Willow Glen Resident
News
Two Willow Glen residents join San Jose's sunshine task force
By Alicia Upano
Neighborhood advocates know that the best way to create change is to get involved. Two Willow Glen residents now have a chance to weigh in on open government.
Ed Rast and Virginia Holtz have been selected to serve on the Sunshine Reform Task Force, which was approved by the San Jose City Council in March. The task force will review proposed sunshine reforms that deal with public access to information, enhancing neighborhood participation and government accountability.
Reforms have been a topic of debate this election year following the scandal involving Mayor Ron Gonzales and Norcal Waste Systems, and the $4 million Grand Prix subsidy.
However, Rast and Holtz see the task force as a way to boost community participation in city government. Frequently, neighbors will attend a city council meeting to speak for or against an item but have not been able to access last-minute memoranda. Holtz said this happened to her when she came to speak about a downtown planning project.
"I was prepared to testify ... then the city council members started talking about everything on this memo, and we didn't know what on Earth it was all about," Holtz said.
Another problem is lack of notification or notification at the last minute when council members are discussing an issue affecting a neighborhood.
The sunshine reforms, coupled with the public outreach policy that passed in 2004, are intended to address these issues.
In May, 15 people representing a cross-section of the community, government and media were selected for the volunteer board. Various community groups chose eight members. Rast was selected by the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative Project Advisory Committee.
"This is the first time the neighborhoods got to appoint their own people," he said.
The remaining seven were nominated by the mayor and council members and then, literally, picked out of a hat. San Jose City Councilwoman Judy Chirco, who represents District 9, nominated Holtz.
North Willow Glen resident and appeals hearing board member Clark Williams was also chosen in the drawing, representing city boards and commissions. However, he resigned because he may run for the San Jose District 6 seat that will soon be vacated by Councilman Ken Yeager. David Roberson of the Housing Advisory Commission has replaced Williams.
For Holtz, serving on the task force is a natural extension of her interest in open government. Holtz is representing the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association and is the past president of the League of Women Voters, a former San Jose parks commissioner and a director with the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority.
Neighborhoods are frustrated by how difficult it is to access information, Holtz said. She wants to attend Willow Glen Neighborhood Association and Cambrian Community Council meetings to gauge the concerns of the larger community.
Rast agrees access is a concern.
While San Jose is satisfying the minimum state requirements for meetings and records, it didn't meet the needs of the residents, said Rast, a North Willow Glen resident and Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president.
The task force will research sunshine ordinances in other cities. It will also discuss placing a detailed line-item budget online, establishing a master online calendar, placing all city council agenda items and background materials online by 5 p.m. on the Thursday before the council meeting and providing open access to public records.
"The Sunshine Reform Task Force has a big challenge ahead of it," Holtz said.
City staff is already implementing several suggested reforms as part of a pilot program. These include detailed information about city contracts and expenses that are more than $1 million at least two weeks before a city council vote. Other items include disclosing mayoral and council member calendars, providing additional notification for projects that pose a "significant public interest," doubling the time neighborhood leaders are allowed to speak before the city council, and requiring every staff memo to have a contact person for public questions.
For more information on the San Jose Sunshine Reform Task Force, visit www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/TaskForce/SRTF/SRTF.asp. The task force meets every first and third Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., Room W118 and W119.
