So many things interest me in the District 6 election that is taking place today in San Jose. First of all, as you are reading this, many people will have already voted for their candidate, as the absentee balloting is projected to be higher than ever. (Are we getting lazier or does no one get satisfaction from dropping their ballot in a box anymore?)
But “higher” is a relative term when it comes to turnout because who exactly is it that is going to come out and vote? If I were Oliverio or Tedesco, that would be my main worry: will my supporters come out when it really matters? With no larger issues to get voters to the polls, many people might forget that this special election is taking place because there might not be many reminders outside their district. So, will the candidates be lucky to even get 10.000 votes between them? I think the student body president at Independence High School could get that many.
The other interesting thing about District 6 is that it encompasses both the Rose Garden AND Willow Glen. It is really amazing to me that both of these areas are in the same district. It seems like they are areas with a similar makeup to a degree, but that they really have no ties to one another.
I am not a District 6 resident, but if I were, I think I would end up voting for Oliverio. Unlike many council races or the mayoral race, there isn’t the “lesser of two evils” concept, or a candidate that would make me want to move out of the area (or jump off a bridge) if they won. I think District 6 residents really have two great choices. Why Oliverio then? I think that the council needs an infusion of youth and energy, like it already got with Sam Liccardo; but I think with Oliverio, it would improve the makeup of the council even more. I have nothing against Steve Tedesco; it’s just that I think the council should lean towards the enthusiasm of Oliverio. I think he will give his all and really stick his neck out to make an impact in our City.
It will be interesting to see what the voters decide
Single Gal,
You think they are two great choices? Try being a District 6 voter with an absentee ballot sitting on her desk. It sucks!
Local
P.S. Where’s Willow Glen anyway? (just kidding my friends…love La Villa)
Single Gal,
You once said about the Mayoral race:
I feel we need a tough, yet principled leader who will take San Jose where it should have been years ago, and restore pride and trust in our city government.
Lets see if we follow this correctly…
Single Gal endorses Pandori.
Sal Rubino, the Evans Lane seller, pays $326,000 to Arreola and Kali-Rai to lobby city officials for land-use changes on the project in Willow Glen.
Arreola and Kali-Rai are charged with grand theft of public subsidies for the project, related introducing Sal Rubino to the buyer.
Sal Rubino donates $2,000 to Oliverio’s campaign under his wife’s and children’s names. This is Oliverio’s 2nd largest campaign donation.
Pandori endorses Oliverio, takes on Arreola and Kali-Rai case.
Single Gal endorses Oliverio.
I smell a rat.
#1 – Local: Hope you support the Willow Glen Bookstore; they’ve had to reduce their hours. There’s a nice selection of local history books there.
I originally came from a country where every election has a 90% plus turn out inspite of the fact that there is no absentee ballot system. It also helped that election day was a holiday. And so I am one of those that still derive satisfaction from dropping my vote into the ballot box directly.
Steve Tedesco is by far the better candidate, and will hit the ground running, ready to go to work for the people of District Six.
Without anyone holding his hand and leading him down the garden path…
Why do you think this odd group of business and labor is supporting Luigi? Or more to the point, why is this group so afraid of Tedesco…? It is because Tedesco speaks his own mind and has the ability and the knowledge of civic affairs to be his own man and represent the people, not the boys upstairs.
For a guy who lives alone Luigi has collected a very odd assortment of bedfellows…
Tedesco will come into office beholden to no one but the people.
Electing PLO is to accept a risk District Six can’t afford.
Tedesco!
RGJ/Dallas112263
I too am not a District 6 resident; I live in District 9. If I was, I would be voting for Steve Tedesco. His honesty is refreshing; he will tell you the truth up front, he will listen to you and your comments, then discuss the matter to see where you and he can agree. He has the experience to ‘hit the ground running’, and he has been a lifelong district 6 resident, so he knows the area, and it’s history.
I am concerned about how Oliverio misrepresents his record, instead of being proud of his accomplishments; it is like he is trying to show us who he thinks we want to see, instead of who he really is.
I can not support Oliverio for all the same reasons the Mercury pulled back their endorsement for him. (I think that may be the first time the Merc. has ever done that in 150 years) He, like Gonzo, looked good on the surface but if you look deeper you will find they are not what they claim to be!
Beware of those who play loose with the truth when it comes to their qualifications. Oliverio’s background is not so bad that he should try to falsify what he has done. If he is not proud of his actual accomplishments, why should we take a chance on somebody like that? Tedesco’s resume is out there for all to see as are his decades of service to the community. He doesn’t need to mislead, play word games, or pretend to be something he is not. We have had enough of pretenders the past few years. Now, we need elected officials who are truthful and will work for San Jose, not special interests like developers, labor, etc.
Tedesco is the right choice.
How about leaving the issue of who will best serve district six to those that live there?
9 – It’s that kind of thinking that got us into many of the problems we are facing today. If the City Council had dealt with a city-wide vision instead of just what is best for an individual district, we’d be a much better city today.
