Monday, April 13, 2009

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.13.09: A Porn-Week Preview...

News flash from San Jose Revealed – Porn gets hot. San Jose’s Vice Mayor Judy Chirco and Councilmembers Ash Kalra and Sam Liccardo trumped Rove-wanna-be Pete Constant with an early memo. The Merc’s Scott Herhold calls the Chirco-Kalra-Liccardo memo deft and says Library Director Jane Light “fought a canny rear-guard battle.” The Spartan Daily gets into the act, which makes sense, since it is San Jose State's library facing filters if Porn Kings Pegram and Constant have their way.

Rest assured, Watch Dog will be all over this issue on the coming week -- as we have been in the past. Including pointing out the irony that as this fake porn issue comes forward, Newsweek takes a shot at Larry Pegram by delaring "The End of Christian America"...

The annual salary dish on government salaries is out. Some of San Jose’s retirees are getting hefty bonuses for not staying home sick. Former Assistant Police Chief Charles Younis, now Los Altos’ Police Chief, took home an extra $243,000 while retired Deputy Fire Chief James Carter got almost $300,000. Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio is a little miffed saying sick leave isn’t meant to boost the nest egg.

In order to blunt criticism from the "sick leave" story, some folks went on a PR kick...

The Merc’s Patty Fisher chatted up San Jose’s newest highest ranking female firefighter, Deloach Reed. Assistant Chief Reed spent two decades hauling hoses and climbing ladders while sharing locker rooms, at times the “only girl in a frat house.”

The Merc’s Editorial Board sounds ready for a quick ride to Los Angeles on the future High-Speed Rail. They also drop a little reminder that the NIMBYs in San Mateo County stopped BART from heading south 50 years ago. The Editor's hope that the same NIMBYs today’s NIMBYs (Atherton/Palo Alto/Menlo Park) grow up.

AT&T wants that cable clipper bad and is offering a quarter of a million dollars to the first person who coughs up the clipping culprit who sabotaged 4 locations Thursday.

San Jose State University is trying to get some seniors to call it quits. SJSU had to turn its back on thousands of college wannabes because of the economy and now dishes that they’ve got over a thousand “super seniors” who can’t seem to leave their hallowed halls. With two dedicated seniors who have been there 15 years Provost Carmen Sigler says leave already.

Alviso is set to become a boaters haven once again. With visions of Chris Crafts dancing in their heads, the County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on construction of the final piece in a 4 year project. The Audubon Society’s Bob Power is hopeful San Jose’s legion of boating fanatics use the non-motorized kind.

San Jose’s Mayor Reed had plans for a press conference on home foreclosures while a mysterious "Linda" had other plans and whispered to the press the conference was moved. A pissed off Mayoral spokesperson, Michelle McGurk, said the (late) April Fool’s joke was “sad and pathetic.” Reed and the media did make their date but not without some scrambling.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs dishes San Jose’s City Clerk sent school-marm notes to the City Council reminding them they were welcome to watch the A’s opener in Oakland – on their own dime. (Hint Hint)

San Jose Revealed reveals a bare bones Wiki on San Jose’s political cast of characters. Revealed wants you to make the reveals. Another reveal, this time calling out former Chamber of Commerce mouthpiece Jay Rosenthal as Watch Dog. Revealed’s last Watch Dog reveal didn’t work out so good when Jude Barry turned up at CalBuzz. Keep trying Phillip, you'll pin us down soon...

San Jose Insider Pete Campbell rails against perks for public servants and complains that he doesn’t get a car allowance the San Jose City Council shouldn’t get one either. This was before the salaries were posted online...Campbell is going to be pissed.

Morgan Hill Unified School Board President Don Moody was MIA for Tuesday's big decision on furloughs. Translation: no decision was made. Trustees Shelle Thomas, Peter Mandel, and Bart Fisher said no way to forced furloughs. SEIU President Pam Torrisi said her members want assurances the savings would save jobs.

The economy has taken its toll on the Earthquakes and that’s translating to a loss for Morgan Hill. The Earthquakes were planning a training center there but Vice President David Alioto says that’s on hold. Mayor Steve Tate says he understands. (The Earthquakes tied the Fire yesterday 3-3, in case you are wondering. Perhaps they could use a new practice facility.)

Cupertino Union and Moreland School Districts are keeping their fingers crossed. Mail ballots arrived in voters homes last week. If voters say yes, parcel taxes go up and schools get to breathe again. Fresh off his BART success, political consultant Barry Barnes is hoping voters say yes as well...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Between Watch Dog and San Jose Revealed the burly Pete Constant is having a very rough day.

Poor Pete, if only he had a better grasp on reality.