Holiday neighborhood decorating: 9 am Sunday

We will be decorating the neighborhood again this Sunday and we would love to have your help. It doesn't take very long and it's a fun way to kick off the holiday season by brightening the neighborhood for everyone. Join us at 9 am on Nov. 26 in the smokehouse parking lot, 885 Delmas.

We will have coffee, bagels, and fun!

Off-sale of beer and wine: Have your say

7-11 is moving in to the old Fairmart location at Bird and Virginia and several neighbors have raised issues about the potential expansion of alcohol sales at that location due to close proximity of schools, parks, the community center, and the nearby trail.

We encourage you to have your say in two ways:

1. Participate in the community meeting on Dec. 3
2. Call or email your City of San Jose representative now.

If you are in District 3, your representative is Sam Liccardo (Phone: 408-535-4903, Email: District3@sanjoseca.gov). If you are in District 6, your representativeis Pierluigi Oliverio (Phone: 408-535-4906, Email: pierluigi.oliverio@sanjoseca.gov).

If you need help understanding what district you are in, here is District 3, in the yellow area:

And here is District 6, in the pink area:

Here are details about the upcoming community meeting:

What: Community Meeting with City of San Jose planning department re: "Conditional Use Permit to allow 24-hour use and off-sale of beer and wine for a 7-Eleven convenience store to replace previously existing Fairmart Market at 601 Bird Ave."
Date: Monday Dec 3rd
Time: 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Location: Gardner Community Center Multi-Purpose Room, 520 West Virginia Street

Caltrain Holiday Train

The Caltrain Holiday Train, a Bay Area tradition since 2001, is a free family event that brings together thousands of local community members in the spirit of joy and giving. Decorated with 60,000 glittering lights, the dazzling show-train will visit 10 Caltrain stations between San Francisco and Santa Clara over two nights in December, providing holiday entertainment and collecting donations of toys for local children who otherwise might not receive a gift during the holidays. The Caltrain Holiday Train has generated more than 45,000 toys for local children in its nine-year history.

When: December 1 & 2

Where: Various locations

More Information: Visit http://www.holiday-train.org/ for further details.

280/880 interchange project breaks ground

From Supervisor Ken Yeager's newsletter:

On November 9, I led a group of assembled dignitaries in a ceremony to mark the start of the I-280/I-880/Stevens Creek Boulevard Improvements Project. It was with great joy that I celebrated the opportunity to deliver congestion relief to one of the most heavily traveled corridors in Santa Clara County. Anyone who has driven through this area knows that this interchange is one of the most congested in the region. This project will bring relief to thousands of commuters and shoppers.

I began advocating for improvements to this interchange in 2002, while serving on the San Jose City Council. I continued to advocate for it while serving on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and up through today as the Chair of the VTA Board of Directors. It is satisfying to know that changes are finally underway.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)―in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)―began the long-awaited traffic relief and safety improvements on the I-280/I-880/Stevens Creek interchange in San Jose. At the end of two and a half years, there will be a number of improvements:

• The existing full cloverleaf at the I-880/Stevens Creek Boulevard interchange will be reconfigured by widening and realigning ramps, improving traffic flow through the area;

• Stevens Creek Boulevard will be widened where it passes over I-880 to create a better pedestrian and bicyclist experience;

• Freeway-to-freeway traffic will be separated from local traffic by building a new direct connector from northbound I-280 to northbound I-880; and

• Direct off-ramps to Monroe Street from southbound I-880 will be constructed. 

When the project is completed, we will see improved safety and traffic flow as well as reduced queuing and traffic backups. After years of headaches, this project will bring relief to residents, business owners, commuters, and shoppers alike.

During the next few months of the busy holiday season, VTA will focus on pre-construction activities and work along Stevens Creek Boulevard to avoid causing major delays. The first major construction activity to begin later this winter will involve widening the overcrossing structure at Stevens Creek Boulevard over I-880. The construction of the new flyover ramp from north I-280 to north I-880 is expected to begin in spring 2013. Overall construction is slated for completion by spring 2015.

This has been a long time coming, and I am excited that it is finally happening. I look forward to sharing its progress with you. For more information about the project, please visit http://www.vta.org/projects/280_880_stevens_creek_blvd_improvements/index.html.

As always, I encourage you to contact my office if you have any concerns or are interested in additional information. You can reach me at (408) 299-5040 or via e-mail at Supervisor.Yeager@bos.sccgov.org.

Hike and bike to commemorate World AIDS Day

From Supervisor Ken Yeager's newsletter:

Bikers and hikers of all ages are invited to help fight AIDS by joining the Silicon Valley Hike and Bike. Participants can choose a 32-mile or 11-mile bike ride or a 2-mile walk. Bring your friends and raise money for The Health Trust AIDS Services. This one-of-a-kind event will raise HIV/AIDS awareness and much needed funds for services in Santa Clara County. All registered participants are invited to raise funds beyond their registration fee of $25 for walkers and $50 for bikers ($35 for student riders). All paid participants will receive a commemorative Hike & Bike T-shirt and various incentives for different fundraising levels.

When: December 1 at 9 a.m.

Where: Santa Clara University, Locatelli Student Activity Center, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

More Information: Register at www.svhikeandbike.org.

CalTrain seeking volunteers for bike committee

From Supervisor Ken Yeager's newsletter:

Caltrain is seeking volunteer representatives for the Bicycle Advisory Committee. Applicants who wish to apply must be part of a San Francisco bicycle advocacy organization; a member of the San Mateo general public; a member of a Santa Clara County public agency; or a member of a Santa Clara County bicycle advocacy organization.

