When Santa Clara’s red and white ambulances give way to blue and Rural/Metro Corp’s (www.ruralmetro.com) blue and gold on July 1, one thing won’t change: the county’s expert team of 268 emergency medical technicians (EMTs). In December of last year, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors chose Rural/Metro to replace AMR as the county’s … Read more
Say “roller derby” and chances are you’ll think of 1970s sexploitation flicks – say, “Unholy Rollers” and its drive-in diva star, Playmate Claudia Jennings, or Raquel Welch as “the hottest thing on wheels in “Kansas City Bomber.” But sensationalism – sex-sationalism? – actually plays just a supporting role in the nearly century-old history of roller … Read more
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (LCCR) legal director Robert Rubin claims that the City of Santa Clara is violating California’s 2002 Voting Rights Act. He should know. With Seattle law professor Joaquin Avila, Rubin helped draft the statute, which was passed by the state legislature and signed into law by former Governor Gray Davis. The … Read more
A two-year running dispute between Equity Office, the owner of Techmart, and the City of Santa Clara over the property’s maintenance assessment from the City, continues. Techmart is part of a city maintenance district that includes the Hyatt Hotel and the Santa Clara Convention Center. One of the goals of the City’s 1985 maintenance agreement … Read more
Santa Clara has a balanced budget this year. But the City has no choice. Since 2000, reserves were used six times to balance the City budget in the face of deficits – 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 – leaving nothing much except mothballs in the emergency operating reserves. None of this should been surprising. … Read more
A year ago Santa Clara residents voted “yes” on a proposal to move forward with a plan for a 49ers football stadium in Santa Clara. If anything is surprising a year later, it’s how little has changed in the year since city voters passed Measure J – despite the San Jose Mercury News’ need for … Read more
In the coming year, Santa Clara residents and businesses can expect to see increases in city fees and service charges as the city aligns fees with the costs of providing city services in the face of flat or declining tax revenues. Water prices will go up $3.00 per month for average residential customers, due to … Read more
Despite unseasonably cloudy weather, last Saturday the Santa Clara City Library kicked off its 56th annual summer reading program with a festive afternoon featuring Zippy’s Almost Famous Balloon Circus, craft projects, and – of course – plenty of books for every age for long, lazy summer afternoons. In 1965, then-city librarian Frances Klune launched Santa … Read more
If you’ve ever wished to be a part of opera, now is your chance. And you can support Santa Clara’s recreation programs at the same time. Beginning June 18, Mission City Opera (www.missioncityopera.org) will begin its Chorus Training Program, offered through Santa Clara Parks and Recreation by company founder and executive director — and longtime … Read more
The City of Santa Clara’s operating budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year is up 2.2% from 2010-2011 spending, driven by increases in interest paid on municipal debt (up 25%), payments in-lieu of taxes and franchise fees (up 5.1%) and increases in non-salary operating expenses (up 3.9%). Despite freezing city salaries, implementing one-day-per-month employee furloughs, and … Read more