Selected News Articles and Press Releases
The following are excerpts from various media sources. Due to copy right regulations, we can not post the complete article. To request the original article, please contact the publisher.
2012 |2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
6.10.11 San Jose Gets One Million for Creek Cleanup Project (Mercury News)
Thursday's announcement was especially satisfying for San Jose City Councilman Sam Liccardo, who spearheaded the San Jose plan with his staff two years ago after seeing what Richardson had done in Palo Alto.
"Homeless have been seen as the problem,'' he told those gathered near the creek, "but we see homeless as part of the solution.''
5.12.11 – San Jose: Gateway to Silicon Valley (New Tech Post)
“We get the value of foreign engagement because over half the startups in the Valley can trace their routes to a founder who is born outside the United States. San Jose offers the country’s most diverse and well-educated work force including an experienced and professional set of managers that can help any small company scale quickly in this rapidly changing environment.”
5.10.11 San Jose Wrestles With Cost of 90 Percent Pensions (Bloomberg News)
“We’ve seen people who have served our community for decades escorted to the door,” Sam Liccardo, a Democrat on the City Council, said in an April 28 telephone interview. “As they struggle to find jobs, firefighters will be retiring in their early 50s with six-figure annual pensions. The irony is not lost on our taxpayers.”
2.12.11 – Homeless Might Have A Place to Live in Exchange for Creek Cleanup (Mercury News)
Spearheaded by San Jose City Councilman Sam Liccardo, whose district includes this stretch of creek, a group of stakeholders is hoping an influx of federal grant money could significantly put a dent in cleaning up the horrifying amount of trash along the creek -- by hiring homeless men and women to clean up the creek in exchange for food and housing.
"I'm hoping this will provide a pathway for dozens of people out of poverty -- and give them a hand up rather than a handout," Liccardo said. "This would obviously have an environmental objective as well."
11.15.10 - San Jose Considers Move to End Freeze on New Parks
City officials Tuesday will consider a proposal that could break the impasse and allow at least some promised parks to finally get built -- with money to maintain them.
Councilman Sam Liccardo, the proposal's chief architect, argues it's a politically palatable compromise that opens the door for outsourced maintenance only in "extraordinary cases" and eases the litigation threat from developers.
"We're projecting nothing but deficits, we're not getting new park maintenance staff on line, so we're trying to push forward a more creative alternative," Liccardo said.
09.14.10 - San Jose City Council Takes On High Speed Rail Debate
Councilman Liccardo said that though he's not ready to abandon studying the underground option, he is willing to make a deal in a binding written commitment, something "that's enforceable in a court of law," with the high-speed rail authority that allows the city to approve or reject plans on the design and building materials used in the proposed aerial track.
"We've got one chance to get this right," Liccardo said. "This structure will define the cityscape for the next century."
08.23.10 - Opinion: Liccardo: I support pension reform because of progressive values, not in spite of them (By Sam Liccardo, Special to the Mercury News)
Although conservatives have long called for pension and arbitration reform, I supported these measures not in spite of my progressive values, but because of them. Progressive advocacy for affordable housing, environmental stewardship, marriage equality and immigrant rights doesn't preclude the pragmatic pursuit of fiscal reform.
07.06.10 - Pizarro: Good compromise on San Jose's Japantown parking (By Sal Pizarro, San Jose Mercury News)
San Jose City Councilman Sam Liccardo said to help ease the burden, parking meter hours of operation — Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — won't be changing for now.
And a parking lot with about 60 to 70 spaces is being created in part of the city's former Corporation Yard on Jackson Street. A $2 flat fee will be charged Monday though Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight.
06.09.10 - Community Partnership Keeps Biebrach Pool Open this Summer (By Tracy Seipel, San Jose Mercury News)
Biebrach Pool in San Jose's Gardner neighborhood will remain open this summer thanks to a recent partnership forged between Sparkle Swim School and the new San Jose Parks Foundation, with help from District 3 Councilman Sam Liccardo.
