City Charter for San Jose, California
How strong or stable is your local government? Are your city council members performing in accordance with their duties and responsibilities? As a resident of your city, are you aware of the guidelines your local government officials must adhere to.
This is where the city charter comes in. This is THE document that grants power to your local government. If you are looking to become more pro-active within government or politics, you need to start from the bottom. Learning how your city functions is a good start. Even if you are not interested in city politics, it is always good to know. With everything that is going on the state and federal levels, don’t be left in the dark when it comes to local level government.
I will be compiling city charters for the surrounding areas followed by the charters for the major metropolitan areas. Below you will find the city charter for San Jose, California. Comparing a city charters will help to begin to identify why a city is performing as it is.
I find SECTION.201 especially interesting and I am curious to know how other cities define their special powers.
Congressman Mike Honda’s Tele-Townhall Date Changed
Event Update
Congressman Mike Honda’s tele-townhall meeting has been changed from August 25th to September 1st. No reason for the change has been given.
California district 15 constituents can sign up for his tele-townhall raffle http://honda.house.gov/telephonetownhall/
Barbara Boxer Charges Constituents for Townhall Style Access
In San Jose, California, hundreds of protesters filled the sidewalks outside of the
of the Barnes and Noble Bookstore. This is where Senator Barbara Boxer will hold a book signing/fee-based “non-townhall” meeting event.
Custom made signs littered the crowd as an American Flag was carried up and down the sidewalk. Cars where constantly honking their horns in support the protesting against the Obama Democrat Healthcare Initiative.
Protester of all ages where present to show their concern for the HealthCare Bill and that they are not in agreement with Congress’ plan. Even a concerned 10 year old came out to show his support.
According to Barnes and Noble security, in order to gain access to Senator Barbara Boxer, you had to purchase a copy of her new book “Blind Trust” then you will be allowed to enter the area the Senator would be speaking.
Senator Boxer was kind enough to answer questions from her constituents on healthcare related items. Lets see what she had to say.
Kids and Politics: Where to draw the line
OPINION: by Autumn Orton
Last fall I took my daughter to school one morning to find one of her 1st grade classmates wearing an Obama hat. For some reason I felt angry and annoyed that a parent sent his child to school advertising for a political candidate. What’s the big deal you ask? It took me a while to figure out why I responded to this child’s hat in this way.
In my family we have Republicans and Democrats a few Moderates and one or two Libertarians. We respect the opinions of those we disagree with and have come to a sort of “agree to disagree” stasis. Same goes for religion. These labels apply to the adults in our family, not to the children. Although parents certainly have a strong influence on the views of their children, we are not at liberty to define their values and beliefs for them. They must be allowed to choose for themselves or we rob them of one of the most important life skills – learning from experience.
This boy wearing the Obama hat was clearly too young to have any sense of self beyond his parents and therefore wore the hat because of what his parents believed, not what he believed. In my opinion, these adults were abusing their parental influence to forward their own support of a political candidate. Exploiting a child should evoke feelings of annoyance and anger in any parent which explains why I responded so strongly to this situation.
As we gear up for the 2010 election cycle I often bring this moment to mind to remind me how to talk to my daughter about politics. I explain to her why I believe the things I do and I answer her questions. But, I also encourage her to think for herself and make up her own mind. She is my daughter but she is also an individual worthy of her own beliefs. Kids have young impressionable minds that need to be treated with care and support not indoctrination.
Boxer Protest Interview with Atul
Protesters where out in full force on this bright and sunny Saturday afternoon as Senator Barbara Boxer held a book signing at a Barnes and Noble in San Jose California.
We had the chance to speak with Atul, who had some interesting points concerning how the Government is handling the Obama HealthCare Initiative.
Boxer Protest Interview with Al
Protesters where out in full force on this bright and sunny Saturday afternoon as Senator Barbara Boxer held a book signing at a Barnes and Noble in San Jose California.
