June 1, 2006

City Briefs

Sunshine task force members chosen

The sun may soon shine on city hall. The city has selected its 15-member task force on Sunshine reform, which will have its first meeting in mid June.

The task force will consider proposals to make city government more transparent such as posting agendas the Thursday before council meetings, posting a detailed city budget on line and having independent studies conducted for major proposals.

The members picked from city council nominations are Virginia Holtz, Joan Rivas-Cosby and Dave Zenker representing neighborhoods; constituent-at-large Brenda Otey; former city Councilwoman and Santa Clara County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado; Karl Hoffower of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights and appeals hearing board member Clark Williams.

The other half were nominated by labor, business, media and other reform groups. They are Strong Neighborhoods Initiative project advisory committee member Ed Rast; United Neighborhoods Director Ken Podgorsek; Metro Newspapers Executive Editor Dan Pulcrano, representing the Silicon Valley Leadership Group; businesswoman Nanci Williams of Orloff & Williams; League of Women Voters President Bobbie Fischler; Mercury News Executive Editor Susan Goldberg; ethicist Judy Nadler and South Bay Labor Council Executive Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins.

Edward P. Davis Jr., former Mercury News attorney, is the panel’s legal adviser.

—By Daniel DeBolt

Campos says she will pursue allegations against Cortese after election

An unsubstantiated cloud will hang over candidate Dave Cortese’s head until after the mayoral election
In early May, Councilwomen Nora Campos and Nancy Pyle accused him of setting an agenda behind the scenes on a large residential development in Evergreen and misleading the public about his meetings with lobbyists. The accusations will not be looked into by the rules committee until June 7, the day after the election. Campos reportedly wants to avoid criticism that the accusations are politically motivated. She and Pyle are supporters of Cindy Chavez for mayor.

Cortese believes there isn’t anything that hasn’t been “sunshined” about the issue, which was first raised a year ago. Lobbyists have reported that they filed reports for attending public meetings and sending memos, but it hasn’t been substantiated yet that Cortese actually sat down at a planned meeting with a developer or lobbyist about the project. But Campos reportedly believes the lobbyist reports are proof of Cortese’s misdeeds.

He is also accused of violating the city charter by directing staff in a memo about the project, but Deputy Planning Director Laurel Prevetti said she did not feel coerced by the memo and said it was a summary of information that used an unfortunate choice of words. “I am hereby directing city staff as follows,” it reads in the first few lines.

The election is June 6.

—By Daniel DeBolt