On behalf of the Almaden Valley Community Association (AVCA) officers and board members, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.  This will be my last President’s Message since I will not seek election to the post for the coming 2011-2013 term because of other obligations.

Last year proved to be an exciting year politically and economically.  Public finances and the economy were major topics of concern to most Americans, and this year appears to be no different.  Budget deficits at the state level will no doubt have a significant negative impact on state, county, and local governments’ abilities to provide services to which residents have become accustomed.

Locally, the City of San Jose continues to cope with declining or stagnant revenues and increasing expenditures.  As early as last December, the city projected a fiscal 2011-2012 budget deficit of over $90 million.  The challenge for city leaders is to identify core city services and find a way to provide those services in ways that all stakeholders can accept.  This would be a challenging task under normal circumstances, but the continuing economic downturn makes the task more daunting.

AVCA’s motto is: “Informed citizens organized for constructive action”.  Your officers and board members in 2011 will certainly try to keep the membership and the community at large aware of the impact on Almaden Valley of the proposed actions government leaders will consider in order to balance the budget.  The AVCA board has, in the past, taken positions on proposed government policies, and it will continue to do so in the future.  Last year, for example, the board recommended that the city eliminate binding arbitration to settle salary and benefit disputes between the city and public safety unions and to also substitute portable defined contribution pension plans for defined benefit pension plans.

The AVCA officers and board members welcome suggestions from the membership for ways to improve the quality of life in the Valley and beyond.  Your suggestions are more valued this year than ever before in light of the economic circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Jerry Mungai
AVCA Director and Past President