Morning News Round-Up -- 3.11.10: Carr's Car Cost Constituents...

Just a quick note that the airport's spokesman David Vossbrink (like everyone else) reads Watch Dog. He posted this comment yesterday:

...By the way, we have some good news at the airport this week -- Alaska Airlines starts direct service to Maui tomorrow morning (Thursday) and to Kona on Friday morning -- and it starts its second daily flight to Austin (the nerd bird) on Sunday. This more than makes up for Frontier...

Thank you for reading... if only someone would pony up for a grand grand opening.

And if it is a new day, that means there is another Dolores Carr story. And today's daily story shows, once again, that she has no political instinct. This time, as promised, the Merc's Sco9tt Herhold looks into her fancy car (or car fancy). (We don't think he literally looked into her car, but perhaps he did...) A story like this makes writing a campaign hit piece almost too easy: Carr's car cost constituents... To add insult to injury, challenger Jeff Rosen drives an old, beat up, 15 year old piece of shit with 150,000 miles on it. Don't worry Jeff, there's a sweet Acura TL just waiting for you.

From the frivolous to the serious about the District Attorney's office... a ton of new information was uncovered about the medical examinations of sexual assault victims at VMC -- 3,000 videotaped medical exams, to be exact. Expect lots of new appeals to be filed and (hopefully) some wrongfully convicted folks to go free. The head of the DA's sex crimes unit had this to say: "...I really don't want this to happen again..." You and just about everyone else...

Pete Constant must be torn... His Chief of Staff is running to replace Judy Chirco on the City Council, but Pete Constant's "friend" (ahem...) is running against Cogan (and Don Rocha). Larry Pegram, the censorship-loving, gay-hating, fake-tan-wearing, Bible-thumping wacko has thrown his self-righteous, hypocritical, Sarah Palin-loving, Tea Party-esque hat into the ring. Mr. Pegram, please come out against the City's recent gambling measure on the ballot or risk losing any credibility you ever had...

It is interesting that the San Jose Police Officers' Association blog, Protect San Jose, goes 24 hours without commenting on the fact that the Police Chief seems to be packing is bags for the Big D. "The most profound statements are often said in silence..."

It was hard to miss the big fire in Santa Clara yesterday with the smoke billowing overhead. It was a 4-alarmer at a recycling plant.

Sheeeee's baaaack... the fake finger in chili lady. She's in San Jose, but not at Wendy's. Funny, if she did show up to Wendy's the employees there would actually like to give her the finger...

The Morgan Hill Unified School Board is finally going Hollywood... their meetings will now be broadcast. Just in time for folks to watch pink slips being handed out...

Morning News Round-Up -- 10.7.09: DA Carr's Abilities...

More controversy is on the horizon for Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr. Several Vietnamese-American community groups gathered outside Carr’s office to call on the DA to open the grand jury hearing in Daniel Pham’s death. (Pham was killed by SJPD Officers.) This is complicated for Carr: She will be damned by police officers if she makes the grand jury public, damned by the Vietnamese-American community (and perhaps the media and others) if she doesn't... Luckily, DA Carr is known for her ability to handle difficult issues effectively and ethically... ;)

Gubernatorial wannabe Meg Whitman has launched a full scale attack on the Sacramento Bee – “I was too registered! And, I did vote twice” is what Whitman (seems to) say as she has the Registrar of Voters in Ohio, San Francisco and Silicon Valley scrambling to find some proof of registration and voting. Luckily for Whitman, “there’s no way to prove she voted before 1992” according to John Arntz, director of the San Francisco Department of Elections. That would mean there’s also no way to disprove ... San Jose State University political-science professor Larry Gersten is scratching his head “why bring more attention to this story?” Good question Mr. Gersten. But isn't this fun?

Freshly convicted as a dentist/perv Benva Lazar was indicted for lewd and lascivious acts on a 14 year old girl, as well as sexual battery by fraud.

The Merc’s Patty Fisher takes the Palo Alto City Council to task for not figuring out “tree replacement” starts with tree removal in the controversial demise of California Avenue’s 63 oaks.

Protect San Jose’s Ed Rast has reopened his statistical toy chest for all comers in “Ask Ed.” That should be a fun read...

