Happy Easter and welcome to the start of spring! I would first like to say that I enjoyed seeing many of you at the recent Greek Flag Raising Ceremony that I hosted here at City Hall. I hope you enjoyed the Greek experience, culture and food as much as I did.

Our next event is the 4th Annual West Valley Senior Walk and Free Prescription Drop-Off event at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall on Friday, April 17th, from 8:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. This is the first time that we have included a prescription drop-off with our Senior Walk and we hope that you will take advantage of this new added convenience. Come join us in getting some exercise and dispose of unwanted or expired medications at the same time -- all free of charge! To view the event flyer, click here. This great partnership with Westfield Valley Fair is evidence of their commitment to our community. The generous support of good corporate citizens like Westfield, is increasingly more important given these tough economic times.

Our City's budgetary process has evolved over time and now involves greater community input. Your participation and your voice are even more important as our economic crisis continues to worsen. If you click here, you can get an update on where we’re at in the budget process and get more information on how you can participate in an upcoming District 1 Community Townhall Budget Meeting that will be held on Monday, May 11, at Mitty High School (subject to change).

Do you think that the City should charge you to remove a tree from your private property? I think you should be able to remove a tree from your own backyard without the City being involved at all. Currently, you have to pay $122 for a permit to remove the tree plus the cost of whatever trees the City requires you to plant to replace the one you cut down. Now the City Planning Department is proposing to charge you upwards of $1,000 to expedite a request to remove a tree from your property. This is ridiculous. The City Council will be hearing this proposal on April 21st, during its evening session at 7:00 p.m. If you agree with me, please attend the meeting and help me fight for your property rights.

Also that night, the City Council will consider my proposed Library Safety and Child Protection Policy, to install internet filtering technology at San José libraries. Do you know that your children can view pornography on the computers in children’s areas of our libraries? Do think that’s right, because I don’t. You can read about the details of my proposal by clicking here.

I asked for your help with our first-ever Illegal Sign Clean-Up and it was a huge success thanks to the overwhelming response of nearly 100 residents. I need your help again. The City of San José is hosting the 9th Annual Great American Litter Pick-Up on Saturday, April 25th. Click here to learn more about the event, what you can do to help and how you can get involved.

Two items of interest that I would like to bring your attention are the 2010 Census and the upcoming temporary closure of the Community Hospital of Los Gatos. First, the City of San José has been working with the Unites States Census Bureau, County of Santa Clara and Valley Transportation Authority to prepare for the 2010 Census. The census officially counts every person living in the United States once every 10 years and includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, both citizens and non-citizens. How does this affect you? Staff from the United States Census Bureau will be conducting address canvassing beginning today, April 6, through June 19, 2009. They will be walking local neighborhoods with handheld computers updating/validating addresses and maps to ensure that Census information is accurate and current for mailing Census questionnaires to residents in March 2010. It is extremely important for local communities to participate in the census to ensure an accurate population count because the results directly impact our city. Census data is used to help determine the allocation of billions of dollars in government funding to local communities, as well as affects political representation by dictating the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The State of California is at risk of losing a seat in the 2010 Census count. For more information on the 2010 Census or to get answers to the most frequently asked questions, please click here or call the Local Census Office at (408) 343-8140.

As residents of West San José, we have access to several different emergency medical facilities and we are fortunate to have these choices. Unfortunately, we will soon lose one of our options. As you may or may not know, Community Hospital of Los Gatos (CHLG) will close temporarily beginning on April 10, 2009. El Camino Hospital of Mountain View will take over the hospital on April 11, but does not plan to re-open until mid-July. In the short term, Good Samaritan Hospital is stepping up to fill this approximate 90-day gap to ensure that West Valley patients will continue to have their emergency and hospital needs met. Good Samaritan has expanded their emergency room to provide more space to treat more patients and is increasing staffing levels to accommodate additional emergency room patients. Remember, in the event of an emergency, save precious time by going straight to your nearest hospital, whether it be Good Samaritan, Valley Medical Center, O'Connor or El Camino Hospital.

Your Neighbor,

P.S.  Please feel free to drop by my community office hours from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Thursday, April 16, at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (3675 Payne Ave.).

PETE IN THE NEWS

March 22, 2009
San Jose Mercury News, Herhold: San Jose City Council members going away when the going gets tough
Last week, three council members - Kansen Chu, Pete Constant and Ash Kalra - left on a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., for a League of Cities conference.... Constant, who's been a killjoy in criticizing the travel expenses of retirement-board members, has seen sense: He's serving on the League of Cities' Public Safety and Crime Prevention police and advocacy committee. (PSCP, for those of you scoring at home.)

March 17, 2009
San Jose Mercury News, Editorial: Constant irks cops but represents the public
But for residents and taxpayers, Constant has been spot-on when it comes to public safety. He understands its importance, but he also understands the city's limited resources and the need for responsible oversight on pension boards. ... It's healthy for every incumbent to face a challenger, and Constant's calls on some issues are definitely worth debating. But this public safety snit says more about the police union than it does about him.

March 16, 2009
San Jose Mercury News, Pizarro: Constant Superstition
Constant was set to leave for Washington, D.C., to attend a National League of Cities conference Friday - Friday the 13th. His flight was leaving from Gate A13 during the 13th hour of the day (1:40 p.m.). After the plane was fully boarded, everyone had to get off because of a mechanical failure. ... "Could it be because I was the honorary bell ringer at the Winchester Mystery House last month to commemorate Friday the 13th?" Constant wondered.

March 15, 2009
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs: Is there a return policy on this politician?
"I find it offensive they think they can buy me," the District 1 councilman told IA when asked about it, calling the accusation that he has ignored his brothers in blue "totally baseless."... "If they think they have somebody who can do better, bring it on," Constant said. "I have a great relationship with my constituents, and I plan to earn my votes in my next election."

March 8, 2009
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs: San Jose City Council hails 'Square Root Day': 3/3/09
The council's Geek Squad - made up of Pete Constant, Kansen Chu, Pierluigi Oliverio and Ash Kalra - held up cards that formed the equation 3 x 3=9. In his less-than-brief remarks commemorating the occasion, Constant described it as a "Silicon Valley's geek holiday." Judging by the man-giggling going on in the chamber, he had found Square Root Day's core constituency.

March 3, 2009
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose neighbors hit the streets in search of illegal signs
Constant believes those using the public right-of-way to advertise their businesses are the main offenders. Most of the businesses advertised are located outside of the neighborhood, he added. "They are trying to get an unfair advantage by using these cheap, cheesy signs all over the city," he said. "We want to make sure our businesses become part of our community and not a blight on our community," Constant said, adding that he is not "anti-sign."

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:

• Pete's Message
• 2009-2010 Budget
• Keeping Our Children Safe
• Great American Litter Pick-Up

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?
If you have any questions about the District 1 E- Newsletter, please contact our office at District1@sanjoseca.gov or call (408) 535-4901

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