Councilmember Pete Constant
District 1, City of San José
200 East Santa Clara Street,18th Floor
San José, CA 95113
Telephone: (408) 535-4901
Fax: (408) 292-6448
Pete.Constant@sanjoseca.gov
www.sjdistrict1.com

Inside this Issue:

• Message from Pete
• Ballot Measures
• Festival in the Park Review
• 1st Annual Disablity Awareness Day
• Fire and Halloween Safety

Helpful Links for D1 Residents:

• Pete's Calendar
• Council Agenda
• Live and Archived Council Meetings
• District 1 Map
• Photos of District 1 Events
• District 1 Neighborhood Groups
• Pete and District 1 in the News
• Parks in District 1
• District 1 Staff
• Review permits in San José

Service Providers for D1 Residents:

Connecting to your government:

• Mayor and Council
• San José Charter
• San José Municipal Code
• San José Boards and Commissions
• Santa Clara County
• Registrar of Voters
• Guide to Government
• State of California
• U.S. Government

Important Phone Numbers:

Questions or Suggestions?
If you have any questions about the District 1 Community Newsletter or would like to suggest topics or announcements for future issues, then please contact Mary Anne Groen at MaryAnne.Groen@sanjoseca.gov or you can call her at (408) 535-4901

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Message from Councilmember Pete Constant

Fall is the season for festivals. Thanks to all of you who came out to our 8th Annual Festival in the Park on September 20, 2008 in Hathaway Park! It was a huge success due to the hard work of many community volunteers and city staff. I would like to send out a hardy thanks to the Association of San José Retired Police Officers and Firefighters for sharing their excellent barbequing skills by cooking over 1,300 meals at our event. It was great to see so many families enjoying the day. My kids had a blast pitching balls at the San José State Students in the dunk tank and climbing aboard the Shark's Fire Engine. Danny Hull's performance on the main stage enticed more than one couple to take to the dance floor! To view pictures of the "8th Annual Festival in the Park" click here. To read more about Festival in the Park click here.

No sooner had "Festival in the Park" folded its tents than my office was putting the finishing touches on our plans for the city-wide "1st Annual Disability Awareness Day and CADRE Emergency Preparedness For People with Functional Disabilities." As Chairperson for the Strategic Plan for Persons with Disabilities, I saw a need to reach out to the disabled and non-disabled populations of San José and raise the awareness of programs available to persons with disabilities. Working with Valley Medical Center Foundation and the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, the event drew over forty vendors and over 1,000 attendees throughout the day. To view the Proclamation of "Disability Awareness Month" for the month of October click here. To read an article about the "1st Annual Disability Awareness Day" click here.

If you missed either of these celebration festivals or if you are in the mood for more fun times, check out Moreland Educational Foundation's Pumpkin Patch in the Haunted Woods at the Moreland "Spooky" Woods located at 4385 Doyle Road in San José. For more detailed information click here to view a flyer.

Fall is also the time to be aware of the dangers of fire and October happens to be "Fire Prevention Month." Residents of West San José may have recently read about the fire that consumed the home of Leonard and Charlotte Jones on Miller Avenue. Fortunately, the Jones' were rescued from their burning home in time but they called my office asking us to get the word out that sleeping with their bedroom door closed saved their lives. The door provided the needed fire break that gave firefighters time to rescue them. For more fire prevention tips and to read more about the lessons the Jones' learned from their tragedy click here.

To avoid tragedy and mishap as our little ones prepare to go "trick-or-treating" please be aware that this year's Halloween celebration occurs on a Friday night so there will be more kids out on the streets. If you're driving, watch for children crossing the streets. If you are getting your kids ready to go out, click here for tips on having a safe time "trick-or-treating."

There's no trick to understanding the upcoming ballot measures on the docket for City of San José voters but it is important to know the issues. I encourage you to educate yourself on four of the important measures affecting residents of San José. Click here for a synopsis of Measures J, K, L, and M.

Finally, I want to thank all those who have sponsored my effort to "Donate My Fat." I'm half way through the forty day program and I feel great! I have opted away from the high calorie foods I used to eat and replaced them with more fruits and vegetables. By wearing a pedometer I have worked to increase the amount of steps I take each day with a goal of 10,000 steps as recommended by the "Donate Your Fat" program. When my willpower starts to falter, I remember the good I am doing by helping out Second Harvest Food Bank with my sponsorships. So far, I have lost a total of nearly ten pounds. I highly recommend this program as a proactive way to shed the fat by changing my exercise and nutritional habits and do some good at the same time. For a link to the Donate Your Fat Web site click here. To find out how you could sponsor me and donate to charity, call my office at (408) 535-4901 or e-mail me at pete.constant@sanjoseca.gov.

Your Neighbor,

PETE IN THE NEWS

September 30, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose council gets refresher course on ethics rules
"What we are looking at is broadening those boards with more individuals with expertise in handling the large sums we have invested, just to ensure our retirement funds remain sound," Constant said.

September 29, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose seeks voter approval to maintain taxes
Even some council members — Vice Mayor Dave Cortese and Councilman Pete Constant -—voted against putting Measure J on the ballot, arguing the current 911 fee, approved in 2004 and set to expire June 30, was never intended to be permanent.

September 25, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Pizarro: Heavy Campaign
San Jose City Councilman Pete Constant, meanwhile, is putting his weight behind a fundraising effort for hunger programs. Constant, whose initial weigh-in was 271.6 pounds, says he's already gotten sponsorship commitments from San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and City Manager Debra Figone.

September 24, 2008
The Metro, Evite Wars
Constant believes he is being targeted by the POA because someone is leaking statements he made regarding the union contract in closed council session, which are private meetings among councilmembers. "I have had people on POA board give me exact quotes of things I said in closed session," Constant said. "One of the 11 people [councilmembers] in that room is giving them information."

September 23, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Cost of San Jose convention center expansion soars to $300 million
"It is one of the most critical items in San Jose in terms of economic development," Councilman Pete Constant said. "We don't have a facility large enough, or quite frankly, nice enough, to fill our needs."

September 22, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose police auditor to advise Africans on police oversight
"We don't have department heads travel to the other side of the world very often," Councilman Pete Constant said. "I have a hard time seeing the public purpose or benefit to the residents of San Jose."

September 20, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs: If this is how Carl treats his friends...
Among other things, Constant says in the letter that Guardino told him angrily "you come to our events, then you treat us like this." Constant took the comment to mean that Guardino considers Constant to be in SVLG's debt."If, in fact, the SVLG expects that there is a quid pro quo for participating in events, please take my name off your list," Constant snapped in the letter.

September 20, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs: Political soundtrack, Take 1
If Constant is hoping to bridge the gulf between them, he might consider a hip-hop classic as accompaniment, MC Lyte's "I Cram to Understand You (Sam)."

September 19, 2008
West San Jose Resident, Ex-Doobie Brothers member to perform at San Jose neighborhood festival
"We are going to have people who live, work and play in District 1," says Constant, who adds that everyone who lives in and around the district is invited to attend. "It is just a community event to get out and socialize and get to know your neighbors."

September 15, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose's future mayoral contenders already tangled in turmoil
"I'm not the mayor of District 1 and Sam's not the mayor of District 3," Constant told the Mercury News later. "I feel it's my job to look out for the city as a whole."

September 3, 2008
The Metro, Not So Fast
The proposal failed at the council rules committee Aug. 20—the same day Campos went into labor—with Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilman Pete Constant hammering the idea of restricting fast food restaurants. Both councilmembers acknowledged childhood obesity as a problem, but suggested it was better to address it in a more proactive way.