It's Bike to Work Day... expect CalTrain to be busier than usual... Also, expect your cubicle neighbor to be sweatier than normal...It is also all about the 408… (at least for the Merc's Mark Purdy...)
While Purdy was declaring his love for the 408, Abdirahman Ismail Abdi was getting the hell out... the Feds are hot on the trail of Abdi because he is being accused of embezzling $9 million before he quit California Water Service Company a.k.a. San Jose Water Company. Abdi’s wire transfers were found out and the money returned, but not before Abdi sent his family out of the country and disappeared.
The Merc’s Sal Pizarro tells the sloth among us Ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes will be in town to encourage couch potatoes to take part in a little downtown San Jose running (or walking). Pizarro also sends props to San Jose music festival Left Coast Live where Councilmember Sam Liccardo said, in spite of hours of kazoo prep, you won’t see him rocking on stage.
Silicon Valley remains the trendsetter. Nationally, the growth of Asian and Latino populations has slowed while here in Silicon Valley growth remains strong. Berkeley professor Ling-Chi Wang said most Americans look for a view and a pool in their homes, Asians look for great schools.
The Merc’s Karen D’Souza loves books… One of the few San Jose independent bookstores was making it’s final loop around the drain when savior Roland Vierra stepped in to buy Willow Glen Books. Santa Clara County’s poet laureate Nils Peterson is celebrating the rescue calling Willow Glen Books a hub of San Jose’s cultural and intellectual life.
The Henry W. Coe State Park is hot, seriously. A fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in what is being called the Mustang Incident. (No, Councilmember Constant, not these Mustangs.) By nightfall the fire was over 600 acres.
Santa Clara County prosecutors Victoria Brown and James Gibbons-Shapiro deny knowing about videos of sexual assault exams until recently. Public Defender Al Lopez is trying to prove otherwise by digging up an old email...
They had to see it coming, Monte Sereno’s City Council voted themselves $300 a month salary (during the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression) and now chatter about a recall is growing. Former Mayor Mike Brodsky isn’t helping colleagues saying, "I thought you were supposed to lose money… There will be a recall. This will not stand." Of course, one could assume Brodsky is pissed he didn’t think of it first…
Los Gatans get an in depth look at the economic disaster hitting home. Town Manager Greg Larson said there’s a $2.5 million “gap,” revenues are lower, and Larson is looking at possible cuts. Also in Los Gatos news, the City Council agreed with the Planning Commission and said no to the monster house proposal on Santa Rosa Drive.
Tossing garbage in Silicon Valley’s Westside towns will soon cost you more. The West Valley Solid Waste Management Authority Board raised rates blaming vehicle impact (and other) fees. Local jurisdictions say they have no choice, garbage trucks trash streets at a good clip. (Oh, and cities can raise garbage rates to pay for roads without calling it a tax increase...)
Los Altos pedestrians on San Antonio Road will be cheering. The City is planning $1.5 million in sidewalk upgrades making it easier, and prettier, to go for a romantic walk. Other revitalization is moving more slowly, developer Randy Lamb says he’s eager to break ground on a downtown project. Assistant City Manager James Walgren blames Safeway for holdup saying, “the recession doesn’t help.” (Some of you may already know this, but Lamb is Watch Dog San Mateo crossover…)
Mountain View-Los Altos High School District Trustees slashed $1.3 million from the Adult School with administrators saying it is only the beginning. Trustees are anxiously holding their breath until the May 19 special election. Good luck... Superintendent Barry Groves says if Propositions 1A and 1B don’t pass another $2 million could get cut.
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