February 24, 2006

CITY HALL NEWS BRIEFS

Deputy DA David Pandori runs for mayor

Former two-term San Jose councilman and current Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney David Pandori entered the San Jose mayoral race on Feb. 15.

David Pandori

“The race for mayor is crowded with bodies but lacking in vision. The field is full of candidates who have supported bad development plans that will damage our city’s future. I’m running to set aside their ill-conceived plans,” Pandori said in a prepared press release.

Pandori said like many people in San Jose, he’s not happy with the decision-making at City Hall.

About the Coyote Valley development proposal being considered by the San Jose City Council, Pandori accused said city officials have “set aside good laws to rush plans for a sprawling new city the size of Milpitas.”

“The plan will be a financial disaster and will gridlock traffic. Along the congested area of First Street in North San Jose, they have approved plans to cram the equivalent of five new downtowns and more than 30,000 housing units, while 2 million square feet of space sit vacant. And in Evergreen, the city will soon abandon a long-time plan to preserve land for jobs and improve traffic.”

He added: “It has become plain and clear—our city leaders’ idea of smart planning means selling out our city’s future for their individual political gain. That isn’t smart—it’s selfish. And amidst all the bad planning and get-ahead politics, these politicians have forgotten one thing—us.”

Pandori touted his accomplishments as a college and graduate student in environmental studies and city planning, as a community member who has led efforts to complete the Guadalupe River Park and improve traffic at the airport, as a former council member who created the city’s Ethics Commission and as a prosecutor who has seen how crime and gangs can take a toll on our neighborhoods.

He said he would kick off his campaign on March 1.

Michael Mulcahy

Redevelopment agency funds child care centers

The San Jose Redevelop-ment Agency approved Tuesday $2.4 million to create 332 new child care spaces as the result of the renovation and expansion at four preschool centers committed to high quality standards under the city’s Smart Start San Jose standards.

The four partners with San Jose include San Juan Bautista Child Development Center at Cassell Elementary School, Charities Housing with Estrella Family Services, Kidango at Arbuckle School in East San Jose, and National Hispanic University.

The city recently completed a study of projected child care needs during the next five years. The research by Godbe International estimated that more than 4600 San Jose children would need preschool space than would be available by 2010, even if current expansion plans by providers are completed.

Cortese, Mulcahy begin their mayoral campaigns

San Jose mayoral candidates David Cortese and Michael Mulcahy officially began their campaigns on Feb. 11 joined by many friends, supporters, community leaders and family members.

David Cortese

Mulcahy’s Feb. 11 campaign kick-off was at the Le Petit Trianon Theatre in downtown San Jose, while Cortese’s kick-off event was at his new headquarters on Park Avenue, also in downtown.

A native of San Jose, Mulcahy is the former executive director of Children’s Musical Theater San Jose, a public benefit corporation he helped grow into one of Silicon Valley’s most effective programs serving youth and families. Mulcahy is now managing partner of SDS NexGen Partners LP, a San Jose-based real estate and investment firm.

Cortese greeted volunteers and supporters, introduced them to his campaign staff and unveiled his new campaign offices.

A vibrant Lion Dance began Cortese’s kick-off activities. Cortese shared how his experience as a city council member, a school board president, a businessman and a lawyer provide a strong foundation for his vision of keeping San Jose city government clean, open and ethical, maintaining a balanced budget to protect essential city services, bringing new jobs and businesses to San Jose and improving San Jose’s neighborhood schools.

—By Sheila Sanchez