Morning News Round-Up -- 5.20.10: (Drug Free?) Post-Peloton Thursday...

Happy post-peloton Thursday to all of you... except Floyd Landis...

More coverage of the District 5 City Council race in San Jose... this time from Scott Herhold, who acknowledges that all the hoopla about the illegal mailings is backfiring on the idiots who did it, because Carrasco is getting all kinds of coverage on the news, on the radio, and everywhere else. Herhold also doesn't think that Shirakawa is the culprit, but does point out how silly/stupid the Grand Pooba's quotes were earlier in the week...

The Mercury News thinks that story is so important that for a period of time yesterday they posted it twice...

And the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce is putting out a reward for any information about who done it... $5,000 to anyone of the stamp-licking interns who want to turn in their co-conspirators...

Manuel Herrera, another candidate in District 5, chimed in via a Letter to the Editor...

While everyone is focused on fake campaign mailers... there was a murder in the Tropicana parking lot earlier in the week and two folks were found dead due to gun shot wounds in Alum Rock... hopefully the candidates can keep their collective eyes on the ball...

As discussed yesterday, the Planning Commission in San Jose approved an EIR for Major League Baseball in downtown San Jose. There are some interesting things to be concluded by reading between the lines of last night's Planning Commission meeting where the EIR was approved 4-1:

• Thing 1 - Planning Commissioner Chris Platten voted against the EIR,
• Thing 2 - Planning Commissioner Hope Cahan was absent from the proceedings, and
• Thing 3 - Planning Commissioner and City Council candidate Xavier Campos was absent from the proceedings.

According to spies, all three Things are related as all three Planning Commissioners are Labor-allies on the Planning Commission. Perhaps the folks at the Labor Temple are using their support (or opposition) to MLB as leverage in their contract negotiations? That may be, but missing votes (Cahan and especially Campos) is a pretty lame way to go... we wonder where these folks learned the technique of "taking a walk"...

Speaking of EIRs, Stanford's massive development project around the hospital released their draft EIR yesterday... expect lots and lots and lots of community concern, tweaking of the project, and finally the eventual development of the project... welcome to Palo Alto...

It is unlikely that anyone who sees the new plans at Stanford will be underwhelmed, but that was the reaction down the road a bit by the Mountain View City Council who caught a glimpse of the plans for a new San Antonio Center there... that's probably not the reaction the developer Merlone Geier was looking for... On the bright side, it can only get better, right?

The County Superintendent Chuck Weis gets in on the political action in today's Letters to the Editor in the Merc, chiming in on behalf of Larry Aceves for State Superintendent for Public Instruction...

Cupertino is taking a step to make Silicon Valley air a little, (perhaps a lot) cleaner by monitoring more closely the air quality around the Lehigh Cement plant... or is it Lehigh Cement plan, as it read online yesterday...

A pension reform initiative is heading to the ballot in Menlo Park. Could this be a Silicon Valley trend among cash-strapped cities? Chuck Reed has been talking about asking voters in San Jose to vote to do away with the often-expensive binding arbitration...

Silicon Valley has some serious interest in the upcoming Republican primaries for US Senate and Governor. New polls are out together. The first one actually confirms what Steve Poizner said a few weeks back -- that his race against Whitman is tightening... The second has Carly Fiorina leading (slightly) over Tom Campbell, but within the margin of error... (Joey Lucas will explain everything later...)

Finally, the Merc Editorial Board also hands Tom Campbell some bad news... they don't like his less-than-thoughtful stance on Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court. "We expected more of Campbell..."

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.26.10: to Round 2...

Let's start with all things South Bay professional sports related...

Sharks, Sharks, Sharks... onto round two of the playoffs. A choke-free playoffs, perhaps? Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. -- perhaps Councilmember Liccardo can help you score some tickets...

