Voting for Fairfield Residential?

Boy would I hate to be the city council tonight – here we go again having to show our true colors to the residents that vote for them.  Hopefully, they will know that we are not small children who need to be ‘guided’ and ‘convinced’ that what they are doing is a good thing for us – but they will hear the words of the residents that go something like this regarding the proposed project at 900 Kiely, Gallery on Central, fairfield residential project in Santa Clara;

The current project is;

Too Dense – too many units proposed for this site – as it currently stands 806 units amounts to 2% of the local Santa Clara population

Traffic concerns  – some of the local intersections have been deemed as failures by the vTA and this project will add more traffic to these interesection ans the surrounding streets

Trees – most of the trees at the current site will be cut down being replaced by saplings – how sad when those current trees add to the current feel of the area and blend in with what is already there.  why cut down mature trees when we already know so much about global warming?  Odd idea

Schools – do we have right numbers – it seems that we have conflicting reports on numbers – this is alarming. how can we get the right figures? is there some way to have this clarified.

Swim center – apparently there is mail out there from the developer attempting to have the local swim center swamp (excuse the pun) the meeting with supporters for the project.  But unfortunately for the developer he does not realize that some of those swim center emails went out residents who are not in favor of the project as it now stands.  Oxy Moron stuff don’t you think?

Also the developer has been talking to the chamber of commerce and local businesses attempting to have them speak in favor of the project because businesses need economic assistances and they are touting the idea that more residents will increase their business.  Yes maybe some truth to that but perhaps many of these business need to reassess what it is their business does and what their service is like.  Just a thought – rather than look to the potential new residents as ’saving grace’?

oh dear the list goes on and I pity the city council tonight – because I am sure like me in their heart of hearts they know that the project as it now stands is not ideal but we do need something there but not this.  This developer has only talked to people who seem to benefit from the project such as the swim pool center and the local stores, they have continously refused to listen to local residents who share streets with this new developer.  They have refused to be a part of the community but rather are waging a war of ‘hate’ behind the scenese by attempting to create a ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude.  We are the old wiser parent who has done this many times before and we know what we are doing – but do they?

They are attempting to turn small Santa Clara with heart into a concrete jungle – just as was mentioned in the mission city lantern blog.  Hopefully the council will stand up to this giant corporate America and say ‘Yes we hear our residents’ and ‘come back with something that is more in keeping with the area and have your project blend in’.

This developer has turned this project into a political debate – how sad – had they worked with the locals and heard their requests for less density, more parking, more open space, fewer units, more amenities for the general public, it might have been an enjoyable working relationship.  However as it now stands we have disgruntled residents who look to their elected leaders for resolution.

Santa Clara Statistics tell a story

So it’s been a while since I posted here – I’ve been busy with traveling, illness, Obama elections, Christmas (yes I still like to use that word rather than Holidays), family etc.  I’ve had people ask me what is going on in Santa Clara regarding the old Kaiser site – the Fairfield Residential project or rather what’s the fancy name for it.  “Gallery on Kiely” I think that’s its official name – the 900 Kiely Boulevard project.

You know the one – the one where 806 units are slated to be built of which 536 are to be rental properties.  And ‘X’ amount of single family residents with those wonderful 10 x 12 backyards.  Yes everyone needs a cell block for a back yard don’t you agree?

Anyway forget my tongue in cheek attitude to the project, what annoys me more is the wonderful report that the Santa Clara weekly did on the project.  They made the project sound so glowing and so in line with what we need in this wonderful small city that hasn’t got enough housing to house the masses.  And the fact that the weekly has never taken the time to sit and talk to residents or if they do they tend to argue how the city is right and they know what is best for us.  I guess if I continually advertised in the Santa Clara weekly or had a stake in it they might hear my point of view, but I don’t so they continually show no understanding for the general public.  I think this is why Blogging is called ‘freedom of the press’.  Because it occurs to me that Freedom of the Press does not occur in the press.  In fact I would say that freedom of the press is dictated by who advertises in the press.  It’s like those special interest groups that ‘ear mark’ special projects.  Sigh…….

This being said brings me to the point of my update on the 900 Kiely site – right now in the city of Santa Clara there are 329 units/apartments/homes/condos/townhomes/single family residents with big/small back yards  FOR SALE at the time of writing this.

The average days on market for these properties are 112 days at the time of writing - that’s in effect three months worth of inventory.  Wait till that new block  town homes with the 10×12 backyards on Lawrence are on the market – and the ones by KB homes near the Scott. 

Why not sell these before the city permits more building any more? 

I don’t even know how many places are for rent in Santa Clara city but seems to me there is enough for sale.  It also seems to me that there is a down turn in the economy – the city needs to be thinking about bringing business back to it rather than building more cell block homes.

