I was fascinated to read in the Mercury News on Monday about the Willow Glen house that was deemed a “junkyard” and how the owners are being taken to court on charges of “blight.” When I read it was in Willow Glen, I wondered if this house was really as bad as it was made out to be, or if it was the work of the Willow Glenites—the same ones that put their PierreLuigi signs in the exact same spot on their lawns a la The Stepford Wives. Would this be happening in any other neighborhood in San Jose?
I can just see the Willow Glen yuppies, also known as “busy bodies,” up in arms about this place. How can a home not be perfectly manicured with fresh grass, tulips and an $800-per-month gardening service keeping it looking beautiful? Willow Glen neighborhoods probably set the hours when you can mow your lawn and specify how many cars you can park in front of your house, so it comes as no surprise that they have actually brought CRIMINAL charges against an elderly lady who can’t keep her house up to the standards of this yuppie enclave. Even more disturbing is that this house that is being made out as something you would find in a ghetto, got an offer on the market for $2.5 million. Ouch! Get me the name of that realtor!
Maybe this house is a total dump and an eyesore. If it lowers the nearby property values or is unsafe, then yes, something should be done about it and I see why the neighbors are a little peeved. But it brings up an interesting question for debate. When does someone else’s property become your concern? Where do we draw the line? Does a house have to look like a crack house to be brought to court? Or is Mr. Smith’s broken gutter pipe and unmowed lawn enough for his neighbors to bring blight charges against him?
The concept of blight has been used as a basis for urban renewal projects in other cities, so, in that vein, why can’t we use it for dilapidated buildings in downtown San Jose? Why can’t we bring charges against the owners of the Aconda Hotel on West Santa Clara Street or the boarded-up shops on Second Street to make them clean up their properties just like the owners of houses in Willow Glen are expected to do? Handing out blight charges more freely and setting higher standards might bring rapid positive changes to our city’s downtown core and neighborhoods.
Thankfully, I am not a lawyer profiting from bringing cases of blight to court and I am sure there are legal issues that I know nothing about. However, if we are always looking for urban renewal, who gets to judge what needs to be renewed?
In any case, until this debate is settled, I need to go mow my lawn, fix my drain pipe and pull a few weeds. I think I see my neighbors eyeing me suspiciously….
Wow, Native San Josean, I seem to have touched a nerve in Pleasantville, I mean, Willow Glen. If you’re gonna live there you have to be able to laugh at it….
SG, you’ve done a good job of capturing why I would never live in such a neighborhood. I like my privacy and expect my neighbors to MTOB. Your account of the Oliverio signs is nothing short of spine-chilling.
At my mom’s house in the Rose Garden, her yard borders a major code violator, but nobody is complaining. It’s a more live-and-let-live attitude in the more diverse Rose Garden, I think, where a Stepford effort would never get any traction.
Willow Glen is a very nice part of town but there is an element of nosy and noisy complainers that has taken hold there and it has become a case of a small uppity tail wagging the much larger and generally laid back dog. As a person who loathes yuppies and their value system, I’d steer clear of Willow Glen if I was house hunting. It’s a shame that such shallow people tend to leverage things to suit their needs and values in that part of town.
I agree with NSJ in post#1 above. If the rats start invading your property, it’s time to act. But I’d wager that the people in the junkyard house lived there long before any of their complaining neighbors. I’d also wager that these neighbors morphed their homes into Mc Mansions that offered views into the junkyard that weren’t available from their original single story homes. If so, the complainers have created this problem for themselves. If they hadn’t chosen to ruin the character of their neighborhood by oversizing their own homes, they wouldn’t be seeing the contents of the back yard in question. This strikes me as a case of intolerant neighbors trying to run non-homogenous people out. I wonder how they’ll like the view and resulting density of several homes crammed into that same piece of property when it is inevitably carved up. Maybe then they’ll learn that sometimes it’s better to mind their own business.
I have seen three editions of the Murky News, all of which had photos of the offending back yard. The one acre lot was filled with all manner of junk, and has been for years. The mother and son who live there are allegedly both a bit dotty.
