Saturday Stats: San Jose Leads in Professional Services Pay

San Jose achieves yet another 1st place on a salary comparison, this time for best paying regions for professional services. By professional services we are talking law firms, advertising agencies, accounting firms, scientific research, and most forms of consulting. The numbers weren't even close... San Jose came in at a staggering $115,500 average salary, $15k higher than silver medalist Oxnard, almost $20k higher than our neighbors in the north, and $25k higher than the New York metro. Now the goal is figuring out how to keep as much of that income in the South Bay instead of having it travel elsewhere.

1. San Jose Metro - $111,500
2. Oxnard Metro - $96,000
3. Boston Metro - $95,700
4. Washington Metro - $93,600
5. San Francisco Metro - $92,800
6. Bridgeport Metro - $92,800
7. New York Metro - $86,800
8. Boulder - $84,500
9. Houston Metro - $82,300
10. Durham - $82,100

Source: SJBJ

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + STREET MRKT Tonight!

from Phantom Galleries by Cherri Lakey

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + STREET MRKT
Friday, SEPT 7th, 7pm–11pm!
Free & open to the public.
A self-guided evening tour through galleries, museums, and independent creative businesses featuring 18 venues that participate by presenting exciting art exhibitions and / or special performances. In addition to the monthly art walk, September 7th is the nighttime urban faire STREET MRKT that brings together over 40 local artists, creative indie vendors, a special performance by Cielo Vertical Arts and a live music stage with performances by the Ferocious Few, Drop Dead Sixty and Dirty Pillows out on South First Street (between San Carlos and San Salvador streets.)

Street Mrkt participating artists / creatives:
17jewels, 57-33 Clothing, Anointed Apparel, Becca’s Studio, Betwixt, Sandi Billingsley, Blue Dream Project, Boombotix, Mchael Borja, Bugs & Monsters, Keith Bunnell, Buttons by Maria, David Canavese, Cielo Vertical Arts, Crossroads Trading, Death Before Dishonor, Devil Rose Vintage, Francisco Franco, Galactic Romance Clothing, Emo Gonzales, GoodLifeRoots, Ike Greca, Cynthia Gonzales, Andre Hart, Jumbo Jibbles, Matt Lopez, Luna Chalk Arts Fest, Frances Marin, Mejia Arts, LAuruS Myth, Jose Nunez, Old Souls Clothing, Out of Print Vintage, Poetry Center San Jose, Al Preciado, Steven Reece, Rock N The Trend, Matthew Bailey Seigel SLG/Art Boutiki, Social Villains, Tacti Design, TechShop SJ, Visual Confections, Wadl and Zatoon Clothing
In addition to wonderful restaurants and cafés in the SoFA district, the Grilled Cheese Bandits, MoGo BBQ, O Mi Ninja, Quick Dog, Scoopy SJ and the WoW Truck will be on site in the parking lot next to Anno Domini Gallery.

For full listing of events and more information: please visit http://www.SouthFirstFridays.com/ or call 408-271-5155

Slow Mail

More information on the Zero1 events is trickling out and this one seems particularly interesting. The project is called Slow Mail and it's a mix of the western pre-railroad era and the early days of the internet. It's essentially a relay of horses and riders that are going to deliver physical letters between Menlo Park and Los Angeles, with the key stop being in Downtown San Jose. They are doing a pilot ride on September 12th between Menlo Park and San Jose, and letters will be distributed as part of the "Mail Call" Zero1 event.

Anyone can send a letter for the pilot ride through the sslow.net, and pick up the letters at the San Jose Mail Call Event. Letters can be submitted online through tomorrow and in-person at the send off event at the Stanford Red Bard, 9am on Sep 12th.

LA Boxing Coming to West San Jose

Five new boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts gyms are coming to Silicon Valley and the first will be in West Park Plaza on the corner of Winchester and Payne where LA Boxing is signing a 10 year lease for 4,200 square feet. The other four locations will be in Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, and Palo Alto.

Source: SJBJ

Wednesday Wishlist: Measure B Compromise

I have tried to avoid this topic, but the recent murder spree and popular opinion that the SJPD is degenerating because of Measure B has made it unavoidable.

First off, I think some incarnation of Measure B was bound to happen sooner or later. People like to scapegoat Chuck Reed, but I think the truth is that he was handed a bad deck of cards with two options: 1.) do nothing and bankrupt the city 2.) reform the pension plans. The decision was clear but I think the execution could have been softened substantially. The reduction in benefits has reduced officer moral and made our force less competitive than our neighbors in retaining top officers. Ideally, SJPD would have been given something in return for the lower pensions.

