Willow Glen Resident

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Special council session imposes restrictions on San Jose mayor

By Monica Heger

Presiding over a special meeting called to discuss his own fate, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales reiterated his intention to finish out his term.

"To simplify our discussion, let me say once again and make it very clear, that I plan to complete my term as mayor of San Jose," Gonzales said. "The accusations against me are false, and it would be wrong to resign."

Eight council members, including Chuck Reed, Ken Yeager, Linda LeZotte, Dave Cortese, Nora Campos, Nancy Pyle and vice mayor Cindy Chavez, formally requested Gonzales resign.

"This is not about any one of us," Pyle said. "This is about the residents of the city of San Jose, and as a council member I am representing the people who have elected me to office, and they have asked for your resignation."

Yeager said he was calling for the mayor to resign because the distraction of his legal problems would limit his ability to do his job.

"This week has not been business as usual at city hall," Yeager said. "The mayor and his legal problems have been a distraction to the city."

Council members Madison Nguyen and Forrest Williams, along with Gonzales, did not support the request.

Williams indicated the importance of letting the matter be resolved by the courts and presuming innocence until proven guilty.

"I've lived in situations where the jurisprudence system did not work for me or my family," Williams said. "It's crucial that we're able to give everyone a fair chance."

The council does not have the power to remove Gonzales from his office, and state rules governing hiring practices prevent the council from stripping the mayor of his salary.

Instead, they voted to restrict the spending of the mayor's office. In an 8-3 vote, the council imposed a hiring freeze on the mayor's office until 2007, capped personnel costs at the current level and restricted non-personnel costs to 10 percent of costs for fiscal year 2005-06 until January 2007. The council also voted to require its consent for all future travel by the mayor. Gonzales, Williams and Chirco voted against that motion.

Another motion, made by Reed, called for the city attorney to draft a procedure for how future councils could legally remove a mayor or council member from office. That motion passed 8-3 with Gonzales, Campos and Nguyen voting against it.

The council chambers were packed with both supporters and opponents of Gonzales. Several times Gonzales had to quiet the crowd. About 20 public speakers either praised Gonzales--comparing the council to a lynch mob--or called on him to resign.

One of the public speakers, David Casas, told council members even though he was dissatisfied with the mayor's actions, he should have his day in court.

Nonetheless, Casas still asked Gonzales to resign.

"You have the opportunity to take the high road," Casas said. "Your community will appreciate your selflessness."