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Perhaps my praise of the Grand Boulevard initiative was too hasty! I read an article in the LA Weekly by Zuma Dogg today that makes you start to wonder about the benefits that developers are getting. Which leads me to the question what benefits are developers getting in general when dealing with City Councils?
Zuma Dogg has clearly done some major probe into this whole issue as you can see in his two page article at LA weekly. In fact I would dare say he has done some down and dirty work on discovering the benefits that these developers get. Thank you Zuma – it makes me the Aussie in the Silicon Valley burbs start to see developers differently. I’d seen them as big bad guys but this makes them big bad guys looking for tax concessions while me has no way of avoiding Uncle Sam! Darn it and I thought life was good! I knew that there was money involved but I hadn’t realized it was a two way street – I figured the cities were benefiting from this but appears, according to Zuma if you dig deeper you will find that the cities give developers big tax breaks. Corporate America at its best. No wonder we think of Britain and Australia as a country full of shop keepers and individuals and maybe that’s why I get so peeved by ‘corporate’ agendas.
Zuma commented once here that he should ‘franchise’ his methods – yeh to that. If Zuma is out there showing the little guys how to investigate and understand the big guy even more I’m all for that.
A group of concerned Santa Clara citizens plan to sit down next week and start talking to those people who are showing interest in standing for local government. That group is talking to either those planning to run again or those wishing to run – this group wants to understand peoples platforms before they actually go out there. The group sees the need to let potential candidates be aware that there is ground swell in the community that is not happy with developers and lack of consideration for current residents. Come on who can in their right mind build condominiums and shade neighboring homes 365 days of the year? I ask you who on planning or council can endorse that and say that they are representing their constituents? Who in their right mind can ignores advice from CHP over where a road intersects with a development? Who in their right mind can justify a project of over 800 units just because we are now getting a bike path behind the project? What city ignores the fact that a councilman has received fininacial benefits for his campaign and allows same councilman to vote on projects that the developers wants approved? I guess that would all be the Santa Clara City Council and it’s planning department. Nice one guys – common sense and reason rules the day.
PS I think I’m going to change my tag line to Zuma Puppie.
©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008
Wow imagine El Camino being considered a Grand Boulevard ? There is an initiative to have 19 cities come together and plan out the Road of the Kings! Even I’m impressed – maybe the House of Pain will have to move to Santana Row?
When I hear the words “Grand Boulevard” I think of Paris or Madrid but not El Camino. If you have been to Paris or Madrid or Berlin you know what a Grand Boulevard looks like. Gorgeous trees, parks as medium strips in the middle of the Boulevard. Fountains running day and night. Statues of Generals on Horses. Change of colors in the flower pots with different seasons. Oh and Traffic …. traffic and more traffic.
I remember when McDonalds came to the Champs Ellesse, Parisians were outraged they refused to go in there. It was some what of an insult to a city that has brought the world Haute Courtier. Anyway I should not be so snobby I think this is a great initiative and probably one that is needed. It’s worth noting that Santa Clara City Council to date has not become involved – perhaps there is just too much work to do in our section of El Camino that they feel they can’t do it yet – they have to fix potholes first.
Anyway take a look at this grand plan and be impressed and then perhaps ask Patricia Mahan why our city is not involved in this initiative. This is an idea to bring people together and work as a team – imagine that Team Work? Working together creating something for the benefit of all people not just a chosen few! I love it! Great Job to the Joint Venture guys!
©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008
