San Jose Council To Vote On Annexing Cambrian Neighborhood
SAN JOSE (BCN) -- The San Jose City Council will vote Tuesday night on the controversial proposed annexation of a neighborhood in unincorporated Santa Clara County.
It will be the council's final vote on whether to annex the 103-acre neighborhood known as Cambrian 36. The council voted 7-3 in favor of moving forward with the annexation at a preliminary vote on Oct. 26.
The city agreed in 2006 to annex all unincorporated areas that are 150 acres or less by April 15, 2011, as part of a lawsuit settlement agreement between the city and county.
Over the last 4.5 years, the city has annexed more than 1,200 acres and gained nearly 16,000 residents.
The annexation has brought about changes in municipal services, shifting the authority of services such as garbage, police and fire from the county to the city.
"It's very expensive and scattered for the county to provide municipal services," said Michelle McGurk, a spokesman for San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.
The Cambrian 36 annexation would affect about 1,000 residents.
If the annexation is approved, residents would vote in San Jose city elections.
Their garbage and recycling services would be provided by the city of San Jose, and emergency services such as police and fire would respond from San Jose instead of the county.
Many Cambrian 36 residents would prefer to annex to Campbell or remain part of an unincorporated area because they are concerned that annexing to San Jose will result in significant reductions in basic safety services due to the city's budget deficit.
Opponents of the annexation have argued that it would result in slower response times with the nearest San Jose fire station being four times farther away than the nearest county station.
Tuesday's meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers, located at 200 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose.
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