SEPTEMBER 2007
VOLUME1/ ISSUE 9
| DISTRICT 3 | SEPTEMBER 2007 |
VOLUME1/ ISSUE 9 |
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Bark In The Park 2007 |
Envision San Jose 2040 With these words, Vice-Chair David Pandori urged a task force of 37 community leaders to envision San Jose’s future during a a September 17th meeting at City Hall. The task force has formally embarked on updating San Jose’s 13-year-old General Plan, our city’s blueprint for housing, jobs, parks, transportation, open space, community amenities, and virtually every other physical aspect of our city. I will serve as a Chairperson of that task force, along with former Vice Mayor Shirley Lewis. Over the course of the next two years, the group will meet regularly to craft a new general plan, entitled “Envision San Jose 2040.” San Jose continues to grow at an extraordinary rate; by one measure, we’ll add another 300,000 residents in the next 20 years. We need to prepare intelligently for that growth, both for its obvious perils as well as its imminent opportunities. Our downtown neighborhoods will be well-represented on the task force, which includes District Three residents Lewis, Pandori, South Bay Labor Council Executive Director Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, neighborhood leader and Planning Commissioner Lisa Jensen, land use consultant Erik Shoenauer, former councilmember Judy Stabile, and myself. If the General Plan is going to reflect the vision of the entire community, we need your participation. First, we strongly encourage you to attend our community “kick-off” event on October 13, 2007, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm at City Hall. There, we’ll explain the process, and seek input to help guide the task force’s deliberations; we’ll conduct the meetings in Spanish, Vietnamese, and English. Second, feel free to come to any task force meetings – our next meeting is scheduled for October 9th, at 6:30 pm in City Hall (wing rooms 118-120), and there will be opportunity for public comment at every meeting. Beyond these formal events, you can voice your views through our council office (you can reach us via email or at 535-4903), or through our district’s representative, Lisa Jensen. Your vision for San Jose’s future—whether it concerns the provision of parks, the revitalization of our downtown, or the expansion of our transit—matters now more than ever. Sincerely, Sam Liccardo Event Details & RSVP |
Contact Us D3 Staff |
Team Up With Police to Fight Neighborhood Crime The positive news is that the City recently added 15 new officers to the department and the City Council recently adopted a 5-year Staffing Plan including hiring new officers as budget permits. While our police officers cannot be everywhere, SJPD noted that the community can be "the force-multiplier," or the eyes and ears of the police to alert them to crime and suspicious activity. There are Call, call, call:
Light up or block alcoves and dark areas on your property Join a Crime Prevention Group Neighborhood Action Program The STOP Program/Trespass Enforcement New Bus Service Community Meetings Our office, along with the VTA, the Japantown Neighborhood Association, and the Downtown Resident Association will host the following community meetings to gather input regarding suggested routes and stops: Japantown Neighborhood Association Meeting Downtown Residents Association Meeting These meetings will answer some of the questions and concerns that community members have raised about the new route. Although the service level (i.e., the frequency and service hours) has already been determined as part of the Comprehensive Operations Analysis, this meeting will ask for input on the proposed route alignment to better serve the community. Take a look at the Route 11 Proposed Route Alignment from the “Comprehensive Operations Analysis- Revised Service Operating Plan (August 2007),” which the VTA Board adopted at the August 30th meeting. http://www.sanjoseca.gov/district3/Route11REVISEDAug2007.pdf Date Set for Community Meeting for the Former San Jose Medical Center Land-Use and Health Care Study - Wednesday, October 17 If you have questions before the meeting call Allen Tai in the Planning Services Division at (408) 535-7866 or email allen.tai@sanjoseca.gov. You can also peruse the Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement's webpage for background and current information at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/sjmc/ Fight The Blight Graffiti Hotline (408) 277-2758
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RYLAND POOL UPDATE Here are the September CPAC meeting highlights:
Privately-funded tile work, Trex studies, and the historical assessments are all being done simultaneously with the Public Works process so that the community has the best possible chance for a Summer 2008 opening. To view the assessment done by Jones & Stokes or for other information about Ryland Pool visit http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/aquatics/ryland.asp. For information on the Landmarks Commission meeting, please contact Ryland CPAC Chair, Tina Morrill at TinaM777@yahoo.com. We couldn’t do without Tina’s tireless efforts on this project. We also want to thank Dave Sykes, from Public Works, for his continuing effort to guide an organized, thorough, and open process. |
Closing the Achievement Gap at SJUSD
Elementary this month for his press conference on annual school progress and accountability. Superintendent O’Connell stated that what SJUSD schools are doing to close the achievement gap is “incredible.” Four of our downtown elementary schools were among the county elementary school’s Top Ten for Academic Performance Index (API) growth: Bachrodt (#3), Gardner (#4), Olinder (#6) and Lowell (#9). These four elementary schools “met the greatest challenge of reaching or exceeding all Federal targets,” and so they exit the Federal Program Improvement Schools category. Only 7% of California schools ever make it out of Program Improvement and SJUSD has five schools now that accomplished it (Horace Mann exited Program Improvement last year), and all within our downtown district. San Jose Unified’s Superintendent, Don Iglesias, said it best: “We are so proud of the team effort that surrounds our schools. We can’t do it without everyone working together to make it happen; it takes the combined efforts of our teachers, principals, parents, school and district support staff, central office administrators, community partners and our Board members who pour their hearts and souls into making a difference for the students we serve.” Bringing an Old Hobby Back to San Jose The Columbus Park facility replaces one at Senter Park that was operated by the San Jose Golden Eagles Horseshoe Club from 1984 until 2000, when it was closed to make room for the Los Lagos Golf Course. This complex will be extraordinary in offering a unique recreational activity along with traditional park amenities in beautiful Columbus Park. A successful partnership between the City and community members made this park a reality.
