Happy Holidays! As we approach the holiday season and spend more time with family and friends, it is a good time to reflect on community. One of my goals when I came into office was to re-establish a greater sense of community within District 1 and I have worked hard to do just that. When I started my term there were 13 active neighborhood associations in our district - now we have expanded that number to 27.
In this newsletter, you'll read about the dramatic impact that one District 1 neighborhood association has had in improving its community and mitigating the impact of a nearby retail establishment. To read the full article, click here. This month you'll also learn about how you can make your voice heard and give input on programs and policies that could affect your own neighborhood. Click here to learn more about a new city program --the Distinctive Neighborhood Program -- and why your input is important.
In these tough economic times the city will be forced to do more with less - providing more services with fewer resources. One area that will take a big hit is our city's Redevelopment Agency (RDA) and if you click here you can read a full article about the state's impending raid of our RDA budget and how it will affect the city and District 1.
Given these challenges, civic service and community involvement is now going to be more critical than ever. Neighbors will need to step up and do more to help improve our communities. One neighborhood that is doing just that is the Cadillac neighborhood. During a walk in the Cadillac neighborhood a few months ago, I realized that the area desperately needed some attention. I contacted the Redevelopment Agency to see what we could do and then asked the local neighborhood associations if they would be interested in helping out. Westgate Church also partnered in our effort to clean-up and beautify the neighborhood. The result was over 100 volunteers repairing fences, removing graffiti, re-painting red curbs, picking up litter, power-washing sidewalks and cleaning up park strips. This collaborative effort was a huge success!
If you are looking for ways to get involved locally, please consider joining your neighborhood association or attending a District 1 Leadership Group meeting. Meeting times, dates and locations are listed on our District 1 Community Calendar which can be found on our Web site and accessed by clicking here. Volunteering opportunities are also available through our citywide Adopt-A-Park and crossing guard programs.
In this season of sharing, I hope that you will be able to give a little of your time and energy to make our community an even better place to live. Have a happy and safe holiday season.
P.S. If you have an issue that you would like to discuss or if you just want to chat, come visit me during my office hours in the district. I will be at the West Valley Branch Library on Wednesday, December 3, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. and the Cypress Senior Center on Thursday, December 18, from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. See you then!
Your Neighbor,
NEIGHBORHOOD WINS BIG |
DISTINCTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAM |
STATE ROBS SNI FUNDS |
The Baker West Neighborhood Association: Power In Numbers
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San José's New Distinctive Neighborhood Program
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State Raid on Local RDA Budget Slashes Strong Neighborhoods Initiative Funds As we continue to feel the effects of a lagging economy, the City is preparing to take another big hit when the State of California raids our Redevelopment Agency (RDA) budget to help reduce its enormous budget shortfall. California lawmakers have recently passed a law (AB 1389) authorizing the State to take $350 million from Redevelopment Agencies across the state, and this would mean a $13 million loss for the City of San José. |
| WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DISTRICT 1? |
| District 1 Office Holiday Closure December 24, 2008 - January 2, 2009 The District 1 office will observe a city-wide holiday closure. Staff will return to the office on Monday, January 5, 2009. |
Distinctive Neighborhoods and Historic Homes Project |
| Cypress Senior Center's Membership Drive Starting December 2, 2008 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Cypress Senior Center - In the library (Room 1) 403 S. Cypress Avenue, San José The membership cost for one year is $10.00. There is a free gift from the Advisory Council for the first 200 memberships. If you sign up for a membership by December 12th, you will be entitled to a free pancake breakfast on January 24, 2009. Members also get to participate in special events throughout the year for free! For more information, please call Cypress Senior Center at 408- 244-1353. |
| Office Hours Wednesday, December 3, 2008 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. West Valley Branch Library - 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San José Join the Councilmember to share your thoughts or ask questions - no appointment necessary! For further information, please call the District 1 Office at (408) 535-4901 |
| Let’s Play in Spanish Concert Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:00 p.m - 6:30 p.m. (Pizza Available) 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (Concert) Easterbrook Discovery School - 4835 Doyle Road, San José Susy Dorn is a singer, composer and the creator of Let's Play in Spanish, an immersion program for children that for 9 years has taught Spanish to thousands in the Bay Area through music, games and theatre. Suggested donation: $5/person* Any amount will be greatly appreciated. *All donations will go to the Moreland Educational Foundation. For more information go to: www.mefhome.org. |
| Holiday Story Time with Crafts Saturday, December 6, 2008 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Calabazas Library - 1230 Blaney Ave., San José Come to a special family story time featuring holiday stories and crafts. For more information, contact Kathy or Sharon at 996-1536 or 996-1535. |
| Benefit Concert for Moreland School District Music Programs Featuring Pianist Jon Nakamatsu Saturday, December 6, 2008 7:00p.m. - 8:30pm Thomas Kinkade Center for the Arts at Archbishop Mitty High School - 5000 Mitty Avenue, San José Support music education in the Moreland School District as you join us for an intimate performance by Jon Nakamatsu. For tickets please email the number of tickets and price-range desired to tickets@mefhome.org or smyers1099@aol.com. You may also go to www.mefhome.org and click on “Jon Nakamatsu Tickets” or call 973-1067. Click here to view flyer. |
| Fit for Learning Festival Saturday, December 6th, 2008 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Barnes & Noble - 3600 Stevens Creek Blvd., San José Please join this unique partnership between the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Kaiser Permanente, and Barnes & Noble, as we highlight the critical need to build fit learners. Come hear special guest speaker Councilmember Pete Constant share his personal story and commitment to better fitness and nutrition. For more information on this event Michelle Mount Coordinator, Health Education/Safe Schools Santa Clara County Office of Education (408) 453-6982 Michelle_Mount@sccoe.org www.fitforlearning.org. To view a flyer of the event click here. |
