2/3/12 Study and Budget Issue Workshop Summary

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Well, this was a lot of fun.

We started the afternoon with a very brief big-picture view of our finances and the challenges and improvements that we’re experiencing.  There was good news and bad.  The bad was obviously the dissolution of our RDA, but we’re also apparently going to lose $500k in transit-related money.  The good is that the economy has truly turned the corner, and our revenue is reflecting that.  So it was suggested that we will be able to absorb the loss of the RDA largely just through the improved revenue picture.  We’ll know more about this on Friday.

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1/31/12 Council Summary

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Sorry for the delay, it’s been a busy week.

We started the evening with a closed session regarding the downtown.  Not much I can say about this, unfortunately.  We then got into the meeting proper, which started with special orders of the day for the ceremonial swearings-in of Vice Mayor Whittum and Myor Spitaleri.  We then had public announcements, and there were two – one from me about KSUN being shut down for two weeks, one from a member of the public congratulating the Mayor and Vice Mayor (probably should have been a public comment instead of a public announcement).  Then we got into the meeting.

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Santa Clara County Supervisors Ignore Sunnyvale

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You may have heard yesterday how the Santa Clara County Supervisors have been trumpeting the dissolution of redevelopment agencies, and how this action will “benefit” Santa Clara County residents.  Apparently, none of the supervisors really understand the cost to Sunnyvale residents of this action, and what damage this “benefit” will do to core Sunnyvale services – police, fire, library, parks, and infrastructure.  In Sunnyvale, this isn’t something to be celebrated.  It’s an outrage.

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Jim’s 2012 Study Issue Survey – Results and Some Thoughts

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The results are in for this year’s Study Issue Survey, and I’ve typed up a report, which you can read here.  Thank you to everyone who responded.  The response this year was huge compared to last year.  I’ll add that every year, you folks surprise me in at least one way with your specific responses, and this year was no exception.  I don’t agree with all of the responses, I strongly agree with some of them, and the responses will probably change my votes on a couple of issues.  We’ll see.

I do want to vent a bit on a related topic.  Whenever I do this survey, I frequently get responses along the lines of “it’s great that you’re doing this”, or “council should do more stuff like this” or whatever.  And that’s great, and I appreciate it.  But it’s really unfair to my colleagues.

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