I cannot help but think of George Orwell – and reflect on some of his quotes

 

“Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. “Or this

“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. “Or this
” If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. “

I believe it’s time to put a hold on building or at the very least start to listen to what the residents would like. Let’s clean up El Camino, bring back small businesses, focus less on building, and give us Hope! Listen to the average Joe resident please.

Zuma Dogg runs for Mayor

Zuma Dogg is running for Mayor and tomorrow is the day to vote him in, though I know here in Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley you are not voting tomorrow but if you have a heart and you care about your community you too will find why Zuma Dogg is interesting.

He’s saying that special interest are running how the city council is run in L.A., developers tell council how to run their city etc.

I’ve said it before we need a Zuma Dogg in Santa Clara – and though we don’t have all the problems that L.A. is experiencing you just can’t help but listening to Zuma ‘David Saltsburg’ and not hear someone underneath it all that is concerned about your average Joe.  Maybe he should be talking to McCain as well!??

I guess our Zuma Dogg here in Santa Clara is Kevin Park who has been an underdog and an advocate for many of the residents in Santa Clara who have complaints against, the council, the commissions and the planners of this city.  Certainly in these times the average person who lives in a city is the underdog, we the people are often forgotten when decisions are being made in ‘our best interest’.  I feel like a five year old, all over again. 

Is it in my best interest that we allow homes with 10×12 backyards, is it in my best interest that we still have an El Camino that looks like we are living in the 50’s, is it in my best interest that we continue to have developers do deals with the city in my best interest?

Anyway bottom line if you know someone in L.A. remind them tomorrow is an election and the man to consider for the race is Zuma “David Saltsburg” Dogg!  Go Zuma

And remember to support Kevin Park when he asks for your time when the Kiely / old Kaiser project comes up – he’s been supporting many of you on your different projects – just like Zuma does for the average Joe out there!

Neighbors can hold up development

I see an article in the San Jose Mercury news today where a group of residents in Palo Alto are holding up a project that involves a developer.  The developer is wishing to build a new plaza.  The residents have taken legal action to fight this proposed development.

Clearly the ‘little people’ are starting to say enough is enough and looking for ways to fight councils and developers.  These residents have taken legal action.  To read more about what they are doing here is a link to the article in the SJ Mercury .  I think it is worth noting that home owners are seeing that these developments affect their property prices.  In this case this development is a plaza with stores and businesses associated with it.  It is worth noting that the residents are attempting to completely block this project but that their voices are heard and that they have some say in the feel and look of this project.

The argument that project reflect the cities ordinances and the plan are no long really relevant as I see it.  Many years ago when some of these ‘plans’ were set life looked different.  We didn’t have many of the issues we have today as we write.  We didn’t have 8% unemployment, we didn’t have words like ‘recession and depression’ used in the same sentence.  We didn’t have the strength of the internet spreading news and bloggers out there writing opinions and becoming watchdogs of our governments.  Many bloggers out there are just individuals with opinions not ‘paid’ employees of newspapers, PR organizations or lobbyists. 

Santa Clara city council has argued for a long time that we need more housing for the jobs around the city?  What jobs?  Sun Microsystems announced two fridays ago that they would be letting 18% of their work force go,  Along with Sun, there are other Santa Clara tech companies following suit.  Thanksgiving is a time when comes tradional lay off HR feels it’s a time people will be around family and they will be ’safe’ to send them home with out a job.  Nice.

I would continue to ask the city rather than focus on more housing focus on updating our section of El Camino – clean up the ’strip’ please.  I know it’s very boring to hear me say this again, but I would rather this than a 49ers Stadium or another 806 residential units – such as the Fairfield Residential project.  Find some developers that will give us something to be proud of and that brings true business to our city.  As we loose tech companies we need to look at other forms of businesses.  With the car industry in turmoil some of our Stevens Creek car lots will disappear and with it big dollars from taxes.

Reverse History

Wow wouldn’t it be great to have a time machine.  If only HG Wells had developed a Time Machine, wouldn’t it have been a money spinner.  There might be also sorts of people who line up to use it on a weekly basis or a daily for that matter.   Pick a day and go back and have it look like something else.  Sure would be better than Ground Hog Day where you keep doing the same thing over and over.  I hated that movie it sent me to sleep, it was more of the same thing over and over.  Kind of reminds you of Santa Clara City Council line up, more of the same types over and over.  The same faces keep popping up and showing their faces. 

So last night just in case the city didn’t get it right the first time they voted on Caserta’s request to set the record straight that he had not voted nor would he vote again on the (oops that’s perhaps the wrong thing to say because he and a few others claim he never did original vote) on having his property classed Williamson Act Tax exempt or rather as I understand it very little tax exempt.  The whole ‘rectification’ of the situation last night begs the question as to why do it in the first place – was there some feeling that things were not Kosher to start with.   I bet an attorney could call this vote and admission of guilty.  Whatever the case is it certainly makes an interesting read in the SJ Mercury News today – so one day when we all see the video make by a SC resident of the original vote on say something like YouTube we will know official what heck happened.