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo sends props to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan for his call to (education) action.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.28.09: Political Impact

Today, we have several stories that may have long-term, political impacts...

There is another weird, but fascinating, turn in the DA Dolores Carr story. Remember, she recused herself from a murder prosecution because her husband was on contract with the victim's family for their civil trial. Now, a judge hearing motions in the case, Judge Joyce Allegro, is also backing away from the case as she, the DA, and the DA's husband are buddies. The most immediate implication of these shenanigans are that the DA may actually get the case taken away from her office and kicked to the State Attorney General... Oops.

Feeling the (not so good kind of) love from the Civil Grand Jury, East Side Union High School (unelected/ twice-appointed) Trustee Eddie Garcia has a whole bunch of questions for Superintendent Bob Nunez's vacation time pay (and probably why the Superintendent asks for reimbursements for coffee)... Watch Dog has to ask: Where was the oversight from Garcia (and his boss) during this spending-spree? Could it be for this exact reason that voters did not vote for an "incumbent" in this District.

The Merc's Scott Herhold rips into his least-favorite government agency today -- the Santa Clara Valley Water District. In the process, he provides a political Profile in Courage-scenario for Water District Board Member (Supervisorial wanna-be) Rosemary Kamei.

Palo Alto's College Terrace Centre took an important step forward yesterday when the City Council approved a requested zoning change for the site. Two "public benefits" that the neighbors were looking for were a JJ&F subsidy and affordable housing. The neighbors are likely to get both -- but also get more office space than they probably wanted.

And if neighbors are super-pissed (or super-happy) with the City Council in Palo Alto, they can let them know in November because Palo Alto's ever-growing list of folks that want to serve on the City Council is ever-growing still. Gregory Scharff (lawyer), Nancy Shepherd ("school activist"), and Brian Steen (land-use consultant) are all throwing their hats in the ring. They join Planning Commissioner Karen Holman, Gail Price, realtor Dan Dykwel, realtor Leon Leong, business-dude Tim Gray, and man-about-town Victor Frost. Oh yeah, current Councilmember Larry Klein is also running. They are all vying for five seats.

One issue these Palo Alto Council wanna-be's won't have to deal with is a big-mouth Police Chief. (In case you forgot why this is an issue in Palo Alto...) The three new Police Chief finalists have been announced: Interim Chief Dennis Burns, Fairfield Police Chief Kenton Rainey, and San Carlos Police Chief Gregory Rothaus.

Young folks in Mountain View are advocating on their own behalf to put a youth center into The Rock Church. Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga said discussions on how to use the City-owned church should start in the Fall. (The Rock Church: Is that where Black Sabbath plays?)

The Gilroy Dispatch just noticed the Civil Grand Jury report leaping in to discover Gilroy Unified Superintendent Deborah Flores is paid below most other Superintendent and doesn't get the $48,000 housing allowance that Saratoga Union dishes out.

Onto blogs...

• Blogwars continue (in the comment sections) regarding the (possible) revealing of Revealed by Inside. Revealed responded with a shot of its own... Mission City Lantern is still in the Revealed revealed game... but has plenty of free time to write a bunch of other stuff too... like the first chapter of a novel. In an interesting twist, Phil Bump recalls his conversation with Mr. Lantern/ James Rowen. In Bump's words, he "...fed the troll..." (Bump had Rowen's phone number? Weird.)
  
• Protect San Jose is stangely silent on the biggest public safety issue of the day -- the DA stepping aside in the prosecution of a high-profile murder because of her husband's (a former San Jose Police Officer) financial relationship with the victim's family. Instead, they open their blog up to Denelle Fedor for her Mounted Unit opinions... (If Fedor speaking up for the Mounted Unit sounds familiar, it's because she published a very, very similar piece in the Merc. in May...)

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.15.09: Mid-30s and bald...the Hooters' demographic

The Chronicle is encroaching on the Merc's turf, apparently. They have a piece in today's paper about the "Golden Triangle for smart phones..." Cupertino to Mt. View to Sunnyvale.

