Sam Liccardo For District 3 City Council

Downtown San Jose has languished for the past eight years. Although there has been some progress on the housing front, and some historical buildings have come back to life, it has been beset by problems. Competition from other retail centers, entertainment zone policing policies and the failure to get going on major revitalization initiatives have kept downtown from realizing its potential. In addition, well-intentioned labor-sponsored initiatives like "living wage," "community benefits" and "labor peace" have introduced new bureaucratic obstacles to economic development. The city needs to get out of the way and let downtown come of age. New leadership is needed to get downtown moving again. That's why we are recommending Sam Liccardo for the District 3

San Jose City Council seat. He is the kind of talented outsider who communicates well and can get people excited about downtown and its neighborhoods again. He's shown the willingness and ability to listen to people's concerns and grasp issues with ease. That's probably why representatives of 23 different neighborhood organizations in District 3 have come out in support of his candidacy. Liccardo's opponent, Manny Diaz, is a career politician who formerly represented San Jose's District 5 before moving downtown. This is the fourth office that Diaz has run for. He offers little in the way of fresh thinking, and his service on the council and in the state Assembly were not exactly noteworthy. He's had his chance, and we get the feeling that he's running because it's another office to run for rather than to make a real difference. For these reasons, Metro strongly recommends a vote for Sam Liccardo for San Jose City Council.

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