By Robert Haugh

Santa Clara’s long-stalled downtown effort still cannot even get a full public discussion on the City Council agenda.

That failure drew new criticism at Tuesday’s Council meeting. Vice Mayor Albert Gonzalez and Councilmember Kevin Park tried to force the issue onto a future agenda.

Gonzalez took the lead, asking the council to reconsider placing an item on a future agenda to examine the city’s vetting process for contractors tied to rebuilding downtown.

His request underscored a larger problem. For downtown advocates, there have been years of promises and no visible progress.

Residents have heard talk before. What they want now is action.

Mark Kelsey, a member of Reclaiming Our Downtown, called into the meeting. He said the issue has dragged on too long without real leadership from City Hall.

Park backed Gonzalez and challenged the council’s refusal to allow even a public discussion of the problem.

The dispute also makes Councilmember Suds Jain look ineffective.  

Jain represents the downtown area and promised five years ago, when he first got elected, to lead this effort. Residents are still waiting.

Instead, Santa Clarans keep getting delays.

That has become the pattern in Santa Clara’s downtown debate. Residents have repeatedly complained about inaction, slow progress, and a lack of urgency from city leaders.

Not everyone on the council wanted the item to move forward.

Councilmember Karen Hardy argued that the discussion could drift into personal complaints and distract from policy.

She voted against Gonzalez’s motion and only prevailed because it required four votes to pass.

Three councilmembers voted for it on Tuesday:  Jain, Gonzalez, and Park.

Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmember Kelly Cox could not participate in the discussion or vote because of potential conflicts. 

Gillmor’s office is located downtown, and Cox works for Santa Clara University, which has a campus and other properties downtown.

Councilmember Raj Chahal missed the meeting and the vote.