Pete Constant in the News

August 22, 2008
West San Jose Resident, Fatal hit-and-run prompts city to look at traffic calming near senior center
Constant said he is not sure what is feasible, but he wants to explore the possibility of lowering the speed limit in front of the center to create a senior zone similar to those found near school campuses. He suggested lowering the speed limit from 25 miles per hour to 20 or 15 miles per hour.

August 22, 2008
West San Jose Resident, Health van rolls into to Starbird Youth Center, offering free health services
"The [program] was looking for under-served communities to provide services to, and we fit the bill. So it was just a matter of good timing," said District 1 Councilman Pete Constant, whose office was responsible for coordinating the Starbird stop this summer.

August 18, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose rivals gearing up for fight over fast food ban
Constant also wondered whether the proposal contradicts the city's goal to bring more jobs to San Jose - not fewer - to spark economic development. "I think we have a lot of serious issues facing San Jose right now," Constant said. "This is something that is going to take away from the real work that needs to be done."

August 14, 2008
West San Jose Resident, City hopes to bring in more money with bigger signs
There is a striking difference, in terms of marketing and signage viewable from the street, that could cause consumers to spend their dollars in Santa Clara instead of San Jose, Constant said. "We want to give every opportunity we can to dealerships when consumers are choosing between San Jose and Santa Clara," said Constant, adding that the ordinance can also affect where dealerships choose to locate.

August 13, 2008
The Metro, Greens Strike Back
Constant says he's not about to back down from his positions. "They are mad we are not interpreting things their way," Constant said. "To be blunt, their position on the issue doesn't sway me."

August 13, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Seniors decry speeders after hit-run deaths
"We want to make sure this area is safe for you," said Constant, whose district includes the senior center. "And we want to make sure you get as expeditiously across the street as you can."

August 10, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs - Most passionate' award goes to . . . Williams
Constant then tried to convince IA that he does, in fact, know a thing or two about passion. "I have five kids," he pointed out with a smile.

August 6, 2008
The Metro, Grand jury schools the city on its mishandling of money for History San Jose, but that may not be its only nonprofit problem
"I honestly feel whenever we have nonprofits and we provide them with grants it should be a incubation process to get them on their feet and be self-sufficient," Constant said. "Fundraising has got to be a priority for all our nonprofits in the city and we need to make sure their board is actively fundraising. I don't know if they are."

August 6, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Higher taxes: too much all at once?
Constant and Vice Mayor Dave Cortese voted against the 911 fee, which Constant called "an illegal tax."

August 5, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Council weighs changes to help taxicab owners
"It is reasonable for us to have a minimum fare," said Councilman Pete Constant, who has joined forces with councilwomen Nora Campos and Nancy Pyle. "These are small, independent operators."

July 13, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs
"It was pretty crappy for them to do that," he grumbled. "I was outraged. It is ludicrous to contrive something like that to make me look bad." Besides, all the contract negotiations have been held in closed session, so how Ricketts or anyone else at the union would know Constant's position on the matter is a bit unclear.

July 11, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose's Easterbrook group set to hold first community meeting
District 1 Councilman Pete Constant is scheduled to speak, and representatives from the San Jose Police Department will give an update on the district.

July 9, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Battle over noise, expansion brews between San Jose mall, neighbors
Working with City Councilman Pete Constant's office, residents hope they can get all parties to agree on addressing the complaints before moving forward with the build-out.

June 25, 2008
The Metro, Snippy Cups
He brought a range of props that would have made Carrot Top proud—water bottles, tin cans and sippy cups—in an attempt to show that even after banning bottled water, the city has to deal with soda and other liquids in cans and glass bottles. "I don't see how we are getting to the recycling problem," Constant said. He also argued that it poses a potential health threat to ask employees to rely on reusable cups and tap water.

June 22, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Pizarro: Funny Politics
No surprise, then, that Constant will be the guest host June 30 at this year's skit show, which mocks South Bay politics and political figures.

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 pension

May 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."

April 30, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Later hours for downtown S.J. nightlife
Councilman Pete Constant, a retired police officer, backed the chief. "I really am concerned about some of the public safety issues," he said, "and the strain we continue to put on the department as we give them more and more to do with less resources."

