San Jose's first BART station is coming along nicely

If you have driven around Berryessa recently, it is nearly impossible to miss the new BART station. The project seem to be moving pretty quickly and will hopefully hit its 2018 completion date. Below are the most recent construction photos I have found.

Source: Hillrise from the San Jose Development Forum

San Jose District 3 New & Events

Sure, the Stanley Cup Final didn't go as expected. That still does not negate the positive branding benefits that we received thanks to the Shark's stellar performance this season. Raul Peralez--San Jose City Councilmember for District 3 (Downtown)--started his last newsletter with some thoughts on how San Jose's brand is changing for the better. I have included his statement in its entirety below, but recommend reading the whole newsletter over here. 

Sports and politics putting us in the spotlight.

Never before has the Bay Area and specifically San José been in the spotlight as much as it has in recent weeks. Holding strong as the tenth largest city in the Unites States, it has been difficult to receive the same level of national recognition as other major cities. Sitting in the shadow of one of the greatest tourist destinations in the world, we San Joséans have regularly described ourselves in geographical context with San Francisco. This year I believe we can finally begin to see ourselves emerging with our own identity and that means our own internationally news worthy moments, for better or for worse.

Starting with Super Bowl 50 in February, there began to be a sense of pride amongst city officials, staff and our partners. When the San José Sports Authority helped cement a downtown hotel as the official NFC team host and the SAP Center as the official opening night venue, there was a measurable buzz going around. Fast forward to this past week, downtown has now played host to three more internationally newsworthy and historical events.

A few weeks ago both Democratic presidential candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton made campaign stops in San José. Last Thursday night, while the Centennial of COPA America was having a kick off VIP celebration at our City Hall Rotunda, some San Joséans were helping to create national news with an inexcusable and disappointing display of violent protesting outside of the Trump rally at the McEnery Convention Center.

Friday afternoon, one of the greatest soccer players of all time was practicing at Spartan Stadium while fans were laying on the ground just trying to get a peek at him. Later that evening after the US National team lost to Colombia, downtown SubZero Festival guests could see lines of Colombia's visiting fans still donning their jerseys and patronized bars in the SoFA District.

On Saturday night the SAP Center hosted its first Stanley Cup Hockey game as our San José Sharks played their very first championship home game. The Sharks won the game with a spectacular overtime goal and created what may very well have been one of the single most prideful and exciting nights for San Josèans in a long time. The city had been shining teal all week with support pouring in from all over and after Saturday's win, the streets of downtown were flush with Sharks fans celebrating into the early morning.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention our friends to the Northeast, the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. Needless to say there are plenty of San José residents who are also enjoying the spectacular and historic run that this team is having. I'll note that the SAP Center kicked off the Warriors preseason this year by hosting a game here in San José and fans even received a fantastic Stephan Curry bobble head with him wearing a Sharks Jersey. For those who caught it you may have also noticed Marreese Speights wearing his own personalized Sharks jersey prior to his team's game 2 win on Sunday.

Tomorrow marks a very important day in both national and local politics and I know I will be very keenly focused on the results. To keep your sports fix going, have no fear, San José is gearing up to become Gymnastics City USA once again when we host the Women's Gymnastic Olympic Trials early next month. Our very own San José Earthquakes are still undefeated at home and the San José Giants continue to farm their talents to their Major league ball club in that little city to our North.

Thank you to every one of our downtown residents, businesses and community partners for making San José shine brighter into the future.

Go Sharks!
Raul

Downtown Doors student art exhibit expands to 103 locations

20 new pieces of student art adorn downtown in 2016

SAN JOSE – Twenty vibrant, dynamic and inspiring artworks by high school students have been added to the urban landscape, the result of the 13th Downtown Doors art competition and exhibition.

The artworks are transferred onto vinyl decals and then pasted to service doors and utility boxes in high pedestrian areas of downtown San Jose.  In all, 103 doors and boxes are covered downtown by the Downtown Doors program, which stretches to all corners of the center city.

With the 20 new additions from students at 14 different schools, a total 234 pieces of art have helped beautify the downtown for thousands of passersby.  This year, the San Jose Downtown Foundation received 152 submissions from 19 high schools.

“Our selection committee always has a very difficult decision to make because so much of the art is truly outstanding,” said Diana Beechie, San Jose Downtown Foundation president.

