“You want more of something, throw money at it.” Santa Clara’s Measure I is a perfect example of this. Instead of using development fees, utility charges, and convention-center revenues for our badly needed road repair, failing storm drains, outdated civic facilities, and crumbling park features, our “leadership” spent the last decade tangled in unnecessary lawsuits and overpaying for city “management.”
Yet we passed it. The estimate for Santa Clara’s infrastructure repairs backlog has been estimated at $700 – $900 million. Parks and public facilities alone have $100+ million in deferred repairs.
And this is just “Playing Catch Up” – None of the above addresses’ replacement costs — just repairs and safety compliance.
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To quote the book “Extreme Leadership: “Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame.” Our leaders are responsible for this shortfall, but citizens must pay for it.
Our leaders have already divided up the money from Measure I but none of the behavior appears to be changing: the bickering and high payroll continues with little to show for it.
Going forward, be watchful. This is YOUR money they are spending and, if things do not change, they will spend more of it in the future.
How? You, as citizens, also own the 19 acres at Civic Center which could be worth $200M+. This land was originally bought off the back of a failed 1960s urban renewal plan to restore Downtown Santa Clara. The only part of the urban renewal funding used on the Downtown was to destroy it. In its place, Santa Clarans got a hidden suburban city hall (that is now falling apart) and a Civic Center nobody uses.
85% of citizens want their Downtown returned to its exact original location.
Is there a “next” movement afoot to sell these incredibly valuable lands for yet another unnecessary city project? The citizen’s answer to this must be a hard “Hell No!”
We must urge City Management that the ONLY appropriate time to lease or sell these lands would be as a vehicle to return the original Downtown to ensure the heart of our city — the original, Downtown Santa Clara — is finally returned to you. In doing so, this city would FINALLY be generating income with its first “Destination Point” vs. playing this game of never-ending expense catch-up.
The Downtown Precise Plan has been completed and approved by council. A request-for-proposal is going out finally in 2026. These ten years of community advocacy and an 85 percent public approval rating will finally allow Santa Clara to restore its original city center and re-establish a walkable, mixed-use district that serves residents, students, and visitors alike that brings in much needed money to the city.
Ten years ago, we watched $700,000,000 tourist dollars go to other Downtowns and destination points. Santa Clara received a measly 7% of that money. Ten years later, $1.2 Billion is expected to be injected into this area between FIFA and Super Bowl 60. It’s time Santa Clara built a destination point we can be proud of and reap some of the money that our very own stadium is creating.
“You want more of something, throw money at it” – it’s time for Santa Clara leaders to invest in places that will generate Santa Clara money. We don’t want a future Measure H.
Dan Ondrasek
chair – Reclaiming Our Downtown
Mary O. Grizzle
Co-Chair – Reclaiming Our Downtown
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