Willow Glen Resident
News
News Briefs
Open government
reforms begin
The sunshine reform task force has implemented seven of 14 reforms the San Jose City Council recommended earlier this year in order to make local government more transparent. The task force plans to complete its review of the remaining seven reforms by the end of this year.
One of the most significant reforms implemented requires the city to make information about proposed expenditures of $1 million or more available to the council and public online two weeks prior to a vote. In addition, city staff must provide policy alternatives to the expenditure.
Other reforms include requiring additional public outreach and notification for items of significant public interest, such as land use and development proposals and requiring every staff memo to have a contact person for public questions.
The next item the task force is considering is making the mayor's and council members' calendars available online. The task force is recommending that calendars be broken up into two parts--city-sponsored events and community events. That item is expected to be implemented by the end of September.
Council supports bill on global warming
The San Jose City Council voted unanimously in support of the Global Warming Solutions Act on Aug. 29, an Assembly bill that requires a statewide cap on emissions of carbon dioxide. It is the first such cap in the country.
A deal among the state's political leaders was announced Aug. 30. The goal of the bill is to reduce greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. The bill will encourage state investment in technology, such as biofuel and alternative energy sources, as well as creating new energy efficiency performance standards.
Resident interrupts
burglary in progress
Maurice Caldwell, 41, was arrested on charges of burglary and parole violation on Sept. 3, after allegedly attempting to steal electronics from a Willow Glen apartment.
San Jose police spokeswoman Gina Tepoorten said a man returned to his apartment at 1514 Alta Glen Drive at 1:20 a.m. to find a man, subsequently identified as Caldwell, standing in his living room. When the resident questioned the man, he fled. The resident found electronic equipment, including a stereo and DVDs, by the door.
The resident checked on his roommate and wife, who were asleep and then called the police, Tepoorten said. Police came to the apartment complex to find several screens taken off, indicating a burglar may have tried to enter other apartments.
At 2 a.m., officers found Caldwell hiding behind a residence a block away. Caldwell was booked into jail, Tepoorten said.
Music for Minors hits all the right notes
Nonprofit Music for Minors offers its first docent training in San Jose this fall.
The organization will train volunteers to provide music education in local elementary schools.
The program's goal is to instill a lifelong love of music in kindergartners-through third-graders. According to the organization, docents provide much-needed music education in the classroom after an 85 percent decline in California music classes from 1999 to 2004. The group said early exposure to music helps improve a student's performance in other areas, including reading, math and standardized tests.
Docents do not have to be musicians, but must be able to sing on pitch and have a good rapport with children. Training includes basic music theory, songs and games, rhythm and movement activities, lesson planning and classroom strategies.
Trained volunteers will teach one class for 30 minutes weekly. Music for Minors operates at several area schools, including Reed, Allen at Steinbeck, Marshall Lane and Discovery Charter elementary schools. Several volunteers also teach at Canoas Elementary School in Willow Glen, where the fall docent training will take place.
For information, call Music for Minors at 650.237.9130 or visit www.mfm.org.
Associations team up for ewaste recyclng
Willow Glen business and neighborhood associations are teaming up with the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley for an electronic recycling event on Sept. 16.
From 8 to 11 a.m., Willow Glen residents may bring televisions, computer monitors and other electronic items to the Bank of America parking lot at 1245 Lincoln Ave.
Computer monitors and televisions cannot be discarded in landfills. Cathode-ray tubes, or CRTs, found in the glass of these items can contain up to 8 pounds of lead, along with other hazardous materials, including mercury, cadmium and chromium. When the CRT is crushed or burned, these hazardous materials bleed into the soil and groundwater.
Companies such as Earthcare Recycling help people safely recycle ewaste. The state reimburses the company for the waste it collects. Earthcare Recycling will give half its profits to the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley.
The Volunteer Center is the fiscal agent for San Jose's Community Action and Pride grants. It has noticed an increase in neighborhood associations requesting funds for community cleanup events.
The center then teamed up with Earthcare Recycling to hold ewaste-recycling events in each of San Jose's city council districts. District 6 is the first. Earthcare Recycling is run by Steve Ramona, the former manager of the now-closed Sharky's Oyster Bar & Grill in Willow Glen.
Along with the Lincoln Avenue dropoff, residents may drop off electronics at the United Way parking lot, 1922 The Alameda, until 4 p.m.
For more information on recyclable items, visit www.earthcarerecycling.com.