05.21.10 - Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? New Proposals Like Neither (By Sabra Chartrand, New York Times)
“We saw in the experience of San Francisco and other cities that a plastic-bag ordinance pushes consumers to use paper,” explained a San Jose City Council member, Sam Liccardo, “which in many instances is as bad or worse than plastic, when you consider the water, energy and natural resources involved in production, and the transportation costs, and of course, consuming trees.”
05.21.10 - A Silicon Valley Group Gives Voice to Voiceless (By Daniel Weintraub, New York Times)
Sam Liccardo, a San Jose City councilman who is a former criminal prosecutor, said De-Bug “gives a voice to many members of our community that feel marginalized by the institutions in the city.” The group, he said, plays an important role in “keeping public officials and public agencies accountable.”
04.13.10 - San Jose Council Eases Charges, Hoping to help Cultural Events Remain Viable (By John Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News)
The council voted unanimously to approve a proposal by Mayor Chuck Reed, Councilman Sam Liccardo and Councilwoman Nancy Pyle that eliminates or lowers some event charges. The proposal also directs the city manager to develop a new fee structure that allows reduced charges for events that draw large crowds and generate significant tax revenues.
Council members noted that in many cases, the events produce far more in tax revenue than the city collects in fees. "We're creating cost structures that make it difficult for events to be here," Liccardo said, "even when the events add significantly to our bottom line."
04.08.10 - Sobrato scores key San Jose properties for $20M(By Katherine Conrad, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
City Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents downtown, said Sobrato’s purchase is a sign of a turnaround.
“In these very difficult economic times, Sobrato’s willingness to invest in the downtown is a sure sign of our coming resurgence,” he said.
Regarding the $20 million price tag, Liccardo said, “I believe the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. And the downtown is getting an opportunity to have a first-rate developer create something iconic that represents the economic resurgence of the next decade.”
03.29.10 - Editorial: San Jose service cuts will be drastic if employees don't make concessions (San Jose Mercury News Editorial)
Councilman Sam Liccardo today will argue for a creative way to keep community centers open in some areas where they're most needed and most contribute to public safety.
Figone's plan is to close all but the hub community centers, the main one in each district. Liccardo thinks nonprofits might be able to operate some of those large centers in wealthier areas such as Almaden or Berryessa, charging for some classes and services, while they could not break even on smaller centers in low income neighborhoods such as Gardner. If nonprofits took over some large centers, Liccardo reasons, city employees working there could instead staff other centers now set to close.
02.10.10 - House of a legend: Former residence of Tommie Smith could become SJSU landmark (By Daniel Herberholz, Spartan Daily)
The man who owns a house once occupied by Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith said he sees potential for his property to become a new SJSU landmark.
Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents the city's downtown district, said the house has "considerable historic value for our community."
"This is an opportunity for us to seize a piece of history that has significant impact on the civil rights movement," Liccardo said. "I'd like to believe that San Jose State feels similarly."
02.09.10 - San Jose council votes to put for experts on pension boards (By John Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News)
Facing crushing deficits driven in part by soaring retirement costs, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to replace most pension trustees with outside financial experts.
The approved makeover was a compromise forged by Mayor Chuck Reed between the city manager and labor unions.
"Any reform that doesn't give a majority to independent public members representing the taxpayers does a disservice to the people who pay the bills," said Shane Patrick Connolly, a Willow Glen accountant who has followed the debate.
Countered Councilman Sam Liccardo, a trustee on the pension board for police and firefighters: "It's clear it is a compromise, but I think it is an important step forward."
02.08.10 - Downtown San Jose set to loosen sign rules (By David Goll, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
Liccardo, who represents downtown, said it’s time merchants in the nation’s 10th largest city have more flexibility on signs announcing and advertising their businesses.
“For years we’ve had a suburban notion of what constitutes visual blight in our city,” Liccardo said. “But today, we have economic development goals of creating a more vibrant downtown.” Liccardo said an ordinance revision that would allow “supergraphics” — large banners as high as 80 feet — on blank walls of downtown buildings is somewhat controversial. Although the ordinance now prohibits banners larger than 1,200 square feet, a proposed revision would permit as many as five banners with a total of 5,000 square feet on a single building for as long as 60 days.
