San Jose mayoral spokesman David Vossbrink said stage and technical support, provided by Riverview Systems Group, and union labor cost $31,000. The mayor's office also spent $11,500 on invitations, programs and copies of the mayor's annual report. Finally, the miscellaneous expenses of the coffee-and-cookies reception, sign-language interpreter, Center for Performing Arts rent and postage racked up $9,000.

Donations from lobbyists nearly covered the miscellaneous fees, helping the taxpayers' burden by contributing $8,500. PG&E, real estate agent and registered lobbyist Jerry Strangis together with wife Janet (also a real estate broker), and developer Rob Bettencourt each donated $2,500 as sponsors of the event. The Morely Hunter Group, a real-estate development consulting firm, chipped in $1,000. Vendors and civic groups donated ushering services and parking.

Final cost to taxpayers: $43,000.

On the bright side, it's less than last year's $58,500 bill and half of the $86,000 it cost in 2001. "We have cut expenses over the past couple of years," Vossbrink said.

"The State of the City event has been a keynote tradition for the past three mayors to report directly to the San Jose community," Vossbrink added, "and it has been produced at much the same scale."

He highlighted the community aspect of the event. "About half the event is devoted to community recognition awards," he said, "and we also now include a printed report to the community."

The cost of the event is sure to rile civic-budget watchers, who are incensed about the estimated $85 million shortage in the 2005 budget, which has the city pondering cuts to public safety and other municipal services. Several civic groups declined to comment on the cost of the event, fearing reprisals from the mayor's office.

The Willow Glen Resident polled U.S. cities similar in size to San Jose, to find out how much their State of the City events cost. Baltimore, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville, Fla., don't even have a budget for the event. They usually spend nothing, as the respective mayors just give plain old speeches.

"We just go to a school auditorium and set up chairs," said Heather Murphy, spokeswoman for Mayor John Peyton of Jacksonville.

Jo Lynn Gering, spokeswoman for Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, asked how much San Jose spent. "Oh my god. What do you do at yours?" she shouted.

Even Detroit—a city larger than San Jose—spends virtually nothing. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick broadcast his speech for free from a civic hall that charged zero rent. "Fifty-one thousand? What do you do at yours? We made like two banners and rented a teleprompter," said Kilpatrick spokesman Dave Manney, laughing. "I'm not sure exactly how much we spent, but not $51,000. A fraction of that. Ours is very minimal."

The expense even surprised San Jose city council members and would-be politicians.

District 4 representative Chuck Reed said the council approves the total budget for the mayor's office and the city's general fund, but council members don't see the specific uses allocated for the money. "I think $40,000 is probably too much money, but I do not know how it was spent, so I am not a good judge of whether or not it is really necessary," he said.

Requests for comment from Vice Mayor and District 10 Councilwoman Pat Dando and District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager went unanswered.

That much money, aside from taking care of a few of the city's more pressing problems, could also fund a much more entertaining evening. Lee Kopp, spokesman for the San Jose Ballet and Symphony Silicon Valley, tallied the cost of presenting the ballet's annual repertory show enjoyed by 2,000 people a night, for one night—$40,000 to $50,000.

"That's dancers, recorded music, crew, salaries, everything," Kopp said.