Transparency is a terrific word used by politicians to camouflage anything that’s not transparent. Over-spoken and underutilized, the word has been abused by misuse. “We want to be totally transparent with this new revenue stream generator.” That’s called a new tax. “This audit will dispel any doubt about the expeditures and billings required by law … Read more
Our City has over a 1,000 employees who provide a wide range of services that most of us take for granted. While we are busy with our own work, raising families, PTA meetings, church and after school activities, our City employees contribute quietly and effectively to our community. Our own power company headed by John … Read more
Our City is now in the middle of a very expensive arbitration with the San Francisco 49ers. This million dollar expense was not in our budget. The 49ers did not want to enter arbitration, they just wanted Santa Clara to honor their contracts. When our Mayor and City Council decided not to honor the Stadium … Read more
Santa Clara, is a great place to live. There is so much to love about our City, from our soccer parks to the Senior Center, a lot of thought has been invested in the planning of our community. We have been fortunate to have a police department that has maintained their vigilance and kept our … Read more
Sizing up our City in succinct syllables of sound is a soliloquy of silliness. While Shakespeare was a master at forming phrases filled with fortuitous fortune, failure and folly, most mortals are relegated to meek and modest meanderings. Our City has a Shakespearean similarity; a dim and dark drama driven into dilemma by dubious decisions. … Read more
As Paul Harvey would say, “And now, the rest of the story.” Santa Clara has been embroiled in an audit of our Stadium operations for the past seven months. An audit suggested by the Grand Jury, not ordered. During the election, audit update meetings were conducted by the Mayor, with the press present. She often … Read more
Recently one of our staff members attended the annual conference of our California News Publishers Association (CNPA) in Los Angeles. It was encouraging to be assured that newspapers are alive, well and thriving in the Golden State. With over 250 members, the CNPA is one of the largest newspaper associations in the country and provide … Read more
Now that the “infamous” audit for the stadium has unofficially been leaked to the press it can and will be discussed in more detail. For in depth City audit coverage see Carolyn Schuk’s article on page 6. You may not remember how this auditor was chosen to perform our audit, so let’s review. City staff … Read more
Everyone loves a good scandal. The juicy facts are so compelling you just can’t turn away and ignore the salient revelations of who did what to whom. Particularly, if it is someone we know. The blockbuster of the year is about to break in Santa Clara and it has turned out to be more of … Read more
If you have watched more than one Council meeting this year, you have noticed recycling in action. In this case, the recycling has no value for our environment and has become rather obnoxious. We are referencing here the boring list of City Council groupies that deem it a requirement to speak on every topic on … Read more