02.03.10 - Feds give BART to San Jose good rating (By David Goll, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
"This adds yet another significant milestone to the rear view of BART's journey to Silicon Valley," Sam Liccardo, chairman of the VTA board of directors and San Jose City Council member, said in a statement. "This rating shows that this project will compete well against other transit nationally, and it keeps BART on track to begin carrying Santa Clara County riders by 2018."
Santa Clara County voters have approved measures to fund construction of the project and operating expenses. In November 2000, they supported a 30-year one-half cent sales tax for the construction phase, and eight years later voted in favor of an additional one-eighth cent sales tax for operation of the extension.
02.03.10 - Reawakening Downtown—Again Business owners hope the city’s newest initiative helps—but they’re not holding their breath (By Jessica Fromm, Metro Newspaper)
“I think it’s a good start, but much more needs to be done,” Allen-Samavarchian says. “Expediting permitting is not enough. The approval process is an expensive and convoluted nightmare, especially for small businesses that cannot afford to hire consultants to navigate it for them. It simply should not be that way.”
For his part, Liccardo gets that. “There have been a lot of false starts downtown,” he says. “What I find to be most frequently the cause of those false starts is that we’ve had some wrong-headed approaches to how core urban areas develop organically. We’ve had approaches in the past which have focused on subsidizing large chain stores and chain restaurants. We’ve had periods where we discouraged high-rise residential development and would only insist on offices.
“I think the lesson we’ve all learned is that you have to allow development and business to grow organically in the downtown, and you can’t be choking it with regulations and interventions.”
01.29.10 - San Jose's creative proposal to spur economy is worth copying (Editorial Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
All of the incentives in the world won’t stimulate anything if they add layers of red tape and delay. That is a mantra every city in Silicon Valley needs to keep repeating. Keep it simple and make it happen fast. That is the best way to get the region back in business and people employed.
In supporting the proposals, San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo put it succinctly as to why the plan should be enacted here and emulated elsewhere in the valley. “We need to take some risks,” Liccardo said. “If the recession is over, nobody in my neighborhood or business district has yet received the news.”
01.29.10 - San Jose City Council offering incentives to woo businesses (By Katherine Conrad, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
Joined by Councilman Sam Liccardo and Councilwomen Nancy Pyle and Rose Herrera, the mayor said Jan. 26 that the city cannot afford to wait for the economy to rebound. “With the city’s unemployment rate at 12.5 percent and the nation suffering from the worst recession since the Great Depression, we must act boldly to encourage investment in San Jose,” Reed said in a press release. “Our proposal sends a strong message to them that San Jose wants you to locate here, stay here, and grow here. In return, we will work at the speed of business to help you.”
Liccardo, whose council district includes the downtown, said Jan. 25 that as the country emerges from the worst recession in 75 years, the city must seize opportunities to create jobs. “We need to take some risks,” Liccardo said. “If the recession is over, nobody in my neighborhood or business district has yet received the news.”
01.26.10 - San Jose limits police chief's discretion over nightclubs By John Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News)
City officials have been meeting with nightclub and restaurant owners in an effort to foster a more vibrant night life while keeping drunken brawling under control. Key to those talks has been a desire to reduce costly closing-time policing in the downtown entertainment zone that many club owners say is off-putting to patrons.
"Things seem to be calming," Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents downtown, said in approving the revised entertainment ordinance.
01.12.10 - In San Jose, new housing developments must include affordable units (By John Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News)
The City Council voted 9-2 to approve the "citywide inclusionary housing ordinance," something downtown Councilman Sam Liccardo had urged. The council approved the concept of such a requirement in December 2008. Backers said the citywide rule would provide more fairness and avoid concentrating affordable-housing in redevelopment project areas where they already are required.
01.07.10 -San Jose mayor, council members get support in push for high-speed underground study (by David Goll, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
California High-Speed Rail Authority have agreed to continue studying putting tracks underground in and around Diridon Station in San Jose.