Until we get away from governing by district, the overall good of the city will never be achieved. haven’t we learned anything from the mini-mayor debacle of the last 5-10 years???
Single Guy –
Whoa! If we limited our comments this site wouldn’t have legs! Opinions are what makes this site what it is….
Single Gal;
Why are you not giving equal time to D4? Makes me question what horse you may have in this race. Are you really supporting Oliverio or is your focus on “youth and energy” really a ploy to turn, for lack of a better word, the more mature voters into Tedesco supporters? After all, it’s the more “mature” voters who are demographically turning out to these types of elections. Seriously, you’re telling people to vote a certain way because of your perceptions that youth=energy=getting a job done? You have some growing up to do.
As for the absentee ballots, most campaigns recognize the need to target the absentee voters now. It’s pushed campaigning up by a couple of weeks. Most of us aren’t lazy; we actually spend more time perusing ballot measures, reading the material, etc. than those who open something that’s been sitting on the counter for weeks, scan it and then dash off to their polling place. My thrill comes from sealing that envelope up and either dropping it in a mailbox or waiting until election day and taking it to a polling station.
I quit walking into the polls to cast my vote after waiting 30 minutes one time with a slew of people who were too sick to be out of their homes and then getting into an argument with poll workers because I watched someone vote using my home address to cast a ballot. I’d never seen her, she hadn’t lived there for years, if ever, no materials ever came to the house in her name and the poll workers didn’t know how to deal with challenges. With that said, I will be volunteering my time in the future to being a poll worker.
And, as somebody who doesn’t live in either Rose Garden or Willow Glen, I am soooo tired of people who don’t live in D6 thinking that’s all there is to our district. No offense to my RG and WG buddies; at least we in D6 know there’s more here than you think. We have some of the most diverse communities in the city. We have many of the original working class neighborhoods that go back to the beginnings of San Jose inlcuding entire blocks of Victorians, Crafstmen and old farm houses. We have great post war and modern neighborhoods with Eichler homes scattered about (I live in a 3 block section of them by City College). We have multiple neighborhood shopping, business and commercial districts, and most important, we are prime territory for the conversion of existing commercial/industrial land to housing.
D6 candidates need to know their stuff and need to be able to answer to what is becoming a well trained group of neighborhood and business leaders. Sorry, Downtown, but we do know who we all are, we are working together and we know what we have in common and what we need to work on in the future. We want somebody who can get the job done and who will bring everyone to the table to facilitate true smart growth policies.
There are pros and cons to each candidate today, including not just their positions on the issues brought out during multiple debates, but how they handled themselves during the campaign. It hasn’t been an easy decision for most D6 residents.
So, my question is, why was it necessary for this site to put out it’s editorial on just one district during this election at this late date? And, an editorial with no content, but a statement that we should vote based on your premise we should “..lean towards the enthusiasm..” How demeaning for the candidate of your choice (let’s vote for somebody who’s cute and perky) and how little regard you show for the candidates and issues in this district.
Luckily most of the people I know in D6 will be making a hard decision today based on content, not a popularity poll. Not one person I’ve talked to has been willing to place a bet either way.
We were lucky to have a race run as cleanly as it was, with issues always on the table and a focus on D6 and how it integrates into the rest of the city. With more than 7,000 ballots already mailed in, we’ll have our answers soon enough.
#10 – What you call a mini-mayor I call my voice on the city council. I want somebody who lives in my district who can represent me on the council. Otherwise, it’s too easy to say “Let’s put all the residential treatment centers in this district, let’s build all the housing here, let’s cram in all the industrial over there.” I like the fact that the council member represents a district (which is larger than just about every city in the Santa Clara Valley) and also works on city wide issues such as transportation, education, parks, etc. Our problems in this city are from the fact we look at things too globally sometimes..while we have overall a fair number of parks and recreational sites, for instance, in D1 most of those sites happen to be on school grounds with limited access. That council member should have a completely different focus on that issue than others.
Single Gal (in #11) -I’m not suggesting that this site limit its scope, but I do mean to suggest that you leave things alone unless you have something thoughtful and useful to say. That was the sub-text of the comment. Randi (#12) is spot-on!!!
Let me echo #12 (Randi Kinman) regarding D6 neighborhoods. Willow Glen and Rose Garden are not the only neighborhoods in the district (or the city, for that matter) worthy of the name.
Here’s an opportunity for the snobbish sorts who cannot look beyond Willow Glen and Rose Garden to get a different perspective on D6: The lovely but little acclaimed working class Buena Vista neighborhood, sandwiched between Highway 280 and San Carlos St., holds an annual home tour the first Saturday every June. Visit the neighborhood association’s website at http://www.bvnasj.org to learn more about this hidden gem of a neighborhood. You might just broaden your perspective a little on D6 and San Jose.
District six race has lessons in Social Conformity and creditability.
