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For
Immediate Release:
June 12, 2001
Contact:
David Vossbrink, (408)
277-3515, Office of Mayor Ron Gonzales
Mayor Gonzales Proposes San Jose
Convention Center Expansion
Larger center can boost economic development, downtown
business
San Jose, CA ----
San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales today announced that he will ask the City
Council to place a measure on the November 2002 ballot to support the expansion
of the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
The mayor made
his announcement at his annual speaking appearance at the Downtown San Jose
Rotary Club.
“With an
expanded and more competitive convention center, San Jose can attract more
conferences to our city that will bring more visitors who will use our hotels,
eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and support our arts,” said
Gonzales.
“We can make
our convention center become an even greater factor that supports healthy
economic development in our downtown for the benefit of our entire community.”
Gonzales said he
would ask the City Council to consider a ballot measure that would ask for voter
approval to increase the city’s hotel tax to provide the funding necessary for
the convention center expansion.
“Because the
hotel tax is paid by the users of the convention center and by visitors, this
would be the most appropriate financing method for the expansion,” he said.
“Because successful and larger center will generate more business
traffic for our downtown, I am confident that our business community will help
lead this project to success.”
Gonzales said
that he will propose an increase in the hotel tax that would still keep San Jose
competitive with other cities with comparable convention facilities. The current
San Jose hotel tax is ten percent.
The mayor said he
will ask the city administration to complete its financial and project studies
over the next two months so that a complete proposal will ready for city council
review in early August. The city council would need to take action on a ballot
measure at that time in order to place it on this November’s ballot.
According to a
recent survey conducted by the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, there is
strong public support for an expanded convention center and an increase in the
hotel tax to pay for it. Under
California law, a local tax measure would require a two-thirds majority of
voters to pass.
“This will be a
big challenge, and we will need the active support of our business community to
achieve this goal. We have found in
the past, however, that San Jose voters understand the value of making smart
investments that will improve our quality of life and support economic
prosperity,” said the mayor.
Click
here to read speech
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