SAM'S CORNER

The Budget: What You’ve Told Us, and What We’re Doing About It

Budget season is upon us, and we’ve been working hard to ensure that the City’s spending reflects our community’s priorities in a constrained budgetary climate. Although much remains unsettled as we continue budget deliberations over the coming weeks, most of the decisions have been made about the district’s own “Capital Improvement Program,” (CIP) the fund used for construction of parks, community centers, and other neighborhood amenities.

We’ve surveyed neighborhood leaders in our Neighborhood Advisory Group about their CIP priorities, and they’ve told us overwhelmingly that maintenance and operations of our parks and facilities should take a higher priority than building new ones. In March, I took that news to a receptive Parks Commission, inviting them to consider directing a higher percentage of revenue from the construction and conveyance tax toward maintenance and operations. After receiving their feedback, I’ll push forward.

Every one of the dozen responding neighborhoods identified parks development–ranging from hazardous soil treatment, to creating more park space, to building playing fields—as a top priority. We’re grateful to have the Mayor’s support for $5 million in additional funding to complete the soil cleanup at Northside’s Watson Park, the largest community park in our district. We’ve also directed funds to begin park planning on sites in Tamien and Washington-Guadalupe, two neighborhoods rich with children and poor with recreational options or park space. We’ll also complete a park planned in Newhall. Of course, other neighborhoods remain in desperate need of parks—Spartan Keyes and McKinley-Bonita among them—and I’ll continue to make this a high priority.

Eight of our neighborhoods cited community center construction or renovation as a top priority, but the bond funds allocated for the Roosevelt Community Center project fell short of the actual construction costs. This year, we’re authorizing additional money to construct the center, and to begin digging the district’s first skate park next door.

Finally, the council took notice of the enormous turnout at City Hall from our residents at the February hearing on the Aquatics Master Plan. We’re allocating over $1.5 million to rebuild our two pools, Biebrach (in Gardner) and Ryland (in Vendome) for opening by the summer of 2008.

Prior projects will continue as promised, including the reconstruction and renovation of Joyce Ellington Library in Northside, and the expansion of the Carnegie Library on East Santa Clara Street.

Through our Neighborhood Advisory Group, we’ll be looking at long-range spending priorities to allocate our scarce CIP dollars to maximize the benefit to the community over the next several years. Please join us!

Sincerly,

Beautifying the Neighborhood at the Ryland Garden Workday on March 4, 2007

Contact Us
P: (408) 535-4903
www.sanjoseca.gov/district3/

D3 Staff
Sam Liccardo, Councilmember
Jessica Garcia-Kohl, Chief of Staff
Roma Dawson, Sr. Policy Analyst
Khanh Bui, Council Aide
Kevin Schwaba, Council Aide
Rhonda Hadnot, Exec. Assistant
Eric Hernandez, Council Intern

Our Neighborhood Advisory Group Announces Its Priorities
At our April 18th Neighbhorhood Advisory Group meeting, leaders of our two dozen neighborhood associations gathered to identify the top three priorities for our district. In no particular order, they identified (a) youth and anti-gang programs, (b) maintenance and development of parks, community centers, and other neighborhood amenities, and (c) street & streetscape maintenance & improvements. Code enforcement was also identified as a critical need, but missed the cut in a close vote.

At our next meeting, we’ll be developing working groups around each issue. The groups will consist of members from my team, neighborhood leaders, and volunteers, and we’ll meet to set measurable goals, develop policies, and focus resources on solutions. Please join us at our Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting next Wednesday, May 30, at 6 pm in City Hall’s Room 120.

Traffic Calming and Some Unintended Consequences
Everyone agrees on these two things: cars are driving too fast through our neighborhoods and finding available parking is getting harder. What some didn’t foresee is that success in improving the one would actually hinder progress for the other. Case in point: the Japantown Neighborhood Association diligently and patiently pursued the installment of a traffic median on North 7th Street between Taylor and Mission. Traffic medians create a small barrier in the center of a street making cars slow down to maneuver around them. So far, so good and the JNA knew this issue was strongly supported in their neighborhood. Unfortunately, the curbs on 7th Street near the median had to be painted red (meaning “no parking”), eliminating some previous street parking spaces because cars need to circulate around the median.

The completion of this long-standing need for traffic calming resulted in a trade- off, namely street parking spots. Our office is working hard to address the high demand for traffic calming in our district, so if you want to know if there will be more red curbs necessary on your street when medians or circles are in-stalled, call the City’s Department of Transportation at (408) 535-3850 or email traffic.calming@sanjoseca.gov.

