San Jose Panel Discussing 'Strong Mayor' Wants More Money

Campbell CA

27 April, 2021

1:38 PM

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By Lloyd Alaban, San Jose Spotlight April 27, 2021 San Jose is looking to expand its community outreach and reform the way it governs, but a volunteer commission is asking for more money to do it. The City Council will hear a proposal Tuesday from the Charter Review Commission for more funds. The extra money will be used for at least one consultant to review the city's charter for advice on potential changes, hiring interpreters and resources to outreach with grassroots organizations to gather community input. "This outreach must be done by people with expertise and in a way that offers maximum accessibility to people of all cultures and backgrounds," wrote Matt King, political director for nonprofit Sacred Heart Community Service, in a letter. "We must offer people a chance to shape proposals before you make decisions." According to a recent memo, the commission is requesting $35,000 for consulting services, about $12,000 for translation services and $63,000 for grassroots organization outreach. It identified several organizations to partner with, such as the African American Community Services Agency, Amigos De Guadalupe, SOMOS Mayfair, the Asian Law Alliance and Silicon Valley De-Bug, among others. The commission formed in July after Mayor Sam Liccardo pushed for a "strong mayor" model of governance—a system where the mayor has the authority to hire and direct department heads without council approval. This mirrors other large cities, which also give their mayors veto powers. Critics called the strong mayor proposal, which would have extended Liccardo's term by two years, a power grab. Liccardo eventually dropped the plan amid criticism. Instead, the council created a commission to review charter changes, including the city's governance model. The commission has yet to submit a strong mayor proposal for City Council approval. The commission wants to increase outreach efforts on social media and ethnic media to reach low-income and minority communities in neighborhoods such as East San Jose, which has historically been the least engaged and underrepresented in local decisions. A sample graphic the commission is looking to have translated into several other languages as part of its outreach program. Photo courtesy city of San Jose. "More than ever, our communities are engaging and want to know more and want to learn," Charter Review Commission member Veronica Amador said during a recent council committee meeting. She noted that the commission had limited resources to begin with. The commission has since taken up additional proposals, such as reexamining election cycles for City Council districts. Twenty-three residents from each district and several at-large seats comprise the commission. "My hope is there will be enough public dialogue to where commissioners can confidently say they are in-tune with the overall room temperature of how comfortable folks are in proceeding with a certain direction that ends up shaping San Jose politics for the foreseeable future," Commissioner Thi Tran told San José Spotlight. Contact Lloyd Alaban at [email protected] or follow @lloydalaban on Twitter. San José Spotlight is the city's first nonprofit news organization dedicated to independent political and business reporting. Please support our public service journalism by clicking here.