West Side Airport Development
Apr 2, 2012 by Pierluigi Oliverio Politics, Business Comments (1)
The city’s General Fund is not legally obligated to pay an airport expense or debt service payments.However, the City Council has discretion over the allocation of general fund monies in general, and may approve an allocation of General Fund monies for airport expenditures. This includes payment of debt service. The allocation of general fund resources to the airport would be a policy decision by the City Council, not a legal obligation.
Minimum Wage Raise in San Jose?
Mar 30, 2012 by Josh Koehn Politics, Business, Culture Comments (3)
A student-organized push to raise the minimum wage in San Jose looks like it has a chance to make its way on the ballot. Roughly 35,000 signatures were reportedly submitted Wednesday by a group led by San Jose State students. Those signatures will need to be verified by the county Registrar of Voters. For now, the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce is taking a wait-and-see approach to the initiative.
A Rose of a Different Color
Mar 29, 2012 by Rich Robinson Politics Comments (13)
Rose Herrera, right, won’t have the support of the South Bay Labor Council nor Cindy Chavez, far left, in her re-election race this year.
Nothing stings as much as a politician you helped gain public office betraying you. It’s not uncommon, but it doesn’t make the pain any less real. The result, of course, is predictable. The aggrieved party works doubly hard for the next opponent; which brings us to the sad case of Councilmember Rose Herrera. Herrera would not be a San Jose Councilmember if not for the support of progressives, local democrats and the South Bay Labor Council. Her first campaign was literally run out of Labor’s headquarters.
Pose Questions to Assessor Larry Stone
Mar 29, 2012 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics, People, Media Comments (4)
This week, Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone has agreed to answer questions from San Jose Inside readers. He is the sixth public official to participate in this series. Questions are selected from online posts to this site.
The Big Payback
Mar 28, 2012 by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (0)
Money talks during election season, and it seems the closer a person is to San Jose’s City Hall, the louder their voice. That could be why San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio and planning commissioner Edesa Bitbadal raised the most money in the first two and a half months of the year with more than $121K and $86K in campaign contributions, respectively. Councilmember Rose Herrera didn’t do too shabby either, hauling in almost $49K. But Kansen Chu just topped Herrera’s total and, according to his campaign disclosure forms, the money he spent suggests he might be currying votes and/or future favors with cash.
Credit Rating Drop Costs City $350K
Mar 28, 2012 by Josh Koehn Politics, Business Comments (6)
The city’s fight over pension reform and dwindling reserves resulted in San Jose’s credit being downgraded by Moody’s Investment Service in New York. The impact, according to City Manager Debra Figone at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, will be a cost of $350,000 to the city.
Saint James Post Office Clear of Anthrax
Mar 27, 2012 by Josh Koehn Culture, Media Comments (2)
One might have wondered if law enforcement was targeting the homeless Tuesday morning, as people were cleared from Saint James Park. One would have been wrong in that assumption. According to reports, emergency personnel were responding to a package covered in white powder at Saint James Park Post Office on North First Street. The substance was not anthrax or another chemical weapon but an herbal remedy from Taiwan, ordered by a man for his child.
San Jose Has Highest Rent Increases
Mar 27, 2012 by Josh Koehn Politics, Business, Culture Comments (2)
Despite having a reputation for sprawl, rent in San Jose increased at a higher rate than anywhere else in the nation, according to a city memo distributed Tuesday. A 3-percent increase is the highest allowable under the city’s ordinance, and many of the people targeted by recent rent hikes include mobilehome owners who rent land for their homes.
Council to Discuss Successor Agency, Electric Car Charging Stations
Mar 26, 2012 by Josh Koehn Politics Comments (2)
Tuesday’s City Council meeting will feature considerably less rancor than recent weeks. Among the key issues on the agenda are transferring housing projects to the Successor Agency of the Redevelopment Agency, including the Mayfair Court Apartments; a public hearing on infrastructure improvements for The Alameda and acceptance of a grant for electric vehicle charging stations.
Reading of the RDA Will
Mar 26, 2012 by Pierluigi Oliverio Politics Comments (15)
Last week, I attended the Oversight Board for the Successor Redevelopment Agency public meeting. One person who watched the meeting said it was “like viewing the reading of a will.” That was a fair analogy. In the case of the deceased RDA (56 years old), the deceased had property it owns but comes accompanied with liens from the County and JP Morgan. The meeting also showed that while the deceased was alive, Sacramento poached over $100 million from the estate, which disrupted RDA’s ability to pay planned debt installments over a period of 20 years.
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