Apparently the backyard blight only became a problem for the busybody neighbors when they built second story additions that allowed them to see into their neighbors’ back yards for the first time.
The way the Murky told the tale, according to Rick Doyle (who now has plenty of time on his hands since he no longer has to defend bonehead Gonzo moves) the offending residents had been warned multiple times, had administrative fines levied against them, emptied some of the junk out, but replaced it with new junk. It seems the neighbors and the City did all they could short of prosecution, to no avail.
By the way, SG, no lawyer profited from bringing this case to court—it was brought by the city as a PUBLIC nuisance. Neighbors could have hired a lawyer, however, and brought a nuisance case themselves. But, politically savvy Glenites probably knew they could get the City to carry their water on this issue free of charge to them.
One thing apparently lost of the offenders, however, is that their blight reduces the value of their neighbors’ homes. Imagine you were looking to buy the house next door and went upstairs, looked out the window, and saw what looked like a set from Sanford & Son, minus Fred, Lamont & Grady? The least you would do is reduce your offer substantially, but more then likely you’d move on.
I’ve lived in WG since 1980, and I lived 3 blocks from that house for over 20 years. Glenites are the largest collection of busybodies in one small area in the Western World. But in this case, I’ve gotta believe the neighbors and the City were justified.
According to Single Gal, I guess I could be classified as a “Willow Glen Yuppie” as well as a neighborhood “busy body.”
So, as Vice-Chair of the San Jose Appeals Hearing Board – a quasi-judicial board that hears appeals to code enforcement violations – let me provide Single Gal with a little insight as to how code enforcement can be a cost-effective way for city residents to partner with city officials in improving the quality of life in San Jose.
Neighborhood residents know that vigorous code enforcement helps to protect investments in our property, preserves the character of our neighborhoods and protects the health and safety of all our residents. Enforcement of our city’s municipal codes and land-use requirements should always be fair and unbiased. Quite simply, if your property is in compliance with the city’s municipal codes, then you have nothing to worry about.
The goal of code enforcement is to help all property owners maintain compliance and they utilize a range of enforcement methods (citation, administrative penalties, abatement, prosecution, etc.) Residents don’t bring blight charges against other residents – the city utilizes enforcement methods to ensure that all property owners are in compliance with our municipal codes and laws.
In my experience, the vast majority of property owners who learn that their property is in violation of a municipal code are more than willing to correct the problem in a timely fashion. In most cases, the property owner is simply unaware of the governing municipal code with most property owners welcoming the information.
With our city’s limited financial resources, we could never hire enough code enforcement inspectors to monitor every property. Thus, I wish that our city would put more resources into cost-effective outreach and education programs so that all property owners could make their own corrections without having to face a code enforcement inspector.
Single Gal theorizes that our city disproportionately enforces municipal codes in the Willow Glen neighborhood. Yet, I can assure her that every neighborhood in San Jose takes advantage of the code enforcement department.
If you want to learn more about how code enforcement can help improve your neighborhood, go to http://www.sanjoseca.gov/codeEnforcement.
SG – you probably did yourself a disservice by not actually looking at the house before writing about it…and subsequently roasting the residents of Pleasantville.
You answered it yourself. It lowers property values. Yes, that means other people’s propety values. If it’s their property being affected, it’s their concern. You can bring in your preconceived notions of Willow Glen residents, because we all have them and can’t fully escape them, but this isn’t an unsightly motorhome parked in someone’s driveway. This could be serious stuff. I mean, was the grabage ever fully mapped and surveyed? It’s easy to say “stop being so uptight” until something crappy actually happens. Then there’s a much bigger mess. I believe the saying goes, “better safe than sorry.”
Single Gal,
Looks like you suffer from location envie.
Is $2,500,000 for one acre of land, in Willow Glen, too high? Not if you consider that one third acre lots are going for $1,300,000.
