Morning News Round-Up -- 5.28.10: Drive safe...

This is a Friday before a long weekend, so you must, must, must read the newspaper tomorrow. Late today is a great time to release horrible news if you are a government agency, elected official, corporation, or candidate. So, Watch Dog will be watching, but you should be too...

The Mercury News is taking its news tips from Matier and Ross apparently. They get into how much money the 49ers are spending in Santa Clara. Of course it is going to "shatter local spending records" -- the most important thing folks in Santa Clara have voted on the past was if RJD2 deserved a second term as City Clerk...

Campaign filings are in other races too... In the past few months Jeff Rosen has been a fundraising machine while Dolores Carr has not. Chuck Reed raised a lot of money, his opponents did not. Madison Nguyen raised a ton and two of her opponents put a bunch of their own money ($50k and $80k) into their own campaigns... what does all this mean? Expect the airwaves (television and radio) and your mailboxes to be full in the week and a half...

The Merc finally came around to support the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District parcel tax: Measure I. The third editorial is the charm, apparently...

Robert Cortese, cousin of famous Supervisor Dave, has a true political flare. He has made it into the Metro's Fly more than almost anyone else. This time wanting to unban fireworks and supporting same sex marriage because of George Takei a.k.a. Sulu.

San Jose Family Camp isn't getting spared, but some San Jose pools might be... On the bright side of things, the pools are much closer than Yosemite.

Tesla is spending $42 million for the NUMMI plant. Which Watch Dog put together in a simple formula:

$42,000,000 for NUMMI/$100,000 per car = 420 cars for a manufacturing plant...

Not too shabby. Of course, when you are Tesla and you've only sold 900 cars total, 420 is pretty expensive...

In a story that may get overlooked today, but will have lasting implications, Caltrain got an important "waiver" from the Federal government to move forward with electrification. Yes, it sounds boring, but it seems really important.

What's old is new again at San Jose State. Former San Jose State President Don Kassing is coming back to lead State in an interim capacity next year while the school looks (again) for a new President... Welcome back Don...

The (alleged) Palo Alto/ Santa Clara kidnapper-rapist has been caught. DA Carr, do you think you can get this entire trial done before election day? It might help. Here's some more advice: Make sure all the forensic evidence gets tested before you decide to not pursue the case...

A "hit list" on a bathroom wall at Willow Glen Middle School early in the week and an Airsoft gun at Gunn High School. Ironic, we know... Don't take your guns to town... or to Gunn...

Here's something juicy, maybe. It looks like the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association kicked out its President and Executive Director. Why? Well, it seems Sherry Bijan never had a "deep interest" in doing big events in downtown Palo Alto... Of course, nobody in Palo Alto is interested in having people from outside Palo Alto come to downtown Palo Alto either, so perhaps Sherry Bijan was doing a perfect job...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.23.10: Leaving Mommy and Daddy Warbucks is a good thing...

The only San Jose news today is that the Sharks won... they lead the series 3-2.

Go electric or go to bankruptcy court... those seem to the options for Caltrain these days. That ain't fun. This would seem to have major implications up and down the region. Let is also be known that they are the first (but certainly not the last) local government agency to utter the "b" word...

Trouble in paradise... Paradise is Los Altos and the trouble is with the school district. Actually, the trouble is with getting a new teachers' contract signed by the school district. Some School Board members think the contract does nothing to address their budget problems now or long-term, some School Board members want to pass the thing and move on. The Board punted passing the contract earlier in the month and will take it up again on Monday. Is this a trend? Is this the educational equivalent of Police Officers and Firefighter contract/ benefit negotiations that cities are dealing with these days? We'll see...

It is very, very clear that (Almaden Valley's) Tom Campbell made the right move at the right time to get away from Daddy and Mommy Warbucks in the Governor's race. As Whitman and Poizner single-handedly boost up California's economy with their campaign spending, Tom Campbell is kicking ass in the U.S. Senate race he joined. A new poll done for Capitol Weekly has Campbell pulling away from Fiorina: Campbell 31, Fiorina 17, and Chuck DeVore (?) at 15 percent. (The betting line in Vegas is now Campbell by 6.5 points.)

Watch Dog is never really sure what James Rowen at Mission City Lantern means when he writes about us... but he wrote about our note on Jude Barry and Ed McGovern having clients on different side of San Jose's Measure K but working together on the 49ers' issue. It is clearly just business, but we just thought it was interesting and clearly that mainstream reporters aren't connecting dots, so we must.

Morgan Hill selected a (Barry Swenson) Builder to help redevelop its downtown... Congrats Mr. Swenson...

The same week as 420, Mountain View wants to crack down on a storefront pot club. Some people have no sense of humor dude... they are suing the club that opened up despite a City ban.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.8.10: Let's make a (Redevelopment) deal like it's 1999...

