Morning News Round-Up – 11/19/08: No drunk arrests here...that's coming later

A full update/run-down of the San Jose City Council meeting discussing/arguing drunk arrests last night will follow shortly...

A star studded crowd turned out in Los Gatos as State Insurance Commissioner/Governor-Wannabe Steve Poizner was on hand to give the oath of office to incoming Mayor Mike Wasserman and Vice Mayor Diane McNutt. It was no surprise to the audience that Wasserman was selected by his peers to serve as Mayor for the next year.

Los Gatos native Kathleen Nicholson Hull named the George Mark Children’s House after her brothers George who passed away at 30 from cancer and Mark, killed in a car accident at the age of 16. This is a place where families can be with their children as they make a peaceful transition into death. Director of external affairs, Annie Berlin says of their work "You have to be willing to have your heart broken every single day, in some different kind of way. But everyone here feels it's a privilege to be a part of this. There's no greater gift we could give."

Passing its first open government law, Gilroy has let the sunshine in to City Hall by unanimously passing Councilman Perry Woodward's “sunshine ordinance.” Watch Dog wonders if the “Chris Bone eMail Access” rule made it into the new ordinance.

And labor unrest in South County...

Employees from Rebekah Children’s Services in Gilroy took to the streets to protest meager wage increases. Therapists and crisis workers earn roughly a third to a half of what management takes home. "They definitely created this problem, and now there's no money for the people on the front lines," Counselor Jay Aguilar said.

Just up the road, 100 Morgan Hill teachers picketed the Morgan Hill School District offices Tuesday night to protest a months overdue contract. Board Trustee Bart Fisher said, "We should absolutely look at the opportunity to come together and work together for the betterment of the district. That's going to require more outreach and trust. Hopefully we can come out of this better and stronger."

Not going for sunshine, developers from the Sand Hill Property Company will meet privately with a select group of residents. Project manager John Tze said earlier meetings were open to the "first tier of influence," but now are focusing on the "second tier of influence." Karen White, Duveneck-St. Francis Neighborhood Association president, disagrees saying a letter from Sand Hill titled, "Our Commitment to a Collaborative Public Process," stated the meeting would be public.