By Robert Haugh
At the Santa Clara City Council meeting on November 16, Santa Clara Councilman Suds Jain was found to have another conflict of interest that’s a problem for his district.
This time it involves the Union Pacific Railroad. He had to suddenly drop out of a study session on a Quiet Zone policy. That’s something that could improve the quality of life in many Santa Clara neighborhoods. And in Jain’s District Five, train noise is an impact.
Jain did not disclose the conflict himself. Elected officials should do that before an agenda item begins.
Here’s a link to the City’s official video of the meeting. Around the 1:25 mark, City Manager Deanna Santana gets a phone call.
Then, Santana interrupts the meeting. She says that a city attorney has informed her that an unnamed Councilmember may not be able to participate in the study session. They have to take a break from the meeting.
When they returned, Jain was gone from the Zoom screen.
According to City staff, Jain owns enough stock in the Union Pacific Railroad that he has a conflict of interest. That means he can’t participate in discussions or decisions about quiet zones in District Five.
This is the latest of a growing list of Jain’s conflicts.
Jain cannot vote on downtown development issues because of the location of his residence. That’s something that he did not disclose to District Five voters last year during his campaign.
And Jain can’t vote on Santa Clara University (SCU) issues because his wife, Lori Jain, works there.
During the campaign both Jain and his wife claimed that she would be retiring from SCU in January, 2021. That didn’t happen.
And during the campaign, Jain lied to voters about his conflict even though he was informed of it years earlier when he was on the Planning Commission.
Now we know that Jain cannot vote or participate in the discussion of the biggest issues in District Five: revitalizing downtown, SCU and BART.
At least, that’s the list we know about today. Stay tuned.
I love trains and listened to them and their wonderful noise all the time I grew up here in S C for over 80 years now.We lived and grew up on Lafayette st & Fremont across from Nutman’s home and Chas South family, he was Post Master. He was usually in his office and a great guy and help. I cannot find the Post master at this time. He is manager of three places they tell me. His name is Dennis I think, no one is sure or where he is. I was told he should be in his office at Franklin Mall but have not been able to conect with him as yet.
Cannot get info about change of address and see how it works. We have not gotten any mail from system that is supposed to be working . What is his name and how to contact him, please.
Did you live in the City when Suds was elected via democratic vote? If so, how, why? Please state your name for the public record. You have no write to speak out in public anonymously. Even if your name is Silence Dogood. Thanks you.
Does anyone else hear a duck yelling Afflack when the see J. Byron Flack post?
How much do we dislike Suds? Let us count the ways!
He fired our City Attorney. He defunded public safety when we need it most! He extended the weekday curfew at Levi’s. He cannot support anything involving the Downtown. He is a LIAR! His condescension towards staff and anyone he deems worthy of it is not hidden from many.
Bottom line. Suds really is a piece of 💩.
Suds did not fire our City Attorney by himself. He had at least 3 others who voted to fire Brian Doyle.. as a side note, Doyle is is a lawyer who strives to maintain a high level of mediocrity.
Jain doesn’t care. He will do or say anything to push his agenda of Socialism, Green New Deal and a true hatred of Lisa Gillmor. His little band of followers, including the drunk lawyer will always try to cover for him. The good news is the Recall voices are getting louder and louder. So keep it up Suds, while you might not care, many of those in District 5 do!
It used to be where council members would appear to represent the voters. Suds has brought this to an all-time low.
Who in the hell voted for King Suds?
Nuf votes to get Suds elected.
Backroom deals made.
Disgusting. NOW folks manning up
how
they WERE hoodwinked by Suds.
A little too late but not for recall.
So an espoused Sierra Club member who owns stock in the railroad industry? Wait – what??? That is NOT green transportation my man.
Fellow Residents
Sadly by now we have to be the laughing stock of every local City around us. That’s not speculation, that has to now be fact.
Every day, something new is coming out about our very dysfunctional 49er City Council.
Question is
How much is too much?
Next question is
What do we start do to get our City’s well earned respect back?
One quick turn would be to stop allowing Measure “J” to being changed as if it never existed.
IT IS THE REASON THE STADIUM WAS ALLOWED TO BE BUILT. (PERIOD)
Without Measure “J”, the Stadium is voted down, and all this would have been avoided. The company based out of San Francisco would have had to somehow made San Francisco work, or they could have beaten the Raiders to Las Vegas…. Either one would have been fine with me.
I’m sick of calling our Santa Clara City Council the 49er City Council, but tell me right now if I am that far off the mark?
How do we change the inevitable future given the long term contract we have with our current tenant in OUR STADIUM.
I am more than sick of all of this. We are a historic, proud City, with a history that should be celebrated, not to be the punch line to any joke.
Thank God we have the leadership in place that we do. We need to continue to do all that we can to support our Mayor and one remaining City Councilperson. Never to be forgotten is our fantastic Police and Fire Dept’s.
As I read these comments, none of us are hiding how we feel. It is now just over a year since 3 of the Fab Five were elected, and our City has gone down that preverbal slippery slope at record pace.
What are we going to do? How much more are we going to take.
Reach out to your Mayor and City Councilperson let them know you are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to fix these embarrassing and growing issues.
We have to have some path to get our City back, regardless how much money any one local company can spend to change / confuse the local issues.
We have a few “Wrongs” that need to be fixed, addressed and then standards put in place to remove them from ever happening again.
Am I asking for too much? How about just honoring Measure J which we all voted for when we decided to have the Stadium built and paid for by us…. the Residents of Santa Clara
Many of us are very easy to find.
A very concerned Resident
Burt Field
Sad. Doubt he’s too smart to understand what he has done.Yet he knows how to screw the City overall. Must be all those 49er meetings!
Didn’t Jain lead the charge for this study session? If so, the whole study needs to be dropped. Fruit from the poisonous tree.
It is a waste of tax payer funds that can be used for more pressing needs.
Bob O’Keefe wouldn’t have had these issues.
Just sayin’.
#shameful #deceit #lies #whatelse
Happy Thanksgiving, District 5!
This isn’t really a problem for Suds because Jed doesn’t have any interest in those issues. This will keep the cash rolling into Suds’ pockets.
This is only a problem for the constituents of district 5. They thought Suds really cared about them. Suds now has Jed to fund his personal agenda. Sorry Santa Clara…
Is it a conflict of interest if Suds doesn’t give a crap about District 5 or is that just a lack of interest? Asking for a friend…
No it is not a conflict of interest. Do you really have any friends?