Fall is a great time to replant a garden, and, if you’re willing to plant a low-water garden, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is willing to help out with rebates for water-wise landscaping improvements. The rebates are available if you replace at least 100 square feet of high-water landscaping with approved new plants, or replace wasteful irrigations systems with high-efficiency irrigation like drip tube. Low-water landscaping is a great opportunity to plant Californa native plants, which look beautiful, save water, and provide food and habitat for our native critters. Although its not as pretty, the landscaping rebate is also available if you landscape (or maybe replace pavement) with “permeable hardscape”, meaning porous solid surfaces that allow water to drain through into the soil.

There’s quite a few restrictions on the rebate program, and you have to contact SCVWD before starting your project, so check out the details on the website for landscape replacement rebates or irrigation equipment rebates.

(Hat tip to Bonnie on NNASJ for this story)

Your donations (clean and in good condition) will be given to Saint Luke’s Church Pantry Program, Emergency Housing Consortium Lifebuilders, InnVision, Career Closet, Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence and the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. These are local agencies within Santa Clara County.

Accepted donations in men, women and children sizes include: sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, coats, raincoats, wind breakers, jeans, and sweatpants.

The donations of towels and blankets go to help animals housed in the Humane Society of Silicon Valley in Milpitas.

Donated eyeglasses will go to the Los Gatos Lions Club’s “Lions in Sight” program, which donates refurbished glasses to people in third world countries. Prescription eyeglasses and UV protected sunglasses, non-prescription UV-protected sunglasses, along with non-prescription reading glasses are accepted.

Los Gatos Neighborhood Center
208 East Main Street, Los Gatos

Saturday October 10, 2009
9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Vietnamese-American marchers came to the county building to seek a grand jury investigation into the death of Daniel Pham.

I only saw this because I drove by as the event was winding down. But according to the Merc’s report, these marchers are requesting the county to open a grand jury investigation into the police shooting of Daniel Pham this past May.

Plastic bags -- should they be banned?

This week, the City Council’s Community and Economic Development Committee met to discuss a ban on plastic and paper bags. According to a Mercury News article on the issue, the only large city that has implemented a ban like this is San Francisco, as most cities which have implemented bans have banned only the plastic bags. The effort in San Jose is being spearheaded by Vice Mayor Judy Chirco and Councilmembers Sam Liccardo, Kansen Chu, and Nora Campos.

According to a presentation given at the committee meeting, fifteen other Santa Clara County cities are considering banning bags because of encouragement from the County Board of Supervisors and environmental agencies.

The City of San José’s proposed ban also includes paper bags because of the environmental impact involved in manufacturing them. “Green” paper bags, with at least 50% recycled content, would be excluded from the ban.  Restaurants would also not be required to discontinue usage of plastic bags.

Not surprisingly, the plastic industry lobby has already been urging the Council not to be hasty in making their decision. Nevertheless, the matter is heading for vote and discussion by the Council as soon as November, thanks to a unanimous recommendation by the committee.

MetBlogs – Santa Clara County:  Santa Clara County has been given a failing grade for air quality by the American Lung Association.  The State of the Air 2009 report gave failing grades to 39 counties in California, including Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara.  

This is not a news item that we should easily dismiss.  The estimated number of people that particle pollution kills each year has tripled in our state.  According to Jenny Bard, the Bay Area regional air quality director for the American Lung Association, we have historically had the worst air quality in the Bay Area.  From 2005 to 2007, Santa Clara County surpassed unhealthy ozone limits an average 5.2 days a year.  We also surpassed unhealthy short-term pollution particle levels a yearly average of 11 days, which gave us the 24th highest level in the nation.

The report finds that six out of ten Americans live in areas where air pollution levels endanger lives.  “This should be a wakeup call.  We know that air pollution is a major threat to human health,” said Stephen J. Nolan, American Lung Association National Board Chair.  “When 60 percent of Americans are left breathing air dirty enough to send people to the emergency room, to shape how kids’ lungs develop, and to kill, air pollution remains a serious problem.”

