Thursday, September 24, 2009

Morning News Round-Up -- 9.24.09: Change of plans this weekend, no Club Wet...

The City of San Jose is cracking down on Club Wet. Club Wet’s self imposed shutdown could become permanent. San Jose Assistant Police Chief Dan Katz pulled the plug saying “We’re dealing with somebody here who’s had a succession of violations, and we’re saying enough is enough.” Wet’s lobbyists Saggau and DeRollo have 10 days to spin the Club back into existence. The San Jose PD did not say, "we believed shutting Wet down was not preventable..."

The Merc digs deep into San Jose’s transition to a de-plasticized shopping experience to find it was San Jose Councilmember Kansen Chu’s personal experience that led the way. David Lewis with Save the Bay shrugged over cries from the American Chemistry Council to point out following bans from San Francisco and Palo Alto “the world did not end.”

San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency heard the flutter of pink slips as nearly a quarter of the Agency’s team was shown the door after the State snagged $75 million from their cookie jar. One pissed off Mayor Chuck Reed said “Redevelopment provides critical tools to rebuild our economy… exactly the kinds of investments we should be making in this recession.”

The debt collectors are the only ones making a killing these days, even your neighborhood librarian is asking for their help to get books back from scofflaws. Perhaps Larry Pegram's Library Watchers could help in the cause...

Palo Alto’s homeless Council wannabe, Victor Frost, is back in hot water and it isn’t the hot tubs at Watercourse Way. Frost, pissed off when a wheelchair bound/homeless/amputee took his spot while he was away for an interview, unleashed a stream of “racial epithets.” With a possible 6 months in jail, perhaps Palo Alto’s crowded field just opened up a little.

NIMBYism is alive and well in San Jose according to the Merc’s Scott Herhold who tells the tale of the demise of an affordable housing project at the hands of politically savvy neighbors.

The Merc’s Editorial Board offers their support to this weekend's Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival this weekend.

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