By Robert Haugh
Councilmember Suds Jain’s fight over Franklin Mall’s paid parking is back.
It’s coming back next Tuesday, April 7, after the item was not heard at the March 24 City Council meeting.
The proposal would move $180,000 into a new “Public Facilities Paid Parking” project for a study of paid parking options at the City-owned Franklin Square lots.
The item had already been pulled from the March 10 consent calendar and continued once before.
At the March 24 meeting, Jain moved the item to the end of the agenda, when fewer residents were likely to be still watching or waiting to speak.
But the meeting ran long on other business, and the Franklin Mall issue was never reached before the meeting ended.
So the controversy that has already angered downtown residents and business owners is now headed back for another round.
“How transparent, from Mr. Transparency himself,” wrote former Councilmember Dave Delozier about Jain. Delozier is also a property owner at Franklin Mall.
“We had meetings with Owners and tenants, along with Neighbors and the Old Quad, Suds even attended. Paid parking in the Franklin Mall is not wanted, needed, or warranted until the City acts on its plan to revitalize the downtown.
“At the meetings, we the people thought Sud’s and the City understood and tabled the issue,” Delozier wrote to Santa Clara News Online.
“Now Suds and City [staff] want to back door the people by adding this issue to a budget item pulled from the Council agenda without proper notice and hearings. That’s just dishonest, Suds and City.”
As SCNO previously reported, the proposal would fund a parking study tied to prior Council direction to investigate paid parking at Franklin Square.
Staff says the money would come from the Downtown Parking Maintenance District Fund. Approval requires five yes votes.
The issue has been politically toxic for months. SCNO previously reported that Jain pushed the paid parking idea, then faced heavy blowback from business owners, shoppers, and nearby residents.
In March, District 5 resident David Kertes blasted the proposal in an SCNO op-ed, warning it could hurt Franklin Mall and the Farmers Market just as foot traffic was returning.
No wonder people laugh at our city council. Let’s waste more time and possibly a lot of money on such a stupid proposal. So many are trying to develop a Santa Clara downtown while some on council are trying to kill what little we do have. What a joke.
This is a no brainer. Just vote no. Council majority (you know who you are) just vote no. Will Suds Jain or Roger Kint be at the meeting to give direction to the minions?
Several months ago I warned you people not to go forward with this study. It’s ridiculous, and I look at it like you’re spending my $180,000 frivolously. If it passes it will show everyone what a bunch of f’ing idiots our elected officials are. Common sense better prevail.
Suds Jain lives in his mansion counting his dividend checks and decides little people who use the Franklin Square must pay. Those people ate among the people multi millionaire Jain hates the most. He loathes the poor, but they do most of the working, living, and dying in Santa Clara. Not everyone can hanker estate like Kevin Park
The City has already spent far too much time and money on the idea of charging for parking in what’s left of its “downtown”. The Council majority should approve a motion to direct staff to stop looking at this wildly unpopular effort.
I’m still waiting to hear why jed york wants paid parking downtown. Unless suds has found a way to profit from this I can think of no other explanation for his behavior.
Guess what?
Jain and Caserta conspired to fire Deanna Santana
Guess what?
Jain wants public records requests limited to ONE per person for the whole year.
Guess what?
Jain has sentenced popular Asian businesses to closing on El Camino for developers, which he does business with.