Morning News Round-Up -- 2.4.10: BART... doh!

Hey, BART may actually be on the way to San Jose... the Feds declared that BART to San Jose is "eligible for federal funding" making the Mike Honda - Carl Guardino - Chuck Reed conference calls much more exciting...

We knew yesterday was special when there were no stories about Dolores Carr... but today there is. It seems she is getting her supporters together to start fighting back. In today's Merc Editorial pages there is an OpEd from Kathleen Krenek, who runs Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence. She is a fan of the SJPD and of the DA's office... according to her piece: "Although the district attorney and the police department may come under scrutiny from time to time, I want to express my pride in their commitment to safety and hard work — the kind of commitment that takes place every day when no one is looking."

From Mayor to Assembly to State Senate to Lieutenant Governor... Abel Maldonado has lived a politically charmed life. At this rate, he could President...

You know what all the money in the world allows you to do? Skip the Republican Gubernatorial next month in Santa Clara. Actually, only one of the people with all the money in the world (Meg Whitman) is skipping that debate... the other really rich person Steve Poizner will be there (master)debating himself...

Here is something: The Mountain View-Los Altos High School District has the highest paid teachers in the State with an average making $95k+.

All that time y'all spend on Facebook is bad for your employer, but really, really good for Facebook. That's why they need all the space they can get for the employees that keep your favorite time-wasting website up and running. Their new new digs at 1050 Page Mill Road in Palo Alto also has the benefit of not pissing everyone in town off because of Facebook's parking issues...

Only in Palo Alto: Developer Harold Honbach has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Palo Alto claiming the City is running out the clock on his project to build 84 apartments and some R and D space until he dies... Seriously.

Ed Rast at Protect San Jose looks into the numbers of police complaints in San Jose. He poses some pretty interesting questions in his piece...

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.7.09: Revealed Reveals...

Revealed is back, and they are mad at the Mercury News. Their post is ironic: they bash the paper constantly and then they want to be treated with kid gloves... Get well Revealed...

Rod Diridon is also really pissed... The budget disaster in Sacramento has Legislators finger pointing and blaming staff for a sentence stuck in the State budget bill – a sentence that could derail Federal dollars and the speedy High-Speed Rail in Northern California. Imagine, something getting screwed up in Sacramento. At least everyone in Sacramento is working in the best interest of the State today...

For the second time in a few days San Jose’s former (beleaguered) Mayor Ron Gonzales is in the news. The Merc’s Internal Affairs reported Gonzo was a contender for top dog at the San Francisco-based Coro Center for Civic Leadership -- but didn't get it. Today, he’s gunning for (Supervisorial wannabe) Teresa Alvarado’s old gig at the Hispanic Foundation in San Jose. Watch Dog can only guess that Gonzales didn't think that these two job applications would be newsworthy this soon... We also surmise the coverage doesn't help his chances much.

Large company (Facebook) + Neighborhood = Parking Nightmare

It’s summer and the allure of the outdoors beckons. Mountain View aims to please with outdoor movies and concerts under the stars.

Not for the first time, Watch Dog wonders if District Attorney Dolores Carr has regrets… Carr declared there was no “misconduct or error of legal significance” when former prosecutor/Judge Joyce Allegro withheld evidence in a death penalty case.

Santa Clara Police killed Airman Ian York following the death of York’s girlfriend and shots at Police. The District Attorney’s office will be conducting the investigation of York’s death. Big news for a small town...

Gilroy voters gave their School District an early Christmas present last year passing a $150 million facilities bond. Facing poor planning and bickering between Trustees and staff the Gilroy Unified School District now struggles to spend the money well. Trustee Mark Good called a new wing at Las Animas Elementary a “perfect example of a project run amok.”

Mission City Lantern continues their foray into lucidity… Profile in Cowardice (Abel Maldonado, James means you…). The San Jose Revealed clues that could land you a prize.

San Jose Insider/Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio sings the praises of the neighborhood Fourth of July Parade and historic pillars. Watch Dog note, that caffeine buzz you get next to the pillar comes from Peet’s Coffee, not Pete’s.

Morning news Round-Up – 6.18.09: Enviable talent...

Another day, another garbage story. This time, district attorneys around the bay and the State, including District Attorney Dolores Carr, are joining forces in a lawsuit alleging Target dumps “…flammable liquids and toxic chemicals in local landfills...”