Social conformity/Peer pressure. As adults we tell our children,“be your own person, think for yourself.You don`t have to do something just because everyone else is doing it especially if it could hurt you in the long run”. We as adults should take our own advice, don`t bow to pressures of “Social Conformity” Oliverio`s endorcements smell of Social Conformity, the endorcers would like us to change our belief`s and behaviours to match there beliefs as they all have the same things in common, the same goals.I view this groups conformity as an undesirable quality as do many residents. Conformity can have good or bad effects on people. “Star Wars” Anakin Skywalker had an agressive competitive streak and grew up to be Darth Vader, he was controlled by the Emperor of the Republic. Sccial Conformity can have the same power as the Emperor.
“Creditability”is the mark of a good candidate.The more creditability that a communicator has to a, a very high power of persuasion is used. Tedesco has proven to be a valuable communicator, Oliverio on the other hand has a serious creditability problem, a very mis-leading person. What is it that he say`s that we can believe, the City needs a credible City Council after all we`ve been through. Oliverio is no Sam Liccardo. Oliverio is a fresh new face as his supporters have said. We need to look behind the face an find out if anything has changed.It`s again the same group of insiders, the same good old boys club behind the new fresh face.
Tedesco has percieved Value ” a benefit to the residents”. He has desirable qualties!
Single Gal –
I hear what you are saying – you want some new ideas, a fresh perspective, and new energy on the City Council. Not a bad wish. But, with all due respect, if that “youth and energy” you talk about is not mixed with a healthy dose of experience and knowledge of City Hall, then it is wasted, and does the city, nor District 6 any good. I would like to see Oliverio get some experience in government and life before he becomes Council Member. I want to see him come before the voters without exaggerating his ‘resume’ to make up experience he does not have.
While I do not agree with all Tedesco’s viewpoints, he has the background and experience to hit the ground running, especially with the Council in the middle of the Budget process. He will also tell residents exactly where he stands on issues, and take their comments to heart.
“Voter” has it right. Suggesting only D6 voters should have an opinion on the candidates overlooks the fact that the winner in D6 will be part of Chuck Reed’s reform team. Neither Pierluigi nor Tedesco owe a thing to thing to the union lumps on the CC who think “success” fees are just hunky-dory.
Whoever wins D6 should be a Reed vote, along with Sam and Pete. As for the candidates, Tedesco’s guest blog on SJI reveals for all to see, his very limited abilities:
“the neighborhoods are the building blocks for downtown”. Sounds good, but means absolutely nothing. As noted elsewhere today,
neighborhoods make San Jose a town, not a city, with mini-mayors quarreling over turf so there’s no chance for focus—even on the neighborhoods. And easy for the unions to overrun little jurisdictions with an army of paid
“volunteer” precinct walkers. Couldn’t overrun the city, as we just learned. Don’t know about SG’s confidence in Pierluigi’s en-
thusiasm (not obvious at all w/ Steve), nor about taking bad money. but being a Good Old Boy doesn’t make Tedesco a likely contributor to a new day in San Jose. (And wasn’t it Shaw that said, “It’s a pity that youth is wasted on the young.” George Green
Any issues from the last 5-10 years had nothing to do with the mini-mayor system. I agree that all candidates should be aware of and concerned for issues that impact the entire city. Getting rid of Districts certainly would not guarantee that. In fact, it would more likely lead to ignoring neighborhoods and communities than including them. Let’s keep it the way it is and ask more of our representatives. Make sure they are up on all of the issues before they make their votes. Also, hopefully the new Neighborhoods Commission can help to bridge neighborhoods throughout the city so we all feel that we have a stake in issues, even if they are across town. The reality is that events in any part of town effect all of us. We should start thinking, feeling and acting that way, and demand the saem of our leaders.
Olivero slimes his way up and down the election, and as a District 6 resident, I am glad Tedesco will win.
As for District 4, well, Hon Lien has another slimy slug working for her, and it will be clear after today, that San Jose voters want ethical government.
Now begins the real work. Oliverio now has to convince those of us who are skeptical of him that we are wrong. I hope we are and I hope he proves us so. Although I have my doubts that someone who misrepresents himself can redeem himself, I am willing to give him a chance. Let’s hope that D6 does not suffer because of his inexperience, lack of government understanding, and his pattern of refusing to talk to the press. Not a good start but maybe he will change for the better.
Political “experience” is an oxymoron. 98% of those who have it are egomaniacal self-interested folk of tiny accomplishment who depend upon their party for lifelong “employment”, and as Jack Black has
noted, can do absolutely nothing for the people who elect them and pay them so much.
Washington and Jefferson couldn’t wait to get back to the farm. Folks like Tedesco have experience failing to accomplish anything at all over and over again. As for pretending to be something they’re not, there’s not only the majority of incumbents, but the Murky News.
They are expert in finance, health, morality, sex, music, astronomy AND astrology. You name it, they have an expert opinion to offer—including BIG SNIFFS at the candidate for D6 they investigated and endorsed in the primary. Luckily, the voters pay little attention to their usual slate of candidates.
