New Councilman Aims at City Image
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Pr New councilman aims at city image By Steven Goldberg desert and called it redevelopment,' Victorian, that gives you some hope the idea of looking to the downtown For downtown San Jose to " he said in his gently sarcastic for the future." as the center of the city, he said. develop an identity as the center of style. At present, a large part of the city is crucial to its welfare, said A balance of uses, which is downtown consists of a con- newly appointed councilman Downtown hit "dead bottom" perhaps the basic principle of of one kind of planning Thomas McEnery. about five years ago, said the tall, centration planning, is called for by San Jose's bearded councilman. Since then, use in the area, McEnery com- basic planning document, the 1975 Downtown currently has a progress toward the rehabilitation of mented. General Plan, McEnery com- negative stereotype among the downtown area has been "I think 80 percent of the senior mented. everyone, including its own citizens, "nothing short of dramatic," he citizens live in the central planning McEnery's experience with he added. added. area and certainly 80 percent of the planning steins from his experience McEnery, 33, is a member of a on the planning commission. pioneer San Jose family who have been involved for a long time in the 'They created a desert His interest in the problems city's politics. His father, John downtown is rooted in his family's McEnery, was an adviser to Harry and called it redevelopment' long interest in the downtown area Truman as chairman of the and is maintained because of his California Democratic Party. interest in the groups concentrated "The transportation system is special care groups live right in the there. The four buildings which The councilman was also a being finished downtown," he said, university-downtown area. comprise restaurant row in San member of the San Jose Planning "and you're getting people to invest "The specialized categories of Pedro Square have been owned by Commission from February 1976 to large sums of money, whether it's in people that are down there are not Ins family for more than 100 years. , May 1978. He spent his last year as restaurants or office buildings, just the responsibility of that But their holdings downtown the commission's chairman. where five years ago they never planning area or of San Jose. won't be a conflict of would have thought interest, Part of the downtown's problem about it," he "Since mental illness, McEnery said maintains. is the 7entration of people in his usual soft-spoken and alcoholism, etc., strikes any par- restrained "It could associateci th social problems, manner. ticular group of people it even be a conflict in certain redevelopment issues," such as mental illness, the han- "People from the East Valley strikes in Saratoga, I'm told I he said. dicapped and the elderly in that still use downtown as their primary think that all areas of the society "I personally don't see it as area, McEnery said. market even with Eastridge. There ought to be responsible. such. I don't own any other could be a major specialized Another problem is the type of market "It's simple decency and it's property in downtown San Jose. down there." redevelopment that has taken place sound planning." "In a city as dynamic as San downtown in the past. Urban homesteading, which Developing an identity down- Jose, if you make a decision on the involves the rehabilitation of run- town, which relates to having a "There was a classical phrase I Coyote Valley, that certainly affects down homes in downtown, in another variety of uses downtown, means used to use," McEnery said. "The downtown. If you make a decision of step in the right direction, McEnery those groups would have to be original was 'they created a desert any magnitude on the West Valley, it said. spread out, he implied. and called it peace.' can affect the downtown. "When you drive by and see a Neighborhoods need to have a "I changed it to 'they created a Thomas McEnery by Elhe Harland guy and girl working on an old citywide consciousness to develop (Continued on page 31 Spartan Daily Volume 71, Number 44 Serving the San Jose State Community Since 1934 Friday, November 3, 1978 Aspects of districting issue debated By Kim Gardner substituting two for those seven. The two Young referred to would be the district representative and the mayor. Measure F, the San Jose districting issue that's dividing Districting 'nostalgic' 'Voters will become city voters, has also divided members of SJSU's As for gerrymandering, the drawing up of districts Political Science Department. gives one political party a majority, Young said, and The measure was the topic of a fast-paced debate held councilmembers would draw district lines to their ad- avoids real problems better educated' Wednesday in the Student Union Umunhum Room. vantage. Debaters were Drs. Terry Christensen and Roy "I suggest that the only people who have 'seven points Young, SJSU political science professors. Christensen, of access' are developers," answered Christensen, head of the Measure F steering committee, argued for pointing out that the majority of Measure F opponents districting. Young, Political science department were developers and construction companys. chairman, argued against it. Christensen asked rhetorically, then why not at-large Measure F, if passed, would divide San Jose in 10 elections for the County Board of Supervisors of for districts, each represented by one city councilmember. members of Congress. These councilmembers would be a resident in the district they represent. Currently, the seven city council positions "It just doesn't work," Christensen said. are filled by at-large elections. "People (officeholders) are accountable whether they're elected by district or at-large," Young said. The 45-minute debate was sponsored by Pi Sigma "You've got a better chance (in current at-large voting) Alpha, political science honor society. that more people will listen to you." "Someone who represents 580,000 people in a 160- square-mile area is not going to know the traffic problem Christensen claimed voters wouldn't be limited to of crossing 10th and 11th streets," Christensen said in talking to just their district representative. defense of districting. "They're not gonna know about the With district elections, voters would become better little kid that must cross 12th Street each morning at 8 educated. with no light to get to school," he said. "The most dedicated public servant couldn't even do that." "You and I could make a better judgment who to vote for if we can see our candidate, know what their eyes look Young called Measure F's promises of better like, and see their reactions to us, rather than just seeing representation "nostalgic" and the idea of districting their packaged images on TV," Christensen said. "cosmetic surgery" that avoided the real problem. As for possible gerrymandering in a districting "These (Measure F) reformers focus on the good situation, voters would have recourse through the courts things about Measure F and ignore the consequences," and could also testify at public hearings, Christensen said. Young said. "It's (Measure F) not going to change some things," These consequences, according to Young, would be an Christensen noted. "We'll still have to work, we'll still anti-democratic community and gerrymandering. have to talk, we'll still have to organize. But right now it's the best alternative we have." "It doesn't expand democracy by adding districts," Young said. "They (Measure F proponents) ignore the An election analysis will be held Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. in fact that if you're in a group who could control govern- the S.U. Umunhum Room. Analysts will be political photos by Juan A. Rodriguez Terry Christensen ment, it's fine. But what if you're a minority? Right now science professors Young, national elections; Dr. Larry Roy Young you've got seven points of access (city council). You'd be Gerston, state elections; and Christensen, local elections. Primates monkey around with marijuana By Anne Houghteling The monkeys, who ingested an Sassenrath devoted the second years would be difficult, Sassenrath Because of the limited amount circles, Sassenrath commented. Lucy and Mildred have both equivalent of one to two marijuana half of her six-year study to the said. For ethical reasons, resear- of investigation on marijuana's "Effects of the drug on humans been heavy marijuana users. joints daily, exhibited a range of study of marijuana's effect on the chers can't manipulate human effects on human subjects, much can be non-specific and hard to Every day at 4 p.m. they gob- unusual behavior, Sassenrath said. monkeys' reproductive behavior. environment and behavior as they "confusion and emotionalism" still document in human populations." bled up a cookie laced with a syn- And, she stressed, the unusual Both pregnant marijuana users can those of animals, she said. reigns about marijuana in research she said. thetically produced marijuana behavior, ranging from extreme and their offsprings suffered, compound. passivity to aggressiveness, per- Sassenrath said. They followed the unusual diet sisted even after the monkeys' daily 'We have a feeling now," she for six years. marijuana high had worn off. said, "that the drug has an effect on SJSU custodian is being framed, Both Lucy and Mildred are Mildred, for instance, often mother's support system. But we rhesus monkeys, two of 22 such a subtle showed "rejecting behavior" don't know yet if there's primates who took part in a research toward her offspring, Sassenrath genetic effect on her ova." professors and students charge project started six years ago by Dr.