June 1, 2005

Chirco offers city budget update

By District 9 City Counilmember Judy Chirco
Special to the Timesc

June is a time for vacations, graduations and passing the city budget. During the month of May, the mayor and city council attended numerous study sessions on the proposed budget and listened to the impact it would have on the community. I want to share with you some information about the budget and the remaining timeline for its passage.

Budget update
We are in the midst of preparing the budget for next year. This has been another very difficult year to say the least. Decisions for the 2005-2006 city budget will be made shortly. As we make these decisions we are faced with a projected budget shortfall of $58 million.

When I ask, “ what does a community do during times of economic hardship?” I look at which programs are community-sustaining and which programs are community-enriching. Senior nutrition, safe supervised places for our children and public safety are community-sustaining and remain my priorities.

Parks might not be as well maintained as in previous years, but they still need to be available for families to enjoy. When times are hard you can still use a park to throw a ball or enjoy a picnic with family or friends.

The city manager and city departments have reported to the Council on how they propose we make do with less.

There will be one more public hearing on the budget, Monday, June 13 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers when we hear from the residents of San Jose. The City Council will have discussions on June 15 and the final budget vote will be on June 22. I invite all of you to participate in this democratic process.

Kiwanis Club of Cambrian Park hosts golf tournament
The Kiwanis Club of Cambrian Park is sponsoring a golf tournament to benefit the Silicon Valley Children’s Hospital Foundation on Friday, June 10 at Coyote Creek Golf Club.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the tournament will go toward the support of the Silicon Valley Children’s
Hospital Foundation.

For further information, contact Bill Arlt, tournament director at (408) 356-3651. San Jose is the largest city in the county without a children’s hospital.

Recycle your electronics
HOPE Services will take your old computer monitors and televisions at no charge. HOPE has been approved by the state of California to become a “collector” of electronic waste.

The items they will be collecting include computer monitors, televisions and laptops. If you or your organization has these things sitting in corners, and you want to get rid of them, call HOPE at 408-748-2861 or drop them off Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1777 Agnew Road in Santa Clara at the salvage door in the front of the building.

Wildlife Awareness Day set for June 12
The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, a Rehabilitation; Release and Educational facility, is celebrating Wildlife Awareness Day with an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its facility located at 3027 Penitencia Creek Road.
Education and informational booths and live animal educational presentations will be available through the day.

Admission is free, but they would be grateful for donations of some of their most frequently used items: paper towels; unscented facial tissues; walnuts in the shell; and sunflower seeds. To learn more, contact the staff at (408) 929-9453 or www.wcsv.org.

We and Our Neighbors
On June 21, there will be a garden-themed program with a guest guitarist from 1 to 3 p.m. at the We and Our Neighbors clubhouse, 15480 Union and Los Gatos/Almaden Road. Guests are always welcome.

Council offices move to new city hall July 15
The new civic center move will be made in 10 phases over the summer. One floor and 200 people will be moving each weekend.

The Council offices are scheduled to move on July 15 and be open for business on Monday, July 18.

We will be moving to the 18th floor. Our new address will be: Councilmember Judy Chirco, city of San Jose, 200 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113. We will have a new phone number, but our e-mail remain the same.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony June 18

Everyone is invited to join me for the official recognition of the new façade of the businesses located on Camden and Union. The event will be Saturday, June 18 at 10:30 a.m. We will recognize the businesses that worked with the Redevelopment Agency for façade improvements.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to contact our office at District9@sanjoseca.gov or (408) 277-5275.