(Maybe it’s not luck.)(I hope.) George Green
I wanted Tedesco to win this, but am not devastated that PLO won instead. I’m willing to give the guy a chance even though I’m not thrilled with some of his shady claims, misprepresentational mailers (Yeager ran as openly gay and got elected, so why the need for a fake wife and kids?) and list of supporters that included the reigning world champion turd plopper.
But maybe PLO and the other new blood on the council will get some momentum going for positive change. The charismatic black hole in the mayor’s seat sure won’t be garnering any.
Which brings me to the D4 issue. Maybe it hasn’t been blog fodder since it was likely to lead into a run-off and isn’t a done deal yet like D6 became last night. Or maybe it’s because D4 is just as (if not more) boring and suburban as D1, D2, D5 and D7-10. Let’s see if the D4 bloggers come out of the woodwork for blogs leading up to the run-off, which I assume will be held in June.
I can’t wait to see what comes tomorrow I hope the right person gets in! and I do live in the district. it’s a free board and you can say what you wish here, but saying that Tedesco is the right person is just more of the same nonsense. good night and good luck!
RZ #16—do you mean credibility?
Well, I guess we’ll see if there’s any substance to Pierluigi.
Steve Tedesco is a fine man, but he lost BIG TIME. He was not “edged” as the Murky News proclaimed on the front page, bottom of the fold, in the edition I read this a.m. @ SJAC. There were also two long articles with lots of photos in The Valley section about the election, once again implying that Oliviero merely squeaked by.
Someone needs to clue that headline writer that to be “edged” means to lose by a very small margin, like the SJSU men’s basketball team losing 50-49 to Idaho. Tedesco was not edged. He was crushed, stomped, annihilated, embarrased; which, unlike Gonzo, he did not deserve.
Strangely, The edition of the Murky News @ my office five blocks away does not have that obvious error in word usage. In fact, there is not A SINGLE WORD about either district election in that edition. What’s up with that? Both editions are delivered dowtown, to places very close to each other. Sour grapes for not picking the winner?
My take is that Tedesco’s long-time connections to SJ in general and WG in particular actually hurt him instead of helping him. he stressed that in his campaign. Voters are fed up with the same old career politicians taking our money and giving us nothing back in terms of the services WE want, not the programs THEY want. Voters want new blood, new ideas, and are willing to try even a neophyte rather than the same old business as usual we seem to get with career politicians and people with long-time connections. Can the demise of the Bellarmine-Santa Clara U. oligarchy in this valley be very far behind?
Well folks PLO has won district 6. How sad it is to think he and Denelle will be making decisions on issues they have absolutely no understanding, experience, or grasp of. I feel sorry for you folks.
Single Gal, your prejudice is showing. You can be 85 years old and have more energy and enthusiasm than a 25 year old. It’s all in your frame of mind and attitude. I guess youth is wasted on the young.
Absentee voting isn’t lazy Single Gal, it’s young, fresh, and it’s right up your favorite candidate’s alley. The NEW technology!
Tedesco’s loss should be a wakeup call to all politicians who support airports.
It is time to reclaim our neighborhoods from these special interest politicians who make everyone’s life worse with airport expansion while claiming to be pro-neighborhood.
#27 dear John,
Tedesco lost the race you are correct. District Six lost big time.
You need to read #2 this page before you get all excited and tell us,“Voters are fed up with the same old career politicans taking our money…voters want new blood, new ideas…people with long time connections”. You need to look at the long list of contributors on Pierluigi`s list before you make a statement like you did. Look behind the new face and you see the same group of “insiders” and members of the “good old boys club”. Speeking of insiders insn`t McEnery a Bellarmine graduate, how about Beall, etc etc.
You need to look behind the fresh new face and see who`s pulling the strings, it`s the same old group, “the people with the Gold make the rules!
Are you trying to tell us that PLO is going to tell his financial backers to listen to what he wants or is it the other way around? You seem to think Pierluigi is some type of Luke Skywalker, I don`t think so!
PLO reminds me of the ball player that was born on third base, but when he woke up he thought he hit a triple.
The reality now is we are in different times. Experience doesn`t count anymore. Thats how we got George Bush and lost Gore. This time it`s happening on a City level, power/politics put Bush in, Power/politics put Oliverio in. ” The good old boys once again”.
13 – I wish I was still as idealistic as you are. Unfortunately, I have seen the failure of the district system time and time again. When one councilmember can move a project forward or kill it, regardless of the impact on the rest of the city, that is not a voice on the city council, it is failing the majority of San Joseans. I agree there are some benefits to district representation, or at least there were when district elections first started, but the system is broken now and needs fixing. Maybe doing away with district elections is not the answer, but the current method has been so abused that I am not sure it can be salvaged.
19 – I’m not sure that another commission that the council can ignore is the answer. If we had leadership at city hall we wouldn’t need another commission. I agree we should demand more from our leaders.
