SAM'S CORNER

Living in a World of $4 Gas

The flagging economy has burdened all of us in different ways, but the rising cost of gasoline has become the most palpable sign of our collective challenges.  Fortunately, we have options—as well as promising opportunities--ahead.  Working with our community partners, we’re pushing for solutions to conserve gas, find alternative modes of transportation, and save money.  Here are a few examples:

• Making Bicycling a Viable Commute Option: Why don’t more people bike to work or nearby downtown destinations?  Many people say they don’t feel safe enough on our roads.  On Monday, July 18th, I introduced an initiative with Mayor Reed’s and Transportation Committee Chair Williams’ support,  to vastly improve our bicycle infrastructure for commuters to access Diridon Station, San Jose State, and other key downtown destinations.  Look for activity in the coming months as we seek state and federal funding for the project, which will transform the downtown streetscape with physically segregated bike lanes in key corridors.   
• Measure B--Bringing BART to Milpitas, San Jose, and Santa Clara: At this month’s meeting of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board, I made the motion to request voters to consider a 1/8 cent sales tax increase to pay for operating and maintenance expenses of a BART extension through our downtown.   The majority of the board supported the motion, placing Measure B on your November ballot.  With the roughly $35 that we collect annually from each household, the VTA can leverage another $950 million in federal and state funds to construct a BART route that will provide 100,000 commute trips through our downtown each weekday.  By linking together a comprehensive network of transit, BART will also bring more riders to CalTrain, Light Rail, and the Airport.   
• Bringing Transit Services Where They’re Needed Most:  Earlier this year, the VTA reformed its bus route system to ensure that buses serve the parts of the valley—the East Side and Downtown—which have the most riders.  The results: weekday bus ridership increased over 10% in one year, and VTA is performing better financially than it has in any year since the dot-com bust.   
• Saving Gas by Synchronizing Traffic Lights:  Thanks to Carl Guardino and his colleagues on the California Transportation Commission, San Jose obtained a $15 million state grant to synchronize traffic lights and improve operations along key corridors throughout the city.   From a separate pot of money, we’ll be re-engineering traffic and light rail signals along the North First Street corridor to drastically reduce traffic delays at lights along the Rosemary Gardens, Hyde Park, and Vendome neighborhoods.  By reducing wait times, light synchronization and other technological improvements will save our residents 625,000 gallons of fuel and millions of dollars annually, while saving our planet.
• Completing our Trail Along the Guadalupe River:  Last year, a survey revealed that hundreds of commuters rely on this key trail to bike and walk to work sites in North San Jose and Downtown.  Recent developments will increase its use; we’ve just completed the link at Airport Parkway, and we’ve obtained a state grant to push the trail south from the Children’s Discovery Museum.   For maps of the Park,click here, and for all of our trails and bike routes, click here.

These are tough times, which require our collective efforts to think and act creatively.  Let us know how you’re “beating the pump,” and we’ll get the word out!  

Sincerely,

Sam Liccardo

P.S. I hope you'll join the Neighborhood Advisory Group and me at a special meeting and barbeque at Backesto Park on Saturday, Sept. 6th from Noon to 3p.m.. For more information, please contact Ragan Henninger at ragan.henninger@sanjoseca.gov or (408) 535-4929.

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

D3 Staff
Sam Liccardo, Councilmember
Ragan Henninger, Chief of Staff
Roma Dawson, Policy Director
Ruth Cueto, Council Assistant
Rhonda Hadnot, Exec. Assistant

Trash & Encampment Cleanup Progress
Last month, three City departments worked together to remove approximately 2.5 tons of trash and debris from five illegal encampment sites along creeks. Officers from the Police Department Metro Unit supervised the cleanup crew from the County Department of Corrections, and staff from the Housing Department offered social services to the camp inhabitants while ESD provided supplies and disposal.
Likewise, staff also partnered with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to remove a 500-pound “trash raft” on Coyote Creek at East Julian Street. This cleanup was done as part of the City’s Trash Prevention and Removal MOA with the Water District. For more information, contact Steven Osborn at 277-5635.

Fountain Alley Improvements
Fountain Alley improvements are coming in a three-month project starting in mid-August. The project will bring new brick pavers, benches, light fixtures, and the infrastructure for a new fountain, although a new fountain itself will not be constructed.  The end result will be similar to the paseo between The Globe and Zanotto’s. For more information on this project or to receive regular updates contact Genny Bantle at the Redevelopment Agency at genny.bantle@sanjoseca.gov.

Groundwerx Tackles Graffiti Downtown
Groundwerx, the newly formed Property Business Improvement District, in its first few months has already had an impact in the downtown. Groundwerx and City anti-graffiti cleaning crews have noticed a decrease in graffiti defacing downtown property. In fact, the number of graffiti removals decreased 30% this summer compared to the 2,547 tags removed previously. Groundwerx crews have removed paint, additionally crews have worked to remove stickers, handbills, and posters each month. Patterned after successful programs in major cities like New York, Philadelphia and Denver, Groundwerx aims to make downtown streets more attractive. The service teams, dressed in orange and green uniforms, have provided ambassador assistance and enhanced cleaning services in the downtown core.