Seems the County Supervisors weren’t interested in cutting services to the County’s vulnerable. Before the public had a chance to speak, Supervisor Liz Kniss took Social Services Agency cuts off the table. The Merc’s Editorial Board congratulates the Supervisors for saving services and tells the County streamlining opportunities exist elsewhere.



The Merc’s Scott Herhold offers a backhanded compliment to San Jose Police Officers Association president Bobby Lopez saying Lopez has an “enviable talent for lobbing a verbal grenade into a crowded room.” Herhold and Lopez are at odds over the cost/benefit of police officers at festivals and the culture wars.

It’s a fact, fewer students in class pays off, especially for low-income and minority students. And still, the current economic climate is forcing San Jose Unified School District to consider increasing class sizes for K-2. Janice Allen, president of the San Jose Teachers Association said teachers in 3-12 already have 30 kids, laying them off to keep kindergarten classes small would not be fair.

San Jose’s dream of becoming the Bay Area’s transit hub isn’t guaranteed. First up, overcoming NIMBY chants (and money) High-Speed Rail NIMBYs (from Menlo Park and Atherton) are raising money for the NIMBY lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority. On one hand, it’s a tough time to raise money. On the other hand, if you have to raise NIMBY money, Menlo Park and Atherton are (probably) great places to start...

And, with more NIMBY/train news…

Mountain View NIMBY’s were vocal in their opposition to a housing proposal near Caltrain. Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga disagreed, calling the location for density “one of the best” as the council supported the Minton’s proposal.

Here's a Watch Dog San Mateo/Watch Dog Silicon Valley story for you: Gubernatorial candidates (maybe) snarled as they passed on the 101 yesterday. Republican Tom Campbell spoke to a joint session of Congress, well, actually it was a joint session of the Burlingame, Foster City, and San Mateo Rotaries in Foster City. Democrat Gavin Newsom spoke to the San Jose Rotary. We’lll let you decide which event was more high-profile and let pundits describe candidates chances of success...

In a creative move to generate revenue, Morgan Hill Police Commander David Swing says the city should open it’s own vehicle impound yard. Dion Bracco (owner of Bracco’s Towing and Transport/Gilroy Councilmember) says Morgan Hill will “turn this thing into a fiasco.”

Silicon Valley Realtors descended upon Sacramento to oppose legislation removing illegal/unenforceable restrictions from title records. Assemblymember Joe Coto was moved by the Realtors and arranged for a meeting with the bill’s author. Other Silicon Valley legislators were unable to meet with the Realtors due to the pesky business of being in session.

Some will call Stanford Hospital's $124 million investment in "community benefits" a way for Stanford to be a good neighbor to their Palo Alto "friends". Others will call this investment a way to buy good will... If the latter, the cost of good will is pretty steep...

Bad news for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a grand jury report accuses the District of being “awash in cash while county and cities drown in red ink.” Board Chairman, Sig Sanchez, chided the Grand Jury for not digging deeply. Sanchez will dig more deeply himself and provide a formal response in a month.

Gilroy’s economic woes have Councilmember Perry Woodward heading for the hills. Woodward hits the road for a two week solo trek to the top of Mt. Whitney.

Cupertino’s Ramya Auroprem was a ringer at the Rep’s Spelling Bee, pulled on stage to be part of the performance. To get the show back on track the cast resorted to made up words to fool the 13 year old’s keen sense of wordology.

Do you Facebook? Creation of a new verb, ala Google, is what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is dreaming about. Looks like the trendy Silicon Valley startup may have its dreams come true.

Times are tough when you’re stealing tips from Barristas… Watch out Starbucks, there’s a serial tip thief on the loose.

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.5.09: Cinco de Mayo Corrections and Elections

Unbelievably (ha!), Watch Dog was wrong yesterday. Mayor Reed is not (was not) asking for an apology from Councilmember Campos regarding the Independent Police Auditor issue, he was asking her for an apology on the McEnery lobbyist complaint issue... Thank you Anonymous...

But the Merc. Editorial Board seems to want to get to the bottom of the Independent Police Auditor issue. They are calling for the records of the closed session meeting to be released so everyone can find out who knew what when about the IPA's brother.

The Editorial Board also demands for San Jose to be represented on regional boards like the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Sounds reasonable enough...

And while we are drinking IPA... San Jose Insider/De-Bug’s Raj Jayadev calls for a slowdown in finding San Jose’s new Independent Police Auditor. Jayadev will no doubt be at today’s Council meeting where the new IPA selection process should prove entertaining.

