Morning News Round-Up – 1.28.09: Are you shovel-ready?

County Supervisor Liz Kniss created a list of 32 “shovel-ready” projects that the County will use to ask for Federal dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Supe’s list comes to $174 million, a fraction of the $1.6 billion San Jose’s Mayor Chuck is asking for. Reed has requested for 50 projects. As the Merc. points out Reed’s request represents “a good chuck of the City’s total…” A little Freudian slip with your coffee? As the Metro pointed out, Chuck doesn't really play an active role in politics outside of San Jose -- which may or may not help his chances at Federal cash...

San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber CEO Pat Dando left San Jose’s City Hall pissed yesterday saying, “this is policy run amok,” after the City Council voted to review a 12 year old policy on outsourcing City jobs. Ever chipper, Councilmember Nancy Pyle said, “If the current policy isn’t working, we need to find out why.” Perhaps because every discussion at the City Council takes 4 hours?...

Symantec CEO John Thompson will/may be heading to D.C. as President Obama’s Secretary of Commerce, filling the last remaining seat in the Cabinet. Thompson had already announced his departure from Symantec to be replaced by Enrique Salem. (Watch Dog guesses that the talk of San Jose’s Congressman Mike Honda getting a new gig was Honda-hype...because he is still in Congress and no one is asking Honda to serve...)

The USGS released new maps detailing seismic safety along San Jose’s Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek, home to San Jose’s tech companies and new housing. For a bunch of scientists, the USGS provides some fun stuff for the non-geeks among us. For developers and homeowners, perhaps not so much fun as a warning on encroachment into the liquefaction zone. According to Mineta San Jose International Airport's David Vossbrink, the new construction meets current standards and the concrete runways are less vulnerable than a building. (This isn't Vossbrink's first time speaking for folks on shaky ground.)

Following a closed door meeting Tuesday, San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed and Bobby Lopez with the Police Officers Association (POA) emerged happy about a new contract. Lopez said, “We gave a little to get a lot… we felt it was important to increase salaries significantly.” Alex Gurza said it was cheaper to increase salaries by 5.5% than agree to the pension demands. Maybe the POA saw the billion dollar pension fund loss as a sign of the future. San Jose Inside/Metro’s Erin Sherbert has been following the deal the POA cut with Mayor Reed. POA’s Bobby Lopez is quoted as saying, “We didn’t want to be accused of being the greedy filthy cops that everyone thinks we are.” Was that the message Lopez was supposed to deliver?

Probably not. Watch Dog blames/commends Erin Sherbert for Lopez's off-message (but certainly not misquoted) quote. She has a way of making people say things they probably shouldn't. Remember when Shirakawa (jokingly) called himself a "corrupt lobbyist" in one of her stories?

San Jose Revealed has some fun coupling news of the Merc’s location within the liquefaction zone with their economic problems and shrinking size.

Cupertino’s City Council approved Shashi Corp’s request to build a high-end luxury hotel but not before arguing over the aesthetics of the proposed design. Shashi representatives were adamant about receiving approval on the revised design, approved by the Planning Commission who also argued the original didn’t appear to be “luxurious” enough. "If you're trying to put in a high-end hotel in Cupertino and it's going to be that big and massive, you might as well have something that makes people say,`Wow, that looks neat' rather than`Wow, that looks big,'" said Councilman Mark Santoro. Cupertino Watch Dogs, if you saw the plans please weigh in. This is not the first time folks in Cupertino have had controversy about a hotel and growth...

Sunnyvale’s Planning Commission will review development plans for housing for mostly low or extremely low-income seniors early February. The Commission issued concerns about density and a lack of open space. NIMBYs don't like less-wealthy people in their neighborhoods...expect a battle in Sunnyvale. Otto Lee is going to be pleased he missed this one...

Saratoga’s City Council will be hosting a community meeting to talk about the $4,700 use permit fee – if you’re interested the meeting is next week at City Hall. If you aren't...join the club.

Get your credit cards ready. The Boss is coming to town, in fact, he begins his world tour on April Fool’s day at the Shark Tank. Tickets on sale Monday. This should help the Mayor with some of those tax dollars...

Romeo and Juliet, a.k.a. James Palmerson and Roselyn Marshall, were found sleeping in grandpa’s car at a mall outside the Mile High City. Los Altos Sgt. John Korges says, “Thank god they’re safe. This was a happy ending.” (Happy ending Sgt.? They are teenagers...) Not too shabby for a 14 year old, over 1,000 miles, through the Sierra, the Wasatch, and into the Rockies. Rosylyn’s dad, Steven Marshall was surprised his mild daughter, “..would feel empowered enough to do something like this.”