| San Tomas West Neighborhood Association Holiday Sharing, Caring & Giving Event Saturday, December 6, 2008 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Payne Elementary School - 3750 Gleason Avenue, San José Please bring gently used donations for: Operation one Warm Coat (coats / sweaters), Soles 4 Souls (shoes), Humane Society of SCV (towels/blankets/food/chew toys) and Innvision (clothing for men & women / toiletry items / non perishable food). Bring a batch of your favorite cookies to share with your neighbors! For information, send a message to the San Tomas West Neighborhood Association by clicking here. |
| Children's Holiday Program "Holiday Treats" Wednesday, December 10, 2008 6:30 p.m. West Valley Branch Library - 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San José Acclaimed puppeteer Nick Barone will put on a wonderful holiday show filled with humor, music and beautifully-crafted puppets. Fun for the whole family! This program was made possible by generous support from the Friends of the West Valley Branch Library. For more information contact the West Valley Branch Library at 408- 277-4805. |
| The Twelfth Annual Moreland Speech Tournament Thursday, December 11, 2008 7:00 p.m. Moreland Middle School - 4600 Student Lane, San José This year's speech topic for all grade levels will be: "A Quality Worth Striving For." Each elementary school will be asked to select two students, one male and one female, from each grade level in Grades 4–5 (and 6-8 for EDS) as representatives to the District Speech Tournament. For more information contact Debbi Lyon at 408-874-2921. |
Breakfast with Santa
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| Office Hours Thursday, December 18, 2008 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Cypress Senior Center - 403 S Cypress Ave., San José Join the Councilmember to share your thoughts or ask questions - no appointment necessary! For further information, please call the District 1 Office at (408) 535-4901. |
| Holiday Music and Songs with Tim Cain Saturday, December 20, 2008 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Calabazas Library - 1230 Blaney Ave., San José You will find this sing-along concert full of fun, warmth, good humor, and spontaneity. Tim Cain has released five albums for children in addition to performing over 300 concerts a year. His tapes and CDs have received national awards from Parents' Choice Foundation and the National Association of Parenting Publications. This special holiday program is made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Calabazas Library. For more information, contact Sharon at 996-1536 or 996-1535. |
| IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS |
| District 1 Park Rest Room Holiday Closures Click here to view flyer with dates of Holiday Park Rest Room Closures. |
| CreaTV Call for Programming Open Date CreaTV San José, a new public access television station in San José is ready to accept new programming for Public Access Channel 15. We hope to expand programming on Channel 15 to 24/7. This is exciting news for our organization, for independent producers, and certainly for the viewers of San José! For more information contact Suzanne St. John-Crane, Executive Director, CreaTV San José at www.creatvsj.org or 408-295-TV15. |
PETE IN THE NEWS
November 11, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Retirement board controversy flares anew in San José
"Anybody who read that retirement travel audit would have to ask how a culture like that could be created in a government entity," Councilman Pete Constant, a retired policeman and trustee of the pension plan for the city's civilian workforce, said in response to Overton's nomination.
November 10, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose council debates affordable housing plan
"There was a quantity of outreach. I don't believe there was a quality of outreach," said Constant, the council's lone Republican, who often aligns himself with business interests. He and Oliverio cast the dissenting votes Monday.
November 5, 2008
The Metro Fly, U-Turn of Phrase
Councilmember Pete Constant, a Waite supporter who happens to be adamantly opposed to the recall, says he believes Waite's version of events. "I'm taking him at his word," Constant says, sounding more generous than credulous. "As a person who frequently has to speak in public, I know that sometimes what comes out of my mouth is not what I meant."
November 2, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs: Flip-flops on San Jose council? Perish the thought
Lest you think him a mere mercenary, Constant added that he came to peace with Measure J after "long talks with the mayor" and city administrators, who assured him that they had no plans to pull a future switcheroo and re-route the 911 fee into areas besides public safety. He also made known his concerns about the council "setting a precedent of, 'Let's put this fee out there, and if somebody complains or we get sued, we'll have the voters legitimize it."
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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:
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Pete's Message
Helpful Links for D1 Residents:
Service Providers for D1 Residents:
277-4528 |
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535-3850 |
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535-3570 |
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Cypress Senior Center |
244-1353 |
Moreland West Community Center |
871-3821 |
Starbird Teen Center |
984-1954 |
West San José Community & Policing Center |
249-6580 |
277-8900 |
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| 808-2000 | |
Calabazas Branch Library |
996-1536 |
West Valley Branch Library |
244-4766 |
554-6391 |
Connecting to your government:
Important Phone Numbers:
City Hall Call Center |
535-3500 |
277-5305 |
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277-3208 |
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578-7297 |
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277-2762 |
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535-3555 |
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Bulky Item Pickup |
535-5300 |
Cable TV Complaints |
535-3500 |
277-4528 |
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Crime Prevention— Neighborhood Watch |
277-4133 |
Dead Animal Collection |
578-7297 |
535-3850 |
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277-3700 |
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Emergency Services |
277-4595 |
535-3515 |
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Green Team |
283-8500 |
299-7300 |
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998-5200 |
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723-4114 |
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99-TREES |
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Parks Concerns |
793-5510 |
Police Information |
277-2211 |
975-4480 |
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277-4444 |
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279-7900 |
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Senior Programs |
277-4561 |
277-3158 |
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296-8290 |
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Street Light Repair |
277-5517 |
277-4373 |
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535-5300 |
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277-4341 |
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792-5010 |
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535-3500 |
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Youth Services |
535-3570 |
The Neighborhood Limelight
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