EDITORIAL: THE NEXT GENERATION OF SJPD ROOKIES versus SENIOR OFFICERS.

THE NEXT GENERATION OF SJPD ROOKIES IS COMING IN WITH PEPPER SPRAY, FLASHLIGHTS AND RADIO; THAT'S AS THE NUMBER OF SENIOR OFFICERS DWINDLES.

SEE THIS VIDEO FROM KTVU 2 NEWS:http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/san-jose-community-service-officer-plan-triggers-c/ng5ch/

Now, Mayor Reed's agenda has impacted us to the point wherein the SJPD has begun training civilians to handle low-priority calls. This is unprecedented. The regular patrol force is already backlogged, running behind with high-priority calls. Adding rookies will not help the force, since new recruits cannot carry guns and require Field Training Officers to assist and protect them.

Just today, we heard that four more senior policers resigned from the force.

Traffic enforcement officers at one point were 50 officers strong, but now down to 9 officers on motorcycles.

Traffic enforcement officers are the ones that patrol around schools and follow drunk drivers on our streets, before these bad drivers cause accidents. The Mayor and City Council are not backfilling these enforcement positions.

Band-aid type solutions are not the solution to a city that's seriously bleeding. Your needs are already being "triaged": a process of wherein the police department is forced to determine more important things from amongst a large list of concerns that requires attention. Senior officers are tired, working over time and stressed out!

Folks… its time to wake up! We don't have enough patrol officers or training officers. But, at the rate we're going, this civilian force will become your regular police force.

Remember, even if they are unhappy, police and firefighters cannot go on labor strike. Instead, they just leave one by one.

What's happening here in San Jose is a major issue, relating to the nation's tenth largest city, third in the state. Once known as "America's Safest Big City," we have turned that completely upside down. The city council is at war with its own Police and Fire Department and doesn't realize that the "Capital of Silicon Valley" is in dire straits.

This report from KTVU Channel 2 and other networks is much appreciated; whereas it's a stark contrast to the Mercury News' editorial staff, which seems to be back-paging (if not silencing) these issues and endorsing politics-as-usual.

#BACKFILLING #SanJoseCA #POLICE #SJPD #SJPOA #ByTheNumbers #LawEnforcement #WillowGlen

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/san-jose-community-service-officer-plan-triggers-c/ng5ch/



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NEXT PHASE AT COMMUNICATIONS HILL DEVELOPMENT: TRAFFIC IMPACT SHOULD BE THE MAIN ISSUE FOR AN OUTREACH MEETING, AUGUST 28

South-bound Guadalupe Parkway/HWY-87
approaching turn-off for Almaden Expressway, Camden Avenue and Capitol Expressay
This picture is taken from Virginia Street bridge overpass

THE CITY OF SAN JOSE WILL HOST A PUBLIC OUTREACH MEETING ABOUT THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS HILL 2 PROJECT.

Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village is concerned about the addition of 2,200 more residential units with a projected automobile presence of approximately 4,000 more cars; that's for example, if we assume that each of those new households will have 1.5 cars each.

The addition of this many cars can have a negative impact as traffic spills over onto Curtner Avenue and Lincoln Avenue from both Guadalupe Parkway/HWY-87 and the Almaden Expressway. These areas are already congested during commuter hours.

Stakeholders SGV suggests serious mitigation alternatives to help ease traffic congestion. The meeting may well include issues about pollution and traffic congestion; but, we must engage a meaningful conversation that assures real solutions to this very real problem.

Guadalupe Parkway/HWy-87, coming from the north at downtown San Jose.
This picture is taken from Virginia Street bridge overpass.

Project Location & Information:

The Communications Hill 2 Project (approximately 320 acres) is the proposed development of the remainder of the Communications Hill Specific Plan approved by the City of San José in 1992. The project consists of up to 2,200 residential units, in a variety of configurations; up to 67,500 square feet of mixed-use commercial space, up to 1.44 million square feet of industrial park uses, public parks, trails, and a school site.

When: Thursday - August 28, 2014 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Time: Presentation starts at 6:45pm

Where: 

Communications Hill - Fire Station 33
2933 St. Florian Way, San Jose, CA 95136

Featuring:

City of San José Planning
Martina Davis, Acting Senior Planner
Email: martina.davis@sanjoseca.govPhone: (408) 535-7888

Contact for KB Home
Peter Lezak, Senior Director, Forward Planning
Email: plezak@kbhome.com
Phone: (925) 983-4521

Assyrian Food Festival, Saturday 23 August 2014

Don't forget that the Assyrian Food Festival is happening today in Willow Glen, Saturday 23 August 2014. Enjoy traditional Assyrian food, live music, dancing and entertainment, exotic teas, coffee and pastries. There's also a wine bar, exhibits and more… See vendors from around the world and let the kids play in a fun-filled kid zone! There will be a raffle grand prize for a 2014 Ford Mustang.

The event is happening at 680 Minnesota Avenue and includes free admission, shuttle and parking.


visit assyrianfest.com

SJ TAMIEN STATION AREA PLAN BACK ONLINE WITH OUTREACH MEETINGS. TIME TO RAISE SOME QUESTIONS

THE TAMIEN STATION AREA PLAN IS BACK ONLINE WITH AN INITIAL PARKING STRUCTURE PROJECT.  

A "Notice of Availablity & Meeting Invitation" has been sent to residents within ½ mile of Tamien Light Rail/Caltrain Station.   It's questionable if others in the Willow Glen neighborhood and surrounding areas have learned about the "Intitial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) that is included in this invitation.

This notice regards a parking structure project, a preliminary matter with regards to the overall building development.   Currently, VTA is going forth with outreach meetings once again, before construction actually begins.