Swine flu still dominates the news:

• Dr. Douglas Owens uses the craziness to advocate for better funding for local health departments. Nothing like a well-timed crisis to avoid budget cuts...
  
• Two more children were added to the list of confirmed Swine flu sufferers. Santa Clara County now has an even dozen cases.
  
• And, for all your Swine Flu news, the Merc. has their own Special Reports section. Nothing like a well-timed crisis to avoid budget cuts...

Today is also an election day... sort of. Voters in the Cupertino Union and Moreland School Districts need to turn in their mail-in ballots today. Don’t drop it in the mail, take it directly to the Santa Clara County Registrars office. The Merc reports that as of yesterday roughly 30% of voters had returned the ballot deciding on parcel taxes for schools.

In the world of blogs versus newspapers, San Jose Revealed takes a shot... Revealed had some fun with the “leak” from the Mayor’s office to the Merc. (let’s not forget the Metro). According to Revealed the “confidential” letter sent by the Mayor to Councilmember Nora Campos, the City Attorney, and the rest of the City Council made it to the Merc. at roughly the same time it was given to Campos. Revealed smacks the Merc., John Woolfolk, and Scott Herhold for neglecting their journalistic duties.

The Merc’s Mr. Roadshow supports the suggestion to name the 101-280-680 interchange for former San Jose City Councilmember Joe Colla. Colla may be best remembered for plopping an old Chevy on San Jose’s “Monument to Nowhere.” Mr. Roadshow received a letter from Colla’s daughter, Colette Blakely, offering support and Supervisor Dave Cortese, calling Colla the “pride of the Italian-American community” voices his support as well.

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce gave Garden City Construction’s Jim Salata the go ahead to restore the sign found during building clean up. The Merc’s Sal Pizarro reports no one anticipated the controversy over restoring the “Anglo California National Bank." The Chamber's Chief Anglo, Pat Dando, has been receiving complaints since last weeks unveiling. They didn't see this coming? Really?

It’s up to the County Supervisors now: Support the environment or the American Chemistry Council. The Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission voted for the environment and recommends the Supervisor’s follow their lead.

Gilroy’s rapist/math teacher Alberto Vicuna pleaded no contest to nine counts of sex crimes with a 14 year old girl from Oak Grove High School. The 32 year old Vicuna listed himself as a 15 year old on his online profile, but when he met the girl told her he was really 28 but had “forgotten” to update his Tagged.com profile. Deputy District Attorney Ray Mendoza said no other potential victims have come forward, yet.

Gilroy issued a challenge to its unions, compromise or layoffs. Mayor Al Pinheiro doesn’t want to touch the rainy day fund and is asking City employees to do with smaller paychecks. Union representative Jim Buessing says the City’s cushy reserves make it tough to even consider more layoffs. And by the way Mayor Pinheiro, it is both figuratively and literally a rainy day today...

Palo Alto, beware of the phony grandson. Grandparents in Palo Alto received calls from a man pretending to be a favorite grandson, in desperate need of money. The creep duped more than $11,000 out of this Palo Alto townsfolk. Police Agent Dan Ryan says, "Anyone who calls you and asks for money right away, it's probably not good..."

Scott Herhold got sentimental for the herpes ridden Koi at San Jose’s Japanese Friendship Garden. Someone out there, you know who you are, set diseased Koi free in the pond, infecting and killing most of the 265 fish. Park Ranger Penny Lee reports once the international disease hit the West Coast there was no stopping it. Not very friendly...

Facebook is ditching the virtual campus created in downtown Palo Alto for a real one at Stanford Research Park. To keep its geeks in check, and on campus, employees will get a Caltrain pass and a cafeteria with readily available meals and snacks. Say farewell to seeing your favorite Facebook geek at University Coffee all day long.

Google hired 200 Googlegoats to clear Googleweeds near the Googleplex in Google (Mountain) View. If you missed them this year, you can catch them in action next Googleyear.

staying with farm animals…

The economic crisis could be seen as chickens coming home to roost and it is exactly that for many local families. Sam’s Downtown Feed and Pet Supply partners with the 4-H to sell live chicks and has recently seen a huge increase in the number of families bringing home their own egg layers. The McCarty family of Willow Glen has 6 chicks and plans to sell eggs to the whole neighborhood. And, if local laws matter to you, you can have up to 6 chickens without a permit.

Cupertino’s City Council reviews their General Plan update today, in it ways to accommodate more than 1,000 new homes most of them affordable housing. Which won't be easy... Witness Mountain View...

