Pay for endorsement

Oh dear oh dear, here we go the mud is getting thicker in the campaign races for Santa Clara city council.  Most of the mud flinging seems to be at Ms Jamie McLeod for her supposed record on city council.  Wow freedom of speech really can take a twist at election time.  I think we could call it freedom of verbal abuse.  If some of the written ’shouting’ were to be done in the streets of Santa Clara we could expect residence to call the police and complain about it.  But here in this fine country we can only be told it’s our first amendment right to freedom of speech.

Never mind, it will all end soon and we can get back to ‘normality’.  But before we do that I have to write about the latest laugh I saw.  One of my neighbors shared the republicans voters guide as per the California Voter guide printed in Torrance.  It gives the following notice to voters:

 

“This document was prepared by California Voter guide, not an official political party organization.  APPEARANCE in this mail does not necessarily imply endorsement of other candidates or ballot measures in this mailer.  Appearance is a PAID FOR and AUTHORIZED by EACH CANDIDATE and ballot measure which is designated by an * (astrix).”

 

So guess who paid to be on this guide?  Mr Chuck Blair – paid for and supported by the firefighters & police officers.  This means that firefighters paid for it – I thought Mr Blair was a registered Democrat – what will his party think of this – oh maybe it doesn’t matter after all it’s non-partisan running for local government.  Or is it????

In any case this flier certainly a little nicer than the ‘hate’ campaign that has been going on out their against Jamie.  Mr Blair has sent a few fliers criticizing Jamie but still we don’t really know what his qualifications are for being our Representative on council are?  All we know is that he “hates” her more than he cares to tell us about why he would make a good council person?  Oh and we know that he is pro the stadium because it would be a good thing for Santa Clara but not why it would be a good thing.  Attacking and misconstruing someones record is not the nicest thing to do. 

I love the piece that the San Jose Mercury News did yesterday “ignore sleazy hit pieces, vote for Independent McLeod” page 14a.  Even the editorial piece says that normally they don’t come out and speak on how to vote on local candidates – they felt that there was a need to say something about Jamie McLeod and the fact that she is not part of the Santa Clara political in crowd.

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

In the press

So did you catch the article in the Valley today of the SJ Mercury News?  It’s all about Mr Bouza and Mr Moore.  Very interesting reading.  If you hadn’t heard about this before you do now. I think you can make up your own mind as to who, what or whether it is true.  One thing for sure that is disturbing is that there has been a history of this happening before in Santa Clara – which gives you cause to ask the question – is it not time for Change?  A change from the majority share holders that have been around the Santa Clara city politics?  Time for some fresh blood and thinkers – people who ask questions and listen to residents.

Here is a link to the article in the SJ Mercury News if you didn’t catch it.  Rumors are that there were other people that made calls to Bouza not just the ones mentioned in the article.  I guess there is nothing wrong in giving your opinion to a candidate where he/she decides to run but you just got to wonder WHY?  Why do people care?  Why are people so positional about city politics?

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

Taking on a City council

There is a group of residents in Santa Clara that have actually consolidated themselves enough and stirred up enough debate and interest that last election they had an issue that concerned them go on he Ballot.  This group gathered enough signatures to ensure residents could be well informed.

Of course once you join the ranks of politicians you need to be aware that there are ways to write a ballot or referendum and there are ways not to write one.  Unfortunately for this group that was the case plus the challenge always is who has more money.  When a developer can out run you in advertising and can out do you in finances your really hoping that your appeal is landing on the right doorstep.  I guess in this case voters didn’t quite see the issue like many who were against it.  For the record I was against the Barec improvements as per the developer and this is before I got involved with going to council meetings and learning about what is really happening in our city.  Having said that I see now that the Save Barec organization has taken legal action against the city for the inaccurate EIR (environmental impact report) that the city accepted to be true and allowed that study to influence the new zoning on Barec and gave the developer the go ahead to build.

I wonder how this action will then affect other projects on the Santa Clara City Council Books – such as the Marina Playa, Fairfield Residential and the proposed Santa Clara Square.  Certainly the Marina Playa EIR should be reviewed again and action should be considered because if you look at that EIR and the subsequent CIty Council Meeting where that was accepted there is a major FLAW in the traffic report.  That report was out dated and inaccurate and what’s more according to residents around that neighborhood many accidents are or were not reported in that study.  Who is lying?  The residents that live there or the people who did the study who don’t live in the city?  I can see the scales tipping here.

