FEBRUARY 2008
VOLUME1I/ ISSUE 2
| DISTRICT 3 | FEBRUARY 2008 |
VOLUME1I/ ISSUE 2 |
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Progress in Our Downtown The nighttime scene has improved in recent months with increased communication and cooperation between night club owners and San Jose police. The entertainment zone officers, led by Sergeant Brian Kneis, have employed a diversion strategy that has virtually eliminated the cruising along Santa Clara Street, and their renewed focus on detaining curfew-violating minors has drastically reduced problems with night-time youth. The imposition of nighttime parking fees in downtown garages has diminished the loitering, vandalism, and drinking in those facilities, and has paid for the cost of enhanced cleaning and security. We've also implemented a successful 6-month "soft closing" pilot project to reduce the tensions that arose with the contemporaneous outpouring of large numbers of club patrons into the street at closing time. As city staff analyzes the results of that effort, I'll push to resume the "soft closing" approach on a more permanent basis by the late spring, and I’ll also seek council approval of an ordinance requiring licensing and background checks of club promoters. Meanwhile, there's much to celebrate about the daytime environment as well. Despite the dim national economic outlook, new retail and restaurants continue to arrive downtown—the Bijan Bakery recently opened its doors across from the Fairmont Hotel, and look for Café Trieste to emerge next to Original Joe's on South 1st Street--with more to come. As each of our four high-rise towers open their doors to residents in the coming months, and as new projects continue through the pipeline, retailers will increasingly warm to the idea of venturing downtown. We’ve recently added more public parking with the completion of The Globe development (next to Zanotto's on South 2nd Street), and with this spring’s opening of Tower 88 (on San Fernando between 2nd and 3rd ). More exciting changes are in the works. In collaboration with our partners at First Act, we'll be giving South First Street a facelift, by bringing dining out to the sidewalk, adding color to storefronts, and making the streetscape more vibrant and pedestrian-friendly. We expect that these changes will intrigue, entertain, and engage visitors who enjoy the burgeoning arts venues of the SoFa district. Sincerely, Sam Liccardo |
Contact Us D3 Staff |
City Kicks Off Amnesty Program Lower Guadalupe River Trail Fully Accessible Parks and Recreation Meeting Be Prepared! DATE: FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008 |
Your City Needs You!
Visit http://www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/Vacancy.asp for more information. Downtown Light Rail Change During construction, CDM passengers are being directed to the Convention Center Station two blocks to the east, or to VTA Bus Route 23 on San Carlos Street, which runs every 12 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends. For more information visit http://www.vta.org/projects/lowfloor_retrofit.html Community Action and Pride (CAP) Grants Accepting Applications
Day of Cleaning A Success Volunteers picked up litter, removed graffiti, swept streetscapes, trimmed site-lines and planted bulbs at local elementary schools and other community sites throughout the Five Wounds Brookwood Terrace neighborhood—specifically Olinder Park, Olinder Neighborhood Center, Martin Park, McKinley Elementary School and East William Street, from South 16th to 24th street. Fifty volunteers—including residents, high-school students, San José State University students and external volunteers from various organizations worked hard to prove that the smaller deeds truly matter. For future volunteer opportunities, or if you’re interested in developing a service-project in your neighborhood, please contact: Leif.Christiansen@sjsu.edu. |
Local Volunteer Receives State Award Affordable Housing Gets the Gold Cyclists to Complete Course atop Sierra Road Summit Cyclists will ascent up Sierra Road—a stunning 3.7-mile, 1,830-foot climb, with an average gradient of 10 percent that was the most difficult stretch of last year's Amgen Tour of California race. The event will highlight childhood nutrition issues and raise funds for the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s “Fit for Learning” program that addresses the rising concerns of obesity in elementary school children. The race begins with a pre-ride check-in at 8 a.m. at San José City Hall and features police motorcycles leading a rolling closure north and east of downtown to the base of the Sierra Road climb. For more information visit http://www.sanjoseca.gov/kingofthemountain.html. |
Great American Litter Pick Up SJSU Day of Service The District 3 office is focusing participation on clean-ups and blight elimination. Do you know an elderly neighbor or someone with a physical disability that needs some extra help cleaning up the exterior of their home? A fresh coat of paint perhaps or some help with yard work? If so, contact Khanh Bui at (408) 535-4932 or khanh.bui@sanjoseca.gov to nominate a day of service project.