Mayor Chuck Reed and City Council members Sam Liccardo and Pierluigi Oliverio sent a letter to rail authority officials Jan. 6 expressing their support for further study of the underground option during the high-speed rail project's environmental review.
12.25.09 - Don't want to drive? Share a bike! (By Joe Rodriguez, San Jose Mercury News)
Sam Liccardo, an avid cyclist and San Jose city councilman who sits on the VTA board, said bike sharing would alleviate overcrowded bicycle cars on Caltrain. In recent years, especially during gasoline price spikes, bike commuters increasingly could not board their usual trains and had to wait for another one.
"It boosts transit by helping eliminate the chronic bumping of riders," Liccardo said.
09.23.09 - Council Votes to Ban Most Plastic and Paper Bags (By Tracey Seipel, San Jose Mercury News)
As a member of the Santa Clara County Cities Association, San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo — who has been helping lead the movement to ban plastic grocery bags — said he is confident local cities will support San Jose's recommendation. "I've been told by several other mayors that it will be much easier for their cities to move forward when San Jose has taken the first step."
09.22.09 - San Jose Could Become a Leader in the Movement to Phase Out Plastic Bags editorial (San Jose Mercury News Editorial)
The City Council should approve the proposal by Mayor Chuck Reed and council members Sam Liccardo, Kansen Chu, Nora Campos and Judy Chirco to create an ordinance prohibiting single-use carryout plastic bags — as well as bags made of nonrecycled paper — for all retailers except restaurants starting in January 2011.
09.16.09 - San Jose City Council passes extension on temporary moratorium for bail bonds operators (by Tracey Seipel, San Jose Mercury News)
"Several bail bonds businesses are located on residential parcels, and we don't want them on residential parcels," Liccardo told the council Tuesday night. "But simply not allowing them to move means we'll have a fight. So it seems to be the path of least resistance to get to the goal.''
09.14.09 - San Jose council to decide on extended moratorium for new bail bonds shops (by Tracey Seipel, San Jose Mercury News)
Liccardo also is recommending that existing bail bonds businesses, particularly 18 that are located in residential neighborhoods in violation of city code, be allowed to relocate during the moratorium as long as they move to areas where current code allows them to operate.
09.13.09 - Moratorium Needed for Bail Bond Operators editorial (San Jose Mercury News Editorial)
District 3 Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents the North First area, proposed the moratorium in response to neighbors' concerns. A huge lobbying blitz opposed the temporary moratorium, and several council members made it clear at the time that they were sympathetic to the bail bond businesses. Lobbyists say San Jose already is too restrictive, but compared with other cities, it is not.
08.29.09 - New and enlarged Carnegie Library opens in East San Jose (by Lisa M. Krieger, San Jose Mercury News)
After two years and $9 million in renovations, the East San Jose Carnegie Branch Library reopened its doors on Saturday morning to new generations of readers. Hundreds of people attended the dedication of the library, which featured brief speeches by San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo and others.
08.27.09 - Safeway Opening a Victory for Downtown editorial (San Jose Mercury News Editorial)
But today's ribbon-cutting at downtown San Jose's new Safeway is cause for celebration.
… a scaled-down storefront that will cater to families, office workers and busy professionals — is likely to help bring other retailers to the area. That, in turn, may attract more residents and businesses to the core.
08.25.09 - San Jose City Council to take up ban on plastic bags (By Denis C. Theriault, San Jose Mercury News)
The effort, led by Councilman Sam Liccardo and supported by Vice Mayor Judy Chirco and council members Kansen Chu and Nora Campos, took shape after months of meetings with and study involving the city's Environmental Services Department.
"Once people get the fact that they're already paying for the cost of single-use paper and plastic bags through higher food prices and higher recycling rates," Liccardo said, "they warm to the idea that reusable bags could reduce their costs and those of the planet."