SG—Right on! Only out in the provinces where they are can folks be as narrow minded as Willy Glenners, a StrongNeighborhood”, all critical, almost all anonymous. In a real place, people bitching about the mess would pitch in and help clean it up instead of siccing the city on a couple of old people who obviously need extra help. And the moral indignation available to WG dwellers is huge. For years there’s been a blue tarp over the roof of a Victorian wreck on S.3rd @ Virginia. Different neighborhood dynamic there. Or, perhaps these neighbors have dreams that a crazy person will buy the wreck and restore it, a “UNI” neighborhood obsession. Back in WiGly land, interesting how the City is so into whacking these old folks, and not too farfetched that Ms. Garmen suspects them of harassing her off her land to get more taxes—while, as you point out, so much of downtown is blighted—not to mention Burbank’s dangerous apts. and a long list of other unquestionably blighted EastSide venues. The other recent WG outrage: the
Saturday Tree Murder: someone has trees in
the MIDDLE of their lot cut down, NOT in the public parking strip, and hundreds of WGers turn out to protest, some suggesting that the city force the lot owner to import huge trees and put them back in the middle of the lot. Of course, all this overlooks the fact that all of WG was once an orchard, and everyone’s fancy house meant removing dozens of spring blossoming, fruit producing gorgeous apricot/peach/pear trees. Also, their militance
and moral superiority presumes that they would never ever cut down a tree in their space to build a house or even a garage. All those angry voters certainly did intimidate our
elected representatives into instantly enacting tree protecting legislation to pay city inspectors time and a half to work weekends to take complaints from the other WGers who will go nuts a year from now when someone tries to cut down a tree they planted that is now big and in the way. Go, WGers!! Away.
You’d think these people lived in downtown Los Gatos. George Green
I didn’t realize there were so many anarchists out there. I always thought we lived under the rule of law, but apparently some of you think it is OK to ignore the rules.
And for those of you commenting about this who haven’t actually seen the house, your comments have no validity. It’s like criticizing a book you haven’t read.
I’m sure glad all of you condemning the city and the neighborhood live in perfect communities where everybody keeps their homes looking good and safe. Not everyone is as lucky as you.
Read the Opinion section in the Merc today. “Let sun shine on developer’s letter stating stadium plans”. If you think Wolff not leading the sheep to slaughter, your head is where the sun don’t shine.
It is quite Ironic to see the city going after blight in neighborhoods. Has the city looked at there own infrastructure?To keep this short all San Jose’ns have a Fire house in there neighborhood. Frankly I have not driven by all 20 of them latly butt if they are maintained as poorly as the one at Cherry Ave and Minnesota. have you looked at it? It has not been painted in twenty years…paint peeling off of it, the 1960 paint color,the minimal landscape….lets get real if you live in a glass house you had better be ready to receive some rocks. If the city lead by example and follow the same rules they expect everybody else to follow I am sure we would not be harassing the people on Willow Glen Way.
No location envy for me -Though walking to the Starbucks on Lincoln Avenue everyday and spending 30.000 a year giving to St, Christopher’s sounds like a lot of fun, I think I’ll pass….
You know, I lived downtown before living in WG and while there are busybodies in WG, mostly people keep to their own business (and I live a couple of blocks from the home mentioned). Now downtown, everybody ignores the crank dealers and the gang bangers until there’s a driveby and then the response is more like: “We need to bring these young poeple into our home…” Actually heard that at a community meeting after a driveby as well as a reluctance to create too heavy of a police presence. That’s when I decided for sure that I wasn’t raising my kids there.
And that’s why many of the neighborhoods of downtown are the pits that they are.
SG
One of the great things about San Jose is its diversity. Diversity of people and diversity of neighborhoods. My family has lived in San Jose much longer than most. We have lived on the West Side, Downtown and in Willow Glen. Each neighborhood offers something different. You should spend more time working to make your neighborhood all that it can be, and less time knocking other great parts of San Jose.
Too bad this didnt go to trial.
Where does Rick Doyle come off filing a criminal complaint against someone with trash in their backyard, yet the city allows their [url=“http://new.photos.yahoo.com/fh_kirby/photo/294928804241495795/0
“]own property[/url] to lay derelict in a blighted state with a PierreLuigi sign stuffed in the planter box.
I’m surprised the owner with the un-rented vacant building across the street has not filed a lawsuit yet.