The artworks cross a wide range of emotions.  “Amity” by Cayley Nickerson of Santa Teresa High School exudes a message of love and optimism; Willow Glen High School student Claire Krumm’s “The Whale House” takes a powerful introspective look at the relationship between humankind and the environment; Radiante Liu of Notre Dame High School and Kelly Lien of Evergreen Valley High were inspired by famous painters to tell their love stories; Sarah Enzminger of Leland High paid tribute to San Jose landmarks; Thu Nguyen of Independence High School and Homestead’s Nick Ybarra created pieces that are both poignant and light-hearted.  All the selectees bring to bear a worldview from the eyes of today’s teenagers.

A walking map of the art sites and more information can be downloaded from http://sjdowntown.com/downtown_doors/.

Downtown Doors 2016 sponsors include: Applied Materials; Catered Too!; City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs; Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco; San Jose City Councilmembers Rose Herrera, Tam Nguyen and Raul Peralez; Donor Circle for the Arts at Silicon Valley Community Foundation; eBay Inc.; Jeppesen; Kimley-Horn and Associates: KQED; Law Offices of Willoughby, Stuart, Bening & Cook; Orchard City Commercial, Inc.; San Jose Downtown Foundation; San Jose Water Company; and Xactly.

The Downtown Doors Class of 2016 includes:

Andrew P. Hill High School – Eastside Union

Tuyet Lam - Coloration of the Mind – Located on McEnery Convention Center

Evergreen Valley High School – Eastside Union

Kelly Lien - The Start of Love – Located on the Fairmont

Phillip Nguyen - Window of Davitha – Located on the Hilton San Jose

Gunderson High School – San Jose Unified

Alejandra Fraume – Topspin – Located at 33 S. Third Street Apartments

Randon Nijmeh – Untitled – Located at Paseo de San Antonio near Starbucks

Adrianne Taylor  - Untitled – Located on Market Street at Post Street

Homestead High School – Fremont Union

Nick Ybarra - Personas me Reuniré – Located on Plaza de Cesar Chavez at Park Avenue

Independence High School – Eastside Union

Thu Nguyen – Faded – Located on City Hall off Fourth Street

James Lick High School – Eastside Union

Jack Griffin – Repetition – Located on Third Street at San Carlos Street

Leigh High School – Campbell Union

Heather Ho - Afternoon Ride – Located on Market Street at Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph

Leland High School – San Jose Unified

Sarah Enzminger - Attack on De Anza Hotel – Located on Park Avenue at Almaden Boulevard

Mount Pleasant High School – Eastside Union

Brianna Lucio - Fox Guardian – Located at Hilton San Jose

Notre Dame High School – Private

Frances Maurer - Lost at Sea – Located on Second Street between San Fernando Street and Paseo de San Antonio

Radiante Liu - Portrait of the Princess of Eboli and the Governor of Netherlands – Located at Studio Climbing

San Jose High School - San Jose Unified

Vicky Ho – Birds – Located at The Globe

Santa Teresa High School – Eastside Union

Cayley Nickerson - Amity – Located on First Street between San Fernando and Paseo de San Antonio

Willow Glen High School – San Jose Unified

E’lan Hawkins – Moonlight – Located on Second Street between San Fernando and Paseo de San Antonio

Aly Carley – Wolf – Located at 8 N. San Pedro St.

Claire Krumm - The Whale House – Located at McEnery Convention Center

Yerba Buena High School – Eastside Union

Michelle Pham - Pieces – Located on San Carlos Street at Second Street

###

About:  The San Jose Downtown Foundation (SJDF) promotes cultural awareness and civic participation in San Jose and Santa Clara County through youth education programs, public events and art exhibits.  SJDF is the 501c3 arm of the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA), whose mission is to represent business and property owners to improve downtown and enhance downtown’s vitality and livability.

School tally of Downtown Doors Winners (2003-2016)

East Side Union HS District
(8) Andrew P Hill – 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 15, 16
(15) Evergreen Valley – 09, 09, 09, 09, 10, 11, 12, 12, 13, 13, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16
(6) Independence – 12, 13, 14, 15, 15, 16
(3) James Lick – 11, 12, 16
(8) Mount Pleasant -  04, 05, 10, 10, 11, 11, 12, 16
(3) Oak Grove – 07, 07, 07
(16) Piedmont Hills – 09, 09, 09, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 14, 14, 15, 15
(13) Santa Teresa – 06, 09, 11, 11, 12, 12, 14, 14, 14, 15, 15, 15, 16
(2) Silver Creek – 12, 13
(5) Yerba Buena – 10, 14, 14, 15, 16
(79) East Side Total