Given the Oliverio’s margin of victory, one wonders if Rich R, Reality Check and Downtown Brown were Tedesco supporters.
D6 Voter – you have proposed a very thoughtful set of comments. I hope that Oliverio is a good Councilman. He defeated another very fine, dedicated candidate. San Jose should be so fortunate in the future. If you had seen the pride in Oliverio’s father and mother at the St.of the City, ‘their hope for the future, I believe that you might feel a person from such a background will be a fine addition to the Council. I hope this is the case. TMcE
I hope Tom is right, but I am not optimistic. I’m sure Oliverio comes from a fine family but that does not mean he will be a good councilperson. It just doesn’t make sense to elect someone with no experience or understanding of local government. If Tom is wrong, District 6 will not be the only ones who will suffer—the whole city will suffer as we have for many years because of unqualified councilmembers who have made poor decisions. Here’s to hoping Tom is correct—we can’t afford for him to be wrong.
#33
Don’t be so down on what is to come. Remember, Liccardo also did not have loads of experience with local government (being a district attorney does not give one experience with local government). Manny Diaz had tons of experience with local government. I think voters are more savvy than to use experience with local government as the primary measuring stick. I certainly don’t think it should be given the most weight. After all, much of the much maligned recent history in City Hall was based upon actions of folks with a lot of experience in local government. Once someone is elected, we must give them a chance to succeed and even help them, because we owe that to our community.
I was not a Mayor Reed supporter during last year’s mayoral election, but I will do everything in my power and ability to make sure he succeeds. Because, he is now at the helm. I care for this city, so, I want him to succeed in moving this city forward. I think, with the proper support from the entire community, regardless of which horse we had in the race, he has the intelligence and the will to succeed. I think we should all extend the same courtesy to Oliverio, regardless of which horse we supported.
It is with a sad heart that I write this. I am a deep thinker with a balanced perspective and see inter-relationships. One action can affect many things. I can talk to Tedesco about such things but Oliverio thinks shallowly without experience and analytical thinking to back his thoughts. In walking District 6 it appeared that those supporting Oliverio were either young and lacking in historical perspective and balance or old and wanting a young face. I am neither of these. I doubt if I will ever emotionally be able to support or get Oliverio to understand my perspective. He will be a puppet for those that supported him. There are many who feel as I do. I watched the two speak at three different forums. Tedesco did not change but Oliverio did. Tedesco got deeper and deeper and Oliverio got better at copying what Tedesco said. We have lost a great leader in Tedesco. I am sad for San Jose and the great possible leaders who will not run because of what we have done in this election. If there ever was a time when we must get out of our district and find a councilperson who will understand more deeply our individual thoughts and issues, now is that time. This election has taught me not to trust the Democratic Party line elected officials (examples: Yeager and Beall) who supported shallow thinking in this election, thinking which can be manipulated and controlled. In future elections I will most likely vote for the person they do not support, someone who will be an independent voice. Independent thinking is more important than young candidates who have no historical political baggage. If I cannot cross district boundaries for my councilperson when Oliverio is our District 6 representative, then I will be a voter without a councilperson and, therefore, a person without a city eventhough I have lived in District 6 all my life.
#30- I feel your disappointment too. Oliverio’s parent’s pride in their son is understandable, but doesn’t make me feel any better. Everyone I know who supported Pier told me they did so because they knew his mother, or because Tom and Ken endorsed him, or he’s cute like the SF Mayor. I think that is so very sad.
Tom I’m very disappointed that you endorsed Pier. I know both Steve and Pier. Pier is dishonest, he grossly exaggerated his involvement in the Transition Committee Meetings, his back ground, and his community involvements.
I am really concerned about his lack of education on the issues, and how he is running from the press. Everything # 30 above said, is the truth. Pier’s answers resembled Steve’s, and usually he just added on to Steve’s original idea. His answer to downtown violence frightens me! In the Billy De Frank forum he said, using Police on horses was the answer… Duh.. I was struck by how little he gets it.
It really bothers me that elections are mostly determined by money, who endorses you, and how much fast talking you can do. It’s no wonder to me that people are voting less and less each time.
You would think that someone running would care about this trend, and stop all the negative campaigning, and let us know who he or she are, and what they care about. But that won’t happen because too many people with too much too loose pour money on their candidate’s integrity.
#30, please don’t stop voting, and remember, Pier is going to learn some very valuable lessons that will force him to wise up. He can’t pull the wool over everyone’s eyes forever. And when he has to run for D6 again, support someone you trust, and work hard for them. Stay involved in Council Meetings, and in your neighborhood association. You have a voice, and eventually, you’ll be heard above the roar, regardless of who your Council Member is.
Tom,
Any parent is proud of their children when they win, you and I both would be, I know you. But get real Tom, he has no experience, he needs to pay his dues just like you and your father did before you.
Don`t confuse “Pride” with concern. If he were my son I would be more concerned than proud. District six is facing some serious issues. Social Conformity put him in the job.