A development deal has been struck for two parking lots in downtown San Jose and it isn't even 1999 anymore... two prime development lots that are currently underutilized for parking, across from the St. Claire Hotel and across from Gordon Biersch are being sold to the Sobrato Organization for a cool $20 million. That should keep some folks at the Redevelopment Agency employed for a few more months...

San Jose Inside has a take on yesterday's news that Mayor Chuck Reed is endorsing Sheriff Laurie Smith's challenger... their post's title: Mayor Goes Nuts... Oh, and the countdown to the Ajlouny-inspired Reed endorsement of Larry Pegram should happen any day now... Also on the endorsement front in District 9, a commenter set us straight, the good folks at Labor "dual" endorsed Don Rocha and Jim Cogan, which is somehow different than "open" endorsement. To round out this issue, Labor's "dual" endorsement also pushes the Mayor even closer to Pegram... Welcome to San Jose politics.

Scott Herhold at the Merc (two 'h' sounds, remember) gives a little history and detail about how and why Caltrain is so (budgetarily) screwed... and it isn't because they don't serve beer on the train, as Watch Dog previously thought.

And even though Caltrain is screwed, High-Speed Rail is going forward with or without its slower, antiquated Caltrain cousin...

If you thought you'd take care of all your business that you have with the City of Gilroy on a Friday... forgetaboutit... they are closing City Hall to close their budget gap.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.5.10: Garcia vs. Poizner...

First, the important stuff...

Go Stanford. Beat UConn...

Go A's. Beat Seattle (and move to San Jose...)

Now, to less important stuff...

The Mercury News Editorial Board (unsurprisingly) endorsed Jeff Rosen... But the language they used was harsh, and Watch Dog is certain that voters will see this phrase over and over again...: "...Dolores Carr has shown that she lacks the moral compass and clear judgment to serve as the county's top law enforcement official..."

Speaking of skyrocketing public employee pension and benefits cost... actually, we weren't, but this story is the result of those things: Pools in San Jose may not open as planned this summer. Swimming, swimming in the swimming pool, when days are hot, when days are cold, in the swimming pool... or not.

San Jose Councilmember Kansen Chu woke up Saturday morning to this headline: "San Jose Councilman Kansen Chu violated state, city limits on gifts..." No word yet if Chu's first call was to Sam Liccardo for advice...

Stanford and Palo Alto don't get along. If you missed that, then you are very, very new to Silicon Valley... In exchange for Palo Alto putting up a huge stink about Stanford's hospital expansion plans, Palo Alto wants Stanford to help pay for the the PAPD's new building. Usually those deals are cut behind closed doors, but this quid pro quo is right out in the public...

In other unsurprising news: Caltrain is in deep shit... and it may be taxpayers who need to keep it afloat, because riders can't afford the $50/day to ride the train what it would take to keep Caltrains running... Good times.

The folks at Protect San Jose can't type fast enough to counter this Merc profile of Raj Jayadev, the head of De-Bug and a thorn in the side of SJPD. You'll remember Raj as the dude the San Jose Police Officers' Association made fun of in their video last year. In an ironic twist, that video which mocked Raj actually gave him a bigger pedestal to blast the Police... now culminating in a (mostly) positive story about Raj and De-Bug. Good work SJPOA...

It was quite a day for Steve Poizner on Friday. Having nothing to do with his run for Governor, folks from the East Side Union High School District, and Mount Pleasant High School specifically, protested him at the mall where Poizner was signing his new book about teaching in the East Side Union High School District. In this news clip, we see Eddie Garcia getting in the face of Poizner. Poizner could have responded, "Mr. Garcia, as soon as the voters elect you to something, I will listen..." But Poizner didn't do that...

Speaking of troubled high schools... a victim of a stabbing was dropped off (or stabbed) at the entrance to Gilroy High School.

Yesterday was Sunday, which is the reporters at the Merc fun day, at least in terms of Internal Affairs. Here's the fun stuff we learned...

• The Santa Clara County Bar Association like Jeff Rosen better than Dolores Carr... so does Scott Herhold and nearly everyone who works in the DA's office...
• The East Side Superintendent that got fired before the most recent one got fired is getting fired again... from the Alisal Union School District. They sure do know how to pick 'em at ESUHSD...
• And perhaps most shocking is this: Steve Poizner had a man-crush on Ron Gonzales... Oh, as shocking, someone actually had to read Poizner's book to find out that info...

One task force to talk about tree removal and another to talk about tree planting. That's the plan for TJ Martin and Fontana Parks in San Jose because PG&E needs to remove trees and neighbors are not pleased...

The Merc Editorial Board continues with its political endorsements... beyond the really fun one for Jeff Rosen, a really not fun unendorsement for Proposition 17... which is funded by Mercury Insurance. (Note to Mercury Insurance: Please don't raise Watch Dog's rates...)

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.2.10: A's 9/Giants 0 -- Sharks 1/Reed 0

The A's crushed the Giants last night in pre-season action...

Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) have a way of bringing out the lawyer in all of us. That is certainly the case with the EIR the City of San Jose issued about the possible A's stadium downtown. Usually, "comments" come from neighbors, sometimes property owners, sometimes NIMBYs, but when a 39 page "comment" comes from the would-be neighbors at the HP Pavilion (the Sharks), it gets some serious ink in the newspaper... but it isn't the ink that strikes Watch Dog as weird, it is this: Couldn't Mayor Reed head off this embarassing story? He is close to former Mayor McEnery. Not only that, but the City recently funded a huge new scoreboard in the Pavilion... with friends like the Sharks. Apparently the Sharks are forgetting one of the ten commandments: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house..."

You think San Jose is having budget problems... check out Caltrain. They are about to cut weeknight service, weekend service, mid-day service, and beer service... (Just kidding, they don't serve beer, but maybe they should to raise money...)

Guess which city in Santa Clara County has a brewing controversy about height limits on homes... ding, ding, ding... you're correct: Palo Alto...

Just down the street, another controversy is brewing between nurses and Stanford Hospital and it might lead to a strike.

The best/ biggest race happening on the political scene these days is for the Democratic nomination to the 21st Assembly District to replace Ira Ruskin. San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon, Palo Alto City Councilmember Yoriko Kishimoto, and Venture Capitalst Josh Becker are the candidates and they spoke at a Silicon Valley Leadership Group forum this week. The candidates were seemingly trying to out-geek one another... which is hard in that race if you have ever seen the three candidates.

More locally, the Metro goes in depth about the District 5 City Council race to replace Nora Campos, and describes the Rise of Carrasco...

This will go over big in rural parts of the State: property owners in Gilroy got a notice from the High-Speed Rail Authority that surveyors would like to enter their property to scope things out. Expect right wing Tea (Bag) Party types to start an anti-train militia...

Morning News Round-Up – 12.24.09: More news from the broom closet...

Mistrust and low morale mark the relationship between the city of Palo Alto and its largest union. Accusations from the largest union include use of funds to fix the city’s $4.8 million budget screw-up. Not a big deal, except union leader Lynn King wonders where those funds were during negotiations. City Administrative Services Director Lalo Perez says it’s all untrue.

Thanks to a Watch Dog spy we go back to the troubles at Wilcox High. Seems principal Tab Taber is accused of his own Lolita who referred to her 3 ½ years with Taber as “very good.” Any more skeletons bouncing out of this (broom) closet?

Understatement of the year, “this hasn’t been a good year for us,” said Tasha Bartholomew following the latest train vs. pedestrian death. This year 17 people have died along the Caltrain tracks.

Palo Alto assistant City Attorney Don Larkin says the affordable housing regulations are not “invalid and we have no plans to end or significantly revamp” the rules following a second developer lawsuit.

San Jose High football’s Matt Blea was sprung from the hospital following visits from Stanford’s Toby Gerhart and three Raiderettes. Blea’s doctor, Lisa Lombard, joked Blea’s “eyes popped out of his head” adding “that’s not usually one of the techniques we use.”

San Jose Inside/Metro report Sarah Palin might be coming to town for a sit down with the Chamber of Commerce. San Jose Insider Pete Campbell seems confused why Caribou Barbie’s (possible) visit stirs emotions.

Before Watch Dog heads out for the long holiday weekend, advice from the locals.

• Stay out of the drunk tank.
• Get your Yule Log on screen. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is sending sniffers to your neighborhood in search of illegal wood fires.

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.9.09: Chiefs of PD's Past and Present...

(Former) San Jose Police Chief/Stanford Hoover Institute Research Fellow Joseph McNamara takes issue with the Merc's coverage of San Jose's Police Department -- and uses the Merc's Opinion page to call on Sean Webby to cover the happy side of San Jose Police business. McNamara suggests the Merc's headline writers are shaping public opinion with spicy headlines. Police coming to the defense of police? Say it ain't so.

(By the way, Watch Dog does not know, and has never spoken to, Sean Webby...)

Speaking of Police Chiefs... Chief Rob Davis (apparently) dusted off his resume early this year to apply for head honcho position in Los Angeles. Davis' didn't land the gig, perhaps due to the salacious headlines in the Merc that are upsetting McNamara, or perhaps the annoying Drunk in Public scandal, or perhaps Chief Davis isn't well loved by the rank and file? The Merc's Internal Affairs tried to get the (secretive) Chief to dish details of his (possible) LA LA land visit... but no luck.

As opposed to Rob Davis who was trying to head to greener pastures, there was a Superintendent locally who was put out to pasture... East Side Union High School Trustees dished details on the ouster of Superintendent Bob Nunez. With monthly expenses running as much as $4,000 a month, auditors found sloppy bookkeeping but nothing illegal in his expensive (alleged) meals with Supervisor/(former) Trustee George Shirakawa and Trustee Eddie Garcia. The audit also found weak oversight... really?

