Willow Glen Resident
News
News Briefs
Three large palms need city approval
A permit to remove three date palm trees in Willow Glen was filed with the San Jose Planning Department.
The three trees, measuring 228, 180 and 144 inches in circumference, are at 2253 Plummer Ave.
According to the planning department's online permits website, the permit is expected to go before the planning director on March 14.
A permit is required for the removal of all trees that measure at least 56 inches in circumference. Although the permit is free, applicants are required to pay for a public noticing fee of $110, an environmental exemption fee of $133 and a General Plan update fee of $3.
Permits are required
on site to cut trees
The San Jose City Council on Feb. 13 unanimously approved a new city ordinance requiring property owners to have tree removal permits on site when cutting down a tree. Councilman Pete Constant was absent.
The measure will take effect by the end of March, said City Attorney Rick Doyle.
The ordinance requires anyone who is trimming, pruning, cutting or removing a street tree to show a permit upon request; it also requires a permit to be produced and posted when a tree is removed from private property.
The issue of illegal tree removals was brought to the forefront of city discussion when three sycamore trees were illegally removed on Jan. 13 from a private residence in Willow Glen.
Holts ordered to purchase 20 trees
The city ordered the property owners of 1099 Camino Ricardo to replace two sycamores with 20 trees, after their illegal removed on Jan. 13.
Homeowners Anita and Todd Holt's tree removal permit was approved at the Feb. 14 San Jose Planning Director hearing with several mitigations. The replacement trees include two Coastal Live Oaks in the approximate location of the felled trees, two California sycamores on Willow Street, and 16 trees to be donated to Our City Forest. The nonprofit tree advocacy organization will host a tree planting in the vicinity.
The Holts have 90 days to plant the trees on the property and must protect the replacement trees, existing Deodar Cedar heritage tree and sycamore street trees during the home's construction. The Holts may appeal the planning director's decision to the San Jose Planning Commission.
Absentee ballots are
available for runoff
The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters has begun mailing absentee ballots for the March 6 Special Election for San Jose City Council Districts 4 and 6.
Ballots may be returned by mail, in person at the registrar's office, or at any polling place on Election Day.
Voters also have the option of casting their ballots early at the registrar's office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday until Election Day.
Voter registration forms are available at city hall, fire stations, post offices, public libraries and most county government offices.
Absentee applications are available on the back cover of the sample ballot and online at www.sccvote.org.
All completed absentee ballots must be received by no later than 8 p.m. on March 6.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. After Feb. 27, absentee ballots can be obtained only in person at the Registrar's Office, 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2.
Only voters who are registered in Districts 4 and 6 will be eligible to participate in this election.
Voters who would like to receive an absentee ballot automatically every election can sign up for permanent absentee voting.
For more information, contact the Registrar of Voters Office at 408.299.8683 or www.sccvote.org.
City cleans graffiti
promptly on building
The Fraternal Order of Eagles building was tagged on Feb. 9, less than a month after the city painted over graffiti on the Lincoln Avenue building.
During the most recent incident, Eagles secretary and California state trustee Gregory Colburn returned to the hall to find initials spray-painted under the organization's "People Helping People" slogan. Colburn knew from late secretary Peter Giamonna, who served with the city's anti-graffiti program, that he should remove the graffiti immediately. This will help dissuade "taggers" from returning.
Because of Giamonna's influence, the building was rarely plagued with graffiti in recent years, Colburn said. In mid-January, however, Eagles members discovered two 20-foot by 7-foot tags on the building. The city responded quickly, leaving a note on the Eagles' door offering to clean the graffiti. The graffiti was gone within the week.
For help eradicating graffiti, contact the city's anti-graffiti hotline at 408.277.2758.
New chairman elected
to valley water district
The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors elected Antonio "Tony" Estremera as chairman of the board on Jan. 9.
Estremera represents the northern part of Santa Clara County, including most of San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino, Saratoga and Sunnyvale. He was appointed to the board in 1996.
Estremera will serve as chairman for 2007. He is the directing attorney of the Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County.
Work moves forward
on library renovation
San Jose City Council approved a temporary construction easement on Feb. 13 to allow the city to perform pre-construction and construction work as part of the Willow Glen Branch Library Project.
This temporary construction easement will allow the city to begin ground preparation, partial driveway paving and patching, and construction of a new fence on the property line between the library and its neighbor, the American Association of University Women.
The new fence will need to be realigned with the property line, requiring removal of a tree on AAUW property. The AAUW board has approved these activities.
The temporary construction easement is a six-month agreement with three six-month renewals if work is not done within the first six months. The actual work will take no longer than two weeks for completion, but has yet to be scheduled as part of the two-year construction period.
The 41-year-old Willow Glen library branch was approximately 5,330 square feet. The city plans to expand it to 13,000 square feet. The one-story remodel is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2008.
The library is being reconstructed as a result of the branch library bond measure passed by voters in November 2000.
The bond provides $212 million over 10 years for the construction of six rebuilt and 14 expanded branch libraries in San Jose.