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Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG) Meeting Join Councilmember Liccardo and your neighbors at this monthly meeting of downtown neighborhood associations. The focus of the February discussion will be capital funding priorities for parks and neighborhood amenities. For more information about the meeting contact Khanh Bui at (408) 535-4932 or khanh.bui@sanjoseca.gov. Reading and Book Signing Come meet author Malín Alegría! The San Jose Library will host a reading, discussion and book signing of her second novel, Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico, the story of a girl's struggle to define her Mexican-American heritage. Crab Feed Fundraiser Grab your bib and join the City of San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services department for a parade of food. An all you can east feast of mouth watering cold cracked dungenous crab, shrimp, Italian sausage and more await you! Proceeds benefit the San Jose Holiday Parade. For tickets call Edwin Cortez at (408) 793-4170 or email edwin.cortez@sanjoseca.gov. Saturday Fun Walk In a true community-wide event Healthy Silicon Valley, in partnership with Selma Olinder Elementary School, is throwing a Saturday Fun Walk event at the Olinder Neighborhood Center. The event will feature two walks, 9a.m. and 11 a.m., along with a flea market and health fair. Spring Walking Series Start the New Year out right by registering for a structured walking series with Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens. Step after step, you’ll become healthier through these group walks that will take place on the beautiful paved trails of the Guadalupe River Park. Whether you are an avid walker or new to a walking program, you will learn about proper equipment, walking technique, stretching and beneficial strength exercises for walkers while meeting others who enjoy walking. Participants must be 18 years or older. All workshops take place at the Visitor and Education Center located at 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose, CA 95110. Pre-registration is required. Call (408) 298-7657 to register. Electronic Waste Recycling The 13th Street Neighborhood Advisory Committee is holding a fundraiser. Do good by recycling your electronic waste and help the 13th Street NAC get fundraising credit. Items accepted include: computer monitors, computers (CUPs), laptop computers, televisions, printers, PC Boards, keyboards/mice, oscilloscopes, cables/cords, hard drives, optical drives, power supplies, stereo components, tape/zip drives, lab equipment, electronic parts, loose PCBAs, fax machines, telephones (batteries removed), radios (batteries removed), shredders, microwaves, DVD/VCR players. |
It's not just cleaner, but friendlier, too: in the coming weeks, look for uniformed downtown "ambassadors," who will be helping downtown visitors find their way to nearby parking, explain local bus routes to transit seekers, and add extra "eyes on the street" for safety.
These improvements were made possible through a partnership between the City of San José, the Friends of Guadalupe River Park and Gardens and the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Recently, the City received official authorization from Caltrans to begin making use of a federal Transportation Earmark (grant funding) that will support completion of construction documents and construction of a paved trail between Highway 880 and Montague Expressway. This work will likely occur within 2 years and will help to make the Guadalupe River Park an even greater draw for recreational users and commuters. 
This is a great way to represent your neighborhood, voice your opinion and make a difference in the community. All persons seeking membership on a board or commission must be San José residents and some commissions have additional membership requirements. Applications for numerous Boards are being accepted including:
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is beginning work soon on the final phase of its Light Rail Platform Retrofit Project, which includes work at the Children’s Discovery Museum (CDM) station. CDM is scheduled to be closed to passenger service from February 25 until late April of this year.
Nonprofit group First Community Housing (FCH) is a local pioneer in sustainable green building practices and producing affordable housing. Just north of downtown, FCH’s Gish Apartments were recently certified by the US Green Building Council as the first LEED for Homes Gold multifamily development in California. The project stands out with its multiple geometric shapes, contrasting exterior materials and projecting balconies proving that affordable can look anything but “affordable” and can be eye catching and fun too. We commend FCH for its pioneering work in sustainable green building and for its affordable housing projects. Gish Apartments combine sustainability with affordability while being stylish. FCH projects are part of the Silicon Valley tradition of innovation and environmentalism. Congratulations to FCH!
Help clean up litter in San Jose! Saturday, April 12th is the Great American Litter Pick Up. Volunteer with other concerned citizens to pick up litter in your community. Organize a group of your neighbors to clean up your neighborhood and the City of San José will provide the litter clean up supplies. If your neighborhood association would like to participate, please contact Khahn Bui at (408) 535-4932 or