Milestones – Future Fantasies into Fact? – Opinion

It is not a fantasy. Santa Clara is in a fiscal fight to rebuild reserves and return sanity to the budget.

The millions that Mayor Lisa Gillmor and her majority council wasted on worthless “wants” have been reversed by the current council. While the City is still paying off some of these bungles, they will not drive the balance sheet into oblivion.

Thanks to Santa Clara’s City Council for making responsible fiscal decisions that are already benefiting the City.

Credit for this turnaround can be given to the council majority of Jain, Chahal, Hardy, Becker and Park. Now, to keep this momentum rolling, the addition of Santa Clara’s new City Manager Jovan Grogan and City Attorney Glenn Googins, bring heavyweight professional expertise.

Once these new recruits have a complete handle on Santa Clara’s capabilities, they may consider an aggressive approach in preparing for the City’s future.

Santa Clara’s swim center needs to be totally rebuilt to once again lead the state, if not the nation, in the sport Santa Clara was once famous for. The right place for this today is the Northside. The infrastructure is there with hotels, restaurants, easy access and parking. Santa Clara’s Convention Center is right there, even if the center, once the envy of the area, needs a facelift, expansion and management that can make it hum. In addition, there’s Levi’s Stadium, a world class facility that will be hosting the World Cup and the Super Bowl in 2026.

We have suggested before the City sell naming rights for these projects. This is a great avenue to help finance a new swim center and updated convention center. While this contributes to the idea of funding, the City will also need to create a bond for voters to approve the completion of these capital improvements.

Not everything is coming up roses on the Northside, however. There is that great quandary known as the Related project. Over 200 acres of prime City land has been submerged in mystery. (This was one of Mayor Gillmor’s mystical agreements that, after a decade, has yet to deliver any benefit to the City and its taxpayers.)

Perhaps Santa Clara’s new management recruits will get around to discussing and understanding the project, and working with Related to move this development forward. A joint venture would not be out of bounds in expanding Santa Clara’s footprint in the Bay Area.