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Local Notebook
Parcel tax applications accepted for seniors
The Santa Clara Valley Water District is taking applications from low-income seniors in Santa Clara County to exempt them from a parcel tax approved by voters in November.
The parcel tax funds the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection program, a 15-year effort to protect and restore hundreds of miles of waterways in Santa Clara County and to reduce flood hazards for the county's 1.7 million residents. Owners of single-family homes are assessed $39 a year; condominium and townhome owners pay $19 a year.
"When we went to the voters last year asking for funds to improve the community's quality of life, we made a promise to our low-income seniors to exempt them from the tax," said Antonio "Tony" Estremera, chairman of the water district board of directors. "Our seniors have been paying their fair share of taxes for a very long time, and they deserve a break."
The exemption is available to Santa Clara County residents who own and occupy their single-family home, condominium or townhome, are 65 years of age or older as of Dec. 31, 2000, and had a total household income of less than $32,850 for the period of Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2000.
Mobile or manufactured homeowners who do not own the property on which their home is located are not eligible.
The parcel tax appears on this year's property tax bill. Applicants who meet the requirement for an exemption will be issued a refund from the water district. In future years, the tax will be waived on property tax bills for property owners who continue to meet the eligibility requirements and who sign and return an annual verification postcard.
The application will ask for a proof of age (such as a driver's license or Social Security award letter) and an assessor's parcel number, which appears on the property tax bill.
Applications are available by calling the water district at 408.265.2607, ext. 2238, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Application packets will be mailed out in this month. More than 1,100 residents have requested applications for a tax exemption.
The exemption is made possible from legislation introduced earlier this year by Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), which was signed into law in July by Gov. Gray Davis.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District is Santa Clara County's wholesale drinking water manager and coordinates flood protection for its 1.7 million residents, while serving as steward of the county's more than 700 miles of streams.
Neighbor block party held for Sandra Drive
Coordinators of a block party for residents of Sandra Drive in Willow Glen are inviting their neighbors to attend their third annual celebration at noon, Sept. 29 at 1221 Sandra Drive.
Neighbors are encouraged to bring an item to barbecue and a side dish to share. Two families on the street provide the barbecue, beer and wine. There will be an Astro Jump for children, and the band Last Man Standing will perform. For more information, contact Janet Prosser, 408.269.8667, and Gordon Castro, 408.2650447
San Jose Library will present 'Tradition'
The San Jose Public Library will present "Tradition! in Song and Story" at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, at the Moreland-West San Jose Community Center, 1850 Fallbrook Ave., San Jose. The free event will feature musical group Side by Side and author Rosalie Sogolow.
The band will perform original songs and traditional favorites highlighting its Jewish heritage. The songs are woven throughout Sogolow's narration exploring the traditions presented in her books. The event is part of an initiative of the American Library Association, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The program is co-sponsored by the Addison-Penak Jewish Community Center, Moreland-West San Jose Community Center and Friends of the Calabazas Library. For more information, call the Calabazas Branch Library at 408.996.1536.
Second Harvest Food Bank holds annual fair
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties is hosting its eighth annual Harvest of Knowledge Provider Fair on Friday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon, 750 Curtner Ave., San Jose.
Agencies throughout Santa Clara County will share information about their services. The public is invited to attend. The food bank is a private nonprofit organization that collects and distributes more than 21.2 million pounds of food each year to low-income families with children, adults and seniors. The bank serves an average of 119,566 individuals each month; nearly 50 percent are children. For more information, call Jenny Luciano at 408.694.0044.
City inaugurates first youth skateboard park
San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, Vice Mayor George Shirakawa and Santee neighborhood residents dedicated the city's first-ever skateboard park at J.W. Fair Middle School, 1702 McLaughlin Ave. (at Fair Avenue) last month.
The park is the result of neighborhood youth working with the city and community organizations to develop constructive recreation alternatives in the Santee and Fair neighborhoods.
The Santee skateboard park project was started by neighborhood youth and the neighborhood association People Acting in Community Together (PACT) earlier this year when they approached the San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Commuity Services and the Franklin-McKinley School District. Youth in the Santee area were involved throughout the development and design of the skateboard park. The park will be a pilot project that could lead to additional skateboard parks in other locations in San Jose. For more information call the Fair Youth Center at 408.971.3715.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