12.24.08 - Former Cupertino mayor appointed to VTA (By Matt Wilson, Cupertino Courier)
"In the recent election, VTA's plans for the region's future transportation needs received high levels of support from Santa Clara County voters," said Liccardo, who has served on the board of directors since 2007 and represents the city of San Jose. "We will work hard to secure funding and implement the Measure A programs, including BART to San Jose."
12.10.08 - San Jose council approves affordable housing plan (By John Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News)
Tuesday's vote to expand what officials call "inclusionary zoning" citywide followed two unsuccessful efforts in the last 20 years. The latest effort was led by Councilman Sam Liccardo. Such policies, however, are common throughout the Bay Area. About a third of California cities and 10 of 15 Santa Clara County cities have such policies, said Bonnie Mace, who chairs the city's housing commission.
12.09.08 - Affordable Housing Project editorial (San Jose Mercury News Editorial)
It's been a year and a half since Councilman Sam Liccardo suggested that San Jose require new developments throughout the city to set aside a portion for affordable homes. You'd think that would be time enough to reach a consensus on the policy known as inclusionary zoning, particularly because it's already the law in redevelopment areas that make up a fifth of the city, not to mention most other Bay Area communities.
12.03.08 - New Push for Downtown San Jose redevelopment (By Denis C. Theriault, San Jose Mercury News)
"It emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of scarce opportunities," said Liccardo, whose district includes the proposed development. "It's ambitious, but the good news is we have developers and property owners who are ready and willing to collaborate with one another."
11.11.08 - San Jose council debates affordable housing plan (By Denis C. Theriault, San Jose Mercury News)
The proposal to expand so-called "inclusionary zoning" to the rest of the city came from Councilman Sam Liccardo, whose downtown district includes a significant amount of the city's affordable housing. This is the third time a citywide plan in some form has been proposed since the early 1990s.
"Have there been hitches? Undoubtedly. We'll have more opportunities to do more outreach," Liccardo said. "But what we've seen is that inclusionary zoning works. It produces a lot of units, a lot of housing, for families who need it.''
11.10.08 - In Favor of Inclusionary Housing editorial (San Jose Mercury News Editorial)
At a special meeting today, the San Jose City Council will decide how and when to deal with a proposal for inclusionary zoning — a requirement for developers to include a portion of affordable homes in major projects. Opponents hope to suffocate the idea with endless study, but the current lull in building is precisely the time to put a thoughtful policy in place.
10.10.08 - Opinon: Vote Yes on Measure M editorial (By Sam Liccardo, Special to the San Jose Mercury News)
With innovative partnerships in place, we can better satisfy the needs of our diverse community by working with non-profits and companies willing to offer swim lessons, youth sports leagues and senior exercise programs. But we need to remove the barrier in the city charter. So along with those high-profile measures getting more attention, I urge passage of Measure M.
09.04.08 - Safeway in downtown San Jose (By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News)
"We all intuitively know that there's an enormous difference between the impact a liquor store or bar may have and the impact a major grocery store might have," said downtown Councilman Sam Liccardo. "This is part of a tide that will lift many boats downtown."
City planners dote over the idea of a new grocery store downtown because they believe it will generate more sales tax and help lure more companies and people downtown.
"It is just one more piece of the puzzle of making downtown not only available for residents, but actually delivering on the things we need to make them long-term and happy residents of downtown,'' said Planning Director Joe Horwedel.
09.04.08 - Separated Bike Paths (By Stephen Baxter, Community Newspaper)
"Our objective is to try to make cycling a commute option," said Councilman Sam Liccardo, who initiated the proposal.
He asked that city officials write grants to fund more bicycle storage lockers at key transit centers such as Diridon station--where bike theft has been an issue.
The proposal also suggests allowing private bicycle valets at outdoor events and a private bike-share program.