The city’s priorities are out of whack. Didnt we learn anything from the Willow Glen tree incident? We need a proactive plan to take care of our neighborhoods, rather than chase after neighbor’s complaints. For example, rather than updating the sign ordinance this month to allow more large sign blight, why doesnt the city tackle the alcohol ads on billboards, especially around our schools?
Y’all need to scroll back up and read John Michael O’Connor’s #6 posting above.
Well said, John.
The Murky News posted the address for this house in yesterday’s paper. It is a corner house on the southwest corner. I suggest that we all form our own conclusions by judging for ourselves. $800/month gardening service? I wish I could afford something like that. Parking restrictions on the neighborhood streets? Nope. Come over and take a look. Willow Glen is a pleasant place to live with a great shopping district. Do we complain about our neighbors yards? Yes we do when the rats start coming through the fence.
I have a few experiences with blighted homes – all four within a few block radius in the Rosegarden.
Example #1, the front yard lawn was so high and dry it may burst into flames. Neighbors attempted to mow the lawn without getting yelled at.
The second was when a house that resulted in a fire/smoke because of decades of waste accumulated in the back yard. Good thing no one was hurt.
The third is a plain ugly landscaped house but there is nothing much to do because they do it to be different.
And just for fun I will add in the DeMattei homes which ruin the character of our old neighborhood. No offense to my friends on University Avenue…
Reporting the problem can be necessary and in other cases you have to live with it. Those neighborhood associations (regardless of the district) are usually on top of code enforcement. Some are more successful in making change than others.
Resident –
Willow Glen should file for their sovereignty from San Jose!
Single Gal,
Many a time have I driven by the house, amazed at how such a large piece of property escaped the hands of developers.
That place is easily worth 2.5M and the California Sycamore tree in the front yard is priceless. All who read this blog should take the opportunity to view that tree; I’ve never seen another as large and stately.
On the subject of property rights, it is unfortunate that the neighbors have made such a stink. After all, the yard is enclosed by a tall fence. I can understand the concern over hazardous materials but the other items… well… I think the neighbors have gone overboard.
As well, that part of Willow Glen has long been a rather seedy area in general. I see few surrounding homes that warrant first prize in a beauty contest.
Blight, Graffitti, .The City Attoney needs to look up to the heavens to see that that Knight Ridder Sign could poop on him at any passing. What is the removal time limit on graffitti. Or does that only apply to taggers. DAAAAA?
D.O.A.
Born and raised in Willow Glen – it wasn’t always this way.
I disdain the monster homes that have replaced the small bungalows, tudors, ranchers and haciendas. Talk about blight, there’s not much worse than a slab-sided monster home, two stories but, with an overly high pitched roof, it becomes three stories.
It’s fascinating that the folks who build these jumbo homes bought into a neighborhood filled with quaint, charming and history-filled homes and now, one by one, those small homes are disappearing. The very reason the monster home owners moved into the area will soon be gone. But for the trees, these neighborhoods would look like Blossom Valley or Berryessa.
I’ll take the random blight of seldom mowed lawns, junk-filled backyards and all that goes with it.
So who’s the bad guy: The neighbor who allowed a lot of trash to accumulate in the back yard, or the neighbor who built a second story overlooking the trashy back yard?
It reminds me of people who build homes near airports and then complain about airplane noise. There’s a certain “Well Duh!” factor in these situations.
Since this is a neighborhood dispute I wonder if the offended neighbors ever offered to help correct the code violations, remove the debris, etc.?
I hope so. It would be the neighborly thing to do and a much better solution than hauling neighbors into court.
It’s ridiculous to make all of these generalizations about people in Willow Glen. Like everywhere else in San Jose, all kinds of people live in Willow Glen. There are people of all age and incomes that live here. And $800 a month gardeners—yeah, right! Unfortunately, I doubt that the majority of them are paid 1/4 that amount.