I know you were a basket ball player but try to understand. Think of the baseball player that was born on third base and when he woke up he thought he hit a triple! This is a big and responsible job.
People experienced in local government got us in the mess we are in. To my way of thinking, that “credential” is a major reason NOT to vote for someone.
If we get enough new blood with some brains and ideas in office, if we loosen the stranglehold civil service has put on government efficiency (a MAJOR oxymoron, like Bush military intelligence or Cheney sharpshooting, for instance) by requiring consistent positive performance to get a raise, not just time in grade, PERHAPS, in a decade or so, we’ll get out of this mess that “experienced” politicians have put us ALL in.
#37 Please go back to #2 and read information in his memo. I agree with what you are saying to a point. What you don`t see is the Financial backers behind Pierluigi are the same people you are complaining about. They are his advisers and they will do the same as they have done in the past. Read Josh Molina`s article in the paper this morning.Talk to your friends that supported Tedesco, ask them why? I know you are upset and have a reason to be . The only thing thats changed is the new face they are wearing.
Think of OZ, and the Emerald City. Look behind the mask.
The more things change the more they remain the same.
I have never been a fan of Bush, I never voted for him. Gore is the one with the experience but in the presidential race experience Gore had didn`t count.
The same happened with Tedesco. He was the non-politician in the race. He played right into the oliverio backers hands. The political insiders, the good old boys and labor elected Oliverio.Labor took credit for it in this morning`s paper.
Oliverio won council seat until December 2008
He has 21 months in office and depending on when election in 2008 is about a year to establish himself as knowledgeable representative who learns issues and carefully listens to our community and voters not another Council special interest advocate
If not expect to see a serious well funded challenger that will not make election mistakes, focus on issues and will have a well run campaign
We wish him well but are already planning on a replacement if necessary, since we can not have council member who votes for years against our interests
Hope for best, plan for worst
#40- Yesterday’s Merc, “Ellis-Lamkins said her group had fully supported Oliverio and made a strategic decision not to do so publicly.”
She also said, “Her group backed Oliverio in his two bids for office in the 1990s.”
I’d say you probably ought to start planning for the worst.
How many more “secrets” will there be that the electorate did not know about or chose to ignore? #40 has it right—plan for the worst.
#42 Look at Oliverio`s campaign flyers some of which were paid for by Centeral labor council, ” I do not take money from Labor Unions”. “I am the only one not accepting money from lobbyist”, look at the remarks on #2 that involves a lobbyist that has been under investigation for $2million dollars lobby money on the Evans Lane project and is on going.The day before the election I had a flyer attached to my front door nob distributed to all of us in district six (not by the mailman) but buy members of organized labor. Incredible.
# 42 You are on the money when you talk about the “secrets” of this race by Mr.Oliverio.
Some are obvious—unions and special interest
support of him but some not..and we will learn
more..hopefully as more is disclosed. What many don’t know is the bait-and -switch style that he employed throughout the campaign…
What about the “support” that he promised the
Shasta/Hanchett neighbors in their concerns over the Stockton hi-rise project heard at Dec 13 city council meeting , yes, he was there and
never said a word in the meeting but did have time to pickup campaign checks from project
developers after the meeting in the parking garage..whoops..he got caught that time and is why many of their association’s leadership
switched support away from him.
The question is what was not caught in this campaign and will not be caught while in office
# 2 quotes you about integrity in leadership and you said in a Jan 30 posting that “I know
his advisors” when speaking about one of the misleading acts of the campaign. So, what will Mr. O’s “youth,energy and enthusiasm” help to
accomplish.
Will he be “enthusiastic” about cleaning up a broken and deficit-ridden city government as
he promised or…..“enthusiastic” about supporting his backer’s agendas.More of the same as the last 8 years. Well you “know’” his backers so maybe you can help answer this
question.
As a casual reader, Kathryn, your passion on this topic is very evident.
But I must say, your posts have really moved me away from caring about BARAC, and I think your methods are doing more damage to your cause.
I remember a bright sunny morning, as my mother prepared me for my first day of kindergarten. She told me, “Be kind to the everyone. Remember, you can catch more flies with honey that you do with vinegar”. She was a wise woman, and well respected.
#45
According to this web-site, http://www.savebarec.org/ , BAREC is in Santa Clara.
What does BAREC have to do with District 6?
Also, the “Central Coast” is considered to be in the San Luis Obispo area, not Northern California.
Personally, I feel it should be turned into a General Aviation airport. This will provide valuable economic and transportation benefits to our area, and help society in an overall positive manner. Many more children will be inspired by the flights of our pilots than will be inspired by a farm.
#46 You are wrong. This is my first post for San Jose Inside and the first time I have discussed BAREC on the blog. One observation is enough. I would rather be positive and stay with the wonderful BAREC history and our land. The truth will make us free. We cannot continue to hide these issues and pretend they are not there. I do not plan to send any more BAREC posts unless there are questions.