According to the ALA, ozone is the most widespread form of air pollution. When inhaled, ozone irritates the lungs, resulting in something like a bad sunburn. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing and asthma attacks and can even shorten lives.

It is estimated that over 3,700 deaths annually can be attributed to a 10-parts-per-billion increase in ozone levels.

Particle pollution is a toxic mix of microscopic soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols. It is the most dangerous and deadly of the outdoor air pollutants that are widespread in America. Breathing in particle pollution can increase the risk of early death, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits for asthma and cardiovascular disease.

Our county’s dense population is partly to blame for our high pollution levels.  According to Bard, Santa Clara County contains 1.8 million residents and is the most populous in the Bay Area.   San Jose’s population alone just hit 1,006,892.  We also have a limited mass transit infrastructure and 1.2 million autos (25 percent of the Bay Area) traveling our roads.  Lisa Fasano, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, states that 69 percent of all smog pollutants during Bay Area summers are created by motor vehicles.  In the winter time, 33 percent of all short-term particle pollutants are created by wood smoke primarily burned by residents, according to Bard.

The news is not all bad.  Although we are ranked as the 24^th most polluted county in the nation for short-term particle pollution, last year we were ranked 17^th.  In addition, the yearly average number of days that Santa Clara County has exceeded unhealthy ozone levels has dropped from 10 in the 2001 report to 5 in the 2009 report.

A few Bay Area counties did receive passing grades.  Monterey, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties all received grades of A or B for both High Ozone Days and Particle Pollution.  San Francisco County received an A in High Ozone but an F in Particle Pollution.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District established the Spare the Air program  to educate people about air pollution and to encourage them to change their behavior to prevent it.   They recommend several simple actions we can take to make clean air choices every day.   These include driving less, taking public transportation, trip-linking, walking, biking, choosing non-gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment, and avoiding polluting household products.

View More Ways to Fight Air Pollution in Your Community and do your part by committing to some of the actions so we can raise our grade in next year’s report. 

Urge the EPA to set tougher standards by sending this online letter.

Visit www.lungusa.org to search local air quality grades by zip code and to send messages to Congress and the Obama Administration to urge action to protect the air we breathe.

There have been four cases of suspected swine flu in the county, but none have been confirmed as swine flu by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The first of these cases was a Branham High School student, prompting the county to close the school until Wednesday, May 6.

There have been 14 confirmed cases of swine flu in California, and 91 total confirmed cases around the U.S. as of mid-day today.

Spanish and Vietnamese-language information, slightly outdated, is also linked from the bottom of the county update page.

With the housing market on the decline, many homeowners are starting to worry about how they’ll pay their coming property tax bills, and whether their taxes will be assessed fairly. If the home’s value has declined below its purchase price, the homeowner is liable only for taxes on the current value (as of January 1). The Tax Assessor’s office will be reviewing records on about 200,000 of homes around the county to ensure their assessed values are up to date, and mailing assessed value notification postcards to property owners in June. Owners who disagree with the assessed value at that time can appeal the value at the assessor’s office, either with an informal enquiry, or with a formal appeal. Only the formal appeal costs money, a mere $30 processing fee.

Assessor Lawrence Stone has written a letter to the community:

I send this e-mail to alert you to mass mailings from private companies soliciting payment for a service offered by my office AT NO CHARGE. I ask that you forward this e-mail to your staff. All recipients are free to share this information with their families and friends. I know the following five companies are soliciting Santa Clara County residents as well as the residences of many, if not all, other counties in California.

Homeowner’s Tax Review (HTR) –Pasadena
Lowermypropertytaxes.com
Property Tax Reassessment – LA
Property Tax Assessment Adjusters – San Diego
ProperTax Appeal Professionals
Wofford Property Management – Livermore

First, and most important, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY A FEE TO REQUEST A REVIEW OF YOUR ASSESSED VALUE TO DETERMINE IF A REDUCTION IS IN ORDER. We have a substantial amount of information on our website, www.sccassessor.org/prop8, concerning temporary reductions in assessed value, which can result in lower property taxes, important information in these distressing economic times.

