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Title
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Cherries to (Silicon) Chips: Local Urbanization, Redevelopment and Displacement Contributed to Local Chicano Advocacy
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Description
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In 1960, ethnic Mexicans made up 20% of the population of the City of San José. The largest concentration of ethnic Mexicans in Santa Clara County resided in the unincorporated area of San Jose’s developing Eastside. Downtown San José, adjacent to the historic downtown Mexican colonia, became the hub of a vibrant regional business and entertainment district that drew Spanish-speaking clients residing in the Eastside colonia, worker neighborhoods in surrounding towns, and smaller unincorporated communities of Santa Clara County.
Between 1960 and 1970 the population of Santa Clara County grew by 66%, with Spanish-surnamed residents growing from 12% to 18%. As the most-populated municipality in the County, housing the largest number of ethnic Mexicans, San José continued to serve as the center for social, cultural, and political activity for ethnic Mexicans in the South Bay. Unlike other urban areas, where “white flight” resulted in a declining urban core, the ethnic Mexican population settled in these areas, starting businesses and raising families. Annexation of the Eastside into the City of San José did not immediately bring needed improvements in streets, water or sewage systems. This was because San José had long relied on municipal bonds for civic improvements rather than raising taxes, which gave the growing city only sporadic access to funds.
San José had grown exponentially, from 17 square miles in 1920 to 120 in 1970, sprawling toward nearby towns such as Cupertino and Sunnyvale. Annexation of adjacent communities soon converted orchards, farms, and canning and packing operations to technology/industrial parks and housing tracts. These growing communities now prioritized access to public services and infrastructure improvements.
The 1958 the “Master Plan of the City of San José” fell in line with the goals of President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s anti-poverty programs of the 1960s. The federal Model Cities Program identified the central business district as crucial to the City’s growth and economy and one of its chief objectives for the City’s central core included an urban renewal program. The aim of the Model Cities Plan for urban renewal was to prevent existing blight from spreading, rehabilitate areas that could be restored, and to clear and rebuild those that were not “worth” saving (worth being a subjective term). The Redevelopment Agency’s first major urban renewal project in San José during 1967 was Park Center Plaza. Thirteen blocks encompassing nearly all of the west-of-Market neighborhood next to the center of downtown would eventually displace 466 mostly ethnic Mexican residents and 136 businesses. In 1968, San José applied for additional monies through the Model Cities Program.
In 1970 four assembly districts that received federal Model Cities Program funding were in the predominantly ethnic Mexican neighborhoods of Mayfair, Tropicana, Olinder, and Gardner. Existing worker housing near fruit processing plants and canneries downtown and in the Eastside were identified to be cleared as part of the Plan.
These ethnic Mexican neighborhoods also stood in the way of freeway expansion for Highways 280 and 680. The resulting demolition of blocks of existing residences and small businesses caused the displacement of local residents and the further fragmentation of older ethnic Mexican neighborhoods. Local residents questioned the definition of “blighted” and whether one of the criteria were the higher numbers of people who spoke little or no English. Homes and businesses in this area were often sold for less than fair market value, so options for purchasing other property were extremely limited.
In response, the younger generation of Chicano organizers expected more action from their local government now that ethnic Mexicans also served on municipal councils and commissions. They were skeptical of large federal programs such as the Model Cities Programs and lobbied and mobilized in the streets to address issues such as discrimination in housing, institutional racism, police brutality, healthcare access, and labor rights. New organizations like the Brown Berets, United People Arriba (UPA), and the Community Alert Patrol (CAP) reflected efforts by these younger Chicano groups to focus directly on these issues on a local level.
Despite legal challenges to the Model Cities Program, redevelopment plans were generally supported by city residents who believed that they were necessary in order to create a stable local economy and safer neighborhoods.
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Identifier
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B4SV Exhibit Topic Six: Slide 011
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