December 15, 2006

End of an era

Long, bittersweet day at City Hall saying goodbye to Gonzales, LeZotte
and Chavez; finishing up legislation on final 2006 session

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

City council members started their day at 10 a.m. and didn’t finish until 1:30 a.m., a long day by anyone’s standard. Much of the agenda dealt with items the council felt necessary to get through for the last council session of the year.

Outgoing Mayor Ron Gonzales received a standing ovation and tribute from City Council members after giving a speech during the evening City Council meeting on Dec. 12. Several of Gonzales' fellow council members took time to remember the things he accomplished during his eight years as mayor. Photos by Carol Rosen

However, it also was the end of an era. It was the last session for Mayor Ron Gonzales, Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez and District 1 Councilwoman Linda LeZotte. The three are termed out after eight years.

Speeches, gifts and photo ops took time out of the agenda so the three could say good-bye and thank City Hall employees as well as their own staffs.

The event was subdued, mostly due to the cloud that’s hung over Gonzales’ head since his indictment last June on charges of conspiracy and bribery stemming from the Norcal Waste Systems contract with its $11.25 million price tag.

But there were still tributes from City Manager Les White and council members, including District 8’s Dave Cortese, who didn’t always agree with him.

Following a standing ovation, Gonzales spoke about the changes he’s made and how he’s left the city in a better position than he found it. During his 4,204,000 minutes as mayor, Gonzales noted that neighborhood associations grew stronger, the city now has affordable homes, child care, teachers can now buy homes, the city has new up-to-date libraries, new and historic buildings and “San Jose is now on the map.”

He also noted the city’s safe record, the parks that have opened, the Sharks have remained here, getting the airport into the 21st century, gang prevention, Guadalupe River Park, and of course, the new city hall.

He thanked City Hall employees for working hard, “these amazing public employees who do the heavy lifting,” not just at council meetings, but behind the scenes as well. There also was a tearful thanks to his staff, which has worked together so well for eight years.

Council members
Comments from fellow council members were expected, but unexpected was the tribute from Cortese. He had a long list of things the mayor accomplished from helping house single moms who were being evicted when housing was 99 percent occupied to helping the city hold onto its financial reserves despite the dot.com bust and the recession. Cortese also cited Thompson Creek Trail improvements, the light rail to Eastridge, 20 new homework centers in District 8 and helping cap water rates for Evergreen residents.

Mayor-elect Chuck Reed said he was pleased to have worked with Gonzales, whose “legacy will live on.” Reed, who also disagreed with the mayor more often than he agreed with him, noted that recently a nanotechnology company moved to San Jose because “they could get permits in days instead of months,” thanks to Gonzales. And, District 2 Councilman Forrest Williams added that Gonzales “didn’t wait for things to happen industry wise.”

Mayor-elect Chuck Reed offers Mayor Ron Gonzales a gift including some golf items from the City Council at the meeting on Dec. 12. In his speech, the current mayor noted that he’s leaving the city in better shape than when he took over and that the same will be said of Reed when he leaves.

District 10’s Nancy Pyle added other accomplishments to the list including the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative as well as the Martin Luther King Library and the biocenters in Edenvale.

Finally, it was Chavez’s turn. She cited a number of varied issues including the tobacco settlement that was used for San Jose residents’ health including maintaining the senior nutrition program despite budget cuts, stemming gang violence as well as his emphasis on the economy and economic development. She said she especially liked his willingness to challenge council members and City Hall staff.

After 30 years in politics, Gonzales called being mayor “the best job I ever had. I made San Jose a better place to live and work. Whatever I do next, I will miss this job,” he said.

Parkland ordinance amended
Earlier in the day, the council heard the first reading on the proposed changes to the Parkland Dedication and Park Impact Ordinances and went over the in-lieu fee adjustments. Apparently when the council passed the Oct. 24 ordinance, which updates parkland fees from developers to 100 percent of 2005 land values, there were some questions about what constitutes the downtown corridor and how that affects developer fees for parkland.

In fact, developers from three downtown high-rise buildings currently being built had asked for fee deferrals to apply to their projects. After much discussion, Chavez put together an amendment that appeared to satisfy everyone.

First she tightened the downtown corridor to Highway 87 instead of allowing it to go farther out to Stockton. Second, the ordinance allowed the three developers to use the current fee structure, which is approximately $1,200 per unit but capping that issue at 2500 units allowing the 100 percent of 2005 values to take over on Feb. 10.

“This is very good for the neighborhood,” said Helen Chapman, the Parks Commission chair. “I’m very pleased that Cindy Chavez listened to the needs of the community and recognized a need because of the current deficiency of parks. This is a step in the right direction.