(1) Bellarmine College Prep. – 10
(6) Cupertino – 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11
(5) Del Mar – 12, 12, 13, 14, 15
(3) Downtown College Prep – 04, 07, 07
(9) Gunderson – 14, 14, 14, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16, 16
(10) Homestead – 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 16
(7) Leigh – 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 15, 16
(1) Leland – 16
(48) Lincoln (includes Saturday Art Academy) – 03, 03, 03, 03, 04, 04, 04, 04, 04, 05, 05, 05, 05, 05, 05, 05, 05, 06, 06, 06, 06, 06, 06, 06, 06, 06, 06, 06, 07, 07, 07, 07, 07, 07, 09, 09, 09, 09, 09, 09, 09, 10, 10, 12, 12, 13, 14, 14
(31)Notre Dame – 06, 07, 07, 07, 07, 07, 07, 09, 09, 09, 09, 09, 09, 09, 09, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16
(9) Pioneer –12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14
(5) San Jose High Academy – 04, 05, 05, 05, 05
(1) San Jose High – 16
(8) Willow Glen – 12, 14, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16, 16
(1) Castillero Middle – 12
(145) All other districts subtotal

(2) Dublin, Ireland – 14, 16
(2) Okayama, Japan – 14, 16
(2) Pune, India – 14, 16
(2) Tainan, Taiwan – 14, 16
(2) San Jose, Costa Rica – 14, 16
(10) International Subtotal

(234) TOTAL

Game Six!

Let the rally continue!

On the fence in a desperate Game Five in Pittsburgh, the Sharks successfully staved off elimination, bringing the series back to San Jose to play their last game in front of the faithful fans this season.  A win today will force a Game Seven in Pittsburgh, this time with the momentum on the Sharks' side.

Goaltender Martin Jones' brilliant performance (who arguably has played a significant role in keeping the Sharks in the running), coupled with an extremely solid defensive core, kept the Sharks in the lead.  Jones made 44 saves in Game Five, some of which were deadly scoring chances that many thought would be goals.  While the Penguins lit up Jones with shots, the Sharks' strategy of ensuring quality shots has given them a lower shot count.  The Penguins have also been nothing short of amazing with their positioning as to block most of the Sharks' opportunities and to not allow any clear shots towards the net.

While the Penguins currently have the upper hand on the series lead, the Sharks have shown stronger play as a team with each progressive game this series as they learn from the Penguins' method of playing, matching speed with finesse, and blind shots with quality scoring chances.  The Sharks had plenty of scoring opportunities in Game Five (i.e. one-on-none on the goalie), but Penguins goaltender Murray found a way each time to keep his team in the running.  Converting more of these can tun these close games into more of a runaway.  (Remember Game Seven vs. the Predators in Round Two?)  Ardent observers of the game understand that while you need to be good to begin with, hockey really comes down to matching up playing styles, and the Sharks' lack of experience with playing a team like the Penguins hurt in the opening of the Stanley Cup Finals.

This undoubtedly has changed in the Sharks' favor as this series has unfolded.

There are several points of consideration I would like to mention that will keep the Sharks fans happy and force a Game Seven.  See below:

FIRST TO SCORE
The Sharks absolutely must be the first team to score.  While they demonstrated that - twice - in Game Five, it is equally important to not let up and allow the opposition to get two quick ones right back.  As the Sharks have shown this series that they have learned the Penguins' style of play to adapt to it (notice how the Penguins do not look as 'fast' as they did in Games One and Two?), they certainly will learn to "shut the gates" if they can throw one or two quick ones during the first period.

ELIMINATE THE PENS' OFFENSE
One notable point about this series is the lack of scoring by each team's best players.  Notice the lack of scoring by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin (well, he did get one 'weak' one in Game Five), and Phil Kessel (invisible since Game One)?  Thank Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun.  While Martin Jones' kudos is rightly earned, the Sharks' defensemen have been extremely hard at work, nullifying the team's most capable offensive producers.  (That explains why players like Vladimir Tarasenko from the Blues struggles to put points on the board.)

In addition to this, we must continue to position ourselves well to eliminate any potential scoring chance.  We have shown that we can do this, so let us continue on!

GET IN THEIR HEAD
This one is both for the fans and for the players.  We can watch the trash talk and videos of Joe Thornton messing with Sidney Crosby, but there is good reason why playing at home gives the home team a distinct advantage.  Even more so, players voted the SAP Center as the toughest place to play in the entire league (as evidenced by this video, where the two facilities determined as 'tougher' to play no longer exist).  In other words: NO EXCUSES!  Time to be loud!  Remember that hockey is a fast-paced game, and either team can certainly recover from any goal deficit, so keep the cheers coming!