So my wishlist for the week is a compromise between the city and the SJPD. I think the reforms are here to stay, but the doesn't mean salaries cannot be increased. I would love to see the temporary 10% paycuts officers when the downturn began to be immediately lifted along with a timeline for adding an additional 10% increase in salary. Additional salary can be just as if not more attractive than a better pension. In 2010, Google conducted surveys to see which form of compensation would be more likely to motivate and retain their employees if that benefit were to be increased. They discovered that the answer was not bonuses, free haircuts, or even more Google stock... it was salaries, and they ended up increasing the base salary of all employees by 10%.

I think the same strategy Google took to prevent employees from jumping ship to Facebook (which I bet they are now regretting) can go a long way to keep SJPD officers that have worked long and hard for the city of San Jose from going to other departments. If you look at the map below, there is a lot of work that needs to be done, and having a content and motivated police department is going to be critical to maintaining San Jose as the safest big city in the world.

(As a side note, if you look at the crime map below note that none of the homicides were in Downtown San Jose.)



Image from the Mercury News

¡VivaFest!, The Tech Museum of Innovation, and CasaQ Partner on Film Showcase and new Festival Events

San Jose, CA---  August 20, 2012 -- For the third year, ¡VivaFest! the San Jose Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival has partnered with the Tech Museum of Innovation on a series of films celebrating Latino cultural heritage from independent Latino filmmakers. New this year is a partnership for Cine y Cena™ dinner and movie events with CasaQ by Darlene.

“It has been a wonderful partnership for ¡VivaFest! and The Tech Museum to bring culturally appropriate and timely films to the festival,” said Marcela Davison Aviles, Executive Producer of the festival and President and CEO of the Mexican Heritage Corporation (MHC). “and we are delighted at the curatorial additions of Darlene Tenes of CasaQ, with film and food events celebrating the 20th anniversary of the film Like Water for Chocolate and the end of the Maya Calendar. “

An eclectic series of films will launch the week-long ¡VivaFest! from September 8 - 30. Screenings will take place at The Hackworth IMAX® Dome Theater at The Tech Museum.  Schedule and tickets are available at The Tech Museum box office or online atwww.thetech.org

"As The Tech Museum is committed to reflecting Silicon Valley's richly diverse community and collaborating with Bay Area institutions, we are proud to be part of the long-standing tradition of Vivafest!, serving yet again as a stage for America's largest celebration of Mexican culture and customs," said The Tech Museum President Tim Ritchie. "Vivafest! is a wonderful opportunity to recognize a vibrant tradition and culture while building bridges across communities in Silicon Valley and around the world.”

Series highlights include Mosquita y Mari, a Sundance Official Selection, and a screening and panel discussion of the documentaryTijuana Jews with Hollywood director/producer Isaac Artenstein (A Day Without A Mexican) and festival veteran Michael Ronstadt and Ronstadt Generations.

The opening film on Saturday, September 8, is a special screening that also comes from a Hollywood veteran -- Taco Shop, created by comedian/writer/director Rick Najera, will be shown at the Hackworth IMAX Dome Theater at 7 p.m., and will be preceded by actual taco trucks parked outside of The Tech Museum at 5 p.m.

On Monday, September 10, the classic Mexican movie night Doña Bárbara starring Maria Félix, the most iconic leading lady of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.

On Wednesday, September 12, Tijuana Jews  portrays an authentic and living testimony set against conceptions and misconceptions of this near-mythic border city, and is a personal exploration of this unique community, which blended Jewish and Mexican cultures and customs in an unlikely place and time. Preceding the screening at 6 p.m. will be a musical performance by Ronstadt Generations, whose family is comprised of German, Jewish and Mexican heritage. A panel discussion and Q &A with the film’s director, Isaac Artenstein, Michael Ronstadt and other guests will follow.

Thursday, September 13 features a timely film, The Weight of the Nation™. Presented by Kaiser Permanente, The Weight of the Nation™ documentary series and public health campaign present a unique opportunity to spotlight the severity of the obesity epidemic, to showcase strategies that work and, most importantly, to catalyze action to end obesity.

On Friday, September 14, celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the movie Like Water for Chocolate, the festival screening will include a chocolate tasting.  An event curated for the festival by CasaQ, the evening includes a tempting array of chocolates by Casa de Chocolates.

