March 10, 2006

CITY HALL NEWS BRIEFS

City and Sobrato reach agreement

Councilwoman Nancy Pyle reached an agreement on March 7 with Sobrato Development Company to lower the density of a proposed housing project on Guadalupe Mines Road where a future developer will build single-family homes.

Sobrato Development Company agreed to lower the project’s density from between eight and 16 units per acre to up to eight units per acre on the 15.83-acre site next to the Los Gatos border.

Sobrato Development Companies, the owners of the land, is seeking a general plan amendment by the San Jose Planning Commission to change the land-use designation of the site from administrative- office/research and development to medium-low density residential. Before the agreement Sobrato wanted a medium density residential designation, which angered and worried nearby residents who have homes on one-acre lots.

The land is located on the west side of Guadalupe Mines Road, approximately 1,800 feet south of Camden Avenue, across from the Guadalupe Landfill. The property runs along the Guadalupe Creek. A new Hicks Road housing development on the other side of the creek, in Los Gatos, has one dwelling unit per two-and-a-half acres. Those dwellings, however, are estate homes.

Robert Beveridge, whose home is next to the site, said the general plan amendment originally sought was incompatible to the surrounding neighborhood which is primarily a mixture of rural and low-density single-family homes, with an average density of less than eight units per acre.

“It is my hope that this agreement will best reflect a balance between the long-term housing needs of the city with the appropriate infill density for this neighborhood,” Pyle said in a prepared press release.

Tim Steele, a spokesman for Sobrato Development Companies, stated, “Working closely with Councilmember Pyle and taking the community’s perspective into account on this issue, I feel that this new agreement will be beneficial for both old and new residents as we move ahead on this project.”

Chavez kicks off mayoral campaign

San Jose Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez officially kicked off her mayoral campaign the afternoon of March 5 at her campaign headquarters at 701 N. First St., in downtown San Jose.

About 300 friends and relatives of Chavez turned out to support the termed out District 3 councilwoman, who represents the downtown district.

Chavez’s campaign platform includes academic excellence for all schools, safe neighborhoods, increased library and parks services and affordable housing.

Other mayoral contenders include Councilmen Chuck Reed and David Cortese, and real estate investor Michael Mulcahy. Candidates have until March 10 to declare their candidacy with the city clerk’s office.

East Side Union High School District School Board member J. Manuel Herrera withdrew his bid for mayor last week and has pledged to support Cindy Chavez in her bid.

Top cops endorse Chavez for mayor

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, former Acting San Jose Police Chief Thomas Wheatley and the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) have announced their support for Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez’s campaign for mayor.

“I am honored by their endorsements and humbled by their faith in my ability to lead San Jose,” said Chavez.

“Cindy understands the need for collaborative policing and ongoing communication between the city, the county, and the community,” said Smith. “Her leadership on the Meagan’s Law Task Force and her persistent efforts to eliminate youth violence benefit all San Jose neighborhoods.”

Throughout her tenure on the San Jose City Council, Chavez has spearheaded efforts to reduce crime. In 2002, she led the way in steering Redevelopment Agency funds to neighborhood crime prevention programs. Her ongoing effort to improve core city services has increased graffiti removal and reduced speeders in residential neighborhoods.

“One of the best ways to stop crime and reduce violence is to build trust with the community,” said Former Acting Police Chief Wheatley, who earned the Medal of Valor during his time on the force. “Cindy Chavez works with the neighborhoods and the police to build that trust.”

“Cindy Chavez will be a strong and effective voice in the effort to keep San Jose the safest big city in America,” said Ron Cottingham, president of PORAC, one of the oldest and largest law enforcement organizations in California. “PORAC is pleased to endorse her for mayor of San Jose.”

Mayors and counties seek security funding

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Oakland City Council President Ignacio de la Fuente announced submission of the Bay Area’s $332.2 million application for 2006 federal homeland security grant funds under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program.

“Disasters do not recognize city or county boundaries. Our emergency teams must be able to communicate with each other and provide care or shelter for thousands,” said Gonzales. “Joining together, we developed a solid, collaborative plan that enhances our ability to respond to emergencies, protect residents and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

“Thanks to our regional partnership, the Bay Area is putting forward an application for homeland security grants that will help us become better prepared, better equipped and better trained in case of disaster,”

Newsom said. “This has been a tremendous collaborative effort and one that will benefit the entire region.”

“The 1989 earthquake and 1991 Oakland Hills fire are burned into our memories,” said President of the Oakland City Council Ignacio De La Fuente. “The leaders of the Bay Area’s three major cities are working hard and working together to protect our citizens and to ensure that our emergency response agencies are prepared for anything. Cooperation continues to be the key to our success.”

Resolution makes families a priority

The San Jose City Council has adopted an ambitious platform to focus on and prioritize youth and families when considering and making decisions that impact the community.

Created by the National League of Cities’ Council on Youth, Education, and Families, the platform pushes city leaders to take steps to strengthen families and improve outcomes for children and youth.

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, last year’s chairman of NLC’s Council on Youth, Education, and Families, and San Jose City Councilwoman Nora Campos contributed to the platform.

The two-part City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth urges local officials to implement four tasks:

- Identify needs, opportunities, and priorities for future action through a city commission, mayor’s task force, or other group that brings together leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors as well as parents and other community residents.

- Promote effective city-school collaboration through regular meetings between the mayor and/or city council, school board, and school superintendent that focus on shared priorities and the development of joint plans of action.

- Encourage and support the direct involvement of young people through engagement and leadership, by sponsoring a mayor’s youth council, appointing youth to municipal boards and committees, and/or holding community-wide youth summits.

- Measure progress over time through the use of a community “scorecard” or set of benchmarks that tracks key outcomes and places them within the context of a broader report on the status of children, youth, and families.

The second part of the platform recommends a set of specific action steps for communities to take in each of seven areas: early childhood development; youth development; education and after-school; health and safety; youth in transition and at risk; family economic success; and neighborhoods and community.

The City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth can be downloaded at www.nlc.org/content/Files/IYEFPlatform05.pdf