The DA’s office can’t seem to shake accusations of misconduct. This time, Deputy DA Jaime Stringfield is accused of withholding evidence in a sexual assault case. At risk, letting rapists roam the streets…

A handful of South Bay schools are showing success narrowing the achievement gap between white and Latino students. A big Woof to Mountain View High School, and Bracher, Arbuckle, and Grant Elementary Schools. Now seems like the perfect time for the State to cut millions (billions?) from schools...

The Gilroy Unified School District is back in good financial standing, according to Standard & Poor’s. Superintendent Deborah Flores says she’s “ecstatic about being taken off CreditWatch.” Too bad the same can't be said for this embattled San Mateo County school district (La Honda-Pescadero Unified) on Watch Dog San Mateo's watch list...

San Jose’s City Council may be taking a hit on their pay but the City’s unions aren’t ready to join them. Union leaders are accusing city leaders of asking them to take a “poison pill.” Watch Dog has to guess that the City Council is going to choose between a poison pill and paycheck...

At the heart of San Jose’s labor negotiations stands City Manager Debra Figone. The Merc’s Scott Herhold takes time to offer a portrait of Figone as an unquotable toughie putting reporters to sleep while trying to save money and jobs. (We expect Revealed's response to Herhold's Figone piece as soon as the pnuemonia passes... Get well Revealed.)

Get your telescope ready. NASA wants your help to look for water. Scientists from Mountain View based NASA’s Ames Research Center hope to blow up part of the moon. Scientist Kimberly Ennico anxiously waits for the final decision, looking forward to “making a big splash.”

Speaking of local geek fests… San Jose’s Tech Museum of Innovation celebrated its 10th birthday. Tech Boardmember/Former Cirrus Logic CEO Michael Hackworth says the Museum is past the survival stage which is good news for San Jose, which covers part of the budget.

Hooters in Campbell was the scene of more than just skin over the weekend. An argument that started in the restaurant turned into a stabbing in the parking lot with a “culprit in his mid-30s and bald” jumping into a silver Mercedes to run. Mid-30s and bald, you say? Isn't that the description of every dude at Hooters?

The Merc’s Internal Affairs had some fun this weekend...

• Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr is kinda-sorta-just-a-little helping pass legislation protecting prosecutors from misconduct charges. (Ben Field says thank you...)
• After a slow start, San Jose’s City Council is now playing “Who Gets the Biggest Paycut.” Councilmember Chu must have (finally) read Watch Dog and Herhold...
• Assemblymember Joe Coto is trading big insurance campaign cash for contributions from gambling, alcohol, and tobacco interests. How warm and fuzzy... (Watch Dog predicts Councilmember/candidate Nora Campos will be the big campaign finance winner in Coto's Sacramento assignments...)
• The ACLU’s Skyler Porras has been trying to get a meeting with the Police Officers Assocation's Bobby Lopez for some time. Turns out all she had to do was write a letter saying the POA had the right to do their YouTube video, even though it was "a desperate and obvious attempt to distract from the serious police accountability issues facing this city." (And, yes, video-gate is still up on YouTube.)

Around the Valley, here’s the dish on your local governance…

• The City Council in Santa Clara will discuss "mixed use" - like an amusement park AND a football stadium...
  
• Mountain View’s City Council studies NASA’s plans for Moffett...
• Milpitas Councilmembers will talk about rezoning 9+ acres of McCarthy Ranch for less industry and more shopping...
  
• San Jose’s City Council conducts a hearing on the budget, considers a wage freeze for the operating engineers union, higher health care costs, increasing affordable housing in North San Jose, and $300 million to renovate and expand the McEnery Convention Center...

Two last things...

On the cover of this weekend's Merc was a story about technology companies asking the Obama Administration to intervene with their beef with the Chinese government. The Chinese government is asking tech companies to pre-install censoring software on computers sold in China. Watch Dog had to chime in to let you all know that there is no truth to the rumor that Councilmember Pete Constant is representing the Chinese government on this issue...

In case you Sharks fans missed it, the hockey season ended on Friday night. The Penguins won. Which brings up the local angle: Remember when Boots Del Biaggio owned part of that team?

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.21.09

The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters estimated 40% of the Valley’s voters would take part in the May 19 bloodbath, turns out they were optimistic. Roughly 25% of Santa Clara County voters showed up. Better than the State average where the ballot decisions were made by 23% of voters.

