For
Immediate Release
San
Jose, March 10th, 2008
We
thank the City Council for rescinding its vote of November 20,
2007. We further thank the Mayor for having extended his invitation
to San Jose Voters for Democracy to work with the Our Voice
group, Mr. Henry Lee, and the city staff to come up with a process
for naming the business district. For the reasons below, San
Jose Voters For Democracy cannot accept this invitation.
The
“petition” by 92 business owners (click
here to view the list), used by Councilman Sam
Liccardo as the exclusive basis for his “alternative motion”
leading to the adoption of Resolution 74270, has been proven
to be fraudulent. Dozens of purported petitioners have been
speaking out publicly, emphatically stating that they never
signed this petition and that their signatures were grafted
onto this petition without their consent, or that their signatures
were forged. Additionally, a number of the businesses on this
petition are located on Senter Road, which means that they are
not located within the area to be designated.
We
demand a full investigation in to this matter, particularly
the role that various parties, not excluding any member of the
Council, have played.
Councilmember
Liccardo, a former prosecutor, should have done his due diligence
before using this fraudulent petition to maneuver against Councilmember
Chu’s motion, one that would truly acknowledge the majority’s
choice by officially adopting the name “Little Saigon” for the
area. The adoption of Resolution 74270 by the Mayor and Councilmembers
Nguyen, Liccardo, Pyle, Williams, Chirco, and Campos was based
completely on a petition that is now shown to be fraudulent.
This
has further fueled Mr. Ly Tong’s hunger strike. Today is Mr.
Ly Tong’s 23rd day without food and his 4th day without water.
We
urge Mayor Reed and other members of the San Jose City Council
to distance themselves from those who engage in illegal tactics.
Though we are passionate, we have always acted legally, ethically
and in good faith. San Jose Voters For Democracy will take pride
in refusing to participate in a process derived through unlawful
means. We simply cannot collaborate with those who break laws.
San
Jose Voters For Democracy strongly urges the City Council to
immediately hold an emergency meeting to rescind Resolution
74270, and to re-vote to approve the name “Little Saigon” for
the area.
For
more information, please contact Barry Hung Do at
408-679-8902.