By Robert Haugh
The Santa Clara City budget totals about $1.2 billion between all funds. It was the third budget hearing in the last couple months as part of the budget process.
Even with a lot of previous discussion, it took hours of discussion and debate before the budget was passed. But that’s what the public expects from this new Council.
Most of the budget shortfall of $29 million was filled with federal Coronavirus funds of almost $23 million.
Debate about Public Safety
The most heated debate was about public safety. Some Councilmembers wanted to restore cuts from earlier in the year.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor was passionate about restoring police cuts. “We can keep more money in reserves or have crime on the streets,” Gillmor said.
“I don’t see this is the time to cut public safety, between police and fire,” said Councilman Anthony Becker. That’s just an opinion and what I hear from the residents in my district.
Kathy Watanabe, Raj Chahal and Kevin Park joined them to restore public safety cuts to the Fire Department and the Police Department. The votes were 5-2.
Councilmembers Karen Hardy and Suds Jain voted against both Fire Department and Police Department motions to restore funding.
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, we’ll report on water rates and data center items on Tuesday’s night agenda.
Dorothy Rosa
I just scrolled up and
saw HARDY and JAIN’s face. I almost threw up my breakfast !!!! Next time, have them put a little bit bigger picture of your faces ? YOU REALLY LOVE YOURSELVES DON’T YOU. But your day will come. Have your fun now, because when you take your last breath, it will all coming falling down on all of you. We were put on this earth to be kind an loving, not mean and hateful. You need to think twice about what you are doing. You are destroying the great City of Santa Clara. This City belongs to all of us, not just Jed York and all of you.
[…] Tuesday, the City Council voted on a two-year budget. They restored public safety cuts in the police and fire departments. The vote was 5-2. So it’s pretty easy to figure out […]
So Mike Honda voted for the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 to limit independent expenditures. The act was later struck down by the Supreme Court in Citizens United.
Why is this important? It shows what a hypocrite Mike Honda is! Hah! Hah! At Honda’s request, Jed York contributed $1.1 million to a PAC overseen by Honda, Mike Sellers and Patty Mahan to buy 4 city council seats in districts of 20,000 people. Why don’t you ask Mr. Honda why he thinks massive infusions of billionaire cash is good government? Especially when said PAC, overseen by former Chief of Police Mike Sellers who Suds Jain brags “handpicked” him to be on the inaugural Chief of Police Citizens Advisory Committee. Guess Jain didn’t learn much about SCPD and issues and community during his tenure. If he did why would he vote against funding the police department in his own city? Another hypocrite! And there’s that pesky FPPC letter calling Jain a liar. Whoops!
So much hypocrisy and so little time but Santa Clarans can change the course of history for their future and vote out the hypocrits. Sooner rather than later!
I said it before and I will say it once more! Santa Clara stand up. You deserve better than Jain, Hardy, chahal, Becker, Park, the Mahans and Sellers!
Love to be a fly on the wall at next weekly 49er meeting and see who screwed up on this one! Unf****** believable….a pure disgrace to the office they hold.
I would like them to make a comment or post a reply in response to each of their issues whether Public Safety or Climate Control, On line and in Public, like in santa Clara News..
I for one thank the policemen every time I see one and glad they are here. I tell them to stay and do not retire or go away. I do not know anyone who wants to defund our Police Department.
It seems Karen and Suds forget they are representing their districts. Their wishes barely tip the scale in comparison to their constituents. You wouldn’t know that when they vote.
The next time you see them ask them, what’s more important to the residents than police and fire?
We know Suds has his own political agenda saving the planet even though Obama’s climate guy disagrees.
Why would a school teacher want less public safety? A good question to ask Karen Hardy. I believe her neighbors would suggest differently. What is Karen’s motivation and why would she risk our security and want less public safety?
Even Anthony references what people in his district say. Are we to believe that people in Karen and Suds’ districts want less police and fire? I can tell you Suds, we want more, not less. Don’t be a fool.
Maybe Hardy and Sudsy are coaching a robotics team to develop new public safety robots! Yeah! That’s the ticket! 🤖