The front-page article about “reuse” staffing a community centers in the Dec 13 issue of the The Resident, indicated that I was the only vote opposed to the return of the facilities being run by the city.
However, the article did not explain the cost savings we are walking away from by doing this, and thus why I voted no.
“Reuse” has allowed the city of San Jose to keep community centers open to the public by partnering with nonprofits that provide services onsite. Partnering with organizations such as the Boys & Girls club saves the city approximately $5 million a year. This cost savings can be allocated to city services like police and libraries. If we go back to business as usual, with city staff running these centers and removing the nonprofits, it would require a reduction in spending by approximately $5 million from core city services.
The City Council is constantly faced with policy decisions that have a future and direct impact on the budget. I consistently vote in a manner that saves money, thus allowing the opportunity to prioritize police, since law enforcement services cannot be duplicated by a nonprofit.