Only a handful of developer and lobbyist meetings were recorded with Santa Clara City Council Members in May. Although the current state of City politics may have played a role, most Council Members maintained full calendars, attending plenty of public meetings and events. Only a handful of notable meetings occurred, including one meeting with Related Companies’ Steve Eimer and lobbyist Jude Barry, one with lobbyist Jim Cuneen and a couple with Promethus about the former Moonlite Lanes site.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor spent the majority of her day on May 14 discussing former Santa Clara City Council Member Dominic Caserta’s conduct with reporters, including interviews with NBC Bay Area, KTVU, KPIX, KQED, Channel 7 and KRON 4. Nearly every other meeting and event listed on her calendar was open to the public. She did, however, attend a birthday party on May 12; was interviewed an unnamed Boy Scout on May 14; had a meeting regarding the Project for Public Spaces with City Manager Deanna Santana, Assistant City Manager Manuel Pineda, Director of Community Development Andrew Crabtree and the Vice President of Project for Public Spaces Elena Madison on May 16; met with Vice Mayor Kathy Watanabe and the Co-Founder of the Silicon Valley Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum George Chao on May 23; conducted a City Hall tour with students from Scott Lane on May 23; and had a meeting with Council Member Debi Davis and SCU Real Estate Board Member Lori Zito regarding affordable housing on May 30.
Watanabe continued attending the Santa Clara Police Department’s Citizens’ Police Academy and graduated from the program on May 23. Additionally, Watanabe had a meeting regarding the failed Measure A campaign with Davis and Jean Cohen, a member of UA Local 393 (Plumbers, Pipefitters and HVAC/R Service Technicians) on May 3, a Measure A meeting with the Santa Clara County Democratic Club on May 3, participated in a roundtable for invited mayors and vice mayors with Congressman Ro Khanna on May 5 and met with CBS regarding the City’s curfew on May 11. Watanabe also made some time to meet with a developer last month, sitting down with Council Member Teresa O’Neill and Marilyn Ponte and John Moss of Premethus regarding the planned townhome development at the former Moonlite Lanes on May 17.
On May 21, Watanabe met with Adam Thompson, President of the Old Quad Association regarding Franklin Mall and resident Lineth Jazerk about openings on City commissions. Two days later, she recorded a “park proposal” meeting with Dean Stanford, President of Zero Emissions Recreational Organization, Inc., and Panning Manager Dan Canfield and Commissioner Eric Lueder of California State Parks — California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division.
As the month drew to a close, Watanabe notched another interview about Measure A; this time with KCBS on May 26 and ended May with a meeting with residents Mary Grizzle and Ana Vargas-Smith of Reclaiming our Downtown on May 30 and a catchall “community issues” meeting with resident Hazel Abalgado on May 31.
There was only one non-public meeting or event not previously mentioned on Davis’ calendar, and it took place on May 15 when the Council Member had an introductory lunch with Santa Clara University’s Assistant Vice President for University Operations Chris Shay and Vice President of Fianance and Administration Michael Crowley.
O’Neill began May with a meeting with John Hyjer, Vice President of Investments at Equity Residential regarding 3131 Homestead Road, the site of the Laguna Clara Apartment complex, and Sam Kumar, owner of Mayuri Indian Cuisine about “small business and election issues.”
On May 9, the O’Neill met with resident Tracie Johnson about “traffic calming,” and a day later met with resident Ken Kratz for a guided tour of the Pomeroy Green Cooperative and Pomeroy West Condominium.
One week later, on May 17, O’Neill had a phone call with Mariani’s Restaurant and Inn owner Lou Mariani about the Convention Center management and Abode Services’ Louis Chicoine and Jon White about the Corvin Affordable Housing Project.
O’Neill also notched a meeting with Thompson about the Mission Town Center project and Bob Bothman of Robert A. Bothman Construction about 1411 Lewis Street, both on May 21, and later in the evening met with former SCU Student Senate President Nail Datar regarding “city issues.”
Cuneen and Leslie Rodriguez of California Strategies met with O’Neill on May 24 about “city issues” and as the month came to a close, O’Neill had an interview with KCBS regarding Measure A as well as a discussion with Santa Clara Unified School District psychologist Vickie Fairchild and Santa Clara Unified Parents treasurer Peta Roberts about the measure.
Council Member Pat Kolstad’s calendar was light, but he notched a couple meetings of note: the first being an auditor update meeting with Cody Smith and Amy Meyer of Maze and Associates on May 10. Seven days later, he met with Moss and Ponte regarding the Moonlite Lanes project and on May 21 he met with Bothman about the 1411 Lewis Street Project. Kolstad also had a meeting with Thompson about the Downtown Revitalization on May 24 and ended his month with a meeting about the City Place Project with Barry and Related’s Eimer.
Council Member Patricia Mahan had seven meetings and event on her calendar, all of which were public except for a single meeting with Bothman on May 7 regarding the 1411 Lewis Street project.
The only item listed on Caserta’s calendar was that he resigned from office on May 15.
To view a list of all Council Member calendars visit, http://santaclaraca.gov/government/public-calendars-of-certain-city-officials.