If it's a good idea, why the secrecy? Teachers in the Alum Rock and East Side Union School Districts heard about a rumored campus swap -- Alum Rock unloads Pala Middle School in exchange for Independence Adult Center. The roughly 10 year old Independence was built and paid for by the community to be an adult ed center. "We're having a budget crisis. If we had another school, we could house our own programs and lease out space," rationalizes Superintendent Bob Nuñez of East Side. Alum Rock Trustee Gustavo Gonzalez worries that the increased demand for housing in the Northern portion of the Alum Rock Elementary School District will exacerbate the problem of bussing students to schools.
No secret here -- Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio thinks building more housing (especially in his District) is a bad idea. Taking a page out of a previous Redevelopment Agency model, Oliverio wants the jobs to arrive first before housing is built. Watch Dog recalls downtown San Jose as a vacant ghost town while the Redevelopment desperately sought to bring in business before housing...it has progressed now into a semi-ghost town -- at least it is progress...
Environment vs. golf course in Morgan Hill. Who wins this battle, the red-legged frog or Fry's Electronics magnate John Fry? While Mathematics Institute officials hold up images of a golf course claiming it's environmentally friendly because grass is green, the Audubon Society's Craig Breon warns, "... there's still a violation of the Endangered Species Act that the City could be liable for so I think it's very important for (them) to get an indemnification agreement." In other words, someone is going to be held responsible for the red-legged frog, so wise up.
Home is where the heart is...apparently it's also where the support is. A study by the Knight Foundation found area residents want more, "third spaces," social gathering spots ranging from nightclubs to community centers. Check out the Soul of the Community yourself. San Jose's Mayor Chuck Reed wondered whether the diverse ethnic makeup of the Valley was taken into account in the study doubting residents want more gathering spots.
Santa Clara County businesses rank among the lowest in hiring women in leadership roles -- according to a state-wide study conducted by UC Davis. A related study finds women in middle management quit due to a perception of barriers to advancement. Perhaps this is the trend San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is trying to stem with the discussion of Nora Campos as Vice Mayor...
San Jose Revealed declares this Fluff Week and pokes fun at the San Jose Film and Video Commission for exercising a Silicon Valley tradition -- leveraging the work of others.
Meanwhile, it looks like Mission City Lantern is getting its news from Watch Dog.
The smoke police seem to be happy to help out on Spare the Air days. The most creative reason for having a fire goes to a Pantheist who emailed the Bay Area Air Quality Management District saying, "I will NOT be deprived of my constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion by bureaucrats looking for more ways to control even more aspects of our lives." Watch Dog is researching religions that mandate wood-burning stoves…
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
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