Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Morning News Round-Up – 4.21.09: It was an interesting fact...

It's been a fun filled month in San Jose with Porn BFF's Larry Pegram and Pete Constant battling for headlines over Mayor Chuck Reed's "clownish" IPA mishap and the ongoing Drunk Task Force drama. Rep's from the rest of Silicon Valley are breathing a deep sigh of relief as San Jose stays firmly in the spotlight.

San Jose’s IPA screw-up continued. Unless you were under a rock you saw this one coming…

  • The newly appointed Independent Police Auditor Chris Constantin quits under the growing outrage.
  • San Jose officials sheepishly admit newly appointed Independent Police Auditor Chris Constantin would be auditing his own brother.
  • Watch Dog posted the early rumor about the eminent demise of Chris Constantin as Independent Police Auditor.
  • Mayor Reed : When asked about the brother “It was an interesting fact and probably should have been in there. But it was one of a whole series of facts about the man.''
  • Councilmember Nora Campos stomps her foot saying she received a promise from the Mayor.
  • Merc Editorial : Constantin did not disclose the brotherly love in his application. City leaders did not tell a citizen review panel about Constantin’s brother, those same leaders did not ask the city attorney about any conflict.
  • Scott Herhold : Mayor Reed’s staffers were unenthusiastic about Constantin, it was a clownish affair. Way to turn on the boss...
  • San Jose Revealed : That was quick, followed by a public spanking of Constantin and Mayor Reed.

Tonight San Jose’s city council will decide whether to back the guy with limited punctuation skills!!!! Or, library proponents, Books Not Filters. For all your (unfiltered) viewing pleasure…

If you live in Mountain View, well, you probably can’t afford it, or anywhere else in Silicon Valley. The Environmental Planning Commission hears the grim news this week. Mountain View planner Scott Plambaeck was philosophical saying “yeah, housing’s expensive here.”

Morgan Hill’s Measure A advocates are leaving nothing to chance. They’ve got their own blogging and mixers with movers and shakers, including Mayor Steve Tate and former Mayors John Varela and Dennis Kennedy. Without any organized opposition the measure depends on voters optimism about the future.

A few of Gilroy’s finest received raises over 30% in the last few years. Councilmember Craig Gartman is getting pissed at slow disclosure from city administration and wonders if he should keep turning over rocks or ignore them. This is one case where ignorance is not bliss…

Yesterday’s 420 was largely ignored by the local press but Watch Dog bets the Beer Tax will get pot brewing. Assemblymember Jim Beall is hoping the second time around will help to fill the state’s empty coffers. Prepare for marches from pissed off grape stompers and hops swillers…

Los Gatos town council is proposing more new and higher fees to help raise funds. You know that safe where you hide your guns to protect you from thieves, count on it costing you…. Mayor Wasserman wants to charge for false alarms and you might end up paying more for using that park.

Open space in Mountain View is about to become a Summerhill Homes construction zone. The Los Altos NIMBY’s are getting support from Los Altos councilmember David Casas who says “I will be encouraging the neighborhood ... to vocalize and coordinate their activities to make sure that their interests (are represented).”

Julie Packard, yes, that Packard, was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

1 comment:

Dale Warner said...

You insiders still do not understand Reed:

"Mayor Reed: When asked about the brother 'It was an interesting fact and probably should have been in there. But it was one of a whole series of facts about the man.'"

But the aid of a brother-in-law who was one of the top two Merc executives for the years that Reed did his own thing in Berryessa and on the city's and county's planning commissions, made his mayoralty possible.

Reed know how helpful brothers-in-law can be, and how much more helpful brothers will be. It worked for him!

The Merc covered up so much about his first decade in San Jose politics that you don't realize this is who he has been and will be.