Santa Clara Fairgrounds Risk Privitization by Catellus Corportation

Concerned residents of Santa Clara County are up in arms at the possible privatization of the County fairgrounds, a historical and cultural asset to the Santa Clara County and City of San Jose communities.


To begin with, land use development in Santa Clara is greatly deficient in supporting the 'public good,' a task that both the City of San Jose and County of Santa Clara are responsible for upholding. A few examples of this argument are:
*The closing of the downtown San Jose Medical Center;
*The rezoning of the land where the Berryessa Flea market is held to make room for residential housing and a BART station;
*The neglect of and proposed development of the last remaining prime agricultural land located in Coyote Valley; and
*Now the proposed development of the County Fairgrounds!


Selling the County Fairgrounds for residential development will be a travesty to the community, which constitutes approximately 150 acres of public open space where cultural events, clubs, and businesses not only utilize the fairgrounds, but depend on it for their livelihoods. The County Executive, Pete Kutras, recently stated during a public hearing at a Board of Supervisor's meeting on September 9th, 2008 that the Fairgrounds are "not an asset to the community." At that September 9th meeting, the SCC Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to begin negotiations with the Catellus Corporation, a $40 billion development company based out of Colorado, for the development plan. The representative for District 2 where the Fairgrounds are located, Blanca Alvarado, did not appear at or vote during this meeting.

The next meeting where YOU can give your input on record for this issue is on Monday, September 15 at the 'Special Joint Meeting' of the Board of Supervisors and the San Jose City Council/Redevelopment Agency Board which will be held at the San Jose City Council Chambers, San Jose City Hall, 200 East Santa Clara Street, at 2:00pm.

If you cannot attend the next meeting (due to it being held at a very inconvenient time of the day for working people...) then please email your Board representative and tell them to slow down the process to allow for more public input in regard to the outcome of the fairgrounds:

District 1 - Don Gage (408) 299-5010 don.gage [at] bos.co.santa-clara.ca.us
District 2 - Blanca Alvarado (408) 299-5020 blanca.alvarado [at] bos.co.santa-clara.ca.us
District 3 - Pete McHugh (408) 299-5030 primo.mchugh [at] bos.co.scl.ca.us
District 4 - Ken Yeager (408) 299-5040 Supervisor.Yeager [at] bos.sccgov.org
District 5 - Liz Kniss (408) 299-5050 liz.kniss [at] bos.co.santa-clara.ca.us

This is an issue of gentrification! - the politicians down here are forcing their vision of how our community should be without going to the actual community and finding out our needs. If more housing goes in, where are people going to go for open space or to shop? Santa Row caters only to the wealthy and we don't need another one of them! DONT LET THEM PRIVITIZE PUBLIC OPEN SPACE!