Message from Councilmember Pete Constant
Welcome to the District 1 Web site. I am honored to serve as your representative and I’m committed to making sure that your voice and interests will be heard by the San José City Council. In my role as Councilmember, I will do my best to serve our community by increasing efforts to organize our neighborhoods, making our City open and customer friendly, and building our employment base. I am confident that if we work together, we can achieve these goals and ensure that San José will be a healthy place to raise a family for years to come. Please take some time to explore the District 1 Web site to learn more about what is happening in your community and how you can get involved.
NEWS UPDATE:
Councilmember Constant Leads the 3-Year General Fund Structural Deficit Elimination Plan Stakeholder Group On April 8, 2008 the City Council approved the 3-Year General Fund Structural Deficit Elimination Plan Stakeholder Group. These individuals will develop alternatives and options for consideration in the 3-Year
General Fund Structural Deficit Elimination Plan. Their feedback will inform the City Council as they review the 3-Year General Fund Structural Deflcit Elimination Plan in November 2008. For more information, click the link below.Councilmember Constant moves forward with plans for the Winchester Boulevard Master Plan
Councilmember Constant and the Redevelopment Agency begin plans to implement a Winchester Boulevard Master Plan which will bring potential future improvements to the Winchester Boulevard business corridor. Residents and business owners are encouraged to participate in the developing process. For more information, click the link below to visit the Winchester Boulevard Master Plan homepage.
Councilmember Constant Recommends City Council Action to Reduce Dangers of Second-Hand Porn at Public Libraries City Councilmember Pete Constant is concerned about “second-hand porn” available online at all City Libraries and he is taking action to protect our children. According to Councilmember Constant, “We have spent countless hours working to protect our children from second-hand smoke in parks, but have done nothing to protect them from the dangers of viewing obscene material over the shoulder of adult porn-viewers.”
CALABAZAS PROJECTS MEETING
Attend a meeting to discuss upcoming Calabazas Projects
Councilmember Pete Constant invites you to attend a community meeting regarding the renovation of the Calabazas Park play lot, Community Garden reconstruction, an architectural update on the new Calabazas Branch Library, and a "Meet the Artists" who will be designing the library public art. For more information and/or questions, please call the Branch Library Development Team at 408-535-8450 For more information call (408) 535-4901 or click the link below.
Leadership Group meeting agenda and minutes available online
Connect with your community leaders and discuss important issues in your neighborhood. The next meeting will be on July 12th and Councilmember Constant will provide the BBQ. Minutes from the May 10th meeting is also available online. Click the link below to view the agenda and minutes from Leadership Group meetings or call Mary Anne Groen at 535-4901 for more questions.
Free Health Services for homeless and uninsured youth ages 12-24
The Starbird Teen Center in partnership with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is offering free Summer Teen Health Care. A Teen Health Van will be at Starbird Teen Center to offer free services suh as: physical exams, immunizations, nutrition counseling, and STD testing and treatment. For more information call Ray Hidalgo at (408) 984-1954 or click the link below.
Latest News from around West San José
June 18, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Budget deal to add 25 cops
"We can save money without impacting services," said Councilman Pete Constant, a retired cop and current pension fund trustee. "This is by all accounts a great idea."
June 16, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose mayor, councilwoman verbally tussle over hiring more cops
Constant put it more bluntly. "We have to balance the budget without playing political games and grandstanding," said Constant, in a jab at Campos, who has raised her profile in recent months by sharply criticizing the mayor.
June 11, 2008
The Metro, Certified Crazy
Constant summed up the surprise result like this: "Look how much the Vietnamese love me, and I'm not Vietnamese." Indeed, Constant became something of a hero in the Viet community when he supported the popular Little Saigon name for the business district. "I think people are looking for more conservatism in the fiscal areas," says Constant. "You can't deny we are in a financial crunch."
June 6, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, S.J. mayor wants to hire 25 new cops despite deficit, but police union not satisfied
"I think it's a step in the right direction," said Councilman Pete Constant, a retired policeman. "In a perfect world, we'd all like to do more. It's such a delicate balancing act to provide all the services throughout the city."
May 31. 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Anti-porn test not too revealing
Constant said afterward the demo went "as I expected." While the demonstration may not have swayed any critics, Constant noted that several council member aides were in the room quietly observing. "Those are the ones that count," he said.
May 30, 2008
KGO TV, Councilman pushes for computer filters
"I think we need to make sure that our libraries are safe friendly environments for families and children, number one. And number two, I don't think it's our responsibility as a city to pay for and provide pornography to people," said Constant.
May 29, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Councilman plans demo of porn filter
San Jose City Councilman Pete Constant on Friday will host a public demonstration of technology he says can effectively filter Internet pornography without impeding legitimate research.
May 22, 2008
West San Jose Resident, Groups take sides in debate over blocking porn on library computers
Despite opposition from San Jose's Library Commission, Youth Commission and the city's library director, Councilman Pete Constant is not backing down in his bid to filter pornography on library computers. "My intent is to make libraries clean, safe and attractive places. Kids shouldn't be exposed to porn," Constant said.May 15, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose council to reconsider policy on porn filters at libraries
Councilman Pete Constant in October asked the council to reconsider its current policy, adopted in 1997, which allows unfiltered Web access at all city libraries. He said the policy has made libraries a magnet for men viewing porn and exposing themselves in public, resulting in more than a dozen arrests at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. main library.May 14, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, S.J. council to keep legal memo about developers secret
Councilman Pete Constant, a property rights advocate, had pushed for the release of the controversial memo. "Unfortunately, this practice has expanded," Constant wrote in requesting the information be released.
May 10, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose retirement officials' pricey travel paid at pensions' expense
"When you're traveling on the public's money, you need to be cautious about how much money you're spending," said Councilman Pete Constant. He is a trustee of the pension fund for the city's civilian workers and, as a retired policeman, a beneficiary of San Jose's other pensionMay 7, 2008
San Jose Biz Journal, San Jose City Council won't allow rezoning of 7 acres near Santana Row
Pete Constant, Forrest Williams, Nora Campos and David Cortese and Nancy Pyle voted in favor of the proposal.
May 2, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Nguyen recall effort is just plain wrong
Nguyen's service to San Jose should be judged not by this one issue, but by everything she has done since taking office. Attempting to recall her will splinter the community, pit leaders against each other and reopen wounds that will take years to heal.
May 1, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Cities worry about 911 fee
San Jose Councilman Pete Constant called 911 "one of the most essential core city services that we offer, and I don't think you should be taxed for it. That's what we pay our basic property and other taxes for."
