Liccardo Shares Vision

Mayor discusses future of BART in Santa Clara

Sascha GombergTHE SANTA CLARANovember 12, 2015 

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] Silicon Valley power duo shared their goals for the future during a campus talk last week.

Nancy Sanchez, senior communications associate for the Silicon Valley Leadership Program interviewed Sam Liccardo, mayor of San Jose and University President Fr. Engh, S.J., to a crowd of hundreds packed into the Recital Hall on Nov. 5.   

Liccardo said he plans to bring BART into Santa Clara and San Jose to alleviate traffic congestion in the cities.

Construction is already underway — the project to open BART in San Jose is seven million dollars under budget and ahead of schedule.

Liccardo said he is also backing a ballot measure that would enable development to continue all the way through Downtown San Jose and Santa Clara.

Engh gushed about the university’s plan for expansion, which includes building more science, math and technology facilities and constructing a new law building next to Lucas Hall to allow for “a greater interface between law and business.”

“Now that the Silicon Valley has built up around us we had to shift from being a school located in an agricultural area to somewhere that is located in a high-tech area. Santa Clara feeds off its energy,” Engh said.

The two also answered a lightening round of questions from Sanchez, in which they talked about their favorite school subjects, books, the thing they look for in a friend and childhood dreams.

The meeting ended with questions from the students, who mainly asked about the pair’s lives, how they became successful, and advice on how to make it in the business world.

Contact Sascha Gomberg at sgomberg@scu.edu.