STAY COOL AND COLLECTED
Sharks hockey, when they are playing well, is like watching some kind of art form.  Joe Thornton is arguably one of the best passers - ever - in the NHL, and watching him set up teammates is quite fun to watch.  Now that we know Joe Thornton can shoot as well, we are seeing far more scoring from any line he is on.  It seems now Thornton is not the only one who can pass well, with the likes of Tomas Hertl, and setting up scorers like Joonas Donskoi and Joel Ward.  While it is natural to have the Stanley Cup Final jitters, the Sharks need to relax and play like they can, because when they are indeed "cool and collected," it is quite beautiful to watch; not only what the team can do with the puck, but how the puck beautifully enters the opposing net.

BIG GUNS A-BLAZIN'
We saw Brent Burns score in Game Five (the first time this series) and add on a couple of extra exciting scoring chances.  Joe Pavelski, despite getting his only goal on an empty netter, looked quite good as well.  The Sharks' prominent offense is waking up, and it does not seem like it will slow down through the rest of the series.  If they can keep this all up, a forced Game Seven seems all too within reach.

Along with many other diehard fans, I will be in attendance tonight.  It is going to be a fun one!

GO SHARKS!

Go Sharks!

It's great to see Centerra showing some team spirit!

Source: jawz from the San Jose Development Forum

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the top place to start a business in America

San Jose has returned to the top spot as the best city in the country to start a business according to an annual ranking by Biz2Credit. Shockingly, we came in at 18th place last year due to high costs of doing business. However, this year the other criteria were more than able to make up for those costs. The study looked at the health of small businesses in each metro, the entrepreneurial ecosystem, taxes, and the local talent pool.

New York City took the second highest spot on the list followed by San Francisco in third. For more details, read the full article over here.

Source: CNBC

Content Magazine pick-up party for issue 8.2 "Sync"

The latest edition of content magazine celebrates the art of fashion and this will be one of their biggest "pick-up" parties yet. Unlike traditional magazines, if you are a Content subscriber you have the option of picking up the latest issue at an event with the writers, photographers, editors, and the people featured in the latest issue.

The pick-up party for issue 8.2 Sync will take place on Saturday, June 18th from 7-10pm at The Armory (240 N. 2nd Street). The event will include curated art galleries by Anne & Mark's Art Party, a fashion show by Pivot: The Art of Fashion, small bites, a no-host bar, live music, and a DJ. Of course if you are a subscriber you also get your latest issue of Content. There will also be an after-party at Ludwig's, a new German restaurant in Downtown San Jose.

Unlike most pick-up parties for Content, this is a paid event. However, the first 75 subscribers to RSVP will receive two free passes. To RSVP, click here. You will also get 1 free drink coupon. If you are not yet a subscriber, head over here.

Game Five: Let the Rallying Begin!

It is game five of the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Sharks are on the brink of elimination.

The whole nation, outside of Pittsburgh, is on board with the Sharks, and I do mean the city in Pennsylvania, as a similarly named East Bay town temporarily changed its name to stand behind our men in teal.

There have been a lot of horrible, bunk statistics being thrown around the last couple of days about the chances of recovery from a 1-3 series deficit.  Granted it is a different sport, but one other Bay Area team found a way.  A series comeback is not impossible, but the fans must believe and rally in their support.  It seems the norm these days to reinvent how statistics can be presented, from a rookie's performance to success based on whether or not the Western/Eastern trophies are touched.  These bunk stats are meant to fill blogs with silly story ideas.  In reality, the Sharks can absolutely come back in this with a Game Five win tonight to send the series back to the San Jose faithful.

The Sharks have demonstrated this series that they can hang with the Penguins, but they must play the full 60 minutes.  With the exception of last game, all games have been decided by one goal, and as the games have progressed, the Sharks have played better each game (despite the Game Four loss) with evidenced speed, puck handling, and scoring opportunities.

Oh, yes, those wonderful scoring opportunities.  We need to score on those.  Imagine if we have, after all.  This would be quite a different series.

With a win tonight, the Sharks can regain momentum and return to their dominance, as displayed from earlier this postseason, such as against the Blues.  With a roster full of players without Stanley Cup victories (with the exception of the once backup to Jonathan Quick), it is natural to want to support what can be described as an underdog run to the Cup, based on the slim chances the Sharks were perceived as having of winning the Stanley Cup before the postseason commenced.

Given the Sharks are in the position they are currently in, expect players like Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns to reactivate.  We all know Joe Thornton is ready to go.  I have to say, based on the interviews with the players today, they all appear determined and serious about upping their toughness and taking this series back to our favor.  This is great to see, because having this mindset is when the Sharks play well.

As fans, we must get behind our team, the valiant Sharks, and force a Game Six at home!  I therefore expect to see you all there at the SAP Center this Sunday!  Believe!  Go Sharks!