 

copyright Letters from Silicon Valley 2008

Agenda’s and Draft EIR Gallery at Central Park

This coming Tuesday is a regular meeting for City Council at the Santa Clara Council Chambers starting 7pm at 1500 Warburton Avenue Santa Clara. 

I just went to the website to look at what is on the agenda for this week as I believe that there are some residents who have requested an extention of reading the Draft EIR for the Gallery at Central Park – which is the 900 Benton, Fairfield Residential, old Kaiser site development.  These residents have petitioned the city for an extension to read the draft EIR because it is quite extensive.  The request is in view of the holiday season and the elections just gone that they need extra time to read this report.

Copies of the report can be obtained by going to the reference desk at the Santa Clara Library upstairs.  They have copies if you want to understand the impact of this development on the local community.  It discusses trees, transportation, business – you name it it’s there.  There are also images of the proposed project.  If you like a “prison cell block” look in your neighborhood you will be happy.  If you are hoping for something with a mission flavor or a Rivermark feel to it, forget it, it’s nothing like that.  More like large cynder block concrete mass construction or known in the industry as ‘budget buildings’.  The report also shows you which trees are planned for the logging mill, of which I would say MOST!  Darn it I guess the birds and the local wildlife will have to move out for a time, as will a lot of the local residents while they build this puppy over the next five years or so.

Now I’m hoping I’m right about this being on the Agenda, because as of 11.25am today the City Council agenda was not on line.  And if my memory serves me right, they should have been on line a week before the council meets but Santa Clara might do it differently.

In the News – Caserta

Internal Affairs in the San Jose Mercury News picked up a piece about Caserta.  It relates to him not stepping down around a tax break he sought on his home in down town Santa Clara.  Under the Williamson act a number of homes in the down town area have applied for tax concessions to maintain their homes.  The idea is that the money saved on taxes can be put back into maintaining their homes given they are older homes and need to be maintained in the spirit of the original house – no pun intended.

It has been alleged that Caserta took money from various developers and in the case of Barec he took the money after he promised to support those who were against the project.  There are other projects and other developers that have allegedly given Caserta monies and it would be interesting to see if he excused himself from those votes as well?  I wonder if the Fair Political Practices Commission is looking into other projects Caserta voted on?

In any case it begs the question – how is it that Dominic Caserta and Kevin Moore who both have real estate licenses vote on a number of building issues when they are realtors?  Not that I’m against realtorsbeing on council, for I am sure they are valued members of society but it’s a fine line for them voting on anything that involves real estate and I would think their consciouses would draw the same conclusion as mine – far better to abstain than to vote on an issue related to any type of real estate deal especially if you work in the industry.

Jamie McLeod has been criticized for continuously dismissing herself for not voting on certain agenda items because her partner has ties to certain projects and communities.  I hope that others see the value of stepping down when voting on an issue that they are too close to.   

I guess this is an example of why I am so apposed to endorsements.  Endorsements and financial funding come with ties it seems.

Final results

Congratulations to Mr Obama on a fabulous victory.  His speech was a most gracious and exhilarating speech.  Though I have memories of Kennedy, I felt Obama spoke far more eloquently and touched the hearts of all voters not just Democrats but he reached out to Republicans as well.  A true moment in history, right before our eyes.   May his tenure be one of grandeur and success and may the country restore it’s dignity in the world.

Jamie McLeod, Jamie Mathews, Will Kennedy all won their seats.  Congratulations to them all.  To view the final results you can go to this link.  Here you will find how much they won by.  Mr Moore’s results are there too - it would be interesting to learn how many peole wrote in Karen Hardy – just out of pure interest. 

I had been waiting on publishing this blog because I was waiting to get email from various candidates and view their blog/websites but it seems that only one candidate has updated their website with the result and that is Jamie McLeod.  I nearly feel like adding and of course there because it seems that Jamie is more on the beat than most.  Anyway congratulations to the winners may their judgements be honest ones and not tainted by endorsement or associations.

How do we act?

Dr Shanks asks us how do we act when we are at our best?  We are service orientated, ethical and he believes that in the city of Santa Clara we are better than most places but he admits it is a work in progress.  Phew because as I listen to him via the streaming system the city had it makes me wonder if the people running for Santa Clara city council all went to the workshops he talks about candidates went to at the start of the campaign.

We all know that politics is dirty but here in Santa Clara this year it appears it’s dirtier than normal.  Clearly the 49ers issue was at stake and as such who gets to sit on our council for the next few years.  Dr Shanks clearly wanted to limit the discussion and to address the ‘hit pieces’ and to focus on how the candidates ran their campaigns.

