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"They say San José is going to become another Los Angeles."
Believe me, I’m going to do everything in my power to make that come true."
San Jose's urban sprawl was made by design, the design of "Dutch" Hamann, the City Manager from 1950 to 1969. During his administration, with his staff referred to as "Dutch's Panzer Division," the city annexed property 1389 times, growing the city from 17 square miles to 149 square miles, absorbing the communities named above, changing their status to "neighborhoods."
“ “They say San José is going to become another Los Angeles. Believe me, I’m going to do everything in my power to make that come true."--"Dutch" Hamann, 1965 ”
Sales taxes were a chief source of revenue. Hamann would determine where major shopping areas would be, then would annex narrow bands of land along major roadways leading to those locations, pushing tentacles across the Santa Clara Valley and in turn walling off the expansion of adjacent communities.
During his reign, it was said the City Council would vote according to Hamann's nod. In 1963, the State of California imposed Local Agency Formation Commissions statewide, but largely to try to maintain order with San Jose's aggressive growth. Eventually the political forces against growth grew as local neighborhoods bonded together to elect their own candidates, ending Hamann's influence leading to his resignation. While the job was not complete, the trend was set. The city had defined its sphere of influence in all directions, sometimes chaotically leaving unincorporated pockets to be swallowed up by the behemoth, sometimes even at the objection of the residents.
“ “They say San José is going to become another Los Angeles. Believe me, I’m going to do everything in my power to make that come true."--"Dutch" Hamann, 1965 ”
Sales taxes were a chief source of revenue. Hamann would determine where major shopping areas would be, then would annex narrow bands of land along major roadways leading to those locations, pushing tentacles across the Santa Clara Valley and in turn walling off the expansion of adjacent communities.
During his reign, it was said the City Council would vote according to Hamann's nod. In 1963, the State of California imposed Local Agency Formation Commissions statewide, but largely to try to maintain order with San Jose's aggressive growth. Eventually the political forces against growth grew as local neighborhoods bonded together to elect their own candidates, ending Hamann's influence leading to his resignation. While the job was not complete, the trend was set. The city had defined its sphere of influence in all directions, sometimes chaotically leaving unincorporated pockets to be swallowed up by the behemoth, sometimes even at the objection of the residents.
Let's figure out where to put a statue of Dutch. On a freeway median? On some random block between two identical tract homes? Or maybe right downtown next to the statue alleged to be of Quetzalcoatl, which more closely resembles a giant dog turd:
