if it is worth the gamble???
VTA is already over $3 billion in debt and having financial problems.
Saturday morning January 29th i`m attending a meeting to listen to a member of the County Board of Supervisors explain why the VTA has to sell it`s land on San Carlos St @ Sunol street to a developer because VTA needs the money from the sale to help meet obligations.
VTA can`t financially manage their current operations now, can you trust them to take on the BART financial responsibilities?
18 – Do you have any examples of all of these manipulations and Brown Act violations? If any of this actually occurred it could only happen because the Council wanted it to happen. You are placing the blame in the wrong place.
Hoow can we spend money we don’t have, We’re already millions of dollars in debt.
There are *always* ways to go deeper into debt….
None that I can recommend, but that never stopped anyone.
The hard part is finding the spine to tell voters what you can’t do.
It’s a lot easier to be a “visionary”.
Greg,
The next item we will hear about is the County or VTA will want to sell off assets like property to settel their financial commitments.
What happened to the $$ in Measure A that were to be used to purchase new Hybrid buses? what happened to the Measure A funds that were to be used to Electrify CalTrain? Where is all the VTA and Measure A money going?
Why can`t the endorcers of BART to the east bay from San Jose come forward with us, especially now that we have serious questions for them to answer. Be honest, or admit that they didn`t know all the particulars either.
It`s time to put everything on this BART project on HOLD !!! It`s time for taxpayers to get some difficult questions answered.
Single Girl,
CASUAL VOTERS ARE EASILY MIS-GIDED !
Special interest groups know this fact well!
” ” ” Use it to their advantage ! Blind side the voters. tell them what you want them to hear, block everything else.
SG… re: “BART to San Jose was hot on the minds of voters during…”
Yes it was. For eight years the mayor and “his council” sat on the VTA board, raised the BART banner waived it high and proudly. But when it came to putting it and the funding it would require in front of other hot issues… it never happened.
SG… re “what about the casual voter who wants to know why they vote to pay for things that never come to fruition?”
The casual voter also wanted a new city hall, happy police, fire and city workers, race cars downtown, sue the county, happy trash collectors, happy developers, more lower cost homes, etc. etc, etc, The eyes of the casual voter glaze over as soon as the issue of fiscal responsibility is raised.
SG… re “What do we have to show them that will convince them to support the work of the council to make things happen or that they should pay more taxes if needed?”
That’s a tough question. It’s like selling a used car. What you tell them depends on how bad you want to unload the car. If you tell them everything about the car – full disclosure – you may or may not sell the car.
SG… re “main obstacles to getting things done in San Jose?”
That depends on what those things are or were. When it came to the hot button wants of the month, the mayor and council laid it out, raised their hands, it was done and everyone (most) were happy. In the words of some, “It’s not that much money.” Oh… BART? We’ll worry about that later.
SG… re “Are special-interest groups making it more difficult or are they affecting the speed at which things get done?”
Both. Special interests speed project that offset the demand for housing, bring racing to SJ, provide “labor peace” and others. By the same token they draw from the same resource base that would fund BART.
Just a few thoughts from a casual voter.
SG… re “Are special-interest groups making it more difficult or are they affecting the speed at which things get done?”
Both. Special interests speed projects that offset the demand for housing, bring racing to SJ, provide “labor peace” and others. By the same token they draw from the same (pot)resource base that would fund BART.
SG… re: “being a problem-solver myself, how do we fix it?”
If you found yourself seriously overextended and still needed to fund the basics of living; being a problem-solver yourself, how would YOU fix it?”
SG… re: “sometimes things just need to be made simpler in order to accomplish something.”
BINGO. I could not agree more. Make it simple enough for a seven year old to understand. The old bean jar is perfect. Beans in – beans out. No beans in – no beans out. You get the idea.
Better yet, make the stort of the Ant and Grasshopper manditory reading for every elected official and test’m on it.
