There is a term in politics called “pork barrel” spending. It’s when a politician stuffs money into legislation to support projects they favor.
Santa Clara, like it or not, you are suffering a hangover from eight years of Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s pork barrel spending on her pet priority: soccer.
Dozens of families and community members gathered at the Santa Clara Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting earlier this month to decry the district’s plans to pave over the baseball fields at Haman Elementary. In particular, the good people of Westside Little League, which plays on those fields.
And while those angry eyes were pointed at the board members, they should also turn to Gillmor. Because folks, Gillmor has pulled off perhaps the greatest pork barrel spending coup in Santa Clara’s history.
In her more than three decades on the city council as either mayor or council member, Gillmor has prioritized the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park and drove the creation of the Reed & Grant Soccer Sports Park. Make note there is no space for Little League at this “sports park.” Combined, the two complexes have created eight full-sized, professional-quality soccer fields for Santa Clara youth to enjoy almost exclusively.
During that same time, Gillmor watched the International Swim Center shutter because it was unsafe, the BMX track lose its national accreditation, and now, the little leaguers are without a viable field option within the city.
In case you’re wondering, the City of Santa Clara has four baseball fields to its 12 soccer fields.
Youth soccer is worthy of support, but does it deserve more support than little league, swimming, or riding a BMX bike?
Santa Clara is cash-strapped. It likely will not be able to build itself a baseball park to help these Little Leaguers find a home.
That said, when will Santa Clarans say, “Enough is enough?” Gillmor has used the city to build herself and her pet projects up while ignoring the majority of her constituency. The swimmers, the little leaguers, the bike riders have all lost out because Santa Clara needed another soccer field.
One has to wonder, which youth sport will be the next to fall prey to Santa Clara’s soccer-first mentality?
Maybe because her X is a Soccer Coach!!
Youth sports and outdoor activities for residents have never been a priority for Gillmor unless it directly benefited her own children, Gillmor’s business interests, or favor from employee unions that she seeks endorsement.
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Case in point: Leading up to March 2023, when the city was considering support for Measure’s A&B, Gillmor and her loyalists tried to persuade the Charter Review Committee that monies needed to support those ballot measures would be better spent repairing the International Swim Center. When Measures A&B didn’t pass, Gillmor dismissed the aging swimming center and bundled it on Measure I to compete for priority against parks, libraries, and senior centers upgrades. However, projects tied directly to employee unions that endorse Gillmor received their own bond money allocations with no competing interests. https://www.santaclaraca.gov/our-city/departments-a-f/city-clerk-s-office/election-information/november-8-2022-election/measure-i
• Streets and Transportation ($41,170,000)
• Fire Stations and Emergency Response ($142,235,450)
• Police Facilities ($43,987,500)
• Storm drain System Improvements ($46,000,000)
• Historic Buildings and Beautification ($9,200,000)
• Parks, Libraries, Senior Center, and Aquatics Facilities ($115,258,750)
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According to Santa Clara County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services, by 2030 older adults (65+) will outnumber children in the County. In Santa Clara, calls for service are between 71%-75% for medical response and by all measurable data, it appears Santa Clara Fire Department already has way more facilities than neighboring jurisdictions provide for their resident populations and service call types. For decades, professional analysts and the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury investigations have warned that employee unions representing fire fighters are putting their own salary, benefits, and pension interests ahead of innovative and improved services to meet future resident needs.
• https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/sunnyvale-firefighters-no-paramedics-emergency-calls/3430193/
• https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/migrated/SCC_Population_Growth_Projections_Older_Adults.pdf
• https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/system/files/fdresponse_0.pdf
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There are three levels of EMT: 1) EMT Basic, 2) Advanced EMT, and 3) Paramedics. As of two months ago (Nov. ’24), Santa Clara’s fire department has 120 firefighters who can attempt to render basic life support but are not trained or qualified to render more complex treatments or administer medications. By contrast, actual Paramedics can execute complex medical procedures, analyze electrocardiograms (ECGs), and administer various drugs as part of advanced life support interventions. In medical emergencies, paramedics are essential in providing critical treatment and making life saving decisions – Santa Clara’s fire fighters are not.
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In communities across the Country, where politicians and public employees don’t stand in the way of resident priorities, they are building innovative “Ambulance Stations” to properly respond to actual calls for service and accommodate an aging population as residential fires are rare but medical emergencies are high.
• NY Ambulance Company: https://www.jems.com/ems-operations/ground-ambulance-operations/new-11-million-mastic-beach-ambulance-headquarters/
• FL EMS Building: https://www.jems.com/ems-operations/funding-for-new-havana-ems-building/
• St. Charles County, MO EMS Stations: https://www.jems.com/ems-operations/ground-ambulance-operations/st-charles-county-mo-opens-two-new-ems-stations/
• January 2025 Study Shows Delays in Ambulance Offload Times Across California: https://www.jems.com/ems-operations/ground-ambulance-operations/study-shows-delays-in-ambulance-offload-times-across-ca/
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City Council Members Jain, Chahal, Hardy, Park, and Gonzalez have not taken employee union endorsement money but both Gillmor and Cox have which might inject venal decision making when it comes time to approve $400,000,000 in bond measure outlays. Residents need to openly support Jain, Chahal, Hardy, Park, and Gonzalez to ensure taxpayer money is spent in interest of residents and their growing, innovative medical response needs.