Following is a brief summary:

• • My staff is in the process of reviewing approximately 200,000 properties to determine whether a temporary reduction in assessed value is necessary.

• • Whether you get a reduction or not, is entirely dependent on what the value of the property was on January 1, 2009. The more recently you purchased the property, the more likely you are entitled to a reduction. Ask yourself this question: “Could I have sold the property on January 1, 2009 for what I paid for it?” If you could get at least that amount or more, you are not eligible for a reduction.

• • In late June, I will mail assessment notification postcards to every property owner in Santa Clara County letting them know the assessed value of their property as of January 1, 2009. If we have made a temporary reduction, it will be shown on the card. If you received a reduction but think that the assessment is still higher than the market value, or if you didn’t get a reduction and think the assessed value is high (i.e. you could not sell it for that value or more), please contact our office, preferably through our web-site (www.sccassessor.org/prop8) and request an informal review of your assessment. We will try to review and respond to all requests by August 15. If you are not satisfied with the results of the review, you may file a formal application for appeal.

• • Appeal Applications must be filed directly with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board between July 2 and September 15. The Clerk cannot legally accept an application before July 2 or after September 15. (The exception is if you are appealing a Notice of Supplemental Assessment, Notice of Escape Assessment or Notice of Corrected Assessment). The Clerk of the Board charges a processing fee of $30 which must be paid directly to the Clerk for each Application for Changed Assessment filed. The Assessment Appeals Board is independent of the Assessor’s Office.

• • I do not believe there is any advantage to paying a “for-profit” business to either request a review with my office, or file a formal application for changed assessment with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board. Of course, whether you do or not is entirely up to you.

Thank you. I appreciate your assistance in disseminating this information.

Lawrence E. Stone
Assessor

This weekend is the Bay Area Travel Show in Santa Clara. There will be seminars and exhibitors including: resorts, tour operators, cruise lines, etc.

Most notable will be the seminars presented by Doug McConnell, host of Bay Area Backroads; John Hamilton, KGO Radio Travel & Leisure host; Pauline Frommer, daughter of travel expert Arthur Frommer; along with Rick Steves,

Check the event schedule here for days and times.

Get in line early for Rick Steves.

What a great way to shake off the winter blues by thinking about and maybe even planning some travel.

Santa Clara Convention Center
5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara

Saturday, January 24, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 25, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

For ticket pricing, check here.

For more information and other ticket pricing, check here

The free 2-1-1 services connect you to various information including support groups, drug treatment, elderly needs, homework help along with how to volunteer or provide assists during a crisis. The service is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Mandarin, and 140 other languages, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The call is confidential.

Now, along with dialing 2-1-1 you may access the information online through their website’s online database. You may search the database or drilldown within topics.

The United Way reports that from September 1 to November 30, 2008, calls to the 2-1-1 Santa Clara County information and referral service seeking food increased by 58 percent over the same period last year. Requests for housing jumped 22 percent.

Information available online or by dialing 2-1-1 include:

Clothing, Food, Personal Goods and Services
Disaster Planning, Response and Recovery
Drug and Alcohol Treatment
Education and Training
Employment Services and Financial Assistance
Family, Individual and Community Services
Health, Fitness and Environmental Services
Housing, Shelter and Transportation
Legal, Immigration and Criminal Services
Mental Health and Counseling Services
Self Help Groups and Services
Senior and Disability Services

To access the 2-1-1 database along with more information about the service and United Way’s involvement, check here.

If 2-1-1 is unavailable via your service provider: 866.896.3587

TTY dial: 866.390.6845

The 2-1-1 services are available throughout the Bay Area.

