Meeting called to order at 7:10 PM
PRESENT: [18 people present] Brian Ward (President) Loui Tucker (Secretary) Mikala Caune (Treasurer) Carlos Ramirez
Robert Solis
Linda Solis
Scott Hraban
Jesse Hraban
Ruth White
Jerry W hite
Steve Rogers
Sabine Zappe
Sally Henning Ken Henning
C.T.
G.T.
Sargent Babcock?
Deputy Mike Ford?
[Neither Lan Tran nor John Myers attended; both were out of town.]
BUENA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION Minutes of the Meeting Tuesday, November 27, 2007
SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT Because officers from the Santa Clara County Sheriff were in attendance, it was decided to postpone regular agenda items in favor of reviewing the neighborhood with the officers. Below are comments and statements made during this discussion:
Willard/Douglas/Page area does have a lot of Section 8 housing and rentals, but “it is not as bad as it used to be.”
The green Suzuki Tracker with no plates has been in the neighborhood for many years, and despite repeated calls, has not been ticketed. The owner of the Tracker is an older Mexican male and usually drunk. The Tracker is usually located at 375 Page. “I guarantee something will get done.”
There are a lot of undocumented immigrants in that area. They are nice but uncooperative when it comes to law enforcement. In spite of this fact, the area is quieter than in past years and there is less crime reported.
New housing going in will continue to upgrade the neighborhood.
With the Saddlerack gone, there are fewer drug clients in the area.
As a general rule, areas with a lot of rented properties have more crime than areas where homes
are owned.\
Graffiti is increasing. San Jose is getting hit hard because of recent conflicts between the Norteño
and Sureño gangs. The best thing to do is clean it off or paint over it as quickly as possible and
keep doing it until the taggers give up.
Staffing at the Sheriff’s office is always low. Parking, abandoned vehicles, and vandalism are low
priorities. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Call Captain McGrady at 808-4400. Captain McGrady is “common-sensical” and if a citizen calls, he sends someone out to take care of the problem.
There is a database of graffiti so take a photo when possible before repainting.
If the billboard at San Carlos @ Leigh has been tagged/defaced, call it in.
Meeting recently with the owner of the Burbank Theater, County Counsel, and the DA’s office
regarding vandalism, graffiti, illegal dumping, parking on the sidewalk, etc. There is a lot of equipment on the property and no security. County offered to buy cameras and/or a security system. The owner is “paranoid.” “He thinks the Sheriffs are cooperating with the vandals.”
If the people at 425 S. Willard are playing loud music at any time (not just at night), call it in. It’s considered a nuisance, disturbing the peace.
A car blocking a fire hydrant was called in and nothing was done. No response. The driver of the car is a habitual abuser. Again - call it in, and keep calling. Keep notes on the dates and times you call.
Staffing at the Sheriff’s office is not going to improve with the present budget situation.
The County really is not interested in law enforcement, it’s a low budget priority.
If it is a traffic problem, all the CHP, not the Sheriff.
Nobody carries decibel meters, but “loud is loud” and it’s an easy traffic stop. You just have to be
present to catch the offender.
Minutes of BVNA General Meeting 11/27/07
MINUTES - Minutes of the October 30, 2007 meeting were corrected and approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT Approved. Current bank balance is $230 but $150 is owed for the Bed & Breakfast Gift Certficate. Dues are not owing until March 2008. It was decided that the BVNA would have a garage sale on the following weekend November 3-4 at the home of Loui Tucker and Sabine Zappe. BVNA members are encouraged to take garage-sale type items to their home at 153 Race Street by Saturday morning. The proceeds of the garage sale will go into the BVNA treasury to get it through the next few months until the “grant cycle” money comes in.
STATUS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Pot hole on Page Street in the 500 block is still there.
There is just ONE more light that needs to be fixed on Scott Street, the one on the southeast
corner of Scott at Chiechi.
Several BVNA members attended the recent traffic calming meetings. They reported that Willow
Glen residents who attended the meeting were jealous of the Scott Street lights in the
neighborhood.
During the traffic calming meetings they discussed the use of monitors to measure traffic on a
street. Everyone agreed that the signs that are put up that show the stated speed and blink when the speed of the car is over the speed limit are NOT good at showing the need for traffic calming because people tend to slow down when they see those signs. It would be better to assess traffic calming needs with a camera hidden in a van.
The house next to the Buena Vista Park is being fixed up. The owner evicted the tenant. Trash has been removed. The owner lives in Willow Glen and one report was that he was fixing up the house for his daughter. Another report was that it would again be a rental.
The “boom cars” at the Menclair Apartments are a nuisance. G and C reported their efforts to document the problem which began last spring but have recently gotten worse. They are reluctant to approach the owner/manager of the apartments for fear of reprisals. Brian asked them to email him their list of cars and license plate numbers (4-6 cars are causing the problem). It was decided that the BVNA would write a letter to the owner/manager regarding the problem.
OTHER BUSINESS
Mikala, Ken, and Brian attended the training on grants and reported on what they learned.
Alcohol can be “present” at the July 4 block party, but it cannot be served or sold. It cannot be in a cooler in a public area, but individuals can bring their own or it can be on private property.
There was a session called “How to Talk to City/County Staff” and the basic messages was “attack the policy, not the person.”
The “Rubino Project” is being discussed for the area between Page and Meridian, south of San Carlos, somewhere between 1.5 and 1.7acres. The proposed building are 4 stories tall (compare to the Lou’s Village project where the building are 3 stories tall), with internal parking. There will be stores along Meridian and a 5000 square foot restaurant. The street would have to be widened. The City wants to build on San Carlos to create a “traffic corridor.” Many members present expressed concern about the density, that more similar projects will be built in the area. On the other hand, these units will be owned and not rented, which will have a positive influence on the neighborhood. There were some complaints that the architecture is too “Mission” and should be more “Bungalow” to fit in the neighborhood. It would be good to push for a “green area” on the south side of this project that would be an area park, not locked off from the surrounding neighborhood. SHPNA and Burbank neighborhood associations will be watching this project closely along with BVNA. The next planning meeting will be in mid-late January 2008.
Minutes of BVNA General Meeting 11/27/07
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Members will be decorating Buena Vista Park for the holidays and believe the garlands and other materials are stored at Patricia’s former home. Patricia lives in Hawaii now, but we still refer to it as her house. Hmm.. What’s up with that?
The Burbank/Del Monte NAC is having a community gathering on December 6 6:30-8:30 PM at the Sherman Oaks Community Center on Fruitdale.
There is a neighborhood meeting at Luther Burbank School on Wabash Avenue on Monday, December 3 to discuss the Conditional Use Permit for the Red Stag Lounge to include karaoke music with occasional live music.
There is a Peace Fair at the Congregational Church at the corner of Hamilton & Leigh Avenues on Saturday, December 11 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
The next “Trashathon” is December 18 starting at 9:00 AM. Contact Loui at 408-287-9999 for details if you want to participate.
The meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM.
NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at the home of Sally and Ken Henning at 347 Menker Avenue.
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