I hope for the sake of residents of Santa Clara that this Barec court case shakes the city managers and councilors into some sort of acceptance that “something is not right”.  I hope the Barec action is the start of residents holding our elected officials and their staff accountable for their actions.  For too long it occurs to me that the city is bowing to developers and bank balances that look bigger than mine.  Yet my bank balance allows me to reside in Santa Clara - it doesn’t give me the privilege to own property in lets say Los Gatos, Morgan Hill or Gilroy.  Oh well I guess I better get back to the grind where I belong … isn’t that right just a working class resident.  No privileges here, no family members, no long time ties to the city, no who do I know connections …. just middle class schmucks who have an opinion.

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

Does Caserta have memory loss?

From time to time at resident gatherings I have heard residents surprised to learn that Dominic Caserta has a real estate license.  Yes it seems to be that he continually forgets to mention that he has an active license. In fact his license is held at the Gillmor Real Estate company.  This is the same company that another Santa Clara City council hangs his license, Kevin Moore.  It’s not as though Dominic has let his license lapse or that it’s old because he’s had this since 2003 and it is current till 2011 for memory. 

I’m surprised that with his various political advertising for when he ran for Assembly I have not found to-date a clip that has him mention his real estate license.  There are a number on YouTube that his organization has posted.  I particularly like the one where he discusses how he has been a teacher for the past 11 years and how he talks in a way that makes him look like the main person responsible for many great initiatives in Santa Clara.  ohhh well, sigh … illusions of grandeur come to mind. 

Here is another youtube clip that Mr Caserta where he was advertised by Comcast (I wonder if this is a paid for advertising interview?)

Perhaps Mr Caserta should be a little more mindful of the fact he holds a license and his respect to his constituents.  Or do you think that perhaps this little clip again on youtube is really how he views the Santa Clara residents. 

It makes me shudder that we put people in office who door knock claiming to be a poor teacher kid who just wants to make a difference for residents when in truth that is something that seems far from the truth.  

I know it doesn’t seem PC (politically correct) in America to do the tall poppy syndrome treatment on a wannabe politician but it seems to me that Mr Caserta’s lack of memory and what appears to be his contempt for his constituents should be pointed out.  Perhaps it is just a case of being a bit too young to be having such a position of power.  After all, let us not forget that this young man has for his political campaign accepted donations from the various developers that are either building or attempting to build in Santa Clara.  At the same time this young man has, it appears, not excused himself from any of the voting on council that relate to these developers or real estate deals.  When in fact you would think he has a morale right to abstain from such votes given he has accepted financial backing and also holds a somewhat forgotten but current Real Estate license.   sigh…. oh to be young ….

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

Developers who donate

It’s well know that many of the major developers work their magic by getting their developments accepted at planning and city council by donating to the council.  Donations are varied as I see it.

You have the donation to the cities capital fund for projects like, parks and recreation, sewers, roads.  You know something that the city feels needs to be addressed – that’s probably why Santa Clara and Dominic Caserata can say we don’t have a pothole in Santa Clara.  The city gets the developers to contribute towards the ‘pothole’ fund.  It’s worth noting that Fairfield Residential has not contributed to the ‘pothole’ fund as yet but I’m sure they will find the appropriate ‘pothole’ – personally if I was them I would make a contribution to the largest ‘pothole’ the ‘International Swim Center’ I’m sure Mrs Mahan would love that being built in her time perhaps they could even call it the Mahan Swim Center?  Though in my humble opinion it should be the Mark Spitz Swim Center given he really ‘begun’ his career in that very swim center.  And Mark is a one of my favorite swimmers – along with a bunch of great Aussie Atheletes, Gould, Thorpe, Fraser, Rose, Perkins and the wonderful gentle giant Klim!  But Mark had the guts to state what he wanted and win the gold everytime.  He also is someone you can look up to – he managed to win all those medals during a very difficult and trying game.  To understand these games read this at wikipedia. 

A second way Developers donate to cities is to make part of their plans is to build affordable housing in the development.  So for instance in the million dollar plus development on Prunridge and Lawrence that boasts Cupertino schools. Also known as the Enclave there are four units in there that are not as large or expensive that have been made available through a system to those that could not afford to normally buy into an area like that.  Great concept – something that the Dutch have done for years – nothing new.  But what does annoy me is that the developers have this hoity toity attitude that they are doing us all a favor – what a lie.  The council deems it part of the agreement to build and the average joe blow knows that the developer factors in the cost of everyone of those units into the bottom price of the other units so the middle class Joe blow pays for this puppy.  Give me a break I wasn’t born yesterday.   One way the developers look better to the council is that instead of giving the minimum per cent in affordable housing they give more so instead of say 10% they give 15% – how sweet is that?  Sweet to whom? 