We had the chance to speak with one of the so-called violent radical right wing extremist named Al. Lets see what Al had to say.
Boxer Protest Interview with Fred
Protesters where out in full force on this bright and sunny Saturday afternoon as Senator Barbara Boxer held a book signing at a Barnes and Noble in San Jose California.
We had the chance to speak with Fred, one of the many Americans who are worried about the passing of the Obama HealthCare Initiative.
Barbara Boxer Finds the Fountain of Youth Just in Time
While doing research to verify various comments Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) made during her San Jose book signing/fee-based “non-townhall” meeting, I came across two images of the same person— which both surprised and troubled me.
If I didn’t tell you who this person was, you would have never put it together at first glance.
The images below are a portrayal of Senator Barbara Boxer. The left image is from her 2004 Senate campaign and the right image shows today’s campaign. Click on the image to see a larger version.
The current portrayal is a night and day comparison to the former. Two opposing personalities where the portrayal on the right has dominated complete control over the portrayal on the left, complete control over the other. Many may say this is a just a makeover. In my opinion, I say otherwise. It is one thing to have a makeover, this is not a makeover. Makeovers are good for some people. It revitalizes and rejuvenates the mind and body. It makes you feel like a new person. And when you feel revitalized, you start to believe you can do amazing things. And for most, you are able to accomplish those goals.
But this is not a makeover it’s a do-over. A comparison of the two photos depict two different women, where one could be classified as a grandmother, and the other as a middle aged woman who is ready to begin her life anew.
The complete do-over is what’s troubling. We need to ask Senator Boxer if there is anything wrong with being in her Golden Years, as depicted in the photo on the left. If you don’t have any wisdom or defined experience to show for it, perhaps there is. Or does she lack the self-confidence to stand on substance and not image. Before the do-over, might she feel she will have to receive “End of Life Counseling” if ObamaCare and her ultimate goal of a single payer healthcare system ever passes. Oh wait, thank you for correcting me, she would be exempt from that. So why the makeover then?
This type and amount of photo retouching work being done to Senator Boxer’s image tells me this is a desperate attempt to appeal and recreate herself as a younger, more modern answer to all your woes and troubles. The real 68 year old, grey haired, naturally aged Boxer was responsible for all of your past problems. The do-over shows the new and improved Boxer, looking young enough to stay on the job.
Looking at the big picture, with her reelection bid coming up, things don’t look so good for Barbara Boxer in more ways than one. I believe she is aware there isn’t much she can argue in defense of her previous actions which have helped to create the dire economic state that the Union and California are currently in. It looks like Senator Boxer is getting ready for the toughest campaign fight ever if she wants to keep her current job.
Which leads one to wonder… has the Senator been given advice from the Obama/Axelrod marketing team to help her get a fresher, more vibrant, youthful look to appeal and capture the “Obama” youth vote. I think Boxer knows she doesn’t have the 2010 election in the bag. She sees how her base of voters have gone sour on the Healthcare Reform Bill and cap-and-tax. She sees the results of the townhall meetings and the err of her name calling. And she is worried. By the way, if you haven’t noticed, both of her opponents, Carly Fiorina and Chuck Devore naturally have a more youthful look than Senator Boxer does.
We will be paying attention to what type of campaign the Senator runs, as well as who is running it.
Congressman Mike Honda (CA-15) Upcoming Protest Rally
Protesters are being rallied to join the march on Congressman Mike Honda (CA-15). It looks like Congressman Honda is losing the confidence of his constituents with the coming of the H.R. 3200 Healthcare Bill and his in-ability to explain the bill or why he approves of it.
Stewart is one of the many organizers getting the word out for the August 25th date.
Senator Boxer’s Protest Interview with the Raging Grannies
We had the chance to talk with one of the members of the Raging Grannies Action League. They didn’t seem to come specifically to support Senator Barbara Boxer. they attended the protest with the intention of providing anger management for all participants even though they were outnumbered almost 10 to 1.
