Bay Area Bike Share (A personal story)

Bay Area Bike Share (A personal story) by Matthew Quevedo

As our environmental problems (climate change, C02 levels, traffic congestion, etc.) continue to grow, it has become apparent that the residents of San Jose and the Bay Area will need new methods for transportation. Moreover, San Jose residents have long complained about traffic congestion and how difficult it is to get around without a car. The newest mode of transportation offered to Bay Area residents is through a bike share program which will allow people who do not have the means to own, store or take care of a bike the ability to use one for their daily travel. Bike Share is new to the Bay Area but has been implemented successfully in many cities around the country and world. The Bay Area Bike Share pilot program is money saving, convenient, has the potential to reduce citizens’ carbon footprints and ease traffic congestion. With people wanting new and convenient ways of going from place to place, Bike Share is definitely a solution that San Jose and the Bay Area has needed.

For the individual in need of a bike but not able to own their own, afraid of theft or who want to get around urban areas with ease, Bike Share is a practical solution. Prices range from the $88 dollar yearly fee to the $9 dollar charge for a 24 hour rental.  Being a bike owner who spent a sizable amount on a reliable bike, I know from experience that bicycles can get pricey if you do not learn (or want to learn) to do your own maintenance. Although the daily charge may not be economical for a frequent user, the yearly fee of $88 dollars proves to be fair considering the amount of money a bike owner would spend. Including the initial cost of a bike, a bike owner can easily spend more than a $1000 dollars in the first few years if they ride frequently and take their bike into a shop for repairs. A Bay Area Bike Share member will have to buy more than 10 years of memberships to come near this price. When it comes to your wallet Bike Share is arguably a better deal. But if the cost wouldn’t be a problem, could one be found by taking the bike for a ride?

On a strangely cloudy (and for a second rainy) summer day, I decided to take the bike for a spin around downtown San Jose. After enjoying a lunch at San Pedro Square, I acquired a bike at the Bike Share station across San Pedro St on the corner of St. John. I walked up to the station intimidated at what appeared to be a very confusing rental process. My intimidation quickly turned to comfort when I thought of how I would use the bike. I purchased the $9 dollar 24 hour rental and followed the instructions. I was informed that a $101 dollar deposit would be held on my card in case I didn’t return it and that if I decided I did not want to return it at all I would be charged $1200 for the bike. Not a bad deal considering the cost for quality bikes these days and that each Bike Share bike costs $5000 dollars (including the docking station). After receiving my pin number to unlock the bike I was advised to wear a helmet (Helmets are important! Always wear one! Roughly 91% of all bicycle accidents where user is not wearing a helmet results in a death.) and I was on my way.

My personal bike is from Trek and I have always found it to be an extremely efficient and healthy ride. Going from my bike to a Bike Share bike was a bit different but I found the ride very comfortable and the transition smooth. The bike looks like a cruiser and rides like a nice hybrid. The seat adjusted to fit me (I am 6 feet tall) and had a nice rack in the front where I easily stored my back pack. I rode from the San Pedro station to the rack in front of St. James Park and parked it to recharge the 30 minute maximum time I am allowed per trip. I did a little sightseeing and continued my journey down 4th St. past city hall (which has a station on 4th and Santa Clara) to the station at San Jose State. I was questioned about the program by a few people passing by and was cheered on while I rode down San Fernando back to the San Pedro rack. Overall it was a very pleasant trip and I am glad that the VTA and others invested in it.

With the city budget cutbacks over recent years, I was very pleased to learn that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority contributed $500,000 dollars for the pilot program that it received from a grant provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission which also contributed $4.3 Million Dollars for the entire Bay Area project. The total public support is reported to have reached $11 Million dollars and is being ran by Alta Bicycle Share Inc.

With 14 docking stations in San Jose and 2 more being planned, the Bay Area Bike Share is a great and innovative project that will help people get out of cars and onto bikes. The entire Bay Area has approximately 700 bicycles and 70 docking stations in San Francisco, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose. This project will help people live healthier lives while allowing them to enjoy city views at a slower pace, reduce the amount of air pollution that is released into the Bay Area (which is currently the 27th most polluted area in the country) and ride to their destination on a comfortable bike. With the public funding already being put up to help pay for this project, we should all take advantage of this great idea. Have fun riding and remember: Wear your helmet!