We learn today that 52 percent of folks in Santa Clara are supporting Measure J, the stadium measure, with 36 opposed and 11 percent undecided. Which begs the question, who are these 11 percent of the people. The stadium has been a civic question in Santa Clara for about 2 years, give or take. Have they not picked up the Weekly, the Mercury News, or talked to a neighbor in that period of time? And you know this must be newsworthy because the Chronicle picked up the poll numbers as well...

Lawyers, lawyer, lawyers. Cedar Fair, the folks that own Great America, love their lawyers. They are trying to renegotiate their lease at Great America in Santa Clara to account for the 49ers stadium.

San Jose is pushing forward with buying the land around the proposed A's baseball stadium site near Diridon Station. Tracy Seipel at the Merc has the run-down about which pieces of land need buying and which ones don't... (Note to Michelle McGurk: Please clip and send this story to Bud...)

Speaking of buying land... San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos gets a little piece in Internal Affairs written about her -- and not in a good way. The gossipy piece talks about how she was (perhaps?) shilling for her husband's unions when she made a stink about the sale of the $20 million pair of parking lots in downtown San Jose and if the eventual developers will use "prevailing wages" to pay its workers to build -- which, it is noted in the story, the City of San Jose and the Redevelopment Agency has no ability to demand or enforce...

Internal Affairs finally catches up with the Metro/ San Jose Inside (Chuck and Larry?, San Jose Inside, April 8th) in running a piece about a possible Mayoral endorsement of right winger Larry Pegram in the San Jose City Council District 9 race. The Mayor's spokesperson gives a classic non-answer/answer: "As of today, he has not endorsed anyone." Of course, that was yesterday, who knows about today...

Teresa Alvarado got the nod from the Mercury News Editorial Board for County Supervisor... they call her "a standout"... (Cindy Chavez is going to be really, really pissed about that endorsement... so will Forrest, Mike, Tom, and Peter...)

From the previous Hispanic Foundation chief to the current one... Ron Gonzales, you remember, the former San Jose Mayor, climbed out from under a proverbial rock to pen a piece for a newspaper that he had a pretty big feud with. Bygones, we guess... He writes about the need for companies to come to the aid of schools locally.

Speaking of feuds with the local paper... Here's something that Protect San Jose will actually like that is written in the Mercury News. The words "police tactics" and "widespread praise" are in the same headline... the story is about the downtown San Jose policing, which was (ahem) a bit of an issue for a while...

The San Jose City Council will consider (again) cutting its salary and the salary of high-ranking City officials. But that isn't the part of the story that is striking in any way, this passage is: "...a 10 percent salary cut would bring council members to $84,442 — less than the wage of the average city worker..." The average working in the City of San Jose makes $88,000. $88,000! To quote the head of the Municipal Employees' Federation (who was critical of how much high-ranking City officials make): I'd love to have that kind of accounting in my checkbook...

Interestingly, a similar story (sort of) appears in the Chronicle today, noting that 1 in 3 employees in the City and County of San Francisco government make over $100,000. Perhaps the Merc could re-run their numbers and find the same thing for the City of San Jose (and perhaps even for the County of Santa Clara...)

The Morgan Hill Times does a deep dive into the District Attorney's race... and uses more flattering pictures for both Carr and Rosen. That is something they can probably both agree on, that newspapers ought to use flattering pictures...

Meg Whitman = Big Connections... and she showed it on Friday night when Mitt Romney and John McCain showed up at an event in Redwood City. Of course, both of those guys lost their last election, so perhaps she should invite more folks on a winning streak... just a thought.

We love you too Mission City Lantern... and that is non-negotiable...

Good luck getting your Sharks' tickets everyone...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.15.10: Tea Party Day...

Sharks lost...

Even though Scott Herhold at the Merc thinks LaDoris Cordell was an "odd choice" for the San Jose Independent Police Auditor job... he didn't convince the Editorial Board who called the choice "daring" and "great for the time"... as for the San Jose Police Officers' Association, they have a different opinion:

"...I have serious concerns about Ms. Cordell’s ability to be independent and objective. While she has a right to be associated with community groups that have historically been critical and antagonistic to our officers, this should raise questions about her ability to be objective, just as Chris Constantin was considered biased because of his relationships. I consider this a double standard..."