As your friend said…“In the cycle of boom and bust, you must restrain spending ( salaries, pensions, and services) to provide for the inevitable downturn. ”
I moved from San Jose, CA to Nevada, but i visit frequently and I’m wondering when is the city officials are going to get off their seats and bring entertainment to Downtown. It looks like a ghost town on weekends, if it wasn’t for the people coming out of Saint Josephs cathedral on Sundays there would be no living soul downtown.
Another idea that fizzled is free parking in downtown lots on weekends. Now they charge. Yet another reason not to go downtown on weekends. Way to go Mayor & Council and Abi The Parking Czar!!!!
It does make one wonder just what kind of thought process the City went through to stop free parking and start charging. Let’s see—not enough people come downtown when the parking is free, so let’s charge for the parking?? Defies logic, but it’s not the first time.
#30- The Mayor and Council voted to impose a parking fee because scum balls were selling drugs, drinking, urinating, fighting, skate boarding, and having sex in the garages. It stunk in there, and the parking fee helps pay for sanitation people, and allows for more Police Officers to be assigned to keep the public safe in there.
I would rather see these club owners pay for it because they draw these creeps, but since they aren’t being made accountable for their customers, I don’t mind paying the fee to be in a clean, safe garage. Any way, many businesses like Camera 12, and PF Changs validate parking for you.
Kethleen #31 I’m not talking about the multi-storey lot @ San Pedro Square, where a $5.00 fee starts @ 10:00 p.m.
I’m talking about the surface lot near SJ Rep, which charges $2.00 starting @ 6:00 p.m.
I’d bet all city lots downtown now charge. Another bad idea from our “leaders” @ The Taj Gonzal.
JMO- I get that no one wants to pay for parking, I don’t either, but since these clubs, and businesses are not helping the City, how else are we going to pay for services? I seem to be able to find a spot that doesn’t cost anything, or park in a lot that validates. Or, I just don’t go to downtown at all. I am really surprised the City didn’t plan for parking better than it did. Even SF has available parking for tourists. What’s up with that?
#33 – how much needed tax revenue do you think these clubs and businesses bring the city? quite a bit, I surmise.
and SF’s parking for tourists is $10, $15, $20. Hardly the $2 after 6 pm that is now the fee for downtown garages. the problem with this fee is if you come at any time before 6 you get charged the $2 plus whatever you incurred before 6. I was at the library last night from 5:50 to 7:45 and paid $2.75. Not really a big deal, but not very pleasant, either.
Also, I posted this yesterday but was censored – or perhaps my computer was wonky – to back up jmoc’s comments and to correct your post #30- the council sunsetted the $5 after 10 pm that was for cleaning and security. the $2 fee is not to pay for those services- or because of “scum balls were selling drugs, drinking, urinating, fighting, skate boarding, and having sex in the garages” but is intended to generate revenue for the parking fund so that it can purchase land for future garages, since all of downtown surface lots are planned development sites.
#35
Also, I posted this yesterday but was censored
Perhaps it was censored, but the blog does have a bug regarding posting.
If you submit your post and the article immediately reappears then your post will not appear. I suppose it gets dropped someplace. If you post and the page saying you will be redirected back to the article appears then your post goes through.
Because of this I write my posts in Word. Then if the submit does not work I can easily resubmit it. A side-benefit of using Word is I can spell check what I wrote to catch errors my keyboard made.
#36 BlueFox
I am sorry that one of your posts was lost. I can assure you that you were not censored. Something must have gone awry between your provider and our site.
Your suggestion is a good one. Everyone should write their responses in Word in case there is a glitch somwhere along the line. Then they can resubmit if necessary.
We do have technical problems with a few internet providers and email addresses. We hope to have a new system in place soon that will correct these issues.
They can charge as much as they like to park downtown as I have no intention of going there. As I have said before; the insides of the clubs “look like the graduating class of San Quentin” and the outsides at 1:30AM look like “Nazi Germany”. Nasty people and unfriendly cops-not my plan for a good time.
Wanna see how a entertainment friendly city looks, go to Austin Texas for a great example.