Mountain View residents freaked out about an affordable housing proposal talked the City Council into studying the affects of 51 affordable units near downtown. With words like “ghetto,” two residents blamed their recent property decreases on the proposal. Councilmember Tom Means pointed out the global economic crisis might have had a bigger affect. Councilmember Laura Macias said she’s tired of reports that tell her what she already knows and says this will “...confirm what ROEM and I already believe…” this is a nice project that will increase property values. (Councilmember Macia, please take a look at ROEM's history with unhappy neighbors here...)

A new, and unreasonable, way to deal with High-Speed Rail emerged in Palo Alto yesterday... Palo Alto Vice Mayor Jack Morton called for the High-Speed Rail Authority to be disbanded and replaced with some other agency, like CalTrain... Really? Perhaps that would have been a stronger argument before the State (and a majority of folks on the Peninsula) voted FOR High-Speed Rail last November...

There’s no word yet from the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce on the controversial proposal to move the Friday Night Music Series out of West Second Street. Chamber Executive Director Chris Giusiana is anxiously awaiting the results of the eVote with the event kickoff next month.

Grassroots Sprout from Bad Weather...

The wet weather has apparently had the effect of sprouting grassroots in San Jose.

First, we have baseball...

With the (amicable divorce between Fremont and the Oakland A's, the grassroots group Baseball San Jose has launched some activity. Jacquie Heffner is posting on Baseball San Jose's blog, she started a group on Facebook, and has launched a website (well, not yet) at mlbsanjose.com. (Watch Dog hopes this blog (and the baseball movement overall) are more successful than Heffner's last blog-venture with San Jose Revealed...)

Next, we have libraries...

Also on the grassroots front, a website calling itself Books Not Filters has been activated to fight library censorship being proposed by Councilmember Pete "Ball Gag" Constant and Larry Pegram of the (so-called) Values Advocacy Council. (Of course) a Facebook site has also been launched. (Watch Dog has written about this issue before, and if it comes forward again, we won't be shy Ball Gag...)

Watch Dog understands that grassroots is not about competition...but...the Books Not Filters folks have more "Facebook Friends" than the Baseball San Jose people right now: 36 to 17. That probably means more in middle school than it does in real life, but we thought we'd share...

Sprout on grassroots activists!

Morning News Round-Up – 12.30.08: Secret engagements, poopy fist fights and more breasts…

Watch out Morgan Hill dog lovers, scoop your poop lest you fall prey to doggie doo battles. Max Hamlin was arrested after a doody dispute that turned to fisticuffs with a fellow dog lover – who happened to be an off-duty San Jose police officer.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold weighs in on the mommy versus Facebook fiasco. Herhold points out the silliness of the battle in which feeding babies is rated XXX. He also mentions the Merc has the same feeding-babies-are-obscene policy.

Thieves have brought Watch Dog San Mateo and Watch Dog Silicon Valley together. Two men hit Apple’s Palo Alto store for about $10k of techie toys then hit Apple in Los Gatos. Palo Alto police were careful to refer to headgear as “beanies.”

In a sad (un)neighborly tale, a woman was murdered in her home in South San Jose by a man who shot her at her front door with her children there. The next door neighbor, who couldn’t be bothered to investigate or call the police, said “It’s been a challenge living next to them these past months.” The woman’s home was frequently the site of domestic violence, her challenges are over.

Merc columnist Joe Rodriguez does a “Where Are They Now” reflection on stories for the past year. Rodriguez should have included himself, three Eastside/Westside columns in 2008?

In the wee hours Sunday morning Sophie Belknap was already on the road when she lost control of her car – by the time it came to a rest, two other cars had hit her and a young life was ended. The CHP reported Belknap, a college sophomore home on vacation, was not wearing her seatbelt.

Mike Cassidy advertises a book for former colleague, Leigh Weimers. Weimers partnered with historian John McLaughlin’s to update his book on the history of Silicon Valley, published in 1995 before the resurgence of Apple and a series of bubbles bursting. Watch Dog note: a book on the history of Silicon Valley is maybe a moving target?

SanJoseInside’s Single Gal is no longer. Single that is and apparently off to live the European lifestyle. Rumors abound as to her identity and include the former Mayor in a dress - never having seen his legs Watch Dog can only wonder.


Mr. Roadshow, Gary Richards, had his own “What were you thinking?” moment when he posed for a photoshoot ala Kiefer Sutherland in 24. Readers take the normally safety-first writer to task for posing with a gun.

In case you missed it, SanJoseRevealed wants to know who Mr. Roadshow was trying to kill. Revealed also celebrates Single Gal’s new found love.

On with the lists… The Morgan Hill Times year end list includes crime, housing, and lost jobs as its top three. Also on the list, and a lot more fun, cheerleaders.

Gilroy’s Top 10 starts with fire and ends with applause for Police Chief Denise Turner for managing, thus far, not to layoff any sworn officers, as opposed to the police staff getting the boot. Turner has her police increasing visibility on streets in an effort to stem gang warfare (and not a bad p.r. move either).

Morgan Hill City Manager Ed Tewes is recommending the layoff of 10 AFSCME union members along with 3 police offers and a reduction in hours and no raises. The Police Officers Association offered a plan that would cut costs and keep police jobs – the POA isn’t sharing until its members and the city council have seen the plan. No doubt it means letting other (un)noticiables slip, Mayor Tate maybe you’d like to decrease gang abatement or stop responding to emergency calls?

Staying in Morgan Hill… the Redevelopment Agency wants to give Third Street a facelift, approval for a mixed use design was given in July (pre-meltdown). In December the agency met in closed session to talk about purchasing property (site of Jesus Restaurant) - one teeny problem – no one thought to ask the owner.

Morning News Round-Up – 12.29.08: Slow news, more drunks, boys gone bad...

Reporters like to take vacations too... hence the year end lists -- all of which could have been written in the past month and a half... Scott Herhold focuses on the sensational from murder to mayhem (Little Saigon) to surprise wins and includes stories of Bellarmine boys gone bad… Internal Affairs sticks to the political, always juicy, with month by month reminders of who’s (not) running and who’s spatting. Internal Affairs Year in Quotes...

The Merc’s Mr. Roadshow, Gary Richards, contributes to the list making with his ‘Dirty Dozen’ traffic hotspots. The Merc wants to know what traffic hotspots make you growl.

San Jose city retiree’s won’t be happy to hear that their employee pension fund suffered a loss of nearly $1 Billion this year, worse than similar funds. Councilmember (and pension overseer) Pete Constant, watching the decline, said “We’ve got a problem and we need to face it,”. Constant also said he would happily relinquish his seat on the board to anyone brighter than himself. (Watch Dog fans will be amused to hear this was so easy WD let it go) Retirement Director Russell Crosby said the oversight structure of the funds, with so many non-experts has probably contributed to the bad performance. pssst, there’s more Watch Dog news to come…

Kids in court might be getting a little help in the coming year. The Mercury News special investigation “Broken families, broken courts” led state officials to push for changes including a new courthouse (the abandoned garment factory is out). The legal beagles working for families have a new name but the same old folks. And, kid’s will no longer be represented by District Attorney Dolores Carr’s office.

The Morgan Hill Times reports that 528 people were arrested for DUI since December 12th. Morgan Hill police arrested 17 and Gilroy police arrested 12 of the (suspected) drunk drivers, no word if the remaining 499 were drunk Latinos in San Jose. Maybe that data will be released when the
Drunk Task Force wraps in April.

It seems our friend Ausaf Umar Siddiqui, you know, the Fry's executive that embezzled/gambled away Fry's money? It seems the Vegas DA's knew him too...why? Because Siddiqui was kiting checks all over Las Vegas, for years and millions... The Merc appears to love Siddiqui as well – they ran 6 stories about his brazen multi-year, baccarat driven fraud and deception stealing millions over the past 3 days.

Sally Lieber (can't spell Lieber without the 'lie') is in a bit of hot water for having a fundraiser on City of Mt. View property, a no-no for public officials. She didn't respond by saying, "But I used to be a State Assemblymember...I can do whatever I want..."

Apparently breastfeeding mommies are a no-no on Facebook. No word if co-founders, Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, or Peter Thiel (or their moms/wives/girlfriends) have noticed the uproar. The mommies are fighting back with a Facebook group whose membership spiked to over 75,000 in days. Facebook billionaires shouldn’t worry, no doubt San Jose’s Pete Constant and Larry Pegram will slap a filter on the mommies.

San Jose State University artist Robert Graham passed away Saturday in Santa Monica with his wife Anjelica Houston at his side. Locally, Graham may be best known for the sculpture of the Aztec Feathered-Serpent Quetzalcoatl. Watch Dog note: Graham’s Quetzalcoatl is the result of art by committee and conservative Christians.