Recycle Plus Informational Meetings
As you may know, there are changes coming in the City’s recycle and garbage hauling pick-up schedules and rates. Representatives from the new recycle and garbage hauling companies will be in the locations listed below to talk with the community and discuss aspects of the Recycle Plus transition which begins on Monday, July 2. Please note that the Spartan Keyes meeting is not yet confirmed. Please contact Carolina Camarena at (408) 975-2551 for further information.

Street Sealing & Resurfacing
City-wide community input prioritized street improvements in this year’s budget, and the District 3 Neighborhood Advisory Group also chose “Street and Infrastructure Improvements” as one of the three priorities for Sam and his team to focus on this year. Coincidently, the City Council passed two resolutions for street repairs city-wide. The first addresses streets in need of resurfacing which were back-logged because of funding shortages. The Council approved funding to do 10.4 miles of resurfacing which applies approximately two inches of asphalt concrete over the existing pavement to strengthen road sections. The second resolution approved DOT’s pavement maintenance sealing project which will main-tain approximately 23 miles of arterial streets through the City. Some portions of our district are scheduled for these repairs, but when they will start and how long it will take has not been determined yet. The resolutions have passed, however, and Sam continues to place this issue high on the priority list.

SNI Top Ten
Did you know that there are eight “Strong Neighborhoods Initiative” (SNI) areas within District 3 – the most of any district in the city. SNI was developed five years ago as a partnership between the City, the Redevelopment Agency and a coalition of neighborhood associations called Neighborhood Action Coali-tions (NAC’s). The NAC's are now meeting to set priorities that will have influence in their areas for years to come. Choosing a “Top Ten” of priorities sets the standards for such action items as rehabilitated housing, cleaner neighborhoods, tree planting grants, new parks and community centers, and much more. NAC's can also set priorities for developers who come into neighborhoods to build. Renewing the action agenda drives the policies, funding, and allocation to transform neighborhoods over the next five years. This is a powerful forum for getting change and improvements in your neighborhood. Please take a look at the newly updated SNI website at http://www.strongneighborhoods.org/ to find out if you live in one of the “Strong Neighborhoods” and contact one of the staff listed on the site to find out where future meet-ings will take place with your NAC. We look forward to seeing you there.

Ryland Pool CPAC Meetings
A CPAC, or Capital Project Advisory Committee, is forming to oversee the renovations to Ryland Pool (similar to the committee formed to oversee the soil remediation at Watson Park). Parks & Recreation has scheduled two CPAC meetings where they will present the results from the pool study, communicate the project scope and timeline. Sam and his team will be at both meetings, but as you know, neighbor-hood participation is essential to see this project forward. Please get the word out however you can. The flyer in this article is available for distribution. For more information about the meetings, CPAC, or the flyers call (408) 793-4170. The first CPAC meeting occured on May 16th, where Tina Morrill volunteered as the lead Neighborhood Represenative of the CPAC.

For more information or to get involved contact Tina Morrill, tinam777@yahoo.com.

The Ryland CPAC meetings are scheduled for the following dates from 6-7 pm at Northside Community Center (488 N 6th St, at 6th & Empire): Wednesday, June 20, 2007 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Wednesday, Sept 19, 2007

Is Your Area At High Risk For Flooding?
Paying for flood insurance on your home depends on where the US Federal Government draws lines on the map. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is working with the City's Department of Public Works and indicates what areas are designated "high flood risk" and "low flood risk." The last flood zone maps to come out that affect properties near the Guadalupe River from Highway 237 to Interstate 280 was October 25, 2006, and FEMA estimates new maps in a new, digital format will be out late this year. When FEMA updates the city's maps, we will let you know so you can find out how this affects your home and flood insurance. To contact public works staff working directly on this issue, call (408) 535-7803 or email FloodZoneInfo@sanjoseca.gov.

To find general information about floods and flood insurance, visit the National Flood Insurance Pro-gram's (a subgroup in FEMA) excellent website at http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/fastfacts.jsp. You can find out if you are in a flood zone and how high your risk is, where insurance agents are nearby and how to contact them, estimated pre-mium costs, and more. If you have issues, concerns, or questions you would like to communicate to FEMA regarding their flood zone policies, you can contact Floodsmart staff at (888) 379-3689 or FloodSmart@dhs.gov.