BAREC is in district six.Barec was a big part of the debate at the Forum held at the United Way Building on the Alameda. Oliverio was very clear on his position vs. Tedesco. Tedesco said it was too late to save BAREC and the only way to save it was to sue.
Oliverio was strictly against suing the State and George Marcus. So no surprise !! Many people did not pay attention. Marcus the owner of Summerhill Homes was a big supporter of Oliverio and many other politicians including Vasconcellos.
The real problem here is this project will add unbelievable amounts of traffic to a area that already has serious traffic problems.
We recently lost the battle to get funds from the State to fix the problems at the I 280—I 880 interchange. Can you imagine what will hapens when SummerHill adds 600 condo`s to this area?
It’s too late to compaign now!
Sounds like we will all a big “thanks (for nothing)” to D6 voters for this potential mess. What happened to the usually well-informed voters of D6?
#48 Kathryn,
You mentioned that you have only posted once on SJI, but I counted post #30.
That was you, wasn’t it? Please let me know if I’m wrong, or if you had forgotten that post.
As my mother told me “the truth will set you free”.
Kathryn,
You go girl! Please continue to post information here. I’m very interested in your views, thoughts, and concerns. I don’t live in District 6, but in 9. District 6 and 9 connect, and any decisions Oliverio makes, will affect my District as well. Too bad others don’t take an interest in other Council Districts. I guess they don’t realize the impacts of decisions made around them, will eventually affect them too.
Your point was not lost on me Kathryn. Labor, developers, and a whole host of other vested backers back Oliverio. I’m sorry that his sales job snowed the District 6 voters, but the harm has already been done.
I say make your feelings known to the Council on this and any other issue you feel strongly about. Oliverio doesn’t have the kind of power you’re giving him. Our Council, and our Mayor do care very much about what taxpayers think. Start planning to get Oliverio out in a year, but in the mean time, fight for what you believe in. You’re not alone. As for getting more flies with honey, I don’t agree with that in every case. Even the Bible says wars are sometimes necessary to bring about peace. I think your District 6 voters relied too much on who endorsed Oliverio, then on who he really is, and what his motives for running really were.
Chin up Kathryn, this too shall pass~
My first official neighborhood meeting with Oliverio after he was elected was disappointing. He still does not see the depth of the issues even after hearing Tedesco talk about them deeply in their five public forums. The issue we addressed was keeping BAREC (formerly UC Agriculture Research Center) in agricultural open space. It is the Central Coast’s most important piece of agricultural history land. Even our County Historical Commission voted unanimously that it should be placed on the State Historical Registry (an application is pending). Most people would like it to remain as a farm for schools to visit, to improve school cafeteria food, and for with an agricultural museum. Tedesco understood the issues without anyone lobbying him. His experience told him how to negotiate the land. Olivero fails on both counts. Olivero’s public discussion about BAREC started with mixing housing and a scoccer field and then he changed to only open space for soccer fields and a dog park. He doesn’t understand our history and has no sense of how to preserve it. He actually said this at one of the public forums. Distrcit 6 prides itself on its history and Oliverio does not appear to understand his constituency on many levels including this one. At this neighborhood meeting when Oliverio was asked what he planned to do about BAREC, he said he wanted to first get Mayor Reed’s support. It is amazing that he does not have a stronger relationship with Reed because Reed and Vice Mayor Cortese are already supportive of BAREC as agricultural open space and they have voted accordingly. It will take Oliverio years to develp these relationships and Tedesco already had them.
Given the importance of the BAREC issue to District 6 (it is on a SJ potential park list and at the same time an EIR for housing is coming out probably in March), one would think Oliverio would have done a bit of research on the issue. At this neighborhood meeting he again talked about keeping it as open space for soccer fields only. When he was reminded of its historical importance, he acted dumb and said nothing. Is such ignorance buying him time to say it is too late to save BAREC?
Oliverio received campaign contributions from the State’s BAREC developer, UC Regent George Marcus (owner of Summerhill Homes, major contributor to the Democratic Party and developer of the 8 acre Future Farmer of America land across from Lincoln which was donated to the School District), Santa Clara’s Mayor Mahan, and several of Santa Clara’s City Councilpersons. Now why would people who have an interest in housing on BAREC and do not live in San Jose support Oliverio? Could it be that they know Oliverio’s lack of experience never could not quickly enough negotiate with the State or is it because they have an agreement that Oliverio will do exactly what Yeager and Beall did and that is nothing? Were they worried that Tedesco’s experience would actually make something happen positively? No action and ignorance will allow housing to move forward and our public land could become private land just as it did across from Lincoln. These no action legislators lose our history and our quality of life. I encourage you to push Oliverio to immediately move on the BAREC issues before he gets controlled by his special interest lobbyists. This will be a good test for Oliverio’s first year. Make sure he knows he will not be re-elected if he fails us on this one. He must act immediately to save BAREC! Tedesco and Cortese will help him. See http://www.savebarec.org for more information.