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Light The Night Walk & Fundraiser Light The Night is a nationwide event where participants carry illuminated balloons; cancer patient supporters carry red balloons, and cancer survivors carry white balloons. Together, they ‘LIGHT THE NIGHT’ and truly brighten the future for millions touched by cancer. Come join Sam and walk with the “City of San Jose” team. To register for the walk and/or make a donation, go to the Light The Night website at http://www.lightthenight.org/ then: Click “register” The ‘City of San Jose’ section also lists, (on the right side of the webpage), the names of walkers collecting donations for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That includes both Sam and Team Captain (and Executive Assistant Extraordinaire), Rhonda Hadnot. Click on their names if you wish to make an internet-secured donation toward the team’s goal of $2,000. The festivities begin at 5 pm and the walk starts at 7 pm. Wear your best walking shoes and meet at Cesar Chavez Plaza where the food and fun starts. See you there! Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon Several members of the D3 team will be out there running -- Ragan, Rhonda, Khanh, and Sam (our team captain). Come out and cheer on our San Jose team or volunteer to help the racers if you don’t have the energy to run. You can get more information at 1-800-311-1255 or on Elite Racing’s website http://www.rnrsj.com. |
| Art on the River Tour Saturday, September 22, 2007 10:00 am – 12:30 pm $10/members, $15/non-members Join Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens for a guided tour of the public art not seen by busy San Jose commuters. Explore the Five Skaters dedication, the Veterans Memorial, the Parade of Animals and much more! The mile-long journey ends at the River Street Historic District on Julian Street where you can find terrific places to lunch. For more information visit http://www.grpg.org/Education.html or to reserve your spot contact education@grpgr.org or call (408) 298-7657. World Water Monitoring Day Between September 18 and October 18, thousands of people worldwide will be testing their local water resource as a part of World Water Monitoring Day sponsored by Water Environment Federation (WEF). Join Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens for an afternoon of river exploration on the Guadalupe. Perform water quality tests and search for aquatic insects that will help us better understand the health of our river and our impact on it. Information collected will be submitted to the WEF database. Visit http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.com to learn more. The workshop will be held at the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens Visitor & Education Center, located at 438 Coleman Avenue in San Jose. Space is limited, so sign up by calling 408-298-7657. For more information please visit http://www.grpg.org or call 408-298-7657. Northside Home Tour On Sunday, September 30, visit some of the Northside neighborhood’s most beautifully preserved vintage homes on the annual Northside Home Tour. Six vintage homes, including a City landmark and a backyard wildlife habitat, will be on display. Advance tickets are $15 either online at the Northside Neighborhood’s Homepage , or in person at Café Aragon, 856 North 13th St. Tickets may be purchased for $20 on the day of the event from 10 am to 2 pm at the registration booth on the corner of North 15th and Empire Streets in Backesto Park. The tour is from 11 am to 5 pm. For further information about the tour email either, Dezi DeSiervi or call her at (408) 999-0590 or email Gloria Flores-Cerul or call her (408) 291-5041. Spirit of Japantown The Spirit of Japantown event brings together local Japantown merchants, res-taurants, professional organizations, churches and others for a day of arts, crafts, food entertainment and much more. For more information, please visit http://www.spiritofjapantownfestival.com/. Volunteer for Tree Planting in Horace Mann Neighborhood Volunteers are needed to assist with a tree planting in the Horace Mann Neighborhood. The trees will be planted in front of Mi Peublo Market on Julian Street (between 5th Street and 6th Street). For more information or to volunteer, please email Robert Abatecola. Launch BusinessOwnerSpace.com You’re invited to celebrate the launch of BusinessOwnerSpace.com, Silicon Valley’s most accessible and useful “one stop” resource for starting and growing a business. The celebration will be held at San Jose City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Santa Clara Street. For more information call 1-877-880-1222 or email fran.vader@sanjoseca.gov or visit the BOS website at: http://www.businessownerspace.com. |
several steps you can take to deter crime in your area: Contact the police, block or light up alcoves or dark areas on your property, install cameras, and join a neighborhood program designed to stop crime and blight. 
Residents of San Jose have a new spot to practice their arm at a classic outdoor game with the recent opening of a new horseshoe facility at Columbus Park. The 21-court horseshoe complex is by far the largest outdoor facility in the Bay Area and brings us closer to creating world class parks for all residents of San Jose to enjoy. It also represents a unique public and private partnership. The City of San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services is working with the San Jose Golden Eagles Horseshoe Club, a private nonprofit, to adopt the courts, maintain them and provide instruction for people interested in learning how to play. 
