April 27, 2006

City Hall Beat

Code enforcement duty extends to Saturday

Code enforcement, part of San Jose's Planning Building and Code Enforcement Department, now has an officer on duty on Saturday to handle any violations or emergencies that may occur. The department found the financial resources to run this trial program, which began April 15, through the end of this fiscal year (June 29) and about six months into the next.

The money to run the program comes from open positions and leftover overtime monies in this fiscal year and is in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, said Jamie Matthews, administrator of the Code Enforcement Division of the PBCE. "We plan to continue the program through the summer and autumn and then evaluate its effectiveness," he added.

The division wanted to run the program through the summer and autumn because that's the time tree issues typically come up, Matthews said. There is one inspector dedicated to the program of trees or other emergency code issues that will be available through the city's call center on Saturdays. About four to six other employees from the division are available on Saturdays but are actually working on neighborhood clean up, Matthews added.

These employees will be available if necessary.

San Jose Firefighters endorse Dave Cortese for mayor

After thorough board interviews and a review of all mayoral candidates, San Jose Firefighters Local 230 today announced their endorsement of Dave Cortese for mayor of San Jose.

“Dave Cortese has earned our support because of his commitment to back-to-basics government and placing public safety as a top priority for the City. With this commitment and a proven track record on the City Council, San Jose Firefighters are proud to endorse Dave Cortese for mayor,” said President Randy Sekany, a frontline firefighter for more than 30 years.

“We know the difference between politics and public safety. Dave Cortese stands with us in protecting our neighborhood services, and making sure we have the tools we need to keep San Jose families safe,” he added, citing Cortese’s recent vote against the Mayor’s budget proposal that introduced the possibility of cutting essential fire and police services by $8 million.

“I am truly honored to have earned one of the most important endorsements in this mayoral race,” Cortese responded. “The everyday safety and well-being of citizens should be the top priority for San Jose’s next mayor, and I will continue to oppose wasteful spending on such things as car race subsidies and temporary tents in downtown San Jose to ensure that the city does not ever have to cut essential fire and police services.”

The San Jose Firefighters Local 230 was established in 1919 and is affiliated with the California Professional Firefighters, the Internation-al Association of Firefighters, the California Labor Federation and the South Bay Central Labor Council. Local 230 represents over 700 professional, full-time firefighters.