Thanksgiving offers us a cause yearly to step again and take into consideration the individuals and issues in our lives that make issues higher.
However generally we understand that we missed our probability to point out gratitude to individuals who deserved it. I knew that might be the case this yr as I contemplated my annual Thanksgiving record, placing an emphasis on individuals who made San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley higher locations to reside, work and play.
• That record should begin with Chris Esparza and Rick Holden, two males who always pushed San Jose to be higher and its residents to count on extra of their metropolis. Their examples of civic engagement must be fashions to everybody — regardless of the place you reside — and I want I’d thanked them extra usually throughout their lifetimes.
Paradoxically, they lived lower than a block aside in San Jose’s Naglee Park neighborhood, however their collective affect solid a a lot, a lot bigger footprint.
• Cindy Chavez, who left San Jose for a brand new job in New Mexico this month after 11 years on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and eight on the San Jose Metropolis Council. She helped go the Measure A inexpensive housing bond, helped safe federal funding for BART to downtown San Jose, however her greatest work was in ensuring youngsters within the valley grew up wholesome.
• Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who’s terming out this yr after a devoted 41 years in public service that began when he was elected to the Palo Alto College Board in 1983. He’s in all probability greatest recognized for his sensible “There Oughta Be a Law” marketing campaign that resulted in 21 new legal guidelines, together with the state’s hands-free cellphone driving legislation.
• Heather Lerner, who as president of the San Jose Rotary Membership is placing her energies — and important arm-twisting skills — to lift cash to assist town’s restoration of the Japanese Friendship Backyard at Kelley Park. The park and its koi ponds are nonetheless broken following the Coyote Creek floods in 2017, and Lerner’s pushing to get every thing lovely once more earlier than a sister-city delegation from Okayama, Japan, visits in 2027.
• Greg Kepferle, who’s retiring this yr after 35 years of working for Catholic Charities in three completely different areas — together with the previous 19 years as CEO in Santa Clara County. He’s by no means been a man to hunt credit score, however he was all the time there with a serving to hand on tasks to assist preserve individuals out of poverty, poor well being and starvation.
• Symphony San Jose Govt Creative Director Robert Massey, who has re-energized town’s classical music scene with an injection of well-liked packages which might be making for enjoyable instances on the California Theatre.
• San Jose Metropolis Councilmember Dev Davis, who wraps up her eight years in workplace subsequent month. On paper she represented District 6, however she additionally stood for the valley’s nerd constituency. It was good to have somebody in Metropolis Corridor who received how cool it was to have individuals like Steve Wozniak and William Shatner on the town.
• Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini, who has introduced pleasure again to the Shark Tank and given everybody a cause to mud off these teal jerseys.
• Everybody who had a hand in ensuring San Jose’s 106-year Veterans Day custom continued uninterrupted, with Col. Ray Watts Jr., former Metropolis Councilmember Raul Peralez, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Mike Hennessy, Catherine Tompkison, Chuck Toeniskoetter and Diane Brandenburg main a solid of a whole bunch.
• George Lahlouh, Dan Phan and Johnny Wang, who — with working companion Ron Bonifacio, chef Nicko Moulinos and beverage director Ryan Ota — have introduced one other degree of cool to downtown San Jose with their restaurant, Eos & Nyx. That it’s their fourth enterprise downtown reveals how a lot religion they’ve within the metropolis.
• The Trash Punx, the San Jose group led by Justin Imamura that’s on a mission to maintain our metropolis clear and environmentally wholesome. They not too long ago hit a milestone of gathering greater than 1 million kilos of trash since their founding in 2017, logging 210 occasions and 20,000 volunteer hours.
• And, lastly, thanks to all of our readers in print and on-line. In any case, you’re those making our communities higher locations to reside. We simply get to inform your tales.