08.25.08 - Councilman unveils plan to make downtown San Jose more bike friendly Mercury News (By Denis C. Theriault, San Jose Mercury News)
"If we're really going to move the needle, to encourage people to change their commuting habits, it seems to me it's less about building trails and lanes to far-flung places in the county as much as it is focusing on those locations that we know are key destinations for people," said Liccardo
07.11.08 - San Jose Seeks to fill Gap by Medical Center (By Lisa Sibley, San Jose Business Journal)
"By filling the void left by San Jose Medical Center's departure in our downtown, we can treat a substantial number of uninsured and publicly insured patients who are currently forced to fill emergency rooms at great taxpayer expense," Liccardo said.
07.03.08 - Budget Funds Neighborhood Projects (By Stephen Baxter, Community Newspaper)
"The budget is a clear expression of our priorities," Councilman Sam Liccardo said at the June 17 meeting. "This has been a model process in community involvement."
06.26.08 - Empire gets a library (By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News)
"In today's world, libraries do far more than simply hold books," said Councilman Sam Liccardo, whose district includes the library. "They are day care centers, our community centers, and they provide safe alternatives during the after-school hours for our youth."
06.24.08 - San Pedro Square (By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News)
San Jose leaders are poised today to consider spending $6 million to dramatically overhaul downtown's San Pedro Square - a block that's largely owned by former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery.
06.17.08 - Neighborhood Victory for Ryland Pool (By Scott Herhold, San Jose Mercury News)
On a motion from Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents the Ryland area, the council voted in late February to repair four closed pools, including Ryland.
"The neighborhood leaders responded more sensibly," Liccardo later told me by e-mail, comparing their efforts with the consultants. "They defined their desired 'acquatic experience' as a pool that is open, heated, and wet."
06.10.08 - Councilman's Push for Housing (By Scott Herhold, San Jose Mercury News)
"We want mixed-income communities rather than segregated communities," the councilman told me. "We depend on the people who will live in these units."
04.29.08 - Late Closings Downtown editorial (San Jose Mercury News Editorial)
That's why bar and club owners want a permanent option for a "soft closing" - remaining open for up to an extra hour after alcohol sales stop. Today, the full council should approve this in principle and instruct city staff to work out the details, as urged by Councilman Sam Liccardo, whose district includes downtown.
03.27.08 - Leaders Ask to Extend Parks Partnership (By Stephen Baxter, Almaden Resident, Community Newspaper)
Three city council members are calling for a city charter amendment that would give companies and nonprofit groups more time to maintain and upgrade city sports facilities and parks.
The San Jose city charter limits leases of city facilities to three years; council members Sam Liccardo, Judy Chirco and Nancy Pyle signed a March 11 document directing city officials to draft an amendment to allow agreements of up to 30 years or longer. A charter change would need approval from San Jose voters, and it could appear on a ballot as early as November.
03.18.08 - Big Vote Today On Shuttered San Jose Medical Center (By NBC11's Daniel Garza)
A memo authored by Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilman Sam Liccardo recommends the council accept the advisory group's recommendations. At the top of the list is the development of primary and urgent care facilities in downtown to replace some of the services once provided by the medical center.
03.18.08 - Council to discuss need for downtown San Jose hospital (By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News)
Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents downtown, said there's a moral and financial imperative to provide medical services there.
"In both financial and human terms, it is far less costly for us to provide primary care to seniors and other critically underserved residents in the downtown than it is to do so in the emergency room at Valley Medical Center," he said.
03.12.08 - San Jose Lures Another Solar Company (By John Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News)
San Jose's effort to become a clean-energy technology hub got another jolt Tuesday with approval of a financial package to help a Menlo Park solar power company relocate to the city.
02.02.08 - San Jose Mayors Green Vision Moves Closer to Reality (By John Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News)
Councilman Sam Liccardo urged the city to help residents interested in solar power, noting people in his downtown district recently worked together to pool their resources and install solar panels on their homes.
01.30.08 - BART editorial (By Chuck Reed and Sam Liccardo, San Jose Mercury News)
Imagine the millions of hours our residents have spent every year sitting in traffic unnecessarily, or the thousands of tons of greenhouse-gas emissions. Those costs demand a more enlightened calculus, such as that made by the late Ernie Renzel. Renzel, who later became San Jose's mayor, championed a ballot measure in 1940 to acquire 483 acres of ranch land to build an airport at a time when San Jose had only half the population of modern-day Sunnyvale. Renzel's foresight anticipated the need for an airport that now carries 11 million passengers each year.