One Perfect Morning
Sam and twenty-five people, including neighborhood residents, city staff, and MACLA staff gathered at Ryland Dog Park in the Vendome neighborhood to dedicate the "One Perfect Morning" mural. The mural project involved the Vendome Neighborhood Association and their mural committee, the Public Art Pro-gram in the City's Office of Cultural Affairs, and MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Ameri-cana) and their featured artists Juan Luna-Avin and Julio Cesar Morales. Only with extensive community engagement did "One Perfect Morning" successfully become a digital mural inspired by the residents, the landscape and the history of the Vendome neighborhood. To find out more about San Jose's public art program and perhaps create some art in your neighborhood, visit http://www.sanjoseculture.org/pub_art. You can also email your ideas and questions about the city's public art program to PublicArt@sanjoseca.gov.

Lake House City Landmark Historic District Status
“We shape our buildings; thereafter our buildings shape us” -- Winston Churchill

Joining the ranks of notable historic districts in D3 is the new, Lake House Historic District located at the north end of the city’s Delmas Park Strong Neighborhoods Initiative planning area. This is a 6-acre site, including 39 properties not far from the Diridon Caltrain Station. The physical character of the neighborhood has remained relatively unchanged for the past 100 years and has a strong sense of historic place within the larger downtown framework of San Jose. Preserving this part of San Jose’s history will have benefits for years to come.

By way of a little history, Antoine Delmas left France in 1849 and settled in San José about 1851. He earned the name “master of the French nurserymen in San José,” and created his “French Gardens” near the future Lake House neighborhood. The neighborhood was known for its park-like appearance, and in 1869 the Lake House hotel was built as a summer resort for locals. This area became the center of social life for the French-American community and was often the site of local Bastille Day celebrations, the first occurring in 1876. Ten years later, the city began expanding and set the stage for the new residential development on this site. The homes in this district were primarily Queen Anne-style and largely built between the late 1880’s and 1925. You can see some of them still standing and lovingly preserved today.

Lake House will now be recognized along with the Reed Historic District on the list of state-registered historical districts. The Hensley Historic District is also noteworthy, as it is the only neighborhood in D3 listed on the National Registry of Historic Districts. As appropriately noted by the Planning Commissioner, Lisa Jensen, these areas are an asset to our city, and boost our economic development.

Cleaning up the Neighborhood

Thanks for coming out with Sam for the sixth annual Great American Litter Pick Up last Saturday, May 19. Volunteers and concerned citizens picked up litter at St. James Park, off Vine Street, Washington Street and Forth and Fifth Street between Juilan and Empire. Thanks to Jose from Mexican Bakery and Steven from Pete's Coffee, both downtown businesses for providing refreshements..

Sake San Jose
ON May 24th, Yu-Ai Kai Senior Community Center presented "Sake San Jose". Connoisseurs and novices alike came to taste sake from both the US and Japan such as daiginjo, ginjo and junmai grades of premium sake. If yo missed the fun or are interested for more information call (408)294-2505 or visit www.sakesanjose.com.

Back By Popular Demand - The Movies in the Park Series
Here is the final line-up for this summer’s popular outdoor movie series. A total of 14 screenings will be held – 10 in San Pedro Square and 4 in St. James Park beginning June 20. More event details to follow. See you at the movies!

San Pedro Square (Wednesdays)
20-Jun Airplane! - PG (1980
27-Jun Rear Window – PG (1954)
11-Jul Blue Hawaii - PG (1961)
18-Jul Old School – R (2003)
25-Jul Goldfinger - PG (1964)
1-Aug Rocky – PG (1976)
8-Aug The Omen - R (1976)
15-Aug Pillow Talk – NR (1959)
22-Aug The Rocky Horror Picture Show – R (1975)
29-Aug Risky Business – R (1983)

St. James Park (Fridays)
3-Aug My Big Fat Greek Wedding - PG (2002)
10-Aug Edward Scissorhands - PG-13 (1990)
17-Aug Wizard of Oz - G (1939)
24-Aug Back to the Future - PG (1985)

Clean Up Graffiti
On Saturday, April 14th, the City held Anti-Graffiti Community Volunteer Day and handed out free graf-fiti cleanup kits and some words of wisdom on cleaning up graffiti in neighborhoods. Good news: it's not too late. Call the Anti-Graffiti Program at (408) 277-3208, and staff from the Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services will help you get your free graffiti cleanup kit.