Additionally, Groundwerx plans to purchase a second pressure-washing unit to provide the best line of defense against dirt, grime, and graffiti. This second unit will allow crews much more flexibility in meeting regular cleaning schedules and responding to service requests.

Summer Initiative Keeps Youth Safe
During the summer, it's critical to provide youth with recreation opportunities and programs that are inclusive and address prevention, intervention, and suppression of gang involvement. This is a critical time for community based organizations to make a significant impact on youth. Hearing community concerns about increased gang activity, the City Council allocated $342,804 in one-time funding to administer the Safe Summer Initiative. This money is intended to enhance existing capacity for keeping youth active and engaged this summer and decrease gang acitivity. The funds went to 25 community based organizations to provide activities for San Jose youth such as camps, swim center activities, soccer leagues, and mentoring programs. Moreover, the Safe School Campus Initiative staff, together with the Redevelopment Agency’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative and community-based partners, will hold ten community block parties throughout the City. For more information about the Safe Summer Initiative and its corresponding activities, click here or contact Melanie Jimenez at 535-4828.

Airport Shuttle Fleet Goes Green
Over the past two weeks the Airport has completed the transition of its blue bus shuttle fleet from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG). With persistent work, all 14 of the new buses are now in service. The conversion of the entire 34-bus fleet to clean-air vehicles has been assisted by grants totaling $1.4 million from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which have been received over the past five years. Furthermore, since 2003, the Airport has been able to eliminate the use of more than 1.3 million gallons of diesel fuel through its conversion of its shuttle bus fleet to CNG. For more information contact Bob Lockhart at 277-5249.

Television Transitions to Digital
On February 17, 2009 our nation’s broadcasters will terminate their analog television signals as part of the digital television (DTV) transition. If you have an analog television set you may need to purchase additional equipment to continue to receive a signal.
The DTV transition will only affect television sets that are receiving over-the-air broadcasters. It will not affect televisions that are connected to satellite or cable. If your television is connected to an over-the-air antenna (rabbit ears) you will need to attach a small digital-to-analog converter box to continue to receive a signal. If you have an analog television set which is connected to cable or satellite, they as service providers will make sure that your television set receives a viewable image. If you have a digital television set, your television is ready for the DTV Transition.

Converter boxes are available for purchase at some retail stores. The converter boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70 each. Every household may receive up to two $40 coupons to apply toward the purchase of up to two converter boxes. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a federal government agency, is in charge of the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. To request a coupon, consumers can apply online at https://www.dtv2009.gov.  There is also a 24-hour hotline to take requests at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).

For additional information about the DTV Transition and what you may need to do to prepare for it, you can visit the Federal Communications Commission's website http://www.dtv.gov/ or call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322).

VTA Construction Activity Downtown
The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is working diligently this month on lightrail construction projects at the First and Devine intersection and Second and San Carlos intersection. Due to construction activities, there will be no light rail service between the Convention Center and Civic Center stations. This will begin at 1 p.m., Friday, August 22nd through 4 a.m. Monday, August 25. Fortunately, Monday morning light rail service will not be affected by this work. In addition, during this time, vehicle traffic on North First Street will be detoured around the work site at First and Devine streets.
Please expect continuous, 24-hour a day construction activities there from 1 p.m. on Friday, August 22 through 4 a.m. Monday, August 25 as the worn track at that location is replaced with new rail.
During the shutdown, replacement service will be offered by a free “bus bridge” with vehicles stopping at each affected light rail station. San Antonio, Santa Clara and St. James will be totally closed, while Japantown and Civic Center stations will only offer northbound service and Convention Center will only offer southbound service. The bus bridge will run frequently between Civic Center and Convention Center stations but light rail riders are urged to avoid the peak 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. time period Friday, if at all possible.
For more information, please call VTA Community Outreach at (408) 321-7575 or visit the VTA website at www.vta.org and click on the construction update page.

Zero-Waste Hits Best Ever at Downtown Festivals
The recent America Festival and the San Jose Jazz Festival achieved the best ever recycling rate for San Jose events. Staff from the City’s Environmental Services Department managed the events waste flow and achieved a recycling rate of 70% for the America Festival and over 80% for the Jazz Festival, a significant improvement from the previous years rates. Additionally, the remaining garbage from each event was taken to a local processing facility for further sorting. For more information, contact Christine Wolter at 975-2609.

Downtown San Jose Keyword Sweepstakes
Together, NBC11, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, the San Jose Downtown Association, the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, and several high-rise developers recently launched an international campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to promote the emerging downtown San Jose lifestyle.
To do so, the multimedia campaign showcases people who currently live, work, and play in downtown by sharing their “keyword” and story they feel best describes their downtown experience. Everyone has a keyword to describe how downtown San Jose inspires them. Share your keyword and you could win a "Getaway Weekend" in downtown San Jose or be featured in a future ad! To enter the Sweepstakes click here. To read downtown stories shared by others click here.