It is true that our area is being overtaken by overzealous builders/homeowners who are destroying the look and feel of our neighborhood. I too, am really sick of all the McMansions that are cropping up on our streets—especially the ones that tower over the little houses next door and take up the entire yard. If the city planners continue to let the charming little houses be torn down to make way for gigantic trophy homes, we will lose the charm of Willow Glen. But please don’t lump all people who live in Willow Glen in one broad brushstroke. It’s unfair and untrue.
This reminds me of the movie Marathon Man. I think you’ve touched a nerve, single gal. What happens if you get married will you be married gal?
Wow! Bitter Betty (that’s you, Single Gal), chill out. I agree, when the rats are running in the streets, it’s time for the city to get involved.
I live less than half a mile from the rat city/hazardous dump site and definitely do not live in a McMansion nor can I afford an $800 a month gardner, although it would be nice.
Just like any other neighborhood in a city, there are big houses, small houses, people with lots of money and others who get by on less. I think it’s a little sad how you assume the worst about the people in Willow Glen and hope that you can use whatever experiences made you so bitter to try and be a little more positive. Unfortunately people are not perfect. Roll with it and chill out.
Good luck.
As a nomadic Air Force brat who has chosen San Jose – and Willow Glen in particular – to live, I’m amused at the attitude towards Willow Glen. I have come to accept that the City itself has had a parochial attitude. I did not realize until today that our various neighborhoods carry the same parochialism. The “yuppies” in the Rose Garden residents more tolerant of blight than those in “Willow Glen”? Honestly, read some of your posts again. Single gal, you too. My opinion of you and others in this city who share such a narrow minded viewpoint -disappointingly- has dropped a notch.
Not to be mean or anything but, aren’t those the same type of yuppie people that you want to come to downtown and that also hang out and live in Shalow Alto and Lost Gatos?
#15 SG
Envy this: I have lived in Willow Glen for over 40 years, never had a Starbucks, pay my gardner $100 a month, and though I’m sure they could work wonders with it , I have never given St. Christopher $30,000 in any year. It must have been a slow day when you were looking for things to write about. I usually enjoy your stories, but in this case, I think you got up on the wrong side of the bed and decided to take it out on some wonderful WG residents. I hope you get some rest and do a better job next week.
Wow, people think I am bitter, stupid, an idiot, misinformed, tired, cranky and boring.
I love this place!!!!!
Single Gal
If you and other angry SJI bloggers who bash Willow Glen with highly emotional terms like “yuppies, also known as “busy bodies,” and inaccurate information in your opiions about the 2 Willow Glen examples of illegal behavior by property owners then people might respect your opinions rather than reading more ” Single Gal” or SJI emotional inaccurate rants
Both property owners knew what they were doing was illegal after the city and many neighbors told them they would be in violation of municpal code but they both chose to ignore their neighbors requests and do illegal behavior anyway
Look it up – San Jose Municipal code defines their behavior as violation of either city health, safety or envirnomental city policies.
No person shall violate any provision or fail to comply with any of the requirements of this code or of any other ordinance of the city. Any person violating any of the provisions or failing to comply with any of the mandatory requirements of this code or of any city ordinance, other than administrative provisions thereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, unless the violation of such provision is designated as an infraction or is a parking violation. The code provisions for which a violation is an infraction are set forth in Section
Enforcement powers.
A. Police officers are hereby empowered to enforce, and are charged with the duty of enforcing, any and all provisions of this code or any other ordinance of the city, where a violation of such provision or provisions or of such ordinance would constitute a misdemeanor, an infraction or a parking violation.
B. The city manager is authorized to designate persons, other than police officers, to enforce all laws and regulations, including any and all provisions of this code or any other ordinance
I don’t know whether Willow Glen homeowners are mostly busybody yuppies or not, but they obviously have a pretty thin collective skin. Looks like Single Gal’s fun poking pierced their self-esteem? I guess you don’t have to have a sense of humor to live there, just bags of money (or heaps of debt), a top-popped house full of gadgets that impress the petit-bourgeois neighbors and a gardener. Oh, and an upturned nose probably helps.
How many Glennies does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One, but it has to look like every other light bulb on the block.
Willow Glen: where they tear out the trees and then name streets after them.
What so you call oral sex between Glennies?
