The Willow Glen Resident

Council Watch

Astral and earthly works top council agenda

At WGHS, council honors volunteers, gets own asteroid

By Michelle Ku

A starry-eyed San Jose City Council took its show on the road May 19 when it held its weekly meeting at Willow Glen High School.

A few times a year, the council leaves its chambers in City Hall and brings the meeting to the community as part of the City Council in the Neighborhood program. This time, the hosting duties were handled by District 6 Councilmember Frank Fiscalini's office.

One of the evening's high points came when Mayor Susan Hammer was symbolically presented with an asteroid named in honor of San Jose.

"And, to dispel your fears, it is not heading for San Jose," said Marcie Greenwood, chancellor of UC-Santa Cruz, who made the presentation along with Joseph Miller, director of Lick Observatory.

At 10 to 15 miles wide, the asteroid is about the size of San Jose and was named and registered by the International Astrological Union. It is in orbit 250 million miles from the sun, which places it beyond Mars, and takes 412 years to complete an orbit around the sun.

"This really was a fantastic surprise. I had no idea," said Hammer.

Close to 200 high school students, Willow Glen residents and residents from other neighborhood associations attended the meeting. "We only had 200 chairs. That was one of the best turnouts I think that this program has had," said Fiscalini aide Edith Ramirez.

"[The program] opens the doors of the City Council meeting to the residents. It brings it closer to their community so they can get involved in the process," she added.

"It's often inconvenient for people to make it to City Hall in downtown," Hammer said.

Attendance at a typical City Council meeting is dependent on how controversial the agenda items are, but usually fewer than 100 people attend a regular council meeting, Ramirez said.

Other items on the May 19 agenda dealt primarily with land-use issues. Additional highlights were the city commendations presented by Fiscalini to two Willow Glen groups, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Willow Glen Beautification Project.

The church was honored for its efforts to beautify the Southwest Expressway with oleander bushes and redbud trees. About 575 church members worked in different places around San Jose during the second annual Latter-day Saints Day for Others, including Happy Hollow Park and Zoo and Del Mar High School, said Tish Beyer, a member of the church's publicity committee.

The Willow Glen Beautification Project, a group formed by the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association and the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, received a commendation for its efforts to beautify Willow Glen with three sculptures. The Beautification Project has placed sculptures in front of Casa Casa on Lincoln Avenue and at Bramhall and Wallenberg parks.

"A truly grassroots project, the Willow Glen Beautification Project is a marvelous community-oriented project. I really want to thank you for what you've done in making Willow Glen a happier place," Fiscalini said.

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]