Free Online Tutorial for Computer Skills
Whether you are looking to learn or simply brush up on your computer software skills, conventional classes are not always the most convenient answer. Unfortunately, you lose out on the opportunity to be knowledgeable about the various popular office applications. However, thanks to CustomGuide: Learn on Demand, which offers a free, one-year online tutorial made available through San Jose Public Library, you can learn at your own pace and at a time that is most convenient for you. This unique offer allows you to learn the functions of the office software applications from Excel and Outlook to Vista and Access.  To begin your lesson, go to www.SJLibrary.org and select “Articles and Databases” on the library homepage. Then, click on “SJPL Remote & Branch Users” and choose “CustomGuide Online Computer Training.”

Five on Fourth
On September 6th, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Library will celebrate the first five years of its unique public-academic partnership. Currently, the King Library serves the community as well as San Jose State University students. With this partnership comes continued interest from all over the world about how the concept of co-management works in practice. For the series of special events, check www.sjlibrary.org.

Annual District Barbeque & Recognition Event
Everyone in the district is invited to join Sam and your Neighborhood Advisory Group for a special meeting and BBQ at Backesto Park on September 6th. This is a special chance for residents to meet other downtown neighbors from all over the district and for Sam to recognize and celebrate residents who’ve worked particularly hard to making the downtown community great. Burgers, hot dogs, and drinks will be provided, however, please bring a side dish to share.

If you know someone in your neighborhood deserving of recognition, please email Ragan Henninger at ragan.henninger@sanjoseca.gov.

Event Details & RSVP
When: Saturday, September 6, 2008 Noon to 3p.m.
Where: Backesto Park
Please RSVP to ragan.henninger@sanjoseca.gov

Foreclosure Prevention and Resource Fair
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
4:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M.
Independence High School
1776 Educational Park Drive
San Jose, CA 95133

Presented by the City of San Jose and Don’t Borrow Trouble Silicon Valley Partners, this free event is for on-site loan modification review, one-on-one foreclose counseling, and legal assistance and much more. Also, there will be translation services available. For questions, please call Robert Lopez at 408.975.4402 or email at Robert.Lopez@sanjoseca.gov.

Community Symphony Concert
Sunday, August 24, 2008
3 p.m.
Discovery Meadow

Symphony Silicon Valley is presenting a free, community symphony concert in Discovery Meadow. Since this is the last Sunday before school starts, the event is a great opportunity for families to gather for a picnic in the park while enjoying a concert as well. Plus, the first 700 children who attend will be given a red recorder and an introductory lesson in how to play the instrument.
Additionally, this event is part of the opening of the new cultural season and the concert will include works that could be part of the work of the San Jose art groups. The event, sponsored by Target, Symphony Silicon Valley and media sponsorship by KDFC and the Mercury News, is expected to be a huge success, with hopes of continuing annually.

Law Enforcement Night at San Jose Giants
Saturday, August 30, 2008
6:00 P.M.
San Jose Municipal Stadium
588 E. Alma Ave. (between 10th and Senter)

This fun and exciting event will have many activities and opportunities for families to enjoy. For example, there will be signed player jersey raffles, an appearance by AIR2 Helicopter, Bounce Houses, San Jose Police Department Mounted Unit, K9 Unit, and MERGE unit demonstrations. Attending this event is also for a worthy cause, as this night will be in recognition of Special Olympics, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Northern California division. To purchase tickets contact Cynthia Rodriquez at 408.277.4654.

76th Annual Aki Matsuri (Fall Festival)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
11a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wesley United Methodist Church (566 N. 5th Street)

All are welcome and invited to attend the Wesley United Methodist Church’s 76th annual Aki Matsuri (Fall Festival). Join the celebration and enjoy great foods— sushi, chicken, teriyaki, yaki soba, udon, BBQ ribs, manju and other baked goods. After enjoying a delicious meal, shop for farm fresh fruits and vegetables, fragrant flowers, houseplants, and beautiful hand-made crafts.
The event will also include ongoing entertainment that features San Jose Taiko and showcases local talent with The Wesley 11:30 Band, the Wesley Jazz Ensemble, and the Wesley Ukulele Band. For further information, visit www.wesleysj.net or call the church office at (408) 295-0367.

High Rise Open House
September 20-21st, 2008
11:00 A.M.-3:00P.M.

Joining together, Axis, City Heights, The 88, and Three Sixty Residences have partnered with San Jose Redevelopment Agency, the San Jose Downtown Association, and the SJSV Chamber of Commerce for an open house event. To promote the lifestyles available through high rise living and provide insight to downtown living, all four sales centers will open their doors to the public. For more information on the four-tower open house visit www.sjdowntown.com.