Sixty something
A Glennie opened the door of his BMW, when suddenly a car came along and hit the door, ripping it off completely. When the police arrived at the scene, the Glennie was complaining bitterly about the damage to his precious BMW.
“Officer, look what they’ve done to my Beeeemer!!!” he whined.
“You Glennies are so materialistic, you make me sick!!!” retorted the officer, “You’re so worried about your stupid BMW, that you didn’t even notice that your left arm was ripped off!!!”
Oh my gaaad…”, replied the Glennie, finally noticing the bloody left shoulder where his arm once was,
“Where’s my Rolex!!!!!”
**************
Anybody have any more good Glennie jokes?
Easy, Single Gal. Willow Glen boasts more than just manicured lawns and neatly positioned election signs; the steady influx of excited, new residents are proof of that. They see what my parents and grandparents saw—a nice area of a good city in which to settle down and raise kids (and even retire).
Sure, the overzealous, whistle-blowing neighbors and the “want it now” transplants who hire Tim Casey to remodel their homes certainly don’t give our neighborhood the best of names. They annoy me too—a guy who was born, raised and has settled in Willow Glen. But they are a small minority. The majority—those who give Willow Glen its good name—are the several thousand loyal residents and dedicated small businesses who built and continue to make it what it is. Beyond the Stepford stereotype is La Villa, Hicklebee’s, Willow Street Park (Bramhall Park, if you must) and our Dancing on the Avenue party in June. Check it out sometime.
I guess jealousy breeds contempt in San Jose, but I don’t understand why. There are a number of fine places in San Jose to live and Willow Glen is just one of them.
This “neighbor” owns another house in Willow Glen as well. Her son is an ex-convict. They did not reside in the house for years, but kept a german shephard hostage and came by to feed it. The poor dog died when it found and ate the rat poison in the garage. The house is also an eyesore. The worst one on the block. When I was replacing my driveway, in order not to take extra room on the street I parked my car blocking my own driveway. Talk about “mind your own business”…this woman threatened to call the police because it’s illegal to block a driveway. She is a menace. Her house is a disgrace. You should see the inside. The board of health should have a look.
Lots of hype and hysteria in this blog – and location envy, too (though strenuously denied…). Before you judge, though, do one thing: Google up the address of the property in question (660 Willow Glen Way) and check out the overhead imagery – you can see the junkyard accumulation quite clearly.
Believe me, not everyone in WG pays $800/month for a gardener- or any amount at all, for that matter (and where did that $800/month figure come from, anyway? I think that Single Gal pulled that one of of… the air (ahem). I don’t know anyone who pays anything like that amount for a gardener), and not everybody shells out $5200/year per child (not $30k, Single Gal – another number you pulled out of… the air (ahem)) to send their kids to St Chris. WG is a more diverse community than outsiders might realize – we have more than one California Distinguished public elementary school, including the ONLY bilingual immersion elementary school in San Jose (River Glen Elementary), a unique co-located middle school/high school campus – and a very welcoming, self-contained small town-style downtown area on Lincoln Avenue (eat your heart out, Rose Garden…), a reminder of the days when WG was a separate community, from 1927 when residents of the area incorporated to fight a Southern Pacific Railroad plan to drive a spur line through the area, to 1936, when they joined San Jose so they wouldn’t have to build their own sewage treatment facility.
Yes, there are a few McMansions – but nothing like the builder blight in Almaden, Evergreen (what green?) or Berryessa, and yes, there are 2 – count ‘em, 2 – Starbucks on Lincoln Avenue; but also two of the best – and independent – bookstores in San Jose, a number of terrific locally-owned restaurants (the owners of Vin Santo live a couple of blocks from their restaurant’s Lincoln Avenue location (doesn’t get much more “local” than that!) and other local businesses.
All in all, Single Gal’s bitching and moaning is just another typical, uninformed Internet rant – “…a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Can’t we all just get along??
You’re two-timing again SG. You sarcastically make fun of the St Christoferians and signposting Pierluigians but you forget that you
ferociously defended the same back in January when you said that “I know Pierluigi’s
‘advisors’ and they would never try to mislead voters by including a picture of PO with wife and kids; to pretend he is married with chidren instead of single with no one.