11.30.07 - Liccardo Unveils BART Alignment (By Barry Witt, San Jose Mercury News)
Sam Liccardo, who represents downtown on the city council and sits on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority board that is overseeing BART planning, said keeping the tunnel far from existing residences makes the most sense.
11.30.07 - Night Clubs vs Condos (By Timothy Roberts, San Jose Business Journal)
San Jose City Councilman Sam Liccardo advocates greater separation between new condos and downtown’s bars.
11.20.07 - San Jose Council to Vote on Rules to Reduce Waste at Events (By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News)
"To quote the famous philosopher Kermit the Frog, it isn't easy being green. But it is even harder to find a site for additional landfill space, and ours will be full within 15 years," said City Councilman Sam Liccardo. "The cost of inaction is too great."
11.16.07 - Greater Gardner showcases success of Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (By Josh Molina and Mayra Flores De Marcotte, Bay Area News Group)
"This is a community that has come together and exuded leadership in a transformative way, and the results can be seen clearly," San Jose District 3 City Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents the greater Gardner area, said at a meeting earlier this month to set new improvement priorities.
11.14.07 - Twilight Zoning (By Erin Sherbert, Metro)
But Liccardo put politics on the back burner and took a chance on making San Jose a little more affordable. Some of his colleagues seem convinced it's a good idea—Councilmember Judy Chirco joined Liccardo in bringing the issue to the City Council.
"What I hear from the lobby groups that represent the developers is that this will invite Armageddon for housing development," Liccardo said. "Obviously, there is a point at which it's too much. I don't believe inclusionary mandates put us anywhere near that point."
11.12.07 - San Jose City Hall studies ban on bottled water (By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News)
Under Liccardo's plan, the city still would buy the large, refillable water-cooler jugs that dot City Hall. He hopes to put the matter on a Rules and Open Government meeting agenda later this month.
Banning bottled water has become the cause du jour for environmentalists and social activists who contend that the production, packaging and delivery of the plastic bottles releases harmful greenhouse gases. What's more, they say, many of the bottles end up in landfills rather than getting recycled.
09.21.07 - Inclusionary Housing Questions and Answers (San Jose Business Journal)
San Jose City Councilman Sam T. Liccardo proposes expanding the city's affordable housing requirements for new development of apartments and for-sale homes to the whole city.
09.16.07 - Councilman Sam Liccardo seeks more affordable housing in San Jose (By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News)
Broadening the city's affordable-housing requirements for builders would be just one of many tools to reach that goal. But without it, Liccardo said the city can't hit the target.
"We don't have policies in place right now to build anywhere near that," Liccardo said. "For the people who are driving the buses that carry our kids to school and who are caring for our seniors in nursing homes, putting off this discussion means that housing delayed is housing denied."
09.07.07 - Plan to Expand Affordable Housing (By Sharon Simonson, San Jose Business Journal)
Led by San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo, council members Madison Nguyen, Nora Campos and Judy Chirco have circulated a memorandum asking their fellow council people to join them in directing city staff to study a new "inclusionary housing" proposal and report back.
08.31.07 - VTA approves bus overhaul (By Gary Richards, San Jose Mercury News)
The Valley Transportation Authority board, by a vote of 12-0, approved altering nearly every bus route in its system, after a large crowd of pleading and concerned riders showed up Thursday evening to speak out against the massive reorganization.
01.19.07 - Grand Vision for BART (By Timothy Roberts, San Jose Business Journal)
BART trains aren't scheduled to begin rolling into San Jose until 2016, but planning is well underway. The Valley Transportation Authority says it needs to have the general concept for the stations nailed down in the next six months. The VTA, which would build the 13-mile extension from Warm Springs to San Jose and Santa Clara, wants to complete 65 percent of the engineering for the $4.7 billion project by the end of 2008, when it will reapply for federal funding for a portion of the rail extension.
