The name was not chosen as the result of any “voting system” other than the votes of the San Jose City Council, where the vote was an overwhelming 8-3 in favor of the name now being protested against.

There *were* various polls/surveys/petitions undertaken prior to the city council vote, among Vietnamese Americans living there — but there’s all evidence that those did not solicit opinions from a representative sample of San Jose’s citizens. In fact, the methods by which those were administered guaranteed they would *not* represent the views of SJ’s citizenry.

It’s akin to asking all Philadelphians if they want Allegheny Avenue re-branded as “Sigismund II Augustus Avenue.” And then circulating petitions in support of that, but circulating them only in Little Warsaw. And written only in Polish. And inviting anyone who wants to show up and vote on the issue, but only if they show up at St. Stanislaus. And only if they know about the referendum because they can read about it in Polish. Needless to say, that would have the rest of Philadelphia wondering just what our Polish neighbors think they mean by “democracy.”

That doesn’t really represent a democratic “voting system.”

hmm, well adding the business district does the following in my opinion:

1) differentiates it from other Little’s and -towns. Did you even know there’s a Japantown in San Jose? Do you care?

2) it’s in sync with the way San Jose and the South Bay tends to totally sterilize anything remotely interesting. “We’re the CAPITOL of Silicon Valley!!! We are business, come here and pay high rents, suckers!” Cases in point: Cupertino long destroyed downtown in favor of a shopping center and wider boulevards and the eviction of the local Downtown SJ club scene to make way for… The House of Blues.

sigh…