The nine-member committee serves as the primary venue for the interests and perspectives of Caltrain bicyclists. The Committee meets every other month at 6:45 p.m. in San Carlos, just one block from the San Carlos Caltrain Station. All meetings are open to the public.
Interested persons can download an application. Applications are due December 3.

Looking for holiday treasures

Silicon Valley Community Newspapers is hoping to do a story on readers' favorite holiday treasure. It can be a tree ornament made by a child or one that commemorates a special event; a dreidel or menorah passed down through your family; or something else connected to the December holidays.

Ideally, they would like you to send them a photo (in jpg form and hi-res) and information on why this memento is important to you. However, if you don't have a photo, you can send information about the item and if it meets their needs, they will send a photographer out to take a photo.

The deadline for information is Dec. 7 and it should be emailed to jramseyer@community-newspapers.com.

Enjoy holiday events in Willow Glen

Willow Glen holiday traditions are continuing this year with several returning events and a few new ones:

• Small Business Saturday, Nov. 24
• Visits with Santa Clause at Hicklebee's and Buffington House
• Free holiday concerts
• Wagon rides
• Tree lighting ceremony
• Caroling at the Willow Glen Town Square Fountain Courtyard

Read more about these events and more.

Community meeting about 7-11 scheduled

The community meeting regarding the 7-11 going in at the old Fairmart location at Bird and Virginia has been scheduled. Mark your calendars and attend if you possibly can. The details:

What: Community Meeting with City of San Jose planning department re: "Conditional Use Permit to allow 24-hour use and off-sale of beer and wine for a 7-Eleven convenience store to replace previously existing Fairmart Market at 601 Bird Ave."
Date: Monday Dec 3rd
Time: 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Location: Gardner Community Center Multi-Purpose Room, 520 West Virginia Street

Input Sought in Recruitment of SJ's Next Police Chief

City officials would like to know what qualities the city manager should consider in evaluating candidates for police chief. The city has contracted with Teri Black-Brann, of Teri Black & Company, an executive recruitment firm, to conduct the search.

Based on past public input, the search is focused on five themes:

Theme 1: Culturally Competent

The next Police Chief should have the lcnowledge, skills and motivation to work with and respect the diverse groups and communities in San Jose, including the most vulnerable members of the public (mental illness, victims of domestic violence, etc.).

Theme 2: Community Engagement and Community Policing

The next Police Chief should be committed to ensuring that members of the Police Department engage with the community regularly and in meaningful ways, including having a record of promoting community policing policies and practices.

Theme 3: Effective Manager, Communicator and Collaborator

The next Police Chief should have strong management skills and b~e able to communicate effectively with the workforce, community, City leaders, and the media while working collaboratively with different agencies, organizations and groups. Included under this theme is the ability to be innovative and creative in managing limited resources and budgets.

Theme 4: Courageous Leader who is Honest and Transparent

The next Police Chief should adhere to the highest ethical standards, which includes being able to make difficult decisions that he or she believes are in the best interest of community safety, even if it might prove to be unpopular with the some segments of the community or workforce.

Theme 5: Record of Crime Prevention and Suppression

The new Police Chief should have a strong record of crime prevention and suppression at all levels, as demonstrated throughout the person’s career and in response to different types of crime and in community environments similar to San Jose.

Four community meetings have been scheduled for November and December. Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters will be available at each meeting: 

• Monday, November 26 –6:30 to 8 p.m. at Berryessa Community Center, 3050 Berryessa Road.
• Wednesday, November 28 – 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Camden Community Center, 3369 Union Avenue.
• Monday, December 3 – 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Mayfair Community Center, 2039 Kammerer Avenue.
• Monday, December 10 – 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Southside Community Center, 5585 Cottle Road 

The Neighborhood Commission also will be discussing the Police Chief recruitment at its meeting on December 12. In addition, we are conducting a short online survey in English, Spanish and Vietnamese to provide another avenue of community input. The links for these surveys will be advertised in a number of places including www.sanjoseca.gov.

Read more at http://www.piersystem.com/external/content/document/1914/1614835/1/11-19-12%20CMO.PDF

Update on 7-11 at Bird & Virginia

Debbie Palmer on Fuller spoke with Aparna Ankola from the City of San Jose Planning Deptartment about a status report on the 7-11 proposed for Bird/Virginia at the site of the old Fairmart Market. Here's what she learned:

• No hearing date has been scheduled yet
• No decision has been made yet
• The applicant is trying to set up a community meeting 
• The meeting should be scheduled before the end of the year 
• We will be notified of the community meeting as soon as it is scheduled

She confirmed with Aparna that NWGNA will be notified, or at the very least, anyone who submitted comment will be notified, and she will notify Debbie when that happens. In turn, Debbie will notify the rest of the neighborhood via the Yahoo! Groups list, blog, and Facebook page.

Stay tuned!

Daylight savings ends Sunday 2:00 am

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 4 at 2 a.m.

It's a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors, too. Fire Departments encourage it since the end of Daylight Saving Time provides a convenient reminder, especially With the busy holiday season coming up.

TODAY: Holiday tree orders due

Did you get your order in? If not, download the form and get it over to Pam Shukait at 1023 Bird today (or send via PayPal).

Holiday tree orders due TOMORROW

Did you get your order in? If not, download the form and get it over to Pam Shukait at 1023 Bird by tomorrow (or send via PayPal).