First plastic bags now Styrofoam... Environmentalists must be celebrating in San Jose as the 10th largest city in the nation considers banning those pesky white (non-degradable) coffee cups from public events. Lauren Kates of Aunt Lali's Mobile Cafe said the free ride she's gotten on disposables was nice but she's not stressing over the changes. The same can't be said for the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers who could be looking for a mouthpiece...

The Merc's Editorial Board calls on Campbell's Planning Commission to just say no to a planned "specialty" (rich persons') hospital. Accusing the specialty doctor digs of "cherry-picking" profitable surgeries...

Two train deaths occurred Friday afternoon and both were homeless. Cheryl Mendoza and John Vincent were killed in separate accidents on the Caltrain right of way. Mendoza's death is being investigated as a possible suicide and her friends mourned the San Jose woman who had been homeless for as long as they could remember.

Smart and predatory, the success of the California gull in the Bay's wetlands could threaten wetland restoration efforts. Cheryl Strong, a wildlife biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service worries planned wildlife habitats could turn into an "expensive hotel for gulls."

And this will get firefighters' attention... in Gilroy a City Councilmember is proposing fewer firefighters per truck. Can this be the start of a trend?

Mission City Lantern sends props to Stanford football for besting the Beavers while lamenting the whipping San Jose Spartans took at the hands of Nevada wolf pack.

Morning News Round-Up -- 9.2.09: Illegal Fiscal Practices + Misappropriation of Funds = Get a Good Lawyer

The Mexican American Community Services Agency’s (MACSA) theft of teacher retirement funds has former teacher/ union leader Marty Herrmann really pissed. Who can blame him. A State investigator’s report gave the news to the Santa Clara Office of Education that MACSA was engaged in “illegal fiscal practices” and “misappropriation of funds.” District Attorney Dolores Carr is still trying to figure out whether to launch a criminal investigation (still?). And we would guess some folks are hiring lawyers...

Caltrain CEO Mike Scanlon is still apologizing for the loud tweeting and tooting pissing off residents as the commuter rail rumbles past bedrooms. Yes, they are trying to figure out how to comply with Federal regulations and soften the racket. The good news is that the horns are quieter than they have been.

The lucky Hal Plotkin-replacement on the Foothill-DeAnza Community College Board will be Joan Barram who did her time supporting Foothill-DeAnza since 1980 on various boards. Barram is no stranger to school boards having served on the Cupertino Union School District Board for a dozen years.

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro hung out with creative geniuses at the San Jose Tech Museum playing with everything from wind-up radios to solar powered commuter ferries. Pizarro suggests a visit to the Tech’s new upstairs is good for the imagination.

Palo Alto Unified School District got a whopper of a tax credit – (up to) $25 million. Chief Business Official Bob Golton deadpanned “it’s good to be lucky.” The rich get richer, so to speak...

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo ponders a battle brewing in Sacramento over test data and teacher performance. At stake, millions of Federal dollars.

Mission City Lantern sends kudos to State Senator Elaine Alquist and celebrates Alquists 49ers Senate bill.

Protect San Jose’s data wonk, Ed Rast, does a walk through the cost of doing business comparing San Jose to other Silicon Valley communities. No response from City administrators being smacked by Rast.

A recap of Merc’s Government Watch for your viewing pleasure…

• The County Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Justice Committee talks about a new program to keep kids out of crime...
• San Jose’s City Council wants to land some of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act dollars at the airport for “taxable short-term debt” conversion. Also on tap discussion of that pesky Grand Jury report smacking San Jose’s Los Lagos golf course for mega-cost overruns.
• The Santa Clara County Office of Education noodles over how to get students on the Board.
• Budget woes and Grand Jury reports are on tap for the Los Altos School District.
• After seeing those STAR reports the Los Gatos Union School District talks test results.
• In Sunnyvale, the Fremont Union High School District gets more depressing news about state budget updates.
• Furloughs for Board Members (seriously?), managers, and confidential employees is in the works at the Campbell Union School District.
• Developers in the Mountain View-Whisman School District will be on hand for a discussion of increased developer fees. That should be a fun conversation...

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.26.09: Any-Excuse-to-Use-Funny-Photo Edition...

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro gives a rundown of San Jose’s latest accolades: 3rd best place for kids (think skate parks), 12th best public university in the west (tied with Humboldt, Fresno, and Texas State), and, drumroll please, top water pollution control plant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (for power generation). Yay us -- 12th best in the west!

Santa Clara Supervisor Ken Yeager hopes to find a way to keep Henry Coe State Park open while colleague/ Supervisor/(soon-to-be Mayor?) Don Gage says close that puppy. The list of closing parks is expected right after your Labor Day hike, so enjoy it.

Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro’s biggest hater, Mark Zappa, is waiting until the Mayor returns from Portugal before filing the recall paperwork and looking to a June 2010 recall election, to save the City money. That's pretty thoughtful... For the record, Gilroy’s future Mayor?/ Supervisor Don Gage made no appearance in the story...