 

Santa Clara County Democratic Party Spends Big on Supervisor's Race, Imperils 2014 Electoral Efforts?

All the votes were counted in the District 2 County Supervisors race weeks ago, but the total campaign finance numbers have only recently become available. One thing is clear above all: A staggeringly high amount of money was spent in an election in which a staggeringly low number of people actually voted.

In monetary expenditures alone, the Democratic Central Committee’s United Democratic Campaign (UDC) spent $288,000 to elect Cindy Chavez, the party’s sole endorsed candidate. The UDC also gave nearly $350,000 in non-monetary contributions to the Chavez campaign; bringing the total spent for one County Supervisor seat to well over $600,000. The party did this despite the fact that Chavez’s opponent, Teresa Alvarado, is a lifelong Democrat. (Full Disclosure: I was a paid organizer for the Alvarado campaign). District 2 voters received a barrage of mail declaring Chavez the only Democratic choice while attacking Alvarado as a tool of special interests and a closet Republican. Ultimately, Chavez' campaign strategy worked, no doubt helped by her campaign and its allies outspending Alvarado and supporters by a margin of at least 2 to 1.

But this raises an important question: Why would the county's Democratic Party spend so much money on one candidate when there were two viable Democrats on the ballot, especially with so many important races coming up next year?

All the money spent electing Chavez will undoubtedly have an impact on the 2014 elections. The party is going to start the campaign cycle with little in the bank, during an election season in which a new mayor of San Jose will be elected and at least three seats on the City Council will be up for grabs. The county Democratic Party will also have to defend U.S. Rep. Mike Honda from challenger Ro Khanna, and Councilman Xavier Campos from the ensemble cast lining up to take him on. The expectation is that the party will spend big for both men, especially after Honda did so much to help get Chavez elected. As for Campos, his older sister, state Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Nora Campos, is not likely to allow the party to skimp on his re-election just because they have bigger issues to deal with.

Going back to the question of why so much money was spent on Chavez, the most likely answer is because she is labor's leader, having served as executive director of the South Bay Labor Council. Even though there was not much difference between Chavez and Alvarado policy-wise, the Democratic Party made the election a referendum on public safety and Democratic values. Alvarado’s message of transparency, reform, and government accountability never gained as much traction by comparison, which is odd considering the only reason the election happened in the first place was because former Supervisor George Shirakawa, Jr. resigned in the wake of admitting to multiple felonies related to a misuse of taxpayer and campaign funds.

Ultimately, the successfully coordinated effort between the Chavez campaign, labor and the Democratic Party may have been more about flexing some muscle and showing that labor is still a force following stinging defeats in last year’s council races and the Measure B pension reform initiative. But in keeping majority control of the Board of Supervisors, did labor Democrats imperil their electoral chances for next year?

Welcome to Spotlight San Jose! We are a new blog devoted to covering the ins and outs of Silicon Valley politics with a special focus on San Jose City Hall. We are progressive Democrats who look at local politics from a pragmatic and independent perspective. As the name of this blog suggests, we are attempting to put San Jose in the spotlight because it is often overlooked, despite being the largest city in the Bay Area and the epicenter of Silicon Valley.

However, the name of this blog takes on another meaning when it comes to the issues we want to highlight. There is a dearth of coverage of local political issues in San Jose. Our daily paper of record, the San Jose Mercury News, is in decline. They have been cutting staff for years and their coverage of local politics is often lacking. The Metro and San Jose Inside have provided better coverage than the Mercury News, but they are a weekly paper with a smaller staff. Spotlight San Jose does not aim to disparage or take away from the work being done by existing media outlets, only to add to them.

We invite you to join us in creating a conversation about the issues and problems that are not discussed. We pledge to be a source for those who are wanting honest information about what is going on in the South Bay. By looking at a story from all angles, we hope to be revealing while not being biased. 

Welcome to Spotlight San Jose!