It is difficult to understand how the Valley’s Democratic leadership supported Oliverio when one looks at these weaknesses from a District 6 perspective. Was one of the reasons because they want to give George Marcus a payback in the form of BAREC? I think the Democratic Pary has made a huge miscalulation for District 6. We are smarter than they think we are. If they wanted Oliverio as a councilperson then he should have been set up in another district.
Kathryn # 45—I thought BAREC was in the City of Santa Clara.
Where does the come from to keep BAREC as you would want it? have you raised any lately for that purpose? If it’s state-owned land, they may sell it off to staunch the deficit. George Marcus would probably pay top dolar for it.
Hey Borat #47—we live along the central coast. Northern California does not begin until the Marin-Sonoma County border. That’s why the high schools here play in the CENTRAL COAST Section.
RZ#54. Thanks for the 4-1-1.
So this is a major District 6 issue because a SMALL PORTION of it is in (did you mean to say?) San Jose? Or is a small portion in Santa Clara, with the bulk in D-6. I didn’t realize D-6 went that far. I would have though if it is in SJ it would be D-1.
And the sale to Summerhill is already complete? If so, good luck trying to have much of an effect on development.
Johnmichael, a small portion of BOAC is in Santa Clara , it is in district six. I became a major discussion of residents at the FORUM debate @ the United Way Building on the Alameda. Residents wanted it saved. George Marcus of Summerhill Homes was the only bidder and now is the owner. He is a member of the UC Board of Regents and was on the inside trackon this.
There is a lot on line on this under Borac and under Assembly person Vasconcellos and George Marcus.
This is going to make an major impact on traffic in an already busy area and on the interchange at I 280 & I880.
The D6 map I looked at from City of San Jose Planning shows BAREC in Santa Clara, with D6 bordering it.
I was at the United Way forum and most audience members knew nothing about it. It really isn’t a issue for the majority of D6 residents, save for a very few. I would venture that most don’t even know what BAREC means.
If you are reading this and live in D6, ask you neighbor about BAREC. Dollars to donuts you will get a blank stare.
Not that it’s not worth saving. But there is not groundswell movement from D6 residents. It’s way off the map for us.
Johnmichael,
It`s too late. The problem is going to be how traffic will impact this troubled area. Do you think I 280 or the interchange @ I880 can handle any moe pressure?
#56— I have the debate (Forum) at The United Way Building on my Ipod. You missed an important question. The debate is online you can download it.
Too bad, Too late!
#59 there is a white rectangle in the map of district six you provided. That is State previously owned land known as BAREC. You see it with Winchester Blvd on one side.
My concern is the” traffic impact” this project will have in this area and on the two Interstates.
And that “white rectangle”, based upon the fact presented to you, is outside of D6 and D1, do you not agree Richard?
I would agree with you that Santa Clara should not do an project such as this, without traffic mitigation. Just as we proposed in North San Jose.
This should be part of any plan for that area, and I’m sure it will be closely studied with an environmental impact report.
We all recall the disastrous plans for a massive airport expansion without the needed traffic improvements in the area. Thankfully, the neighborhood, organized by David Pandori, brought it to the ballot and it was finally addressed. This was one of the reasons for the outcome in the D6 race. Tedesco wanted the expansion without the traffic improvements. Believe me, it was not forgotten.
#57 and # 56
” BAREC Project” I double checked, is in District 6, District 1, and in The City of Santa Clara.
Residents in both Cities are concerned about the traffic impact Summerhill will have on this area.
This will get a lot of resident attention as it moves closer to City Planning stages.
#58 Richard,
You may need to double triple check. It’s in Santa Clara, bordering on D6.
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/data/council_dist/District_06.pdf
D1 Doesn’t even cross Stevens Creek:
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/district1/documents/CD1_Neighb_lg_000.pdf
How can you POSSIBLY say BAREC is in D1?
Maybe we need Katheryn Mathewson to weigh in on which city it lies in, but she has also misrepresented things in the past.
I have to strongly disagree with number 19. The mini-mayor issue is absolutely intertwined with what has happened during our past administration.
Ron Gonzales sharply reduced the opportunities for Council Members to develop expertise and provide meaninful input into Citywide issues.
The committee system that was in place during previous Mayor’s regimes was dismantled so that the Mayor and his staff controlled the decision making process on transportation, development, garbage issues etc.
The trade-off for council members was that, though they lost power on City-wide issues, they gained almost complete control on District specific issues.
In the past, we had Council Members who were elected by District and were accountable to their constituents, but they also had a City wide perspective and cared about issues that affected all San Jose residents.
# 61 You are missing the real Point, The impact of traffic on a already heavily impacted area and interstate.
Do you think we need more traffic in this area?
D6 now has a councilmember! Pierluigi was just sworn
in and has taken his first vote.
We look forward to him being a great councilmember. Let’s give him our support.
Interesting that the city website still shows the D6 seat as “vacant.” Don’t know if that is a political comment or just a fact.