The race to replace Hal Plotkin by appointment to the Foothill-DeAnza Community College Distict is in the final interview stage. Foothill-DeAnza Trustees want to talk with Joan Barram (Cupertino Union School District Trustee), Richard Bernhardt (Business and student lobbyist), Jeannie Conner (Senator Joe Simitian’s political director), and Anita Manwani-Bhagat (business leader at NASA/HP/Agilent).

Congressmember Anna Eshoo’s 2nd “telephone” town hall got her props from the more than 7,000 participants. Eshoo told participants she’s doing a face-to-face on healthcare next week and testily pointed out she’s done more face-to-face town halls than any of her colleagues.

Kathleen Blanchard, the Mother of one of Gunn High Schools suicide victims spoke out at the Palo Alto Unified School Board meeting. Without pointing fingers, she gently urged change in how adults work with students and called for “attitude adjustments and philosophical adjustments” in working with kids. The Merc’s Patty Fisher digs into other teen suicides in Silicon Valley and the news is not good…

NASA Ames is ready to build “Sustainability Base,” architect Kevin Burke loves the “combination of high tech and low tech.” Meaning the building will close itself at night and use the same “technology” as historic California Adobe homes to cool off or warm up. With a little luck, there won’t be a “toxic” siding battle on this green house.

Latest perv alerts heading your way…

• Dentist/(mock) breast health worker Benva Oshana Lazar has added another complaint to his patient list – bringing his total to 8 (so far) patients pissed to learn breast exams are not part of dental practice.
• Teacher/ perv Edward Riley Slate III was busted for a 6 month sexual relationship with a student at Santa Clara’s Wilcox High.

(shy) Erotica enthusiasts/ burglars hit Gilroy’s Simply Romance for a third time taking off with leather wrist bands, cash, and owner Hank Provost’s new pipe, among other goodies. The increased attention from thieves doesn’t deter Provost, “if anything, I’m more determined to stick around.” Perhaps we now know where the ball gag came from...

San Jose Insider/ Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo (could he have a longer title?) has endorsed former Franklin-McKinley Superintendent Larry Aceves as his favorite for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

San Jose Inside’s Fly celebrates a (temporary?) reprieve for the (Fly hangout) “dingy, punky, (puky?)” Caravan Bar over an (un)watered down White Russian. (apparently) The Merc’s Internal Affairs story pissed off bartenders who “scribbled down letters” (on napkins) demanding an apology. Fly's piece also proves that Metro writers are probably a lot more fun to hang out with than Merc writers...

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.11.09: Hey Great America, the 49ers are on the phone...

Someone’s mental health day went awry when Great America’s Invertigo trapped 24 coaster crazies for more than 4 hours. Mission City Lantern dishes Great America battled Santa Clara for a year to get the overly tall rollercoaster approved. Today seems like a very good day for the City of Santa Clara and the 49ers to call the Great America folks and make peace...

(Former) Santa Clara County prosecutor/ Labor Chief of Staff Ben Field filed (anagram) an appeal to the “miscarriage of justice” that derailed his career. Field hopes (?) to ditch labor and return to the golden path that ends in a judges robes, instead of in front of the judge.

Speaking of court... Libraries should be fun places to learn new things, like anagrams. We’re betting San Jose’s City Council didn’t intend the learning to include defense preparation. Last week's entertaining Council Education Park Library do-over has Building and Trades Council CEO (Councilmember Nora Campos’ Husband) Neil Struthers promising a day in court.

Gary “Mr. Roadshow” Richards sends a reminder that today police around the Bay are looking for cell phone using scofflaws on the road. Thank you for the (hands free) heads up...

The Merc’s Scott Herhold dishes his dark side includes stealing crackers when he meets his Mom for dinner at Whole Foods. Herhold laments the economic downturn delaying San Jose’s first Whole Foods opening.

“…like falling off a cliff...” was how Santa Clara County Tax Assessor Larry Stone described this year's devastating housing value crash. Stone wants you to know you have a little time left to get your property value officially lowered. That is definately boo-worthy news...

Oops… Palo Alto’s Lytton Park facelift was yanked at the 11th hour, literally, when a resident complaint arrived 1 hour before groundbreaking. A sheepish City Manager Jim Keene said he didn’t know how one of the City’s legal requirements had been missed. You have got to love Palo Alto...

The search for a new Morgan Hill Union School District Superintendent includes a brochure calling for a collaborative leader/ team builder interested in transparency and inclusiveness with a talent for data driven curriculum. Putting together the brochure included removing discussion of “adjusted school boundaries” as too scary for prospects.

Over in Gilroy, the School District is also facing changes. Following the brouhaha over financial swindling at the hands of the Mexican American Community Services Agency, the Gilroy Unified School District hired former El Portal Principal Graciela Vallardares to help students transition from the charter school to public school. (Watch Dog can only assume she didn't have anything to do with the embezzlement...)