Speaking of (future) elections...

The moment Santa Clara’s City Council happily announced a (tentative) deal with the 49ers, owner Jed York was dishing. Also excited, Councilmember Dominic Caserta who said “I’m so excited, I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.” The San Francisco Chronicle's coverage is (predictably) less enthusiastic... Expect an election in March 2010, if you live in Santa Clara.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed will meet with People Acting in Community Together (PACT) to wrangle over East San Jose’s high foreclosure rates, crime, City neglect, and mistrust of Police. PACT co-chair Margie Marquez said “...we want to get him to focus on the pain and concern in our community.”

Joe White, with the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District, said the impact of Tuesday's election was still unclear, but it would be ugly. Foothill-DeAnza’s Andy Dunn agreed saying community colleges and K-12 have some tough (impossible) decisions ahead.

Santa Clara County prosecutor Troy Benson said he “freaked out” when he learned a child sex-abuse victim’s medical exam had been videotaped. He promptly told the defense. Superior Court Judge Paul Bernal’s testimony pokes holes in Benson’s story and it seems the DA’s office can’t get their stories straight.

The folks in Mountain View are looking forward to (praying for) a shopping center face lift... The Thoits family will sell a corner slice of their San Antonio shopping center to San Diego developer Merlone Geier Partners. Mountain View Councilmember Ronit Bryant is happy and says the shopping center was not living up to its potential. Bryant looks forward to a mixed use project.

Speaking of shopping centers...

The Merc’s Scott Herhold reports Silicon Valley Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren is stepping in to help Sunnyvale’s downtown. Lofgren shot letters to the Presidents of Wells Fargo and Bank of America demanding to know why they turned off the money to developer Peter Pau, especially after federal bailouts.

The Los Altos Planning Commission expects a full house tonight while they talk about a proposal for 28 new senior homes. Even NIMBYs have parents.

Los Gatos contractor/(accused) firebug Channing Verdan now has former Deputy District Attorney Dennis Lempert by his side. After telling reporters he was a “poor man” Verdan is no longer talking to the press and hasn’t entered a plea.

East San Jose teacher Janine Henderson’s students were out of shape, fighting, and 92% failed the President’s Physical Fitness test last year. Los Gatos Rotary President Beth Smith and Rotary buddies stepped in with a one year fitness program. The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez dishes all the sweaty details.

Merc. sports maven Ann Killion dishes her own version of tapas with two local nibbles…

• 49ers – let the chaos begin.
• A’s – Brad Pitt to play Billy Beane

Sunnyvale’s NetApp is the big deal in Silicon Valley with plans to buy Santa Clara based Data Domain for $1.5 Billion. NetApp CEO Daniel Warmenhoven dismissed rumors of becoming a takeover target…

Metro reporter Alastair Bland took time to visit the San Jose-Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant (the stuff you flush). After 53 years of continuous operation the plant faces a $1 billion overhaul. The Plant's Mike Ortega shares tales of Plant humor, the ill-gotten gains of a bank robbery, and drunken seagulls among them.

They coulda used a little water pollution control… The Environmental Protection Agency spanked California Waste Solutions and American Metal and Iron for dumping pollutants into San Jose waterways.

SaveBAREC was unable to save itself. The grassroots group lost an appeal in Santa Clara Superior Court to stop development on a former pesticide test site and has called it quits. Summerhill Homes has to clean the site of toxins which SaveBAREC brought attention to according to Gordon Stemple, an attorney representing residents in another lawsuit.

San Jose Revealed lets loose with Thursday Quick Notes, among them…

• Glee over newsworthy Chamber of Commerce leaders (which they got from us yesterday...),
• Mayor Reed’s trip to East San Jose, and
• Girls Gone Wild bus visits downtown San Jose.

Metro/San Jose Inside Editor posts a lament that San Jose will never lose its “soulless corporate blandness” as long as it kicks out local eateries like La Taqueria and replaces them with Carl’s Junior. The Editor expresses hope that the (McEnery) San Jose Public Market will give priority to local businesses, “not soul-sucking chains.”