As we said yesterday, really? Cordell has a brother or sister that works at the ACLU, the NAACP, or DeBug?

Speaking of public safety unions in San Jose, the firefighters looked through last year's budget and found $7 million worth of things that could have been cut from the City Manager's budget, saying that such frivolous spending creates a credibility gap for the City when it says they are broke. The story on San Jose Inside does provide this jab back at the firefighters about their plans to close the budget gap: "...All told, the union’s proposals would come to a little over a million dollars. The total of the contracts outlined in “City Spending Gone Wild” only adds up to a little over $7 million—loose change compared to the $116.2 million quagmire that the city is still trudging through..."

Another nugget in the San Jose Inside story: lobbyists Dustin DeRollo and Tom Saggau are on the case for the firefighters... perhaps the firefighters forget the great work these two did for bail bonds shops and Club Wet...

Zoe Lofgren on the Supreme Court? Someone in Washington thinks it is a good idea: the Computer & Communications Industry Association. Watch Dog loves the Congresswoman, but we aren't sure about this particular job opening for her...

San Jose City Council races are still heating up. Magdalena Carrasco beat out Xavier Campos for the Chamber of Commerce endorsement yesterday, as reported by San Jose Inside. Perhaps Labor's threatening Carrasco's supporters helped push the Chamber towards Carrasco?

In a nod to NIMBYs, some folks on the Peninsula are considering whether or not to join the (Tea Party?) effort to repeal the High-Speed Rail bond... have fun with that...

Speaking of the Tea Party, there will be a "Tax Day Protest" in downtown San Jose today. That should be a fun, gun-toting shin-dig... In case you forgot, last year San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant joined the (anti-immigrant, pro-Palin) fun... (Thank you tipster for the picture...)

In an (un?)related story... LA may shut down a white supremacist meeting permitted for this weekend...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.12.10: Thinking of summer...

Because what everyone needs on a rainy day is to think about summer... and nothing says summer like Major League Baseball:

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times writes a great piece about the Oakland Athletics and their quest to move to downtown San Jose. Please Mr. Selig, at least tell us something... anything!

For those of you that remember back a few years ago know that NUMMI was opposed to the Oakland A's moving into Fremont. Well, now NUMMI is gone and Fremont might want the A's back. They got a federal grant to look at possible reuse options and the folks in Fremont might be looking at the Green and Gold again. Unfortunately for Fremont, the Green and Gold are (probably) really, really sick of Fremont...

We know that the Chronicle doesn't like the ideas of the A's moving to San Jose... but even they couldn't deny that San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed having an Opening Day meeting with Bob DuPuy of MLB was a good sign...

And from summer sports to fall ones...

The Merc goes through the "on the one hand" and the "on the other hand" economics of the 49ers stadium. Watch Dog is sticking with James Rowen's version of things and not these guys, if for no other reason than Rowen is much more interesting...

On to things not related to sports...

The task force tasked with figuring out what to do with the Mexican Heritage Plaza is almost done with their work and will send their recommendation for a school for art and culture to the San Jose City Council. Of course, they are sending their recommendation to the City Council with a $500,000 annual price tag... which may mean the recommendation is DOA...

Here's a surprise, San Jose Firefighters don't like cuts to the fire department. Of course, they don't have their own blog, so they are resigned to voicing their displeasure through the media. But when you go through the media, you let the City Manager and the Mayor tee-off on you like Phil at Augusta. The Mayor's retort: "If the firefighters gave up 10 percent [salaries], we wouldn't have to consider this [cutting services]..." The City Manager's mouthpiece Tom Manheim (he's still there?) said: "We're not in a situation that allows us to hold the Fire Department harmless..."

Here we go... it was only a matter of time before legislators on the Peninsula started listening to all the NIMBYs... and Joe Simitian is the first to crack. In the Chronicle's Matier & Ross column today, Simitian raises questions and doubt about the financial projections to High-Speed Rail... but reading between the lines, Watch Dog thinks this is really about neighborhood opposition up and down the Peninsula... who's next? Jerry Hill? Paul Fong?