Morgan Hill and Gilroy City employees are facing the same fears as private employees with the crashing economy and cities facing layoffs. City Manager Ed Tewes sent an email to the Morgan Hill Times saying “employees understand the necessity of living within our means.” We can only assume that Mr. Tewes's job isn't on the chopping block...)

Pissed off about a series of low rent criminals cruising local retailers, the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce is training business owners to fight back. Chamber Executive Director Ronee Nassi is hoping it will end the days when shopkeepers chase shoplifters down the toney streets of Los Gatos.

The Valley Transit Authority is using their Federal stimulus dollars to buy hybrid buses. Should make waiting behind the bus less unpleasant. The VTA kicked off a series of meetings for pissed off commuters last night in Campbell, more meetings to follow.

Doobies and Senator Barbara Boxer share the limelight under the gentle penmanship of the Merc’s Sal Pizarro today. Santa Clara County Tax Assessor Larry Stone claims it isn’t the smoke that makes him think San Jose’s own rockers, the Doobie Brothers, will do for San Jose what the Beatles do for Liverpool.

Three teenagers were satisfying that midnight need for In-N-Out when a party pooper stole their ride right out from under them – with a gun in hand. If you have news to share you are encouraged to call Mountain View Police at 650-903-6344.

An evening commuter Caltrain hit and killed a pedestrian. No word on whether suicide was involved.

Mission City Lantern calls out San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed for picking on Councilmember Ash Kalra’s Chief of Staff, suggestion the Mayor beat up his own staff before sharing the love.

San Jose Insider/San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio uses his bully pulpit for a (yawning) description of musical chairs (jobs) before coming to his (un)surprising conclusion that it’s hard to let go of civil servants.

Protect San Jose blogger/Council wannabe Jim Cogan shares his observation that National Night Out was a success because a Police Officer could be overhead saying “now that I know about it…” and neighbors started a neighborhood watch group. Thank you Jim.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.31.09: Raptors and Beer Friday

The Environmental Impact Report for Santa Clara’s proposed 49er's stadium has landed. (You may not believe it, but Steven Spielberg's imagination figures prominently...) The EIR weighs in at in at roughly 2,800 pages. The rumor that Santa Clara Plays Fair’s Bill Bailey is at Starbucks with those 2,800 pages with highlighter in hand is unfounded...

Taking its lead from a recent Op-Ed by the Chamber's Pat Dando, the Merc’s Editorial Board calls on San Jose Councilmember Kansen Chu to change his tune when it comes to starting a $7.2 million library project. The low bidder was thrown out... it seems Barry Swenson and labor unions have a beef. Wouldn't it be great if there was a blog in town to describe the beef in detail...

Angry Sunnyvalians (?) are storming City Hall asking why a partially demolished Town and Country site is still a disaster a year later. Peter Pau, with Sand Hill Property, says he’s “trying” his best with the “shamefully ugly setting.”

Gilroy’s Mayoral wannabe/ Supervisor Don Gage is pissed the State is cutting Williamson Act support of local farmers. Apparently, Legislators and the Governor changed their mind about California’s future as bread basket of the world.

Gilroy girth growing by 800 acres? Could be if the Planning Commission and City Council approve requests from Gavilan College, Shapell Industries, and Wren Investors. After that, a little Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approval, with Gilroy’s future Mayor/ Supervisor Don Gage as part of the LAFCO team. Just what Silicon Valley needs... more growth in Gilroy.

Sounding a familiar refrain, Palo Alto is facing retiree pension benefits that could cripple the City.

Frustrated Caltrain commuters abandoned the government driven 511.org and are Tweeting their way to happiness dishing details on delays and seat availability.

It was the breast implants, Officer! The Merc’s Mr. Roadshow shared the cheers and jeers from his mail bag following cartoons depicting “Sex, Lies, and Traffic Tickets.”

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro applauds Camera Cinema’s Jim Zuur (Breaststroking his way to fame and glory at the Senior Olympics), Santa Clara County Librarian Melinda Cervantes (co-leading the charge with Urban Libraries Council) and Valley Medical Center’s Chris Wilder (teaching donors to text, hopefully not while driving).

Kudos to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation as they award $500,000 in grants to non-profits keeping food in the belly and a roof over the head.

San Jose Police Officers Association's Bobby Lopez chimes in on the Obama Beer Summit on Protect San Jose. In his post, he promises this, with regards to the Consortium looking at Drunk Arrests in San Jose:

"...we welcome any fair and unbiased study of our work. If the academics come back in a year’s time and clearly prove that we do have a problem, then I’ll be the first to admit it, right here on this blog..."

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.23.09: Fabio + Garlic = Recall?

From Gilroy: The Recall Capital of Santa Clara County -- Gilroy Mayoral Wannabe/ County Supervisor Don Gage says he’s so-not trying to force Mayor Al Pinheiro out of office... but he does want to replace him if the recall is successful. The Supervisor has even offered to lead Pinheiro’s anti-recall effort. (With friends like that...) Expect the political fireworks to be on full display this weekend as the Garlic Festival heats up (featuring Top Chef's Fabio...).