San Jose Insider Pete Campbell posts his last Inside blog with a nostalgic look backwards and a cranky view of today.

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.14.09: Sweaty Co-Worker Day...

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.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.9.09: Could you be San Jose's next Chief of Police?

In case you missed it, Watch Dog posted a little ditty about Pete Constant and his BFF Larry Pegram yesterday. Our call to 18th Floor Spies has paid off...we heard the Rules Committee meeting yesterday where the item was discussed was less-than-smooth. As usual, Councilmember Constant wasn't there so things got a little off track from what Constant probably wanted. The Rules Committee saw the Rove-like name for Constant's proposal and want to change it. Also, Constant hasn't really developed his proposal yet, much to the dismay of some Rules Committee members. More to come...

Also, yesterday we posted a bit about the Metro's story about San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis. Well, only the edited version was posted on San Jose Inside. The real (extremely in-depth version) is now online here. This is a doozy. Davis's days seem to be numbered...the armor is cracking. Most stunning, Bobby Lopez, the head of the Police Officers Association takes shots at the Chief...so does Councilmember Liccardo, the La Raza Roundtable, the former NAACP head, the ACLU, the Downtown Association CEO, and a lot of other people. Chief Davis, we can help with your resume...

Jude Barry is back...as a CalBuzz contributor...What do you say now Revealed?

Head’s up, the phone lines are down for thousands in Silicon Valley as well as San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. The lines went down early this morning and there’s no timeline for getting everyone back online. So if you are lucky enough to have Internet service today, welcome to Watch Dog Silicon Valley. Just don't have any real emergencies -- no 911 service. We are squeezing in Watch Dog while our connection is sound...

The fireworks went off when defense attorney Al Lopez claimed there was proof the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office withheld videotaped evidence in sexual assault cases. DA David Tomkins denies any conspiracy...the DA saga continues...

Former Mayor/Lobbyist Tom McEnery (now) wants San Jose’s Elections Commission to look into the complaints against him. But, he can’t be happy to see Councilmember Liccardo’s Sharks tickets have been added to the complaints...

The Merc’s Man About Town, Sal Pizzaro hooked up with Baseball San Jose boosters for a pre-City Council tail-gate party at Billy Berks on Tuesday night. Pizzaro notes San Jose movers and shakers included Pro Baseball San Jose’s Michael Mulcahy, County Assessor Larry Stone and Councilmember Ash Kalra – along with Baseball San Jose’s blogger Jacquie Heffner. Who has a better job than Sal?

The Merc’s Editorial Board urges a speedy sale of City lands to Earthquakes/A’s owner Lew Wolff and a quick groundbreaking to get the proposed Quakes stadium underway.

On the one hand, Mountain View doesn't like outsiders: Mountain View’s senior citizens center is so popular that folks from around Silicon Valley meet there to shoot pool with friends and enjoy themselves. Sounds good, right? The Senior Advisory Task Force reports a small number of Mountain View’s own are pissed off by the out-of-Mountain View influx. Mountain View Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga wants to make sure her constituents receive the highest priority.

On the other hand, Mountain View loves outsiders: Mountain View’s City Council wants the Robert Green Company to build their first “four diamond” hotel. Ellis Berns, Mountain Views Economic Eevelopment Manager, calls the fancy hotel an amenity “we’re missing.” Councilmember Jac Siegel gushed calling it a “creative source” of dollars flowing into Mountain View. Colleague John Inks voted against the hotel saying he was worried about the money Mountain View would have to cough up to make the deal work. Perhaps once they have the hotel, they won't mind outsiders visiting their senior center...

West Valley College President Phil Hartley is stepping down after five successful years, leaving a big hole at a very tough time. Add that to Martha Kanter's departure from DeAnza, and we have some gaping community college holes locally...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.16.09: Great chefs are within SF's territorial rights?

Lew Wolff sent a big raspberry to Oakland on Friday saying thanks for the memories but it’s time for the A’s to hit the road. (Baseball San Jose's blog channeled Sarah Palin's "thanks, but no thanks"...) The move was predicted by former San Jose Insider Jude Barry four years ago. It looks like Barry may have been more prescient than he knew. Inside's Eric Johnson gleefully quotes sports experts Gary Radnich and Bruce Jenkins agreeing with Barry. The Chronicle's Matier & Ross fill us in on who’s fighting to keep the A’s where they are…some heavy hitters. Watch Dog hopes that Senators Boxer and Feinstein remember that folks in Santa Clara County voted for them too (oh yeah, and funded their campaigns...)...

