Author: orc1428308415337

April 22, 2021 orc1428308415337 No comments exist

Most newcomers to downtown San Jose look around and just assume that the usual urban flight, bad neighborhoods, economic cycles, etc. led to the tragically sad state of the downtown core. Oddly, it was none of the above. Instead, it was the City Planning Department and Department of Transportation that jointly created the hostile environment…

October 11, 2020 orc1428308415337 No comments exist

The state of the gateway streets to downtown San Jose reflect overall neglect, if not active mismanagement, by City Hall. This is not a Covid-19 phenomenon. The areas have looked like this for years. One of the pillars of our downtown business community, Jim Salata, from July 2020 started to organize series of clean-up events…

September 20, 2020 orc1428308415337 No comments exist

Silicon Valley is home to vast cultural diversity built on the overarching theme of Technology. Being involved in technical disciplines, many of us living here have an expectation that logic and reason factor into the operation of our local government. Thus, when we see problems in our community, we try getting involved – maybe dealing…

January 29, 2020 orc1428308415337 No comments exist

Of all the departments in its City Hall, none has been a more effective contributor to the decline of downtown than the San Jose Department of Code Enforcement. This is a very harsh assessment, but is nonetheless accurate. Here, in a single agency, you’ll find all the worst aspects generally ascribed to a broader panoply…

December 15, 2019 orc1428308415337 No comments exist

San Jose traffic is often in gridlock. Most drivers just grit their teeth and deal with it. Few realize that it’s due not to overwhelming traffic, but instead to a transportation department that focuses on spending money instead of achieving goals. Examples readily come to mind. No expense is spared on buying traffic signaling equipment….

December 2, 2019 orc1428308415337 No comments exist

Development in San Jose is based on whatever will bring in the most revenue. Sometimes this works to the benefit of both developers and the community (rarely). In the case of downtown San Jose, an extreme method that could be called “desperation development” is employed. Any project, no matter how poorly conceived and regardless of…

September 13, 2019 orc1428308415337 No comments exist

People choose to live in San Jose for many reasons. Weather is a big one: it’s sunny and glorious nearly nine months of the year, not cold and damp like San Francisco, nor hot and humid like Miami. Without the mood-ruining climate swings of most places, San Joseans generally tend to be a laid-back, fun-loving,…

August 15, 2019 orc1428308415337 1 comment

When you think of technology in San Jose, what comes to mind? Intelligent transit systems whisking brilliant design engineers to another day of fun and invention? Vast cutting-edge communications networks running silently and invisibly below ground? Smart homes woven into an advanced power grid? Probably none of these. Of all the technology companies in Silicon…