City Desk
By Carolyn Schuk

Charter Review Committee to Recommend At-Large Council Elections, Eliminating Numbered Seats

After three months of work and many hours of discussion, on Nov. 17 the Santa Clara 2011 Charter Review committee voted to recommend that Santa Clara change its current designated seat system for City Council elections to an "at-large" election system in which the top vote-getters fill the number of open seats.

Changing the election system requires an amendment to the city charter, which can only be done by voter referendum - requiring City Council approval or a voter petition drive. The committee will recommend a charter amendment vote in the 2012 general election and, if this passes, implementation of the new system by 2014.

The committee accompanied its main recommendation with a series of additional recommendations for future City Council consideration, including: active outreach to increase active participation in city committees and commissions, adopting a proportional election system, and expanding voter registration. For example, the demographic studies examined by the committee show that only 56 percent of registered voters who are Hispanic voted in the last election.

Some committee members continued to press for consideration of a district system up through the committee’s final meeting, but the majority voted down re-opening that possibility.

The committee will also recommend lifetime limits on serving in elected city office - or at least, extending to four years (from two) the time elected officials must be out of office.

The list of additional recommendations attests to the fact that committee members to some degree were "settling" for an at-large recommendation over a proportional voting system - due to the difficulty and cost of implementing a proportional system which would require new voting equipment and systems and voter education. "I don’t agree with [Santa Clara’s] at-large elections," said committee member Ralph Sivilla, in pressing that the committee recommend a proportional system.

There are currently no minority members on the City Council, and there have not been for a long time. If we only look at the [existing] at-large system, we’re saying we can’t do any better in increasing minority representation - not only ethnic minorities but minority opinions.

"In our advisory position," concluded Sivilla, who in his day job is a Deputy California Attorney General. "let’s take a leap forward and do the right thing."

The committee’s report will go to the City Council later in December or early in January, says committee chair DeLozier.

Santa Clara City Government Exploring e-Democracy

Clara’s city government is doing some cautious investigation into e-democracy with the launch of a trial of Peak Democracy’s (www.opentownhall.com) Open Town Hall Internet-based public forum service. Available via a standard Web browser, the system is currently used by Berkeley, Palo Alto, Salt Lake City, UT, and Ashland, OR.

Three e-comment systems - Peak Democracy, Granicus and SIRE - have been reviewed, according to the City Manager’s report. No information was provided at the Council meeting about how these three systems were chosen for evaluation.

Peak Democracy’s Open Town Hall offers a forum for people to post comments on topics of interest similar to online blogs, with comments fully visible to site visitors. However, the system isn’t integrated with Santa Clara’s current online SIRE Agenda system.

E-comment systems from SIRE Technologies (the City’s current online Agenda system) and Granicus allow comments on specific Agenda items and integrate with the current system. However, the comments aren’t visible to site visitors.

The Open Town Hall trial will be conducted during the first quarter of 2012, according to the City staff report. The city is also creating policies for the use of Internet-based social media.

You can see how Open Town Hall works for Berkeley and Palo Alto respectively at www.opentownhall.com/portals/30/596 and www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/open_city_hall/default.asp?pd.

49ers Stadium Preliminary Financing to be Unveiled Dec. 6

On Dec. 6, 2011 Santa Clarans will get their first look at the 49ers stadium agreement at the City Council’s scheduled study session on the project Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA). A second meeting will be held Thursday Dec. 8 if necessary.

The discussion will cover project activity to date, and the key points of the DDA, lease summary, and preliminary financing structure. On Dec. 6 the Council will also vote on the proposed sale of the Great America theme park to JMA Ventures. The city begins accepting bids on Dec. 14 for make-ready construction beginning in January 2012.

Parking Code Change Takes Aim at Long Term Vehicle Storage on City Streets

The Council amended the city’s parking code (10.05.470) to keep people from using the city streets for de facto long-term vehicle storage. The amendment adds clarifies that “substantial movement” of vehicles is required to avoid tickets and towing.

While the city’s parking ordinance says that vehicles can’t be parked in the same place for more than 72 hours, scofflaws find it easy to get around the law by moving cars a few inches. For those living on busy streets such as Saratoga Ave., this kind of long-term parking can become an inconvenience and a nuisance to residents.

Employee Suggestion Makes Senior Center Membership Renewal Faster and Greener

It’s appropriate that Carolyn McAllister and Judy Dawson work for the Santa Clara Parks & Recreation department, because their idea for trimming Senior Center membership renewal paperwork promises to save plenty of trees. Awarded the city’s November 2011 Idea of the Month, McAllister and Dawson modified membership renewal to carry over information from the previous year. In the past, all registration information had to be entered every year.

Both McAllister and Dawson will receive $75 and will chose a $100 capital purchase for the Parks & Recreation department. "Both Carolyn and Judy saw an opportunity for improvement in the areas of their responsibilities," said City Manager Jennifer Sparacino at the Nov. 15 City Council meeting. "And they made a suggestion that has resulted in increased efficiency."

In Memory

The Nov. 15, 2011 Council Meeting was adjourned in memory of Robert Gruhlke, longtime Santa Clara resident and husband to former Senior Advisory Commissioner Bessie Vizzusi-Gruhlke, and city native and resident William George.