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Welcome to SupervisorShirakawa.org!    

January 2010

It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year since I took the oath of office to serve District 2 on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.   While 2009 posed many challenges for all of us, it was a rewarding year as well. 

 

When I took office, I committed myself and my staff to fan out to every corner of District 2 to understand the needs of our community.   I also pledged to begin the process to revitalize the County Fairgrounds, partner with schools to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for our children, work on completing the Three Creeks Trail project to connect downtown with our neighborhoods, and provide the downtown community with first-rate medical facilities. 

 

So, as we head into 2010 with renewed energy and purpose, here is a brief look at the progress we made in District 2 in 2009:

 

Community Outreach

District 2 has a strong tradition of community activism with many neighborhood groups working hard to ensure our quality of life.  My staff and I discussed issues with over 20 neighborhood groups and associations.  As a result, we resolved code issues in the Lyndale neighborhood, worked with the Alum Rock neighborhood on a community meeting to address concerns about gang violence, secured funding to provide the East Hills neighborhood with a community clean-up, hosted a graffiti paint-out project with the St. Maria Goretti community, and joined CommUniverCity to beautify the downtown neighborhoods around San Jose State University.

 

 

School Partnerships

Although the County does not have a direct impact on schools, we can be a partner on important initiatives.  As Chair of the Public Safety and Justice Committee, I led the effort to develop a Countywide Truancy Abatement Strategies Plan to provide funding for school-initiated early intervention to keep middle school kids in school. 

 

County Fairgrounds

The Fairgrounds continues to be on of the largest and most valuable County assets in District 2.  In 2009, the Board agreed that the development of the Fairgrounds should provide opportunities for on-going revenue to enhance essential County services, boost economic development in the surrounding community, and maintain community activities.  To achieve this goal, I assembled an ad-hoc committee of community members to study the various options currently in place to advise the Board on the best use to meet its goals.  The ad-hoc committee will begin meeting this spring.

 

Downtown Clinic

Since the closure of San Jose Hospital, the downtown community has needed a first-rate medical clinic to provide health care for the surrounding neighborhoods.  In 2008, voters approved Measure A, an $840 million bond for hospital improvements that includes $50 million for the establishment of downtown medical services.  In December, the Board approved the purchase of the former San Jose Hospital property for a clinic.  The sale is scheduled to be finalized later this month, and the County will begin the process of making necessary facility improvements and selecting a health care provider for the new clinic.

 

Three-Creeks Trail

Completion of the Three-Creeks Trail will connect the Willow Glen neighborhood to downtown San Jose and points south and east.  This is a complex project that includes many diverse components.  In 2009, my staff and I met with representatives from the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, private property owners, the City of San Jose, and the County’s Parks administration to determine how to most effectively proceed with the project.  

 

In short, 2009 was a busy year.  My office worked on many more projects and initiatives than mentioned above – like restoring funding for the County’s Office of Women’s Policy, the restoration of advocacy positions that generate millions of dollars in revenue for the County, and a $2 million allocation for an urban park in the park-deficient East Hills neighborhood of San Jose. 

 

Serving the people of District 2 has been humbling and rewarding.  We have more work to do in 2010, and I look forward to working with the community to continue doing our best to ensure a good quality of life for our residents.

 

Please bookmark this page and use it as a continuing resource about issues in the district and the county and feel free to contact my office with your questions and ideas.

Thanks again for visiting my web site. Let me know what you think.

 

Supervisor George Shirakawa – District 2
County Government Center Tenth Floor – East Wing
70 West Hedding Street
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: 408.299.5020
Se Habla Español
e-mail: supervisor.shirakawa@bos.sccgov.org