But I have to admit, I’m becoming somewhat of a humbug. It started two years ago, actually. All the stress of buying gifts for people seemed futile. The people I was buying for didn’t need anything. I didn’t want anything from them, except maybe some time to spend together over dinner or drinks. So last year I decided – no gifts. Instead, I would be giving my precious (and few) hard-earned dollars to those who needed it. Did my friends and family miss the presents? Not one bit. Especially when I told my mom, who works for the Girl Scouts, that I was donating money to her organization. And I told my pet-loving friend I’d be donating to the local SPCA. They didn’t mind one bit.

Call me Charlie Brown, but the holidays have become so focused on presents, that I’m afraid people are forgetting about those who will be the coldest, the hungriest this season.

Now more than ever we need to keep those less fortunate in mind. We’re facing an economic “recession” (a euphemism, I’m convinced), and the local foodbanks will be seeing more hungry, hopeful faces this holiday season than they’ve seen in a few decades.

As a board member of a local nonprofit, I can tell you firsthand that charities are hurting. They’ve been hurting for the last couple of winters, but this year is bad. People are scared, and are grabbing that wallet tight – for good reason. But we can’t forget that our neighbors need our help. Even if it’s $20, or 10 cans of food.

To raise awareness that charities need your help, the Silicon Valley Open Arms Coalition was created by local funders and nonprofits. The website gives several ways for people to contribute this holiday season, depending on which organization they’d like to support. Some of the nonprofits involved are First 5, Second Harvest Food Bank, Sobrato Family Foundation, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, and The Health Trust.

United Way Silicon Valley was the impetus behind the coalition formation. The organization sent a “pulse survey” to local nonprofits to see how other organizations were faring, and created the coalition when the responses showed that most are facing a significant increase in demand, and decrease in support. Facts from the survey include:

• More than 62 percent of survey respondents from Santa Clara County reported a drop in revenue from July 1 to September 30, compared to the same period last year.

• More than 58 percent of respondents reported an increase in demand for services during that same timeframe compared to last year.

• From July 1 to September 30, 52 percent of respondents from Santa Clara County experienced a decrease in donations by individuals, 40 percent saw a decrease in corporate and foundation giving, and 26 percent had a decrease in state and local government funding, compared to the same period last year.

• Of those Silicon Valley nonprofits that experienced an increase in demand for their services between July 1 and September 30, compared to the same period last year, nearly 69 percent were able to meet that demand while 31 percent were not.

• From July 1 to September 30, 2008, calls to United Way’s 2-1-1 Santa Clara County information and referral service seeking food increased 55 percent over the same period last year. Requests for housing jumped 20 percent.

• Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County has seen a 37 percent increase in clients over the last year and a 41 percent rise in the number of seniors participating in its senior nutrition program.

• Second Harvest Food Bank reports that from July to September 2008, the amount of food distributed increased 22 percent over the same period last year. The number of people served rose 17 percent while requests for food assistance jumped 55 percent.

So now is the time to help. Whether it’s $10 or $20, or some cans from your own pantry, it will help! For information about the Silicon Valley Open Arms Coalition, visit their website.

Having said all that, I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t mention the Milpitas Food Pantry. After reporting for the Milpitas Post for a year (and a couple internships before that), I’ve watched the Milpitas Food Pantry struggle for the last few holiday seasons. I was there on Thanksgiving two years ago, watching volunteers from the city bag dinners for their neighbors. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. The people at the Milpitas Food Pantry do so much good, and need the donations to serve the city.

I would also get rocks thrown at me if I didn’t mention my own charity – TurningWheels For Kids. Like the aforementioned charities, we’re struggling to meet our goals and demands this year financially. Fortunately, we have a huge supply of willing volunteers! Thanks to everyone who signed up to volunteer at the Bike Build this year – it’s going to be great! Well, it’ll be great if we can get enough bikes … feel free to donate here.

I hate to be a curmudgeon, I hate to bear the bad news, but the holiday season is for giving – so I urge you, give to those who need it. More people need it this year than in the past few decades – now is the time. As the TWFK director, Sue Runsvold always says – If not now, when? If not you, then who?