Local Notebook
Flood protection project restarted
Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Santa Clara Valley Water District recently signed an agreement on terms for restarting construction this summer on the Guadalupe River Park & Flood Protection Project in downtown San Jose. The project will provide flood protection and recreational amenities along the 2.6-mile stretch of the Guadalupe River between Interstates 280 and 880. The original agreement between the corps and the district for the project was signed in 1992, resulting in construction between Coleman Avenue and Interstate 880. The project was halted in 1996 while the corps, the water district and the city of San Jose-the other local sponsor of the project-undertook a collaborative effort with local and state resource agencies, including environmental advocacy groups, to resolve questions of the project's impacts on fisheries and wildlife habitat. For more information, visit www.valleywater.org.
Dinner to honor community leaders
The Italian American Heritage Foundation (IHAF) has set June 1 for the date of its fourth annual achievement awards dinner, which will be held at Lou's Village in San Jose. The dinner will honor the following recipients: Marilyn Dorsa (for arts), James Boccardo (in the business and professional category), Robert Infelise, Ph.D. (for education), Michael Guerra Jr. (as a humanitarian), the Lima Family (in the organization category) and the Hon. Rod Diridon Sr. (for public service). The event chair is Marge Valente, who will be assisted by event co-chairs Helen Marchese Owen and Frank Fiscalini. For more information, call 408.448.1912 or visit www.iahfsj.org.
NAACP hosts local conference
The San Jose/Silicon Valley branch of the NAACP hosted a two-day overnight NAACP Leadership Academy conference at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose on the weekend of Apr. 26-28. The academy, which was funded by a city of San Jose anti-tobacco grant, is designed for high school youth to help them deal with social problems and become community leaders. Successful completion of the weekend portion of the program is indicated by the development of an individual leadership development plan (ILDP). In order to graduate from the academy, all participants are required to implement their plan in their home environment by performing 25 hours of community service with peer or student organizations, with the assistance of an identified mentor.
PG&E implements baseline changes
PG&E instituted new baseline quantity changes for residential customers on May 1. The baseline changes affect the allocation of energy that a customer receives at the lowest possible rate. Almost all of PG&E's 4.1 million residential electricity customers will receive an increase of 1 to 16 percent for electricity that is billed at the lowest possible rate, with some electricity customers seeing no change at all. The baseline changes have coincided with a "seasonal crossover," in which customers receive a higher baseline allotment of electricity because of the increased use of air conditioners. For more information, visit www.pge.com/foryourhome or contact the Smarter Energy Line at 800.933.9555.
Special Olympics needs volunteers
Special Olympics is looking for volunteers to help with Special Links, a new golf fundraiser. Coaches are also needed for Special Olympics' year-round program to assist teaching 19 different sports. No experience is necessary to coach. Volunteers must be 16 years or older or accompanied by an adult. A volunteer orientation meeting will take place on Tue., May 14 at 7 p.m. at 43 E. Gish Road in San Jose. For more information, call 408.392.0170 or visit www.sonc.org/sccso.
State releases dropout figures
The California Department of Education recently released figures that indicate that most of the state's student dropout rates remained constant last year. Santa Clara County's dropout rate fell from 2 percent to 1.6 percent. The dropout rate for San Jose's East Side Union High School District, which posted one of the biggest drops in Santa Clara County, slipped from 3.4 percent in the 1999-2000 school year to 2.5 percent last year. The dropout rate for the San Jose Unified School District also decreased, from 2 percent in 1999-2000 to 1.2 percent last year.
VTA discusses BART Extension
On April 29, at the First United Methodist Church in San Jose, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) held an informational public meeting on the downtown San Jose portion of the BART extension to San Jose, Milpitas and Santa Clara. The information presented at the meeting included a review of the alignment options for BART in downtown San Jose, the possible methods and issues associated with subway construction in downtown San Jose and a discussion of future light rail coordination involved in the Downtown East Valley Transit Improvement Plan. For more information about VTA projects, call VTA Community Outreach at 408.321.7575 or 408.321.2330 (TDD only) or log onto www.vta.org.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