Former California Water Service (San Jose Water Company) Auditor Abdirahman Ismail Abdi is on his way back to San Jose after getting busted in the UK. You remember Ismail, he tried slinking out of town with a cool $9 million.

Naval Officer/Sunnyvale Councilmember (on hiatus) Otto Lee was spotted in Silicon Valley on shore leave. The Merc’s Sal Pizarro reports Mike Fox, Sr. has signed up as chief fundraiser to retire Lee’s $200,000 Supervisorial campaign debt.

Mountain View’s City leaders are pissed the Guvernator is looking to grab as much as $6 million. Mountain View and the royally pissed off San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed ($100 million) might be joining 188 other cities in the League of California Cities Stop the Ponzi Scheme lawsuit.

The Mountain View Voice Editorial Board weighs in on the Civil Grand Jury report slamming local school districts saying the Grand Jury missed the forest for the trees and calling the reports deductions “ridiculous.” We are certain the Civil Grand Jury's feelings are hurt...

The Palo Alto VA’s blinding Optometrists got support from the Mother Ship. The California Optometric Association is standing behind Veterans Affairs Optometry Chief, Curtis Keswick, over accusations the VA blinded 7 veterans.

Team San Jose is teaming up with Los Angeles’ Nederlander Concerts in an attempt to breathe life into the San Jose Civic Center. Local Nederlander Max McAndrew said the Civic had great bones “it just needed some love.”

The Merc’s Scott Herhold takes time out from his usual tone to celebrate U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer’s sense of design. That is, Herhold tells us we can thank Breyer for decorating local courthouses.

Train vs. Man, never good. A man was killed while apparently trying to cross the railroad tracks near Caltrain’s Blossom Hill Station.

Won’t somebody please replace Foothill-DeAnza Community College Trustee Hal Plotkin? The District has applications open until August 17, expect a replacement August 31.

In a news round-up for toney Los Altans (and their Hillside brothers and sisters)…

• The Linden Tree is up for grabs for anyone wanting a kids' bookstore…
• The Los Altos City Council set up a Landlord Tenant Committee because tenants were freaking out. Problem is the big landlord, Los Altos Village Association, is opting out…
• Los Altos Hills makes nice with the Mountain View Dayworker Center. Mayor Jean Murdo hosted a celebration at his home for the Dayworkers.
• The historic landmark Halsey House would be torn down if Councilmember David Casas had his way. But Councilmember Val Carpenter is going for “adaptive reuse.”

Morning News Round-Up – 7.3.09: Not that kind of Secret Garden…

It isn’t Friday Light for nothing...

Dude, I told you not to do that… Santa Clara County Sheriff’s busted Jesus Ochoachacon for farming his 6,100 pot plants in the hills above San Jose. Sgt. Rick Sung said the $18 million farm was just “average.”

Hoping to share responsibility (spread the blame)… Santa Clara County prosecutors were giggling with glee when a report (paid for by Public Defender Mary Greenwood) said the Defender’s office knew about those (not so) secret sexual assault videotapes.

Legislative (weekend) update... Assemblymember Joe Coto's bill to help out Parson's (and Da Mayor) hit a snag in the Senate. Santa Rosa Senator Patricia Wiggins wants to hear from the Attorney General about possible legal complications.

Merc Sports Geek Ann Killion shares her thoughts about a “Beatles concert” moment in time for women’s sports. San Jose’s own soccer superstar Brandi Chastain shared a moment with Killion to chat Women’s World Cup. Chastain also partnered with her foot doc’ to kick off “Brandi’s World!” for budding sports heros.

Santa Clara County Supervisors have filled Ann Ravel’s pumps with Assistant County Counsel Miguel Marquez, at least temporarily. Still up for negotiation - Marquez’ salary and the permanency of the position, both discussions on tap for August.

It's cross-over Friday with these stories from our Sister blog, Watch Dog San Mateo

• Just in time for your holiday fireworks… The draft report for California High-Speed Rail is now available. Watch Dog looks forward to a detailed analysis from parties pro and con.
• No surprises here… Caltrain’s Board of Directors is raising the cost of the commute, and cutting back on service. Gilroy trains will still run, less often…
• Former Mountain View Asssemblymember Sally Lieber isn’t letting unemployment slow her down. Lieber worked with Caltrain to put together an 11 member Community Task Force on Safety to make Caltrain tracks less inviting for suicide.
• Palo Alto is shuffling people in the hopes of saving money.

Morgan Hill School District Superintendent Alan Nishino’s resignation looked like so much fun Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Michael Johnson also quit. Nishino and Johnson will stick around on contract through the end of Summer. Trustee Shelle Thomas said paying the two $61,000 to stick around didn’t make sense.


