Jim's Sunnyvale Blog | Former Sunnyvale Mayor Jim Griffith

11/10/2015 Council Preview

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Jim Griffith

This is going to be a very long day, although there are a very few items. We actually start the day with all-day interviews of City Attorney candidates. That then goes into a closed session to discuss ongoing labor negotiations. After that is an hour of interviews for Board and Commission candidates.

Despite a two-week break, the consent calendar is small – two second readings and a budget modification. The modification is to provide ongoing traffic analyses for proposed projects (and paid out of those development fees).

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The Consequences of Horribly-Written Initiatives

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Jim Griffith

The Governor’s twin Delta tunnel initiative has provoked a lot of reaction from both supporters and opponents. The most extreme reaction comes from Dean Cortopassi, a Stockton farmer who promptly spent more than $4 million to qualify an initiative on the November 2016 ballot, deceptively named the “No Blank Checks” initiative. This initiative requires a public vote before state revenue bond projects of more than $2 billion can be approved. Revenue bonds are different than general obligation bonds, which already require voter approval. Revenue bonds generally don’t require voter approval because they are tied to very specific revenue streams for repayment, like water bills.

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10/27/2015 Council Preview – Child Care Facilities and Massage Establishments

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Jim Griffith

Might be a relatively short night, for the general meeting at least.

We start the evening with a closed session to discuss our City Attorney recruitment efforts. Our general meeting starts with recognition of this year’s Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair award winners.

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10/13/2015 Council Preview – Taxis, Butcher’s Corner, and Fire Safety

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Jim Griffith

Interesting agenda. We start the evening with no study or closed sessions whatsoever, an unusual occurrence. The general meeting starts with an annual tradition – the annual fire safety poster contest awards, always a fun event.

The consent calendar has a number of important items. We’ve got our annual investment policy update. There’s a substantial contract for doing community outreach and other tactics to encourage residents to further reduce their solid waste output. There’s endorsement of Destination: Home’s Community Plan to End Homelessness.

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09/29/2015 Council Preview

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Jim Griffith

We start the evening with yet another closed session regarding labor negotiations. This is followed by a study session to discuss the finances related to the Sunnyvale Golf Course and its restaurant. This has been an ongoing issue.

The regular meeting starts with two special orders – one recognizing Arts and Humanity Month, the other recognizing National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The consent calendar is middlin’, including a contract for ammunition and other safety equipment, a contract to use some excess funds on road maintenance, a contract renewal for the Bill Wilson Center, and two second readings of ordinances approved at our last meeting. The last one is interesting – it’s a request to commit a local match for a joint application with VTA for an MTC grant involving a potential shuttle service in Peery Park. The intention isn’t necessarily for the city to pay the match, just to guarantee the match, with the intention to have Peery Park developers (or a future transportation management agency) to fund it. But it’s a bit tricky, since that hasn’t been established yet.

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