County Adopts Assessment Challenge Fee
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved May 15 a $30 fee for residents who want to challenge the assessed value of their property.
Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone called the fee “unfair.”
“There is a reason 54 (out of 58 California counties) have decided not to impose a fee,” Stone said in a news release. “The legality of the practice is very questionable.”
Stone also complained the county will not offer refunds when the assessor’s value is incorrect.
“We get it right most of the time, but not always,” Stone said. “I dislike the idea of charging a taxpayer when ultimately the property owner’s opinion of value may be correct and our assessment incorrect.”
According to Stone, 31 percent of assessment appeals are adjusted for lower values and nearly half are withdrawn by the property owners.
The Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office mailed about 450,000 assessment notification cards informing taxpayers of their preliminary assessed value. The cards noted there is no charge to challenge the assessor’s values.
“Taxpayers will be confused by the board’s swift action,” Stone said.
New Name for No Name?
Gilroy – Some find it strange and unique, a funny quirk in the history of Gilroy. Others call it baffling or just plain stupid.
After all, how do you have a street with no name? And what would you call such a street?
“No Name Uno,” of course. Not “No Name Uno Road” or “No Name Uno Street.” Just No Name Uno. Period.
The northwest Gilroy street has a storied history that includes a battle between the city’s hospital and a handful of neighbors who live on the 2.5 mile road, which hugs the east side of U.S. 101. Fifteen years ago, a few of those neighbors shouted down Saint Louise Regional Hospital when it proposed renaming the street. The hospital had just opened in 1989 and officials backed off the effort, despite their desire to make the address less confusing for patients, visitors, vendors and countless others.
But now, hospital officials are quietly exploring the prospect again. And this time, they may not run into the same resistance as they did in the early ’90s.
In recent weeks, hospital president Ted Fox met with City Planning Manager Bill Faus to inquire about the history of No Name Uno, according to Faus, who is also a member of the hospital’s community advisory board. He told Fox that the hospital could sidestep a fight with neighbors by simply naming its driveway, instead of trying to rename No Name Uno. The circular drive at 9400 No Name Uno is home to the hospital and a number of medical offices.
Faus said Fox agreed to pitch the idea to the nonprofit hospital’s board of directors, while the city explored the regulatory issues of naming the driveway.
Number of Foster-Care Homes Falling in County, State
San Jose – During the last 10 years, the number of licensed foster care homes state-wide has dropped by more than 3,000, with Santa Clara County reporting a loss of 45 to 50 percent, according to county officials.
While experts say the Bay Area’s high cost of living is to blame, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors hopes to recruit more caregivers by proclaiming May as “Foster Care Month.”
The recognition honors families caring for nearly 2,000 displaced children.
“Foster Care Month honors our foster parents,” said Supervisor Ken Yeager, chair of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors’ Children, Seniors and Families Committee in a news release. “We cannot thank them enough for opening their hearts and homes so that displaced children can grow up in safe and nurturing environments.”
California has the largest child welfare system in the United States with nearly 80,000 children in foster care, according to a report released last week by the County Welfare Directors Association of California and the Legal Advocates for Permanent Parenting. The report concludes more needs to be done to recruit potential foster parents as the population climbs higher.
But the Bay Area’s high cost of living and insufficient foster care payments are fueling a decline of foster care homes, experts say. Hoping to reverse the trend, Assemblyman Jim Beall has introduced a bill that would increase payments to foster parents and put more money into caregiver support.
The Santa Clara County Social Services Agency continues to look for foster parents with a broad range of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. The county also attempts to keep children in neighborhoods, cities and schools they are used to.
“Foster care families face daily challenges and provide an essential role in the lives of foster children,” said Norma Doctor Sparks, director of the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services in a news release. “They are aware that children in foster care have been removed from the homes due to abuse or neglect and go the extra mile to help children regain trust in others and their sense of self worth.”
Details: To find out about requirements and qualifications needed to apply to become a foster parent, call (408) 299-KIDS.
Rainbow Flag to Fly Over County Government Center
San Jose – Santa Clara County Supervisors will make history June 5 when they hoist the rainbow flag over the county government building for the first time.
Supervisor Ken Yeager and his colleagues on the board will raise the six-color flag during a 1pm ceremony to honor the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who work and live in Santa Clara County.
“Celebrating LGBT Pride Month reminds us that Santa Clara County is a place where all people are accepted without prejudice or discrimination,” Yeager, who is the first openly gay representative elected to the County Board of Supervisors, said in a news release. “We should be proud to live in a time and place where people can reach their full potential without a glass or lavender ceiling.”
At the 1:30pm session of the June 5 board meeting, the Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus will perform for the invocation. The supervisors will then adopt a proclamation to commemorate LGBT Pride Month, and it will be accepted by San Jose Pride’s board of directors.
“This year will be the 32nd San Jose Pride Celebration, and we are pleased to see the county acknowledge the contributions of LGBT individuals in our community,” said Joe Colligan, vice president of San Jose Pride.
