The general public has become more interested in sewers with the connection to keeping our environment clean. I believe individuals may choose a previously overlooked vocation in the sewer system once they understand the salary and job security. However, this will not change in weeks or months; it will most likely take time to garner the skill set for senior positions with the city.

This week I will turn in my candidate papers and $3,500 to the Registrar of Voters for a ballot statement for my Trustee Area No. 4 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. It has been a privilege to serve the education community, its students and teachers as a board member these past four years. San Jose Inside has allowed me a forum to present and discuss the leading educational issues of our valley. There is much good work to do in the next four years, and I would like to be a voice at the political and policy table.

As morale continues to sink and police officers resign or retire from the San Jose Police Department in record numbers, the Police Officers Association‘s board of directors could call for a vote of no confidence in Police Chief Chris Moore. City Manager Debra Figone sent an email in support of Moore on Thursday to the City Council, Mayor Chuck Reed, Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell, City Attorney Rich Doyle and two members Figone’s staff, David Vossbrink and Ed Shikada.

The California Teacher’s Association and its parent, the National Education Association, must pay close attention to the will of the voters from last Tuesday’s election. The election results on a local and national level tragically predict that middle-class jobs will continue to erode in America. This is primarily due to the public assault on public employee unions. The teaching profession is one of the strongest and largest categories of public employee unions and middle class jobs in the nation, especially for women. The profession must win back the voters’ sympathy before it is too late.

Incumbent Kansen Chu won 54 percent of the vote in District 4. Despite a strong challenger in Tam Truong, Chu’s victory means he won’t have to go to a November runoff.

Mayor Chuck Reed’s efforts to curb city employee retirement benefits will be his legacy, and despite some reservations with his clumsy bedside manner as well as Measure B’s wording on disability qualifiers for public safety officials, the “pension modification” measure should be approved by voters. Measure B is the best bet to start restoring vital city services that have been cut.

The Sixth District Appeals Court sided in favor of labor unions Tuesday, ruling that Measure B must change the term “pension reform” to “pension modification,” and also alter the way the ballot question is worded. Unless the city appeals the ruling to the California Supreme Court, the ballot measure is set to go before voters June 5.

Labor gave two endorsements for the District 10 City Council race, but unions’ preferred option is burning up dollars while their second choice took the lead in campaign fundraising. Campaign finance forms made public Thursday show planning commissioner Edesa Bitbadal, who received an open endorsement from labor, raised $86,765. Meanwhile, Brian O’Neill, who received the primary endorsement from South Bay Labor Council, raised $27,233 in this time period. Most of that money didn’t last, though. O’Neill spent $17,498 during the first 11 weeks of the year.

Metro Silicon Valley’s issue this week looks at possible candidates to succeed Mayor Chuck Reed when he terms out in less than two years. Invariably, in every discussion, two names pop up: San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo and Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese. Below is an excerpt focusing on Cortese’s roots, how he got into office, and who he aligns himself with.—Editor

Although the City does a good job posting documents on its website regarding proposals and correspondence from both sides, I believe many others would rather see the interaction of union officials and city staff in real time. Thus, on Wednesday, I am asking the Rules Committee to support my recommendation to have the city and unions talk about this issue with the hope that both parties will agree to move forward and allow these meetings to be public.

“Love is in the air,” Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones declared in her opening remarks for the invocation of Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Not long after that, everyone proceeded to attack one another. The public comments portion of the council meeting featured a passionate cast of characters speaking for or against the June retirement benefits reform ballot, which passed by an 8-3 vote.

In an attempt to box in Mayor Chuck Reed on his worst-case scenario of the city’s pension crisis, a complaint was filed with the SEC on Monday on behalf of three unions. The complaint claims Reed didn’t disclose pertinent information on the pension crisis in forms filed with the SEC and misled investors who helped the city issue $435 million in bonds last year.

The 2012 election season is in full swing, but that isn’t stopping some members of the media from looking two years down the line at San Jose’s 2014 mayoral race. A recent Mercury News article details the complex and sometimes turbulent relationship between Mayor Chuck Reed and Dave Cortese, San Jose’s former vice mayor and a current county supervisor. The best part of the story comes near the end, when both men diagnose each other’s political swagger.

Let the real battle begin. On Tuesday, the City Council voted 6-5 to place a retirement reform ballot measure before voters in June 2012, which will also be the same time California voters take part in the presidential primary election. Supporting the ballot measure were Mayor Chuck Reed and councilmembers Madison Nguyen, Pete Constant, Rose Herrera, Sam Liccardo and Pierluigi Oliverio. Voting against the measure were councilmembers Xavier Campos, Kansen Chu, Ash Kalra, Nancy Pyle and Don Rocha.

Editor’s Note: Jim Unland is a sergeant in the San Jose Police Department and president of the Police Officers Association. He wrote this column for San Jose Inside.

Good news has been hard to come by as of late. That is until yesterday. The city of San Jose Police and Fire Retirement Board voted yesterday to accept the plan actuary recommendations on pension costs for next year. And surprise, surprise, pension costs shrank to the tune of $55 million in the police and fire plan. That’s not a typo—$55 million will come off the projected budget deficit as a result of pay and concessions and concessions agreed to by police officers and firefighters.

We continue to attempt to build education reform from the top down rather than from the bottom up. Building a foundation with our two teachers’ unions (CTA and CFT) for lasting school reform—beginning with evaluation systems that are effective, pay for performance plans that work, and ending tenure as we know it today—is the only way we will hit a home run. Until then, our children and schools lose.