MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA TUESDAY,
AUGUST 20, 2002
The Council of the City of San José convened in adjourned regular
session at 3:35 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall for a joint meeting
with the Redevelopment Agency Board.
Present: Council Members - Campos,
Chavez, Cortese, Dando, Diquisto, LeZotte, Reed, Shirakawa, Jr., Williams,
Yeager; Gonzales.
Absent: Council Members - None.
7.1 Presentation
on the Agency Public Space Programming Activities.
Documents
filed: (1) Memorandum from Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Susan F.
Shick, dated August 16, 2002, stating a Staff presentation will be made on
Public Space Programming, and transmitting memorandum from Redevelopment Agency
Executive Director Susan F. Shick, dated June 25, 2002. (2) Hard copies of
Power Point presentation given by Redevelopment Agency Staff.
Discussion/Action:
Leslie Little, Director of Downtown Management, provided an update on the
POPULUS Presenters Program, a contract the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) has
public space programming in Downtown San Jose. She presented a slide show with
the following highlights: Goals, History, Who is POPULOUS Presenters, Events,
Catalyst, and Marketing and Evaluation. Mayor Gonzales commented that he was glad
to see the progress on this effort; however, he is continually disappointed in
downtown businesses not being open during large events, and Staff needs to
continue outreach to them. He suggested
possibly having a Downtown Night with numerous events occurring simultaneously;
and asked Staff to consider these things.
Council Member Chavez stated that
by having the RDA partnering with this group, the City can learn a lot about
what doesn’t work with the permitting system, and that the system should not be
complicated for those using it. She asked that as part of the evaluation, all
of the team along with some of the new people doing the projects, to sit down
and talk about their experiences; and that she would like this be placed on the
agenda for the entire Council and RDA Board to review. She encouraged Staff to
work with Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) and Office of Economic Development
(OED) in examining structures that do and do not work. She indicated that the
Convention and Visitors Bureau had been working on a Community Calendar and
that Staff needs to capitalize on what is already happening and what is being
added; and she will be interested in seeing how the OCA is or isn’t working,
and would like to see inclusion of the calendaring component on a more active
level. She stated that some neighborhoods in the Core area are not holding
events because of cost, and suggested that Staff review existing policies
regarding costs, permits, street closures, etc.; and that she would like this
to be incorporated into discussions about how the City is a catalyst for things
happening in the surrounding community. Regarding food carts, she indicated
that if there were a permitting problem she would be interested in knowing
that, and believes there should be carts in places such as St. James Park; and
that possibly it is worth developing an RFQ process for this activity. She
expressed her disappointment in the first night response she received and
stated that she would have liked something on a smaller scale to see how the
process works; and expressed concern that she had raised the issue early on and
often that this was not the direction she had hoped to go in looking at
downtown.
Council Member Reed stated that he
was interested in hearing back about the permitting process and costs of doing
business to see what can be done about letting the incubator live; and that he
is interested in seeing the evaluations of what works. Council Member Dando
asked about the marketing plan. Redevelopment Agency Marketing Staff explained
that each event has a specific marketing plan, in addition to general marketing
through posters, rack cards, online, catalyst program, media, and word of
mouth. Council Member Dando suggested
that Staff develop a Calendar of Events and place it in local neighborhood
newsletters, such as the Times. Council Member LeZotte stated that she believes
Staff should look at neighborhood associations as a resource, as well as Council
Members. Mayor Gonzales called for public testimony and Ross Signorino spoke
about events advertising. Upon motion by Council Member Chavez, seconded by
Council Member Dando, and unanimously carried, the report was accepted. Vote:
11-0-0-0.
The
Joint Redevelopment Agency/City Council meeting was adjourned at 4:35 p.m.
RON GONZALES, MAYOR
ATTEST:
PATRICIA L. O’HEARN
CITY CLERK