The third way they give money is to pay for different city councilmen/women’s political campaigns – legal donations to campaigns.  Ask Mr Caserta he knows how that works – and then ask him how he voted on each and everyone of those developments of the developers that supported him.  I’m sure as we go into an election this year we might see developers supporting other city council candidates.  Oh and developers are tricky – to deflect the controversy over this they get company individuals to donate.  Heck that’s totally legal right – so if you have a big family – say you are one of 100 family members – each member gives the minimum dollar amount which let’s say is $100 you now have 100×100 – you do the math!  Then when you look at the list of who contributed and you see $100 from every Wong or Smith – you know why.  What’s worse is that that same city council member now does not excuse themself from the vote on that development.  That’s just WRONG and STINKS in my book.  I wonder if I were to get 1000 voters to campaign against high rise development and each of them to ‘pay’ oops I mean donate towards a council persons campaign could I now ’sway’ their vote?  hmmm food for thought – no that just smells of good old fashioned bribery.  Doesn’t it to you?

Meanwhile I came across this article in one of the Australian Newspapers on line – the Developers are now saying that they feel the controversy of supporting political campaigns.  The public is creating a back lash against the developer and they are feeling the heat and the developers are not going to fund political campaigns.  About time – I think developers should be held accountable for their actions and that citizens should start to question their involvement in city politics.  Good for the Aussie developers for taking the lead – I predict the same will start to happen here.  Developers should rightly keep their money and their nose our of politics and do what they said they would do develop.  As it’s been said to me many times – the developer comes, makes a mess in a city and then leaves.  Leaving the havoc and the mess to those that now live in the city to clean up.  A lot of this mess is because they think they are doing great things but never really look at the bigger picture.  Here is the article.

 

PS Fairfield Residential if you are looking to ‘donate’ to Santa Clara City Council ‘pothole’ fund I recommend $400,000 because that’s how short the city was in rebuilding the Swim Center and as a result the project got shelved another year! And we all know by next year that $400K will be $600K!

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

City Council talk about planning!

Wow finally people of ‘importance’ are talking to each other.  I’m always amazed here in the US about the ‘me’ culture.  There is a reason in Australia we call everyone a ‘mate’.  We definitely consider our mates and got their back covered more than here in the US where it’s all about “ME”.  So I read in the SJ Merc today that Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Cupertino city councils sat down and talked about the planning issues on the books.

They all hugged – how Californian is that? Should I be so rude to say: Pass me a bucket! 

It’s about time these people of ‘influence’ and so called ‘power’ sat down and realized that the locals aren’t happy with what is going on and we do notice things.

I think what is interesting is that less than 10 residents were there to be a part of this – is this yet another case of ’secret meetings’ ?  It seems to me that city councils like to have meetings in camera i.e. behind closed doors.  They want us to live in their city but they don’t want to tell us what they are up to maybe because they know we might leave if we knew the truth.  Then they turn on each other with childish attitudes in defence of what the other city has supposedly done to them i.e. the right turn lane forcing traffic back to Santa Clara

I see Ms Mahan wants to include San Jose in the talks – wow Patricia how big of you!  Why didn’t you guys do it to start with?  Worried they might have some more pull than you Patti?  Hey your average reporter out their may not recognize the political ploy you just pulled but … your average local yocal does. 

Personally I think the city officials and staff should sit down with the big developers and call a truce and start working out a plan to improve the areas that truly need improving and then start building new areas and cleaning up old areas.

Perhaps we could have a bit more “mateship” and a little less American “me” provided we don’t take on the tall “poppy syndrome”, she’ll be right mate!

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

Welcome to Santa Clara Politics

Wow last night I attended the City of Santa Clara council meeting.  This was a first for me.  As some of you may or may not know my background in Australia was politics.  I was involved in politics at a student level and later at a State and Federal level and still call some members of parliament close friends.  In fact one of the senior party members has visited the U.S. and spent time with our family.  In leaving Australia I really was happy to leave behind my political involvement and any political desires I might have had or been requested to pursue.  Love it or hate it, I was happy to leave it!

These past weeks I inadvertedly got involved in discussions with a number of residents over the planned building of a site on the old Kaiser hospital on Kaiser Drive.  I learnt that the property had been sold to a developer – fine that’s groovy – until you discover the plan and the ‘accommodations’ the city planners are making to allow such a development.