The campaign between, Bouza, Kennedy and Emerson was very amicable and the candidates all spoke well of each other, same goes for Mathews and Lowery.  Brian Lowery commended Mr Mathews for pointing out that there are rules that did not allow for his suit to be a deduction.  He quickly addressed the fact and he reimbursed his campaign.  Mr Lowery used his own money to fully fund his campaign – not one dollar came from an outside organization or individuals.  He unlike Mr Mathews did not have money from other groups buying big postcards, making phone calls etc.  I commend him for doing a grassroots campaign vs mega bucks.  That to me is a person who clearly has our city at heart not the interest of other cities or other large groups.  Touche to him – I hope he does well tomorrow.  And how fair of Mr Mathews in pointing out this issue – I hope he wasn’t the one that leaked the story to Internal Affairs in the SJ Merc?  That would be sad. 

Dr Shanks reminds as that this event tonight is to clarify and set the record straight – so here are some questions still:

 What is the story on the hit pieces Mr Blair’s supporters had put out on Jamie – Mr Blair said that they were not his hit pieces they were hit pieces by other interested parties and his supporters and went out without his knowledge or agreement. That those hit pieces were not authorized by him.  He actknowledges that at his website but he says he would have done them differently.  So even though he didn’t authorize them he admits he would have done them but in a different way.  Good for him for being honest about how he would have done them had authorized them.  However, remember the ethics program says that if there is inaccuracies or anything misleading the candidates need to correct that  – he does not refute them even though Dr Shanks indicated that there were mistruths made regarding Ms McLeod’s voting record. After some prodding Mr Blair says he should Apologize – you got to watch the streaming and this little snippet it’s like seeing someone caught and trying to get out of a trap.  Bottom line is the pieces were sent out – they were not sent with Mr Blairs approval and they are not factual.  They were dirty hit pieces – will they harm Jamie – probably – boy I hate dirty politics.

The other issue is that there were automated telephone calls made by Mayor Patricia Mahan and Don Van Raesfeld.  The city did not pay for the calls – but the calls did go out without saying who paid for those calls. So I can understand that people felt that they were misleading and it sounds like they are being investigated. There was obviously some issue regarding the phone calls being made out of State because when they are made out of State they are not regulated.  What does that mean? The main issue is that they did not clarify who paid for the calls – so today as the school bell goes off, so to speak, they made a third call clarifying who made the first two calls supporting those three candidates.  Wow what would have happened had they not have made that call?  Apparently these three candidates were concerned that there would be a hit piece put out on them, according to what Mr Mathews says on line.  Which makes  me wonder what were they worried could be said against them?  Hmmm very interesting.  That the three of them amount to a full deck on city council?  that the three of them all have connections to one major city family?  That should Mr Blair and Moore get elected that with Mr Caserta sitting on council that Santa Clara would now have three employees of one Real Estate office on council?  Wow I don’t know what could be said that is not already known by a lot of local residents.

Dr Shanks thinks this process is a work in progress – well I think a work in progress is a city council that is hell bent on stacking the numbers that is ‘a work in progress’ and I hope that the residents tomorrow when they go to vote remember it’s time for Change here as well as in the country.

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

Three garbage cans award

Scott Herhold of the San Jose Mercury News each year gives awards for campaign ads.  He dishes out trash cans for political hit pieces, and bouquets for well done pieces.

He awards three (3) Garbage Cans to the hit piece that took the side of challenger Chuck Blair, by the Santa Clara Police Officer’s Association against councilwoman Jamie McLeod.  Personally I think it should have got four but he gave four to a Vietnamese-American group associated with the LIttle Saigon movement that did a hit piece on Councilman Dave Cortese who is running against Sunnyvale Councilman Otto Lee.  I trust Herhold if he says that, that ad deserves 4 garbage cans I’m sure it does.

Clearly the hit piece done on these two candidates warranted the attention of the greater community otherwise Mr Herhold would not have written about it.  Local city politics here is definatley more intense and there seems to be more at stake if you win the race.  Which begs the question Why?  What is it that have people so hell bent on being on a city council?  What do they get out of it?  A gravy train?  Junkets? I don’t know what the answer is?  Perhaps is it civic duty? Civic pride? a Vision for something ….

and if it is a vision then let us hope that those that get elected in Santa clara this time can earn some bouquets from the residents and that they look at issues like

Cleaning El Camino in Santa Clara,

Planting trees along El Camino

decrease the number of high rise buildings planned

Give us a proper downtown area

and start to listen to what residents want

Once again I say support Jamie because she appears to be one of the few current council people who has listened to residents and asked questions.  She is a thinking person, and I believe that there are others out there running in this election that representing thinking people, such as Brian Lowery and Mary Emerson.

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008