Cambrian Resident
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Mayor to take on crime, environment in state of the city address
By Stephen Baxter
Building on his themes of fiscal and environmental responsibility, Mayor Chuck Reed says his Jan. 16 State of the City speech will focus on sustainable growth and solving the city's budget problems.
Reed will speak at the 2008 community breakfast at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center following breakfast at 7:45 a.m. Ticket requests for the event closed on Jan. 4, but the speech will be broadcast on CivicCenter Television Channel 26 and on the city's website at www.san joseca.gov.
The attendance cost of the breakfast increased $5 to $25 this year because of rising food costs, a spokeswoman for the mayor said, and 350 free seats will be available for ticket holders.
Reed is expected to tout the city council's progress on his Green Vision, which set 10 broad goals to make the city more environmentally sustainable. The goals ranged from planting 100,000 new trees to connecting 100 miles in trails to creating 25,000 "clean tech" jobs. The mayor, who took office in January 2007, also will discuss strategies to combat a recent rise in murders and gang activity.
"We do need to hire some additional police officers," Reed said in a phone interview, "but we cannot arrest ourselves out of a gang problem. We know that from working with our community organizations. Working with them is critical for bringing [gangs] down."
The Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force, which meets about six times a year, has been trying to stem youth violence since 1991 by gathering police and city officials with school and community leaders. Fifteen new police officers were hired in 2007, and Reed said the city will hire 15 more who began police academy training in the first week of January.
In his first State of the City speech, Reed called the city's budget deficit "public enemy No. 1" and pledged to fix it in part by attracting new companies and trimming administrative costs. The Mayor's Budget Shortfall Advisory Group was launched, and it has met several times to gather input from residents on how to cut city expenses and raise more money.
At least two other organizations also have held budget forums, including one organized by labor unions. Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, said she hoped Reed would listen to diverse opinions on fixing the city's shaky finances.
"I think we share many folks' concerns about the lack of community involvement in the mayor's budget process," she said.
Michelle McGurk, spokeswoman for the mayor, said the a scientific community survey will be conducted this winter to gather residents' priorities. A neighborhood priority-setting meeting is also open to residents on Jan. 19. at 9 a.m. at city hall. "We're really eager for the input," McGurk said.
Many of Reed's ideas have materialized since his last State of the City speech. Several new clean- tech companies and at least a few hundred jobs have been added in the last year, including SoloPower Inc. and Nanosolar Inc. Parts of the Green Vision plan have been implemented, including additions to trails in Willow Glen and in the Almaden Valley.
However, some promises from his March 2007 speech have not yet been realized.
Reed pledged to improve the city's permitting process in 12 months. City officials expect to make some recommendations on it in the first few months of 2008, but it is unclear if the March deadline will be met.
Reed also had other plans.
"Let's get started ... to encourage iconic public art, outdoor meeting places, a wireless network, boutiques, cafes, clean streets and colorful signs," Reed said in his speech. On Dec. 18, the council unanimously decided to exclude two public art pieces from a new South San Jose police station because of budget constraints, and agreed to consider it later.
Free wireless Internet continues to face hurdles in San Jose. The MetroFi free wireless Internet network covers some parts of downtown, but it has stalled because of a lack of money and leadership.
Pat Dando, president of the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, indicated that business leaders like Reed's focus on bringing new companies to the city, but she said she hoped the mayor would heed the Chamber's recommendations on changing the permitting process.
Dando was a council member from 1995 to 2005.