This project is called the Fairfield Project and this was not why I went to city council last night but it was a catalyst for me attending.  I went to here about the Marina Playa project.  Boy politically was this an eye opener. Here are some of the things I witnessed.

I saw Dominic Caserta acknowledge openly one of the head developers for the Marina Playa project. I also witnessed him looking completely bored, half asleep, walk out of the room more than five times (yes I counted), one time returning munching on food.  Clearly Mr Caserta had voted in his mind on the proposals that were to be put forward that evening.  His vote had been caste before he was asked to vote.  I heard a Doctor point out that Mr Caserta should ‘excuse’ himself from voting on the Marina Playa project because he had legally accepted donation money from the builder of this project to fund his political aspirations.  I heard that Mr Caserta did not take the decision to ‘abstain’ in fact he voted in favor of the project.  Suprise Suprise.  The Santa Clara weekly calls him young – I suspect he’s more foolish than young.  I’m sure Shakespeare had something to say about that when he wrote the stages of man.

I saw Mayor Patricia Mahan look away with embarrasment when one of the local residents pointed out that her father would be ashamed of her associations with the planning projects that were currently on the table.  Mayor Mahan clearly was ‘uncomfortable’ with the statement that this elderly Santa Clara resident had to say about her lack of support for city as a whole.  I heard Mayor Mahan be defensive with another resident when he challenged her over where these projects were being built in relation to her own property in Santa Clara.  The Mayor felt it was unfair to be personal yet she herself had made comments that these projects were no-where near where she lives.

Pat Kolstad had nothing to say all night except press forward the proposal to pass the Environmental report that allows the planning department to allow the builder to build Marina Playa.  Wow perhaps he did this because he wanted to go home – it was getting close to midnight when this matter on the agenda was being discussed by council.  Perhaps the meeting was getting past his bed time?  just a thought given it seems he’s been on the council a few too many years.  Fortunately his term is up – time for some fresh blood – perhaps someone who knows how to ask questions of importance and listen to residents.  After all more than a dozen residents talked against Marina Playa, noteably most about the traffic issues and the discrepencies between what the CHP and the city contractor had to say.  Mr Kolstad is a former cop – you think he of all people might have some thoughts on the fact that the yards of these proposed townhomes are going to be 10×12 feet.  This size yard reminds me of a prison yard – hmmm food for thought.

Jamie McLeod had a lot to say regarding the traffic reports in fact she suggested that the city take more action and reviews in this area but ALAS Jamie was knocked down and eventually voted in favor of Marina Playa.  Though I did observe that even Jamie was not comfortable with the size of the yards of these units and how the traffic around this project, along with the other to be submitted projects in the same area, will in turn affect the Lawrence/El Camino cross street.  Jamie was alone in a crowd of wolves!  Sorry Jamie I heard your cry but your ‘buddies’ took you down.  My only question is: why did you vote in favor of it? 

Kevin Moore – hmm can’t say he had much to say though.  I guess Kevin feels that the 10×12 yard is sufficient for any good person given his concentration is parks and recs and he did well because the builder gave parks and recs $200,000 to sweeten the deal.  Ahh I see – he swims with sharks. 

Joe Kordner attempted to align himself with Jamie and ride in on her amendment to have the planning department review the traffic conditions in that area.  But sometimes yah just gotta do what the boss says Missum!  You know how it goes ….and after-all given he’s on the financing authority of the city you know that the money the builder is going to give to fix the sewer line has to be his sweetener. 

Bottom line I smell a rats – rats that finked out their residents.  To learn more about how you can help and what’s going on in the city according to residents versus according to the city planners and the city council visit http://liveforeverodt.com/santaclara/ - through this website I started to realize that what was going on was not all kosher at the Santa Clara City Hall. 

In talking to an old time Santa Clara resident I discovered today that a lot of this has been going on for years.  This accounts for why we don’t have a proper downtown, why our public schools are some of the worst in the area, why once you enter our part of El Camino there is nothing more than brothels, $49 motels, tattoo stores, and sleazy seedy sex shops!  Yep something to proud of Mayor Mahan!  You have served your city well – may you and your crowd move on to better cause.  May Mr Caserta find his place in the Assembly and be brought to more scrutiny.

You gotta love a day in the life of Santa Clara Politics!  I’m so proud that I can vote this year because as it stands I’m not going to vote for one of these guys or one that they wish to endorse – their records speak for themselves after what I witnessed last night.  In 1975  Gough Whitlam was voted out of Australian politics – and in the words of the Liberal Campaign I have three words for most of the Santa Clara city council:

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008