While most governmental agencies are scrambling to find new ways to make money (that don’t include the printer in the basement), the Santa Clara Valley Water District has a big rainy day fund set aside. Pissing off critics and the Morgan Hill Times.

The Gilroy Unified School District will ask your kids to cough up a buck (or more) to get to (and from) school. Bus driver Linda Figone worried that the feeds could put some families “over the edge.”

Look forward to fun times in Gilroy – the cops and firefighters are taking furloughs. Residents shouldn’t worry, it looks like safety officers will compensate by working overtime to cover their absent brethren. No doubt making up for those lost wage increases…

Before Watch Dog hits the beach, this public service announcement. Where to get your Independence Day fireworks fix on.

Morning News Round-Up – 6.2.09: It's a do-over...

Leading the way, our Sister blog Watch Dog San Mateo posts Silicon Valley news…

• Businesses face new taxes in November, odd time to do this... A big oops from Palo Alto officials over an ill-advised probe into Children’s Theatre
• San Jose’s Cayetano Figueroa-Fernandez used his break time to sell meth in the company parking lot
• Not related to Silicon Valley but Watch Dog couldn’t resist, senior prank day at Menlo-Atherton scores big…

Santa Clara city leaders, and the Niners, face a motley crew of anti-stadium voices. City manager Ron Garratt looks forward to lively discussion an election will bring saying “it makes for a better project when folks are involved.” Stanford economist Roger Noll says Santa Clara will end up with a “better deal than just about any other city…”

Palo Alto Unified School District Trustees aren’t waiting for the other enormous/painful shoe to drop from the State. Tonight Trustees propose a budget that keeps existing pay raises. Trustees expect September will have them sorting out the State’s disaster.

A Santa Clara County Grand Jury report slams the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). Words matter and these words paint a picture of the VTA as a petulant teenager… Unresponsive, unaccountable, disobedient and dishonest. VTA spokesperson Jennie Loft shoots back that the report is filled with erroneous information and sounds more like the “anti-BART rhetoric… rejected by voters in November,” than a Grand Jury report.

The Morgan Hill Times Editorial Board takes a shot at Caltrain’s budget cutting proposal to eliminate service to the Southern portion of Santa Clara County. The Times calls for more service and a “shuttle train.”

Bike commuter/Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager is pissed county fleet cars go unused, take vacations to Malibu, and several drivers “are racking up… parking fines,” for over $100,000. President Liz Kniss praised Yeager and called for a halt on the proposed purchase of new sheriff’s cars. The President didn’t point out the audit was decades overdue…

Shock, shock hits the streets of San Jose. San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos officially announced her plans to take termed out Assemblymember Joe “Mr. Insurance” Coto’s seat. Campos’ promised not to forget San Jose saying “my biggest job will be to make sure we don’t lose any more local money.” The surprise is that anyone thought otherwise…

Taking pity on taxpayers, the Santa Clara Valley Water District directors voted unanimously not to raise rates and to make more than $100 million in budget cuts. Director Rosemary Kamei warns the cuts come from delayed projects and rate payers will be in for a rude awakening at a future date…

This summer kids are losing their Jamba Juice jobs to unemployed old folks. Business owners like Details’ Bernie Levine are cutting staff while trying to keep mortgage paying parents off unemployment lines.

Girls Middle School students aren’t looking for Jamba Juice, they launched an eco-friendly micro business with $100. “Buckle My Jeans” co-founders Jamie Bindon, Rachael Rappoport, Maggie Brown and Jaime McConachie report their motto “we’ve got your jeans in the bag,” was a no-brainer. There’s no truth to the rumor Watch Dog was first in line for the doggie bag…

San Jose was the site of a green/labor conference with such luminaries as economist James Galbraith, Sierra Club leader Carl Pope and San Jose’s own Cindy Chavez. (Un)surprisingly, the only coverage was from an alternative/online media source out of San Francisco.

The crashing economy has a few bright spots. Palo Alto officials are looking for a place to build a new cop-shop, current negotiations could turn to their favor. Councilmember John Barton said it was an example of the council “acting in a very business-wise manner.”

The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez reports a small victory in consumer affairs. The 17 year old credit nightmare for Manuel and Luz Fausto is over and there’s a check for $500,000 in the mail. Consumer advocate Denise Richardson says the web is buzzing, “finally, some good news to report.”

Morgan Hill Superintendent Alan Nishino announced he’s outa here at the end of June. Nishino leaves a $4.1 million shortfall and a “fractured” union relationship.

Gilroy Councilmember Dion Bracco supported colleagues who said no to South County Housing’s project a few months ago. Bracco said he wouldn’t spend his own money on the project, at the time. Last night Bracco convinced colleagues a do-over was needed because the project owner was now changing the financial agreement.

San Jose Revealed calls this week the “boringest week ever,” aside from the Merc’s Scott Herhold increasingly busy schedule and old news about Nora Campos it wasn’t worth a visit to the keyboard yesterday.