Recently, I’ve been thinking about the legacy that one generation leaves to another.
Tom has thoughts about who built San Jose into what it is today. John wants the next mayor to awake every morning with thoughts of improving downtown. Jude thinks San Jose should take a long look at a new nickname.
We’re going to have a new mayor soon. One who I’d guess will think a bit about what their legacy should be to the community. After all, what politician doesn’t?
There’s much discussion on this site about what’s more important, revitalizing downtown or making sure there are strong neighborhoods. So, I’ll put it to you, if you could leave something to point at, to say, you know, I think I made San Jose a better place because of that, what would it be?
Alternatively, for those of you who are going to say, “get rid of the bums” or “tear down Santana Row” and try to leave it at that, here’s a history question: what San Jose figure do you think has most reason to be proud of their accomplishments?
Obviously the single person who had the greatest positive impact on San Jose was an immigrant from Alsace named Adolph Pfeister who became mayor of San Jose, and to whose name no scandal has ever attached.
Mayor Pfeister pioneered two critical changes in life in San Jose. The first was his leadership in establishing a major contribution to parks, namely Alum Rock Park, which has been allowed to sink into obscurity by contemporary political leaders. Alum Rock Park was in the mold of the big-park movement like Central Park of NYC and Goldengate Park in SF. Alum Rock Park was launched and dedicated years ahead of Goldengate Park, however.
If San Jose cannot even maintain its legacy of Alum Rock Park in the same way that Central Park and Goldengate Park are protected, it is difficult to see how San Jose will be able to pull itself together to enhance its downtowns and suburbs.
His second initiative was the founding of the free public library in San Jose. He did it in an eminently practical way. He saved his first year’s salary as mayor ($600) and returned it to the city council with the request that it be used to fund the purchase of books for a lending library. From that event, the amazing phenomenon of the local free public library sprang.
Unfortunately, the current library administration in San Jose has done its best to cover up his leadership and has dedicated none of its sites, rooms, plazas, or artifacts to his memory.
For some reason, the political class in San Jose, which jealously guards the doorway to historical recognitions, seeks to disappear Mayor Pfeister from public knowledge.
He’s the father of the airport which should be moved south; he lead a significant reform initiative with the late, great Al Ruffo, in 1944, that paved the way for cleaner, sharper city government in the years to come; and, most importantly, I do believe that he is still alive, closing in on 100 years old. I remember him from years ago as an individual of memorable and captivating churlishness that one usually sees in only very mean or very great men and women.
I have named him before but, since the question came up, I do it again – Ernie Renzel.
I think giving San Jose some kind of waterfront would make it a more significant place, which would in turn make it a better place. Turning Alviso into something beautiful would be a huge task and it’s probably not the right picture-postcard setting anyway. We had the chance to capitalize on the Guadalupe River but instead of modeling it after the successful river walk in San Antonio, we have a quiet nature walk scene that generates zero in tax dollars—it only sucks them up. Without looking at the list, I’ll bet you can choose any one of the other nine cities in the top ten and you will find a waterfront or a significant waterway flowing through each one. And some real “there” there.
Let’s move the airport to the Gilroy area and turn the existing airport into a lake.
One great legacy we can leave our children is to have city leaders who will not be in denial that the corner of Stevens Creek and Winchester Blvd. is the de facto center of life in San Jose.
You think San Jose has problems. Check out the situation in this town.
http://www.nbc10.com/news/4712294/detail.html
Some of us do not think much of the corner of Winchester and Stevens Creek as being the center of San Jose. Leave the airport where it is and let’s stop putting goverment workers in the downtown area. Give the developers the chance to do something about the area and do get rid of parking meters.
I would leave:
A street market. I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong again a few months back and always love walking through the street markets, especially those open at night. In recent years I have also visited the weekly markets held during the evening hours in Palm Springs and San Luis Obispo. Set aside a block in downtown closed to traffic and let the vendors come. Start off with a weekly market and if it grows let it run every day. Provide reservation system with small fee so everybody has a chance to be a vendor. Encourage artists, restaurants, street performers, etc… to sell their wares.
A great art museum. San Jose’s art museum is nice but could use some attention.
A Crucible Clone. In conjunction with the art museum, create a clone of the Crucible that is located in Oakland (http://www.thecrucible.org/) Offer classes for residents of all ages along with studio space for working artists. Big windows opening to the street would create a great place to watch artists at work.
I love the San Jose Museum. I was there a couple of weeks ago to view the Manuel Alvarez Bravo exhibit. Earlier this year, I had the chance to see the work of the Japanese illustrator/designer Yoshitono Nara. Admission is free.
The only thing I am not impressed with SJMA is their permanent collection. The Cantor Arts Museum in Stanford has a better collection.
One thing that can really make San Jose a better place is to fix up East San Jose. In my mind, one of the more significant problems with ESJ is that it has the Reid-Hillview (RHV) airport in the middle of it.
http://www.acme.com/mapper/mapper.cgi?lat=37.332863&long;=-121.81981&scale=13&theme=Image&width=4&height=4&dot=Yes
RHV occupies 180 acres of prime land located at the intersection of 101 and 280/680. This location is the gateway to the Bay area.
Used as a general aviation airport RHV benefits approximately one-tenth of one percent of the county’s population. An economic study of RHV states that the airport contributes approximately $10 million dollars to the economy, and generates approximately $1 million dollars a year in state, and local taxes. Additionally it provides employment for approximately 100 people.
http://www.reidhillview.com/#1
The problem with RHV is that it is a completely incompatible land-use with a residential neighborhood. For example, the lead particulates in the exhaust from the general aviation (GA) aircraft is exposing neighborhood residents to airborne lead poisoning on a daily basis.
The fuel for GA aircraft contains 2 grams of lead per gallon and approximately 75% of the lead is released as lead particulates in the exhaust. Medical research is showing that up to 70% of inhaled airborne lead is absorbed directly into the blood stream. Current medical research is showing that any amount of lead in the blood of children 6 and younger can result in permanent cognitive impairment.
http://www.reidhillview.com/#9
No matter how you look at the data RHV, due to its location, is an economic, social, and environmental disaster for ESJ, San Jose, and Santa Clara county. Closing RHV, and developing the land in a more intelligent and efficient manner, will most certainly make San Jose a better city.
http://www.reidhillview.com/
My apologies about the satellite image link in post #10 that should show Reid-Hillview surrounded by homes. It appears the blog web-site has a bug and it breaks long links into multiple lines. Of course they then no longer work.
To see a satellite shot of RHV go to this shorter link:
http://www.reidhillview.com/links.htm#sat
and then click on RHV. Once you get there change the Scale settings to zoom in, or out.