By Sal Pizarro

Mercury News
May 30, 2009

There's lots of pain in San Jose's proposed budget for next year, but one item is really thorny for supporters of the Municipal Rose Garden.

The budget plan would save $70,000 on maintenance by shutting down "decorative" fountains like the Rose Garden's while keeping "interactive" fountains like the one at Plaza de Cesar Chavez flush.

"The fountain at the Rose Garden is the site of many weddings, which are revenue-producing," notes Beverly Rose Hopper, our local rose queen. "Aren't most marriages 'interactive'? Or perhaps in the case of whoever proposed this, their union is simply 'decorative.' "

You'd think the Rose Garden fountain at least would get a pass based on seniority. It began life as a reflecting pool donated by the Rotary Club of San Jose back in 1932.