Councilmember Pete Constant
District 1, City of San José
200 East Santa Clara Street,18th Floor
San José, CA 95113
Telephone: (408) 535-4901
Fax: (408) 292-6448
Pete.Constant@sanjoseca.gov
www.sjdistrict1.com

Inside this Issue:

• Message from Pete
• 3rd Annual Senior Walk
• Great American Litter Pick-Up
• Update on Calabazas Library

Helpful Links for D1 Residents:

• Pete's Calendar
• Council Agenda
• Live and Archived Council Meetings
• District 1 Map
• Photos of District 1 Events
• District 1 Neighborhood Groups
• Pete and District 1 in the News
• Parks in District 1
• District 1 Staff
• Review permits in San José

Service Providers for D1 Residents:

Connecting to your government:

• Mayor and Council
• San José Charter
• San José Municipal Code
• San José Boards and Commissions
• Santa Clara County
• Registrar of Voters
• Guide to Government
• State of California
• U.S. Government

Important Phone Numbers:

Questions or Suggestions?
If you have any questions about the District 1 Community Newsletter or would like to suggest topics or announcements for future issues, then please contact Mary Anne Groen at MaryAnne.Groen@sanjoseca.gov or you can call her at (408) 535-4901

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Message from Councilmember Pete Constant

March is the perfect month to begin thinking about getting in shape; mentally, physically, and fiscally.  Often the challenge of balancing all three dimensions appears daunting but by making a concerted effort we can reap the rewards of increased vitality and a sense of well-being. 

Walking is one of the oldest and best ways to keep physically fit and one of the easiest exercise regimens to start.  As we age, the opportunities for exercise are limited by many factors and some of the most limiting are the ability to withstand extremes in heat and cold as well as varying terrain.  Older citizens often have fewer opportunities to socialize due to retirement or limited mobility.  So I'm glad to have the opportunity to host the upcoming senior walking event where we can introduce seniors to mall walking as an alternative to the obstacles to healthy living practices faced by many in the senior community. I'm looking forward to getting the legs moving and the arms pumping and joining you, your mom or dad or even your grandparents while along the way gathering information from the accompanying resource fair.  If you haven't been out walking lately or even if you're a pro-walker, please join me for the 3rd Annual West Valley Senior Walk on Friday, April 4th, 2008 beginning at 8:45 a.m. at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall.  Read the Senior Walk article in the newsletter for a more convincing argument to get out and walk. 

While on a walk the other day I read a flyer that stated, "Better living through thinking."  The flyer invited people to a café to discuss troubling or intriguing questions and have meaningful dialogue.  Meaningful dialogue.  Isn't that what elected officials should have with their constituents?  That's why I want to extend an invitation to you, the residents of West San José, to have a dialogue with me during the 2nd Annual Neighborhood Summit on April 7th from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Archibishop Mitty High School - Multipurpose Room.  During the meeting we will have a presentation of the budget, a list of the unfunded initiatives, and a discussion of the process that the city uses to create the new budget. Through a collaborative approach with our fellow residents and city staff, we can refocus our efforts to be fiscally responsible and tackle the budget deficit while along the way rebuild that sense of well-being so many of us had not so long ago.  We need your help and input at this meeting to address your priorities and gather from you an idea of what the city can and should be doing to save money while supporting core city services. 

Addressing the need for safe neighborhoods and solutions to the recent increase in violent crimes is the charge of the Mayor's Gang Task Force and I am working with the Task Force to address the recent violent acts in District 1 and the most recent incident near the border of our district at Hamann Park.  One action we are taking to improve communication with the community is to hold informational meetings when acts of gang violence occur.  In response to the discovery of a dead body found at Hamann Park, a community meeting has been scheduled for Monday, March 17, 2008 at Monroe Middle School Cafeteria from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Monroe Middle School is located at 1055 South Monroe Street, San José.  All residents are invited to join me at this very important meeting.

Your Neighbor,

PETE IN THE NEWS

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 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 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.