City Desk
By Carolyn Schuk

SVP Helps Santa Clara Students Prepare for Green Future

The green energy future is bright for three Santa Clara students receiving Silicon Valley Power's (www.siliconvalleypower.com) 2011 scholarship and technical grants.

The annual awards were launched in 2005 by former Council Member Dominic Caserta, provide tuition grants and internships to Santa Clara residents studying in fields related to energy services, public power, and the power industry.

This year's $5,000 scholarship winners are:

• Anthony Fernandez, a Bellarmine Prep graduate planning to study chemical enginerring at the University of Nevada, Reno.
• Sean Oswald, a Santa Clara High School graduate, planning to study energy business economics at UCLA.
• Mark Wagner, a Santa Clara University mechanical engineering student planning to pursue a Masters degree in solar power engineering.

"We're pleased by the enthusiastic sponsorship of this program every year," said SVP Director John Roukema at the July 12 City Council meeting.

Northside Library Moves Closer to Reality

A few weeks ago Steinberg Architects presented a new design for Santa Clara's long-awaited Northside branch library. A few months ago, the City Council panned Steinberg's original mission-style design for the building.

The new design, as suggested by the City Council, is designed to "complement" the Rivermark's retail and residential architecture, as well as that of Don Callejon school. Another design goal was visual open-ness.

The new 16,000 sq. ft. single story branch library will be built at Rivermark Parkway and Moreland Way. It includes a 2,000 sq.ft. community room, and will use the existing parking lot. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012, with the library's grand opening planned for December 2013.

The $19 million building will have the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification. In addition to using recycled building materials, the library will include commonsense features such as windows that open and a design that maximizes the use of natural daylight. Construction is funded through the Santa Clara Redevelopment Agency.

Threatened RDA Lawsuits Materialize

When the state legislature voted last month to eliminate redevelopment agencies (RDAs), it was only a matter of time before opponents of the move took their case to the state's courts.

On July 18, the California Redevelopment Association (CRA), the League of California Cities (LCC), and the cities of San Jose and Union City filed suit asking the state supreme court to overturn legislation eliminating RDAs (AB216, AB27), claiming that the measures violate the state Constitution.

Specifically, the suit is based on Proposition 22, an amendment to the state constitution passed by voters in 2010 that restricts state ability to redirect local tax revenues. The CRA and LCC also requested a stay of the RDA-shuttering legislation until the court makes a ruling.