Selected Press Releases: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
03.24.12 - San Jose Councilmembers Propose Planning & Building Permitting Reform
02.28.12 - Council to Approve Pilot Housing Program for Chronically Homeless
02.09.12 - Council to Consider Seeking Federal Funding for On-Person Cameras for San José Police Department
12.07.11 - VTA To Approve Key Step for BART to San Jose
11.16.11 - City Of San Jose And Silicon Valley Leadership Group to Launch “1,000 Hearts For 1,000 Minds” Initiative To Improve Math, Science and Literacy Skills Of San Jose Students
11.01.11 - Council to Approve City’s General Plan – A Blueprint for 20 Years
10.06.11 - Biebrach Pool to Remain Open through November
08.12.11 - San José Reduces Waste One Mailbox at a Time
06.20.11 - Council to Accept Grant from EPA for Local Creek Project
03.22.11 - Council to Approve Request for Car Share Program in San Jose
03.08.11 - Councilmembers Call For Cap on Medical Cannabis Businesses
12.14.10 - San Jose to Vote on Landmark Legistation to Ban Plastic Bags
10.25.10 - Investment Policy Addresses Foreclosure Crisis Through Incentives
06.04.10 - Gardner Neighborhood Will Keep Cool This Summer
05.17.10 - Councilmembers Call for Funding to Keep Community Centers Open
05.06.10 - San Jose City Council Members along with Community Leaders Gather to Denounce Arizona's Immigration Law SB1070
05.06.10 - Miembros del Consejo de San Jose Juntos con Lideres de la Comunidad Denuncian la Ley de Inmigracion de Arizona SB 1070
03.23.10 - Council Approves Modifications to Public Drinking Establishments
01.25.10 - Mayor Reed, Councilmembers Propose Incentives to Spark Economic Development and Job Creation
01.12.10 - Council Passes Citywide Inclusionary Housing Policy
12.08.09 - Council Vote Today to On Policy to Address Foreclosure Crisis
11.30.09 - NVIDIA, City Year, San Jose Strong Neighborhoods Initiative Team Up to Renovate McKinley Elementary School and Community Center
11.17.09 - Council to Vote on Bold Bicycle Program in the Downtown
11.10.09 - Statement from Councilmember Liccardo Regarding San Jose Medical Clinic
11.03.09 - Councilmembers Call to Ease Burdens on Events and Festivals
01.27.09 - Statement from Councilmember Liccardo Regarding Agreement to Bring Safeway Downtown as Anchor Tenant
12.18.08 - Vta board members call for a county-wide bike-share pilot program
12.02.08 - Officials announce action plan for development of major corridor in downtown
10.15.08 - Transportation innovations to ease impacts of high-density housing
09.10.08 - Statement from Councilmember Liccardo regarding November ballot
08.24.08 - Call for bold bicycle program in the downtown
08.15.08 - Councilmember’s call for bicycle pilot program in the downtown
06.11.08 - Council to consider expanding housing affordability requirements
05.19.08 - Mayor and councilmember propose downtown high-rise financing
01.27.08 - Statement from Councilmember Liccardo regarding agreement to bring Safeway downtown as anchor tenant
12.11.07 - Council considers inclusionary housing policy at special study session
12.07.07 - Concilio considera una política sobre viviendas inclusivas en una sesión especial
10.02.07 - Asociación local ofrece seguridad para inmigrantes
10.01.07 - Local partnership offers safety to immigrants
09.04.07 - Councilmembers’ propose expanding housing affordability requirements
08.04.07 - Community’s effort to extend city park lease options may hit November ballot
06.05.07 - Councilmembers seek to transform San Jose into America's solar city
03.26.07 - Council taking a vote to improve downtown safety
03.14.07 - Airport lease agreement
01.07.07 - San Jose Councilmembers assure immigrants not to fear contact with local police or city government
01.03.07 - Councilmember Liccardo convenes meetings among downtown neighborhood leadership |