As we know now, this was the tip o’the iceberg and your ‘advisor’ friends presided over many more lies and misleading advertising to get your man elected, you remember ,…….the candidate”with the fresh ideas”. Come to think of it, are we being represented yet ? PO seems to be MIA since the victory party ,except for his agreeing with the positions of the 2 newcomers on the council.
I would like to know if he will ever have an original idea or if he has an opinion on this issue,Pierluigi,Pierluigi where art thou Pierluigi?
Tom,
“so much interest in the growth and evolution of SJ, that I often wonder why more historians do not work its fields.” Great line, great point! PAC SJ will be partnering with neighborhood groups and citizens to create a series of books. “Pride Through Preservation, A Neighborhood Project” will feature historic walking tours of our great neighborhoods. The first of the serries has been developed and written by the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association and Willow Glen residents. It highlights all that is unique and historic about Willow Glen. The book should be out this summer. For anyone who wants to help put together an historic walking guide of their neighborhood, please call The Preservation Action Council of San Jose @ 998-8105.
Nice post, 36, and indeed Willow Glen is a fine place to live in a very good city: San Jose. I remember fondly the stories of its “Mayor”, Louis Rossi, who often regaled me w. tales of old WG. He was an employee of both Hart’s and The Farmers Union and was a great source of lore and legend. Willow Glen was a separate city until c. 1936, and retains a bit of separation – that’s good! There is so much of interest in the growth and evolution of SJ, that I often wonder why more historians do not work its fields. TMcE
Oh my! Another borderline writer gets TONS of publicity by going postal on a high profile conclave.
Most of the folks defending either Single Gal or WG seem to have failed to note that she gets PAID to be judgemental, provacative, obnoxious, and probably wrong.
It’s called drive by journalisim, the art of picking a traget, firing at it, and then creating a huge media event.
The fact that she LIKES using incendiary terminology and taking wack-a-mole pot shots knowing that her only responsibility is to the folks that are behind the blogspot (possibly the McEnery’s, and probably a larger media conglomerate) is just icing on her latte.
I never came here before, and unless they want to offer me a job, I probably won’t return because I just don’t need to waste time with yellow bloggerisim.
To my neighbors on both sides of the non-issue created here, let’s all refocus on the real stuff WE bring up amongst ourselves rather than this outsider whiner.
We know what’s “going on” in SJ, because we are the ones making news happen rather than this Ann Coulter wanna-be.
The site has too many “set up’s” as well…. that “guest bloggers” button belies Pete Campbells personal columns (with a brief detour for the WG Council run off), the slick commercial web page masquerading as some cute little site, and then there is the idea that everyone ELSE is using their real name for this except little miss mudsling. Hmmm….
I do love the McEnery style, and am probably being kind out of some prejudicial subconscious leanings that agree with their sentiments, but if given an hour I might well come back here and really tell you what I think.
Go home everyone…disburse…nothing going on here…….
I don’t know if this location is even in Willow Glen proper.
I agree with some of what she has to say (McMansions and
young turks) but Willow Glen proper (between Bird and
Hamilton and Curtner and Coe) is a nice neighborhood.
Deb, while I admire what your handle implies and applaud you, I don’t think you’re correct about anyone who posts blogs here getting paid to do it. If that were the case I think you’d see a lot of this site’s comment-posters dissappear into the ethernet.
You should have really driven by the place before writing this article. Poor journalism standards, in my opinion. When half the town is on fire becuase of all the flammable materials stored in that junkyard have spontaneously combusted or some kid gets trapped under one of five forklifts, attacked by the pit bull, or catches disease from rats, you’ll be sorry you made this about yuppies. Not to mention the fact that most people in this neighborhood have been here 30 plus years and many don thier own yardwork.
Don’t worry SG,
People should understand that when you’re single, you don’t always get lucky on dates or after a night on the town; you’re bound to get cranky once in a while.
I’m sure once you do, you’ll be writing stories of butterflies, flowers, and sunshine in Willow Glen