Saturday, September 15 brings an amazing cross-cultural story of how an American adventurer and self-taught Mexican artist transformed a dying desert village into a home for world-class ceramics. Included in the event is a showing of Mata Ortiz ceramics by Victoria Martino, an expert and a dealer in these fine ceramics. The Renaissance of Mata Ortiz.

All screenings , except Mesquita y Mari, will take place at the Hackworth IMAX Dome Theater at The Tech Museum. Visit www.thetech.org  or www.vivafest.org to see the complete schedule and to purchase tickets.  Ticket prices range from $8 to $20 per event, with discounts available for The Tech Museum members.

Also, on Wednesday September 19, the series screens Mosquita y Mari, the Official Selection 2012 of the Sundance Film Festival, directed by Aurora Guerrero. It tells the story of a “first crush” between two Chicana girls growing up in Los Angeles. This film will be screened on the campus of San Jose State University, Morris Daily Auditorium, and is being sponsored by a Horizons Foundation grant, and the San Jose State Student Union. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with the director and the actors in the film.

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About The Tech Museum:

The Tech Museum is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum—located in the Capital of Silicon Valley —is a non-profit learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, Inc., The Tech Museum endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

About the Mexican Heritage Corporation:  Now in its 21^st year, VivaFest! is Northern California’s leading Latino cultural destination event. With a mission to affirm, celebrate and preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Mexican community and showcase multicultural arts within the region and nationally, MHC both presents and produces a vibrant array of multi-disciplinary arts programs in theatre, dance, and music education and in the visual arts. Visit www.mhcviva.org or www.vivafest.org.

"Scary Night at the Winchester Mystery House"

Twelfth Annual Antique Autos at History Park in San José, Sunday, September 9, Noon to 5 PM

San José, California – July 17, 2012---Everyone loves a good road trip and with the popularity of ‘stay’cations, the Twelfth Annual Antique Autos in History Park, Sunday, September 9, noon to 5 PM, will highlight the proverbial roadtrip.

“Antique Autos is one of the most anticipated end-of-summer events at History Park,” said Alida Bray, President and CEO of History San José. “The park comes alive with people, activities…sort of like a little Sunday afternoon vacation.”

Featured this year are two presentations by Roger Allison, whose 1903 Winton was used in Ken Burns film Horatio’s Drive. The PBS special documents ‘America’s first road trip,’ the 1903 trans-continental drive by Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, his co-driver/mechanic Sewall K. Crocker and their bulldog named Bud. In their 20-horsepower Winton, with few paved roads and no gas stations or road maps, Horatio’s drive was the trip that proved the automobile was here to stay. Allison’s presentations will be at 1 PM and 2 PM in the conference room of the Pacific Hotel.

The featured vehicles this year are 1- and 2-cylinder antique autos.  By popular request, a team of Model T club members will attempt to break their previous record of assembling a Model T in eight minutes and six seconds.

Presented by the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club and History San José, the Twelfth Annual Antique Autos in History Park event will fill History Park at Kelley Park in San José with more than 200 antique autos. On Sunday, September 9, hear the ‘putt, putt’of an antique car engine, fire equipment, bicycles and motorcycles of all makes, while strolling through the idyllic setting of History Park.

“Antique Autos in History Park is much more than an antique car show,” said Allan Greenberg, coordinator of the event.  “We attempt to combine the best of all things automotive, with cars, culture, entertainment and education in the beautiful setting of History Park.”

Also located on the grounds of History Park will be the Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association to provide more ‘putt, putt, putt’ engine sounds reminiscent of days gone by. The Zinfandel Stompers will provide Dixie-land music from 1 PM to 3 PM.

Portraits of the Past members stroll through the 14-acre site in 1900s costumes. Other activities include free trolley rides. Arts and crafts demonstrations and antique collectibles will be on display. Family and children’s activities will be provided.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Peggy Sue’s Restaurant and get an ice cream at O’Brien’s Ice Cream Parlor.

Also at History Park at Kelley Park, 1650 Senter Road between Keyes and Phelan, docents will guide visitors through many of the 27 historic buildings.  The exhibit “Through My Father’s Eyes” will be on display in the Pacific Hotel Gallery. The Leonard and David McKay Gallery will feature “Celebrating Local Artists.”

Admission is free and sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club. Parking is $6.  For more information about the event contact Allan Greenberg at allang@pacbell.net or call 408 997 0879.

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About History San José:
History San José is a non-profit organization that collects, preserves and celebrates the stories of diversity and innovation in San José and the Santa Clara Valley. HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology.
History San José     1650 Senter Road     San José, CA  95112       408.287.2290
www.historysanjose.org