Ron Gonzales, Mayor of San Jose

[Governor Gray Davis announced today that he has endorsed the proposed Metcalf Energy Center in San Jose.  Mayor Ron Gonzales, who is out of town today, has issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s announcement.]

Since I have been Mayor of San Jose, protecting our neighborhoods has been one of my highest priorities.

This is why I have been concerned about the potential impacts of the Metcalf Energy Center on residents of San Jose neighborhoods and on our environment and air quality ever since the project was first proposed.

Throughout the review and debate over Metcalf, I have also said that I would support clean power plants that will help us achieve greater energy self-sufficiency for San Jose residents and businesses. As the Metcalf project has been designed and proposed to operate, however, it would present an unfair burden on our community. 

Governor Davis and I have long been in agreement regarding priorities for San Jose and California.  We both agree that we must protect both our communities and our economy.

Although the Governor and I disagree on this specific project, we stand on common ground in our efforts to find creative and effective solutions to achieve greater energy reliability, stability, self-sufficiency, and conservation in California and our region. 

I know we are both committed to solutions that will protect the residents of all California communities and neighborhoods.