April 25, 2008
San Jose Biz Journal, Small signs, big problem
"This doesn't make sense for an auto row when right across the street is the city of Santa Clara, which makes it much easier to do business," says San Jose Councilman Pete Constant, who called the code "almost incomprehensible," requiring business owners to hire consultants to decipher it. "As a city we should be giving them the tools to succeed," Constant says. "There was a time in San Jose when signs were equal to bad. We still have that mentality."

April 17, 2008
San Jose Resident, West San Jose neighborhood gets stop sign after years of trying
Wardall did not give up. He succeeded in obtaining another traffic study a year later with the help of District 1 Councilman Pete Constant. "He was very committed, and it is good to see people whose actions speak louder than words," Constant said.

April 11, 2008
West San Jose Resident, Valley Fair mall hosts walking event for seniors
"The purpose of this walk is to motivate seniors," said San Jose City Councilman Pete Constant, who hosted the event. "This is the biggest year yet," Constant said of the event that drew more than double the participants than previous years.

April 8, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Leaders talk budget with public
Constant compared the city's money woes to that of a family that overspends. "We have done a great job charging," he said, "but we haven't done a great job paying off those balances."

April 7, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose leaders look to loosen downtown restrictions for street vendor
Councilmembers Nancy Pyle, Pete Constant, Nora Campos and Sam Liccardo showed early support for the idea, but Liccardo questioned whether more street vendors would sap money from street fairs. Attendance has dropped at some events, and organizers of the San Jose Jazz Festival and Christmas in the Park indicated that sponsors do not like outside competition. Constant said it seemed unfair to make vendors leave when big crowds visit downtown.

March 25, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Pizarro: Flying Colors
Normally, flag-raising ceremonies are held during the week, but San Jose City Councilman Pete Constant - whose father immigrated to the United States from Greece - wanted it to take place last Saturday so more families could attend. "My father came here with nothing and built a better life for his family through hard work and determination," Constant said. "He also taught us to be proud of our Greek heritage, through our church and, of course, Greek food."

March 20, 20008
San Jose Mercury News, Petition about 'Little Saigon' called bogus, but not illegal
"These individuals are not under oath," Councilman Pete Constant said. "They didn't sign anything saying they were testifying under penalty of perjury."

March 5, 2008
NBC11, SJ 'Little Saigon' Name Debate In New Hands
"I'm very confident that what I saw was a significant number of people that were on the side of Little Saigon," Constant said. "There is a consensus or an overwhelming majority."

March 5, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose council again shoots down 'Little Saigon' name
Constant agreed, saying business owners who came forward only in recent weeks to voice their opposition to the name had missed their chance. "You can't show up late to the prom and then complain that you missed the first dance, and that is exactly what is happening here," Constant said.

February 28, 2008
The Almaden Times Weekly, Breaking ground for new SJPD home
“We have to stop putting things off to pay for later,” said Councilmember Pete Constant at the Dec. 18 council meeting prior to the vote approving construction. “We can’t ignore the fact that we not only have a $175 million deficit, we also have $700 million in deferred maintenance. We really need to struggle with those issues. I can’t see making sacrifices in infrastructure and public safety…” he said.

February 21, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose budget process secretive, critics say
Constant said: "I don't see anything improper with those types of informative meetings. . . . Now, if we'd agendized to accept those recommendations and put them into the budget, then I wouldn't have been comfortable."

February 21, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose city auditor's right to examine travel costs questioned
The council's Rules and Open Government Committee voted 2-1 to revisit the matter in two weeks so lawyers for the city and the trustees could discuss their differences. That suggestion was made by Councilman Pete Constant, who is a beneficiary of one pension fund and a trustee of the other.

February 20, 2008
The Metro, Mr. Saigon
It was at that meeting that many Vietnamese-Americans stepped up to the microphone to endorse Chu's proposal—which was co-authored by Councilman Pete Constant. It gave Constant a funny feeling inside. "I got the feeling he went out and drummed up people to come forth," Constant said. "You might speculate ... not only is Daisy running, but he is running."