The Merc’s Sal Pizzaro had a yummy task as Iron Chef America hit Silicon Valley. Los Gatos’ Manresa chef (and Michelin 2-star chef) David Kinch whirled around Kitchen Stadium with cabbage as his secret ingredient. In the end, it was Kinch over renowned chef Bobby Flay. The viewing party at Manresa cheered. It is unclear if Senators Boxer and Feinstein think that good chefs are actually within the territorial rights of San Francisco...

Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Jay Boyarsky (former candidate for Judge) thinks a surge in anti-gay hate crimes is related to the passage of Proposition 8 -- increased visibility translates to increased “gay-bashing.” No doubt worried straight, white men might feel left out, Boyarsky added "We're not playing political favorites. Certainly, we've had Christian victims of hate crimes."

Speaking of the DA's office. Santa Clara County DA Dolores Carr has to be wondering why she wanted the job of top prosecutor. A national report released by the Innocence Project accuses the DA’s office of improperly investigating crime lab errors. Hoping to make the case that the fox can guard the hen house, DA spin-meister Nick Muyo says it is not true that they can’t properly investigate themselves.

NASA has asked the Navy to pay for re-skinning Hangar One. In exchange, NASA offered to clean up the toxic soup left behind by the Navy. To sweeten the pot for neighbors, NASA announced Friday a collaboration with the Foothill-De Anza Community College District to provide a $1 billion research facility focusing on renewable-energy and resource-conservation. Foothill-De Anza Chancellor Martha Kanter is giddy about the possibilities...

El Camino Hospital officials are starting to dish on their plans to expand services at their new Los Gatos home (the hospital formerly known as Community). Silicon Valley men will be happy to hear a fancy machine that turns kidney stones to dust is in the works. The League of Women Voters has joined forces with El Camino Hospital execs to host a forum at the end of the month.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs is dishing on the goodies our elected take home from their loyal (lobbyist) fans. Senators Elaine Alquist and Joe Simitian enjoyed a spa retreat in Lodi...(hopefully not at the same time). Senator Simitian reported his wife’s business brought in a healthy chunk of change. Assemblymember Joe Coto went to a charity ball courtesy of Verizon and got an unhealthy supply of liquor thanks to Diageo...he must have been preparing for St. Patrick's Day. (Coto should be careful if he plans to drink that stuff in San Jose...)

Prospective candidates hoping to replace San Jose’s Pete Constant should call the San Jose Police Officers Association. They are not happy that one of their own has “turned a deaf ear” to them.

His friends call him the Don Quixote of San Jose’s Clock Tower, but Naglee Park resident John Mitchell is determined to see his 30 year obsession brought to a happy conclusion. The tower, built in 1892, stopped working in 1906 when that pesky earthquake toppled the tower. (How very Back to the Future...) Mitchell calls it the heartbeat of San Jose. It is unclear if the clock tower would need to 1.21 gigawatts to get going again...

There’s more than green beer on tap this week. Plan on a busy Council/Board week around the Valley...

• San Jose’s City Council will hear the Mayor’s budget message. (You’ll need lots of green beer for this one...)
• Cupertino’s Fremont Union High School District goes over their financials and meets with students...no doubt to ready them for the grim news ahead.
• The Alum Rock Union School District will consider a teachers' contract, talk about closing Pala Middle School, and revisit their policies on small schools (probably hoping to make them much bigger)...
• Palo Alto Unified School District discusses budgets for remodeling, contracts, high school master plans, and staff reductions.
  

Speaking of Palo Alto...

You could sort of see this coming if you read this and this...but the community-wide, Palo Alto broadband project may be quickly dying. Palo Alto has no money and the company that was going to do the project, Axia Netmedia Corporation, doesn't really want any part of it anymore either...

