afitzy
Former Member
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The funding issues in SF/Silicon Value for infrastructure and key govt services is complex and I don't want to derail the thread. I've attached a few articles below to give some idea of how complicated these issues are an how many of the corporations seem almost 'disconnected' from the towns/cities in which they legally reside (see Apple article below).This may be a stupid question, but I’m going to ask anyway. Why is SJPD so understaffed/funded. Don’t they have a lot of companies headquartered there? Don’t they get revenue from the casino?
The town of Greenwood Village, CO has it’s own SWAT team. It’s one of the safest cities in metro Denver but part of the Denver Tech Center (DTC) is located there so the city has more revenue from corporate tax revenue than they probably need, thus the SWAT unit. They responded to the Columbine shooting in Littleton because Littleton, though far more populated didn’t have it’s own.
Elgin IL receives so much money from a local casino that years ago their fire department got a hook and ladder truck that would service buildings taller than the tallest in Elgin at the time.
I’m sure there are many other examples like this across the country.
I assume SJ gts more tax revenue than the average city (and if they don’t they should). And understand that SJ may have lots of funding needs many municipalities don’t, but I’d hope the police department would be one of the first places funded.
If I was EV’s family or friend, I would be livid beyond words. I’m mad and I never even met her. If I was a resident of SJ I would be angry not just about this incident, but crime and underfunding of local LE in general. And though I’m usually a staunch supporter of LE. if I was a member of SJPD I would not be particularly proud right now. Even if understaffed, a medical BOLO could have come out. And while it may not have saved her she certainly could have been found a lot sooner had they just tried.
I’m sure it’s not simple, but to a casual observer it seems SJ city official’s priorities are way out of whack. Curious to hear perspectives of people who live there.
MHOO
Based on what we have heard from the family and the fact that basic information about EV being missing was not even disseminated within SJ City Govt agencies (no FB, webpage or Twitter that I could find) and she was found 2 blocks from SJ Fire House, IMO I don't believe that SJPD handing of this EV tragedy has much of anything to do with anything other than ineptitude. SJ Police funding or lack thereof is a sideshow but real issue but the fundamental issue most likely was absence of leadership within SJPD combined with the absolute chaos caused by the situation with the electrical grid over the past week.
The NYT article below explains the nature of the chaos and how the utility website was down and so many people and govt weren't able to get basic information about power availability. The public safety issues associated with the rolling blackouts were enormous and if leadership and planning weren't prepared then it becomes easier to see how someone that didn't make their flight might have simply have never made the list of priorities over the past week.
What happened to EV seems to have been an avoidable tragedy and I hope the press stay on top of the story and that some investigation occurs in SJ to figure out what happened in terms of the response from SJPD.
Wired and WSJ have been following the issue of tech corporate taxes, government lack of funding for infrastructure etc. for years so search there to get more details. But here are few articles to give you a general flavour of the situation.
No More Deals: San Francisco Considers Raising Taxes on Tech
Cupertino's mayor urges Apple to pay more tax: 'Where's the fairness?'
‘This Did Not Go Well’: Inside PG&E’s Blackout Control Room
California’s Power Outages Are About Wildfires—But Also Money
California Wildfires: How PG&E Ignored Risks in Favor of Profits