SEPTEMBER 2009
VOLUME1II/ ISSUE IX
| DISTRICT 3 | SEPTEMBER 2009 |
VOLUME1II/ ISSUE IX |
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The Myth of the “Free” Plastic Bag While the residents of London, Paris, Mexico City, Shanghai, and many of the world’s other great cities have already made reusuable bags part of their daily routine, I have pushed an effort with several colleagues to ban single-use paper and plastic bags at stores throughout the City of San José. We’ve all read much about the negative impacts that single-use plastic and paper bags wreak on our environment, ranging from pollution of our waterways, harm to wildlife, reduction of scarce landfill space, and needless consumption of energy, petroleum, and trees in manufacturing processes.
Opponents of the bag ban decry this as a threat to the great American tradition of the “free bag” at the checkout counter.
They miss a critical point: “free” bags aren’t free.
We pay for those “free” bags in numerous subtle—but substantial—ways. Since grocery stores spend billions of dollars for single-use bags in the U.S., a share of those costs undoubtedly find their way to consumers in the form of higher food prices. Waste haulers and recyclers in San José suffer repeated breakdowns when the plastic bags become lodged in their digesters, requiring manual removal that forces them to shut down machinery several times a day. As rate payers, we pay for those additional labor costs on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. In a myriad of ways, we also pay for the litter resulting from the thoughtless disposal of these bags, the most obviously through the cost to taxpayers to dislodge and clean the bags from clogged outfalls, sewers, and streams. In addition to these costs, we face the challenge of reducing the bags that are filling our landfills as we try to move toward “zero waste” strategies to address our lack of landfill space.
Plastics industry lobbyists urge us instead to implement an education campaign to promote recycling, but we shouldn’t be deceived by such “green-washing." Nationally, fewer than 1% of all plastic bags are recycled, so tripling this rate—surely a mark of extraordinary success—would have very little impact on the aggregate environmental harms posed by these products. It will also cost us plenty; city staff reports that a successful public education effort will cost upwards of $4million.
Plastic bag recycling has several limitations. It's not easy for consumers to know which kinds of plastic can be recycled, and any food debris or other contaminants will make the plastic undesirable for recyclers. Market realities also make it challenging; as reported in the Christian Science Monitor (March 29, 2007, "Seldom Recycled"), it costs $4,000 to process and recycle one ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on the commodities market for $32. Where recycling often requires heavy taxpayer subsidies, it’s better to keep the product out of the waste stream rather than spinning our wheels in quixotic recycling efforts.
Keep in mind that the ban won’t apply to those plastic bags you use in your grocery store’s produce or meat department, or at take-out restaurants, for health reasons. It also won’t prevent anyone from buying bags in bulk, just as we buy plastic garbage bags. At least we’ll know what price we’re paying for our bags, rather than seeing that cost quietly injected into the food prices that we pay, or into our recycling and garbage rates.
With Council approval today, we hope to have a policy in place for implementation by December 31, 2010. That should give all of us time to get into the habit of getting our canvas bags out of the trunk before we head into the market.
Sincerely, Sam Liccardo |
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Contact Us D3 Staff |
Mission Completed: A Fight Against Blight on 2nd and William St. After months of persistence, neighbors transformed an unused property into a functional three-unit residential building!
The South of University Neighborhood Association (SUN) brought together a team of City and Redevelopment Agency employees to address crime and blight associated with a long-vacant residential building. Led by Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) team member Paul Pereira, SUN members coordinated with Notre Dame High School staff regarding civil court options to hold the property owner accountable.
The property had gathered debris and become dilapidated. It was located next to a bus stop creating an ideal site for loitering and criminal activity. Nearby residents took action to revitalized their neighborhood working collaboratively with city departments and outside entities. In addition to Paul and his SNI team, Mike Hannon and Steve Barnett with Code Enforcement, San Jose Police Department and Valley Transportation Authority merit special recognition.
Before and after photos of the property. Thanks to SUN neighbors, SNI, Code Enforcement, the Police Department and Valley Transportation Authority for their work.
Moratorium on New Bail Bond Businesses Passes
Park Strip Party in Your Neighborhood |
Two Wheel Tuesdays at The Garage Manland Studios and the Naglee Park Garage present the 2009 End-of-Summer Music Series and $2 Two-Wheel Tuesdays. E very Tuesday night during September features a variety of musical performances from local talented musicians.
Series lineup:
For more information, please visit http://www.nagleeparkgarage.com, or call 408.286.1100.
Win a Prize at Downtown Condo Open House Weekend The San Jose Downtown Open House is Sept. 26 and 27, with activity from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. at each of downtown San Jose’s new condo towers.
Prize contributors include the Hotel de Anza, The Fairmont, San Jose Marriott, LaPastaia, Il Fornaio, Arcadia, Ballet San Jose, San Jose Symphony, The Tech Museum, Morocco’s, E&O Trading Co., McCormick & Schmick’s, and Tova Day Spa. The four developments are: The 88 (88 E. San Fernando St) City Heights (175 W. St. James St.) Three Sixty Residences (360 S. Market St.)
For more information, visit www.sjdowntown.com/Find_Your_Home.html
Distinctive Neighborhood Program The City is developing policy options to establish the Distinctive Neighborhoods Program aimed at providing further protection and enhancement to San Jose’s unique residential neighborhoods. This is of particular importance to many of the downtown neighborhoods who wish to protect the historic architectural character of homes and neighborhoods. To gather resident feedback on the policy, the City is hosting a community meeting on Thursday, October 1, 2009 from 6:30-8p.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Main Library (Room 225/229). For more information, visit the Distinctive Neighborhood Program website by clicking here.