You'll remember last-week's perfectly timed study by Stanford showing that its hospital expansion projects would bring in $18 million to the City of Palo Alto coffers. The timing was perfect because Stanford and Palo Alto had a meeting about the impacts/benefits of Stanford's development this week. Now, Palo Alto would like to see more of the "community benefits" that Stanford could/should/will do in order to get Palo Alto to stand back from its adversarial position...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.25.09: The Mardi Gras Hang-Over Edition...

San Jose survived the annual Mardi Gras madness. San Jose Police Officer Jermaine Thomas reported this year's celebration netted fewer than half the arrests of 2008 – most of those for weapons and probation violations. Sounds like a good time was had by all...

Bye, bye, Birdie! Lew Wolff has officially called off the wedding with Fremont. Wolff’s Dear John letter is a study in restraint, sending love even to those who disagreed and acted “…in a reasoned manner.” The Merc’s Marc Purdy chimes in on the Fremont loss saying it’s a no-brainer, bring the A’s to San Jose.

There’s a fire sale in the City of San Jose. With roughly 40 properties on the initial "For Sale," the City of San Jose hopes to raise as much as $137 million. Deputy Public Works Director Phil Prince said "It is urgent that we see what we can get out of here because of our budget situation." Nothing like selling land at the bottom of a market...

San Jose’s City Council was super busy Tuesday as 9 of them gave their blessing to $6 million in grants and loans to the much ballyhooed San Pedro Market (a.k.a. The McEnery Market). The lone dissenter (unsurprisingly) was Councilmember Nora Campos, who attempted one final shot at colleague Sam Liccardo over the proposal. Campos hoped City Attorney Rick Doyle would slap Liccardo for a legal violation - but the City Attorney said no ma'am. San Jose Revealed isn’t any happier than Campos and snarls through today’s column. Mayor Reed should find Campos' frequent frequent and lonely opposition flattering -- after all, imitation (of Reed's days on the Council) is the sincerest form of flattery...

San Jose Councilmembers asked nightclub owners to help cover costs of policing. Amazingly, not only did business owners agree but are delighted with the changes. Dan Doherty (Mission Ale & Smoke Tiki Lounge) said, "When elected officials trust small businesses, good things will happen." Councilmember Sam Liccardo gave credit to Police, City staff, and local businesses for working the deal out over the past 2 years.

The Santa Clara County Supervisors are giving $100,000 to the Public Defenders Office to re-examine 1,500 sexual assault cases whose (previously denied) videotapes have suddenly appeared. Public Defender Mary Greenwood called the move “extraordinary” and said, "The importance of the tapes is that with this new evidence, we need to see if there are people who were wrongfully convicted who are incarcerated." The DA Saga continues...

Sometimes, reform happens…and sometimes it doesn’t. The drama-shrouded Santa Clara Valley Water District voted to support a bill by Assemblymember Joe Coto which allows all 7 members of the Water District to retain their seats (in spite of a recently enacted law) but pushes reforms on the Water District Board. "I think these are fair," Coto said. "The public deserves these type of laws to make sure we rebuild the confidence in one of our important public institutions." Director Sig Sanchez (who has been on the Board for 29 years) disagreed with allowing the State legislature to define Board policy saying, "It would demean this district to where we were relegated to the role of some small district in the Central Valley." Ouch. Nobody replied, "Sig, get a new job..."

San Jose's Thomas Green, Jr. was the Finance Director for a local hospital, now he’ll be another perv behind bars. Green pleaded guilty to trading kiddie porn in chat-rooms according to U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello.

San Jose Revealed reports San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio is growing forgetful, or perhaps he’s in denial. Oliverio blogged for San Jose Inside details of a meeting then feigned surprise when people showed up. Revealed includes a video clip from the meeting with Oliverio and cohort Councilmember Pete Constant denying complicity in getting (partially informed) community members in the room. C’mon boys, you should take pride in getting the troops to turn out. You might, however, make sure they’re fully informed first.

San Jose Inside blogger/Santa Clara County School Board Trustee Joseph DiSalvo advocates the introduction of democracy, or at least a cessation of violations of the California Voting Rights Act. Local legislators received a call to action following a court decision last year – allow school district candidates to be elected by those they represent. DiSalvo points out at-large elections hurt minority (and women) candidates.