MEETING DATE:
To learn more about the Project an draft IS/MND, you are encouraged to attend the following community meeting:

Tuesday 18 November 2014

5:30pm to 7:30pm

San Jose Elks Lodge, No. 522

444 West Alma Avenue, San Jose, 95110

BRIEF:
Valley Transit Authority (VTA) is proposing a four or five level parking structure within VTA's existing Tamien Station Light Rail Transit surface parking lot in San Jose to accommodate future parking demand, due to light rail and Caltrain operations.  The parking structure would provide up to 900 parking spaces. 


OFFICIAL SUMMARY FROM THE CITY OF SAN JOSE:

"The Project would consist of a four- or five-level parking structure with all levels above-grade. The parking structure would provide up to 900 parking spaces. Electric vehicle charging stations would be provided. The location of the parking structure would require the existing bus transit loop to be relocated to the south side of the proposed structure. A passenger drop off/pick up location would be located either in the bus transit loop area or in a turnout along Lelong Street. Bioinfiltration facilities to capture storm water runoff would be located on the west side of the parking structure along Lelong Street and in the middle of the bus transit loop. Replacement landscaping would include California native and/or drought-tolerant plants. The Project also proposes a traffic signal at Lelong Street and the State Route 87 on/off ramps. Figure 2 in the IS/MND provides a conceptual site plan for the Project and an illustration of the internal parking structure circulation."

The Draft Initial Study/proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) and technical appendices for the Tamien Station Parking Structure Project are now available at the following website:

http://131.103.70.39/cma/environmental_public/TamienStationParkingStructure/

DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS 
Comments will be accepted at the meeting or by postal mail or email to the address below.
Comments regarding the potential environmental impacts of the proposed Project are requested by:

5 pm on December 4, 2014.  

VTA Environmental Programs/Resources Management Department
Attention: Ann Calnan
3331 North First Street, Building B-2 San Jose, CA 95134-1927
E-mail: tamien.parking@vta.org 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
See more about this matter at de·Anza Press:

SJ TAMIEN STATION AREA PLAN BACK ONLINE WITH OUTREACH MEETINGS; QUESTIONS REMAIN

APIS FLORAL ARRIVES AT LINCOLN AVENUE, NEAR GLEN EYRIE & COE (OLD ANNE'S FLORAL SHOP)

APIS FLORAL HAS MOVED-IN AT THE CORNER OF LINCOLN AVENUE & PEDRO STREET.







Apis means bee in Latin, symbolizing this company's passion to your floral needs, "Like bees to honey." Willow Glen's new neighborhood florist specializes in craft & tailored floral arrangement; event design; as well as corporate/home and holiday staging. Floral arrangements are customized for each client need, including thoughtful detail in architecture and environment. Event designs are made to “wow,” as Apis helps you with everything; such as with the selection and style of an event tent; focal statement pieces, lounge settings, candy tables, custom bar, party favors and all other in-between items that come to mind. Home and corporate care includes window displays, landscape interior design, Christmas tree decoration and a host of other ideas you may want to bring out from your imagination.


We're happy to see Apis arrive in the neighborhood, especially since our last "Blight to Bright" street clean-up project in this area. It's good to realize that the old Anne's Floral shop will now be occupied by Apis Floral. We've since extended a greeting to the new owners.  We invite you to do the same. Be sure to visit at 955 Lincoln Avenue at Pedro Street, just one block north of Arteaga's Market (at Glen Eyrie and Coe Avenue) at the opposite side of the Los Gatos Creek bridge.


Just like the saying goes — "something old, something new" — its good to see a new floral shop at the old site, continuing Lincoln Avenue's mix of diverse businesses for neighborhood residents.


The team here does seem quite professional, passionate and committed to their enterprise, as you can see a roster of some of their corporate customers here.


Please welcome Jose Ibarra, founder and creative force behind Apis Floral, along with Arlene Hamacher a seasoned event planner; plus, Efrain Escalante, their marketing and social media guru.

CONACT: APIS FLORA at
flowers@apisfloral.com


Telephone (408) 879.9620


Apis Floral website:
http://www.apisfloral.com


Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/apis.floral


Instagram:
http://instagram.com/apisfloral/


Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/apisfloral/

SAN JOSE DOT'S "FUTURE BICYCLE PROJECTS," PROMO BY STAKEHOLDERS SGV

SAN JOSE DOT'S "FUTURE BICYCLE PROJECTS," CONCERNED LINCOLN AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS.

This Public Meeting was as of 13 AUG 2014 by the CITY of SAN JOSE, Department of Transportation(DOT), and was promoted by Stakeholders SGV. 

It concerns much of the work that Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village has contributed over the years, so as to bring the proposed BICYCLE‐related street improvements.

For Lincoln Avenue this will include:
— add Bicycle Lanes between Willow Street &San Carlos Street
— add Shared Lane pavement markings & signing between San Carlos Street & Park Avenue.

The meeting occurred at GardnerCommunity Center (520 W. Virginia Street).

Featured from San Jose DOT were:
Hans F. Larsen, Director
Paul Smith, Deputy Director
John Brazil, Bicycle Programs

Thanks go to the following individuals:

Supervisor DAVE CORTESE for attending the full meeting and supporting the bicycle lane programs in Willow Glen.   

Councilmember PIERLUIGI OLIVERIO for his support of bicycle lanes in Willow Glen over the years.

Chairperson CARLOS BABCOCK and everyone from SAN JOSE BIKE PARTY for your support and attendance!

EXTRA THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
Mike's Bikes (http://mikesbikes.com/)
Hyland Bicycle Shop (http://www.hylandbikes.com)
Red Dot Fitness (http://www.reddotfitness.net)
Eye Luv Lucy (http://www.eyeluvlucy.com)

PHOTOS: courtesy of Richard Zappelli, chairperson of Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village