County of Santa Clara
Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Elections
The Citizens’ Advisory Commission will be meeting in the wake of a very interesting election cycle. Right or wrong, the Registrar of Voters was foisted into the hot seat on election night with the technical difficulties, a perceived slow counting process and personnel changes in the heart of the lineup. Some interesting items to be discussed include the impact of pre-paid postage for returning ballots, putting together a work plan for 2014-2015, and a report on the November 4, 2014 election.
The Citizens’ Advisory Commission is a good place to start for folks who rightly wonder what can be done to increase turnout in Santa Clara County, implement better processes to empower voters to actually vote, and fix any of the problems that plagued the Registrar on election night.
Where: County Gov. Center
When: Tuesday, December 2
Agenda: link
City of San José
Support for Immigrant Services
This week at the Rules Committee, the city will review whether the current network of existing non-profits who work with the immigrant community is able to handle the anticipated crush of inquiries from residents who might qualify for administrative relief from president Obama’s recent executive action and where the City might be able to step in to help.
Key in this discussion is the tracking and making public the identity of those organizations and individuals exploiting specific providers. Commonly known as Notario Fraud, the practice of committing immigration-consulting fraud is downright deplorable and the City should step in at a minimum to curb the practice. Depending on the actual requirements and process, the City may potentially have a larger role to play as well.
Where: San José Rules Committee
When: Wednesday, December 3
Agenda: link
Regulating Residential Transient Occupancy (aka Airbnb)
The City of San José is taking on the sharing economy and seeking to regulate the burgeoning industry that has taken metropolitan areas by storm. For the unfamiliar, Airbnb is a “website for people to rent out lodging,” mainly on a temporary basis. Translated from Wikipedia speak, users can rent out extra rooms in their homes to other users to help generate extra cash flow. While great on paper, the company has drawn heat from regulators for operating as informal hotels that skip out on the traditional transient occupancy taxes while pushing up housing costs for local residents. San José’s solution, is to allow Airbnb to operate anytime that the host is present, and up to 180 days when the host is not present. Hosts will be required to join a registry administered by the City, which also clarifies the responsibilities and record-keeping requirements of the host for payment of the Transient Occupancy Tax.
Disruption – a oft-overused word and the subject of strong feelings depending on which side of the disruption a given industry lands on – is the focus of the sharing economy and companies that strive for it. Airbnb is one such company, which is trying to disrupt the hotel industry by connecting open spaces in homes with willing occupants. Altruistic in a sense, it shouldn’t be overlooked that companies in the “sharing economy” act more as middle-men taking their cut of any money changing hands than true connectors. Compare the model of services like Couchsurfing to Airbnb and you’ll see the difference. Readers should also not overlook the issues around regulation – not everyone is happy to have a pseudo-hotel in their neighborhood or keycard-locked apartment complex and consumers have less power than they would in the traditional hotel-industry. For more, check out the New York Attorney General’s war with Airbnb.
Where: San José City Council
When: Tuesday, December 9
Agenda: link
San José Police Officers’ Association Letter to the Administration
The San José Police Officers’ Association penned a letter to City Manager Ed Shikada to include in the public record details on the incomplete picture the administration is painting about staffing levels for police officers. Points of contention with the recent presentation by the administration include resignation projections for current officers that are insupportably low, unrealistic academy projections for future officers, and a head-in-the-sand approach to Measure B and recruitment.
There is a mismatch between what the Department is saying and the reality on the ground. Familiar territory during the Reed administration which should be addressed once the next Mayor takes over. As the cops say, “it ought to be our shared goal to prevent a “garbage in, garbage out” decision-making process.
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