National Pollution Prevention Week |
Spirit of Japantown Festival Offers Fun Activities and Foods
Halloween Costume Drive Assistance Needed This year they need your help to reach their costume collection goal. Please bring in any new or gently used children’s halloween costume to City Hall and drop it off in the collection bin located on the 18th floor reception lobby. The last day to drop off your costume is Wednesday, October 14th. The drop off hours are from 8a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
If you have any questions, please contact Ruth Cueto via email ruth.cueto@sanjoseca.gov or by phone: 408.535.4933.
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Rotary Ryland Pool Restoration Celebration
In partnership with Rotary Club of San Jose and the City of San Jose, there will also be a dedication of a commemorative plaque and unveiling of the new welcome sign. Refreshments will be served and thanks to donations from the community, the pool will be open for swimming! The event is Saturday, September 26th. The celebration starts at 12 p.m., with swimming from 1 – 4p.m.
Many thanks to the Friends of Ryland Pool, who started this restoration project in February 2007, for their dedication to restoring this historic neighborhood serving pool.
Chalk Art Festival Returns To Backesto Park
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Women's Economic Forum
Women face unique challenges when it comes to financial advancement and security, especially during this nationwide economic crisis. To address this issue, join the Cardea Center for Women and 20 other local nonprofit agencies for an all-day forum on how financial empowerment strategies can provide solutions for women impacted by the current recession. For more information, please contact 650-740-8161 or 408-807-1875, or email events@cardeacenterforwomen.org.
Wine Tasting Reception
The Positive Alternative Recreation Teambuilding Impacting (P.A.R.T.I.) Program will host the Beshoff Motorcars Mercedes Benz Wine Tasting VIP Reception on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 6pm to 9pm at the Beshoff Motorcars Dealership. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Guests will enjoy a silent auction, wine tasting, networking, appetizers and live entertainment. Confirmed distinguished guest include former Assistant Superintendent Franklin McKinley School District Sandra Will , City of San Jose Councilmember’s Nora Campos, Rose Herrera, Kansen Chu, Ash Kalra, and Sam Liccardo, the office of the City of San Jose Police Chief, the office Board of Supervisor George Shirakawa, and State Assembly Member Joe Coto. Additionally, a Fashion Show Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at the San Jose State University Ballroom (One Washington Square , San Jose , CA 95192 ). There will be youth attending from every council district in San Jose. Both events will raise money to support the P.A.R.T.I. Program and the Martin Luther King, Jr. “Stop the Violence Rally” in January, 2010. Call (408) 561-4664 for more information.
Town Hall: Realizing the California Dream
American Leadership Forum (ALF) is committed to action on state reform and the belief that broad-based community involvement and comprehensive discussion is the best way to move forward. Join: Rick Callender, Past President of the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP; Nora Campos, San José City Councilmember; Jim Cunneen, California Strategies Partner; Joe Simitian, California State Senator; Larry Stone, Santa Clara County Assessor; and others in a non-traditional town hall meeting on reforming California. Please click here to register. http://www.alfsv.org/calendar/?function=detail&event_link_id=2120
12th Annual Walk to End Domestic Violence
Please plan to join Mayor Chuck Reed, Council Members Nora Campos and Pete Constant, and the City’s Family/Domestic Violence Advisory Board for the City of San José’s 12th Annual Walk to End Domestic Violence. This effort will raise awareness about domestic violence and encourage involvement in preventing and addressing it. This year’s walk will feature, Robin Givens, a noted actress, author, and survivor of domestic violence. For more information, contact Eve Castellanos at (408) 535-8101.
2nd Annual Disability Awareness Day
Enjoy free workshops on autism-research findings, employment strategies, finding a caregiver, IT Web user, reducing caregiver stress, and social security benefits. Live music and entertainment by people with disabilities will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, please visit www.dad.sjdistrict1.com or call 408.369.6438.
Unison in Industries Conference
Unison in Industries brings together employers, job seekers, service providers and vendors to expand employment opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment. For program details, go to http://www.unisoninindustries.org. |
This time of year, San Jose enjoys exceptional weather that’s ideal for riding a bike. Honoring French son and father inventors Pierre and Ernest Michaux's invention — the bicycle — The Garage designated Tuesday nights as "$2 Two-Wheel Tuesdays." Show up on your bicycle and your first two beers are only $2 each from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Naglee Park Garage: 505 E. San Carlos St., San Jose, CA 95112.
Visitors can begin at any of the four condo sales centers downtown. To be eligible for prizes, tour-goers need to pick up a "Downtown San Jose Passport” at any of the four properties and visit all four condos at any time during the weekend to get a stamp. Fully stamped passports turned in at the properties through Sept. 27 will be entered into a random drawing to win dozens of prizes including spa treatments, dinner deals and three grand prize “getaway weekends,” each with a an overnight stay at a luxurious downtown hotel, dinner for two, a Zanotto’s gift certificate and tickets for two to a fun cultural attraction. 
The annual Spirit of Japantown Festival is Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last year, over 100 vendors were part of the event, which raised funds to preserve the 119-year-old neighborhood — one of three last remaining Japantowns in the United States. This year’s festival boasts a new eco-friendly area and all-day anime demonstrations along with arts and crafts, a car exhibition, antiques and fine arts, Japanese foods, a kid’s zone, and entertainment. If you’re interested in a vendor booth, please contact 
The Friends of Ryland Pool invite you to celebrate the completion of Ryland pool’s tile restoration. Thanks to financial support from Rotary San Jose and the City of San Jose, the recently renamed to Rotary Ryland Pool, now has its historic bach elder tiles restored.