February 16, 2008
The New York Times, In San Jose, Disputes and Anger After Vote on Street Name
“You simply can’t impose a community name on a community,” said Councilman Pete Constant, one of three members to support the Little Saigon name. “It was clear to me there was almost unanimous support for Little Saigon,” Mr. Constant said. “I felt it was my job to help the community get ownership of the name.”

February 14, 2008
FogCityJournal.com, San Jose City Council schedules vote for naming of Vietnamese business district
"We owe it to the community to have certainty, to have some consistency to what we do,'' Councilman Pete Constant said at Wednesday's committee meeting. "In this case we've kind of made a mess.''

February 10, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Dispute colors Tet celebration
Little Saigon politics have split the city council, leading to unprecedented no-shows at an event that celebrates the heritage of 10 percent of San Jose residents. But councilmen Kansen Chu, Dave Cortese, Pierluigi Oliverio, Pete Constant and Forrest Williams enthusiastically participated in the parade.

February 10, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, A night of dueling galas in Silicon Valley
Golden Circle is a dizzying affair to say the least. I ran into far too many people to mention, though I’ll give it a shot: ...Pete and Julie Constant...

February 9, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Reed recasts 911 fee opinion
San Jose Councilman Pete Constant, also a critic of the 911 fee, appreciates Reed's dilemma. He hasn't decided whether the council should seek a vote on the fee, noting that "we haven't been very successful" asking voters to approve taxes.

February 8, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, 'Little Saigon' vote in question
Councilman Pete Constant - one of three council members who voted against the Nov. 20 motion, citing concerns the community was being steamrolled - said the matter should be investigated."If you know that people are going to be with you and follow you whatever the name is going to be, I think that is a violation," Constant said. "I think the Brown Act is pretty clear."

February 8, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Internal Affairs: Guess Who's Coming to the Tet Parade
So for members of the public who are actually capable of recognizing a city council member, look for Forrest Williams, Pete Constant, Pierluigi Oliverio, Dave Cortese and Kansen Chu riding up Market Street in classic Thunderbird convertibles.

February 1, 2008
The Vanguard, Featured Article: Councilmember Pete Constant
"My goal is to get District 1 organized into neighborhood organizations to bring back that sense of community-people who know each other, socialize with each other, help each other-I've been very successful in starting neighborhood organizations and getting the leadership started and getting different parts of the district to work together so that they are not reinventing the wheel. On the City-wide level, my number one priority is the budget." Constant said.

February 1, 2008
West San Jose Resident, City paves way for new public access TV studio
At a Jan. 17 meeting of the city's public safety, finance and strategic support committee, city staff members described the changes to Councilmembers Pete Constant, Pierluigi Oliverio, Madison Nguyen and Forrest Williams, and they indicated their early support.

January 30, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Peace sought in 'Saigon' dispute
Councilman Pete Constant - who voted against Saigon Business District out of concern the council was ignoring popular sentiment - was surprised by Cortese's sudden turn. "It's kind of late to start on these efforts," Constant said. "The listening should have started before the council's vote."

January 28, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, San Jose council calendars out of date
"I'm disappointed," said Councilman Pete Constant, who began posting his calendar online with weekly updates in March - months before the council made it a requirement. "It's disheartening to me to see council members not taking this as seriously as they should. I feel it's important that the public knows what we're doing."

January 27, 2008
San Jose Mercury News, Pizarro: 'Body Worlds' is a Tech Museum blockbuster, attracting 285,000
But while the financial picture was good, Friess was even happier about the visibility gained by the Tech. Saturday morning, he said, San Jose City Councilman Pete Constant visited the exhibit.

January 11, 2008
West San Jose Resident, Constant backs new memorial for SJ's public safety officials
"I think it's important that there's a memorial that reminds the general public of the ultimate sacrifice by city employees to keep people safe," Constant said.

January 3, 2008
West San Jose Resident, 'Cheap Hauling' trucks face scrutiny from some neighbors
"I'm very concerned that the company is doing business without regard to the image and appearance of our community." Constant said.

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SEE ALSO: Pete Constant in the News 2007 Archives »