Yesterday was Internal Affairs Sunday in the Merc...

Item 1: Campos the Elder (Nora): We learn that Roy Avila is not running against Nora Campos after all. (Even though he still has a website up.) Apparently he put more time into his website and initial fundraiser in Los Gatos than in actually getting his name on the ballot... or he cut himself a deal with the Campos clan...

Item 2: Campos the Younger (Xavier): We learn that labor leaders Cindy Chavez and Neil Struthers sent a threatening letter to 11 members of the State Assembly because they gave money to Xavier's opponent, Magdalena Carrasco. (If you would like to see what a threatening letter from Chavez/Struthers looks like, click here.) Sometimes it helps to have a powerful big brother-(inlaw) and sister... Mission City Lantern even chimed in on the non-Mission City-related stuff...

Scott Herhold compares the books of GOP Gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, becoming perhaps the second or third person in the world to read both books... Essentially, Herhold writes that Poizner is more entrepreneurial and Whitman more corporate... but he also throws in that Jerry Brown is old... which is a theme this week. (The theme was carried through to Internal Affairs, which runs down the funny jokes Republicans made about Jerry Brown's age (72)...)

Palo Alto has a budget gap of $8.3 million. They will close it the way everyone else will close it in the lesser zip codes in Silicon Valley, cutting services, laying off workers, instituting new fees, and charging residents for sidewalk repairs...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.26.10: SJC Bake Sale?

The news just keeps getting worse (and more embarassing) for the San Jose (International) Airport. First, a coast-to-coast snow storm impacted absolutely every airport in the country, execept SJC... Then, Frontier Airlines decides it is going to leave town... And then, a report about High-Speed Rail released yesterday says that the train will hurt airports in the Bay Area, especially SJC... Now, the airport is begging local businesses to pick up the tag of their grand opening. And they are using superhero Captain Sully to do it. Look for the SJC Bake Sale announcement soon... While funding the grand opening is one issue, larger issues remain, like the fact that the airport can't really afford its debt service... stay tuned.

Councilmember Nora Campos proposed expanding and increasing the number of 'no gang zones' in San Jose. It sounds like a great idea -- especially in an election year... It probably would have sounded just as good any of the other 8 years she has served on the City Council...

Team San Jose, Teamsters, the San Jose Convention Center... another story. It turns out the local Teamsters might get the work at the Convention Center after all -- and this time, it may not cost the Convention Center all of its business...

A team from a local newspaper finally (finally!) got to sit down with Atherton's Meg Whitman. The Merc grilled her and she seemed to respond pretty well. Of course, if you dodged the media for a year, you might be able to prepare yourself well too... Watch Dog's conversation with Whitman is slated for next week.

Another turn in the story of Sarah Botill, the 15 year old Gilroy girl who died after a night of drinking. The 18 year old (Kayla Dunigan) who brought the booze will face misdemeanor charges for providing the alcohol.

Perhaps Mountain View restaurants will be getting business from all the good folks with munchies after all. The Mountain View City Council banned pot clubs for a year, but they are draft regulations to (maybe) allow them after that.

Finally, our friend at Mission City Lantern takes aim at Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty for taking aim at the 49ers...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.11.10: NAACP vs SJPOA (still)

In case you don't read Watch Dog on the weekend, and we can't imagine there is anyone out there that doesn't... you missed, or should we say mist, some spelling mistakes from the right side of the political spectrum. First we chronicled, or kronikled, Pete Constant's re-election site and then an advertisement from the Chamber of Commerce, or Commerse.


Watch Dog had to be the first to mention this: the NUMMI site in Fremont is being repackaged as the perfect site for the A's according to a story in Saturday's Merc. On August 17, 2009, Watch Dog wrote this:

"...Fremont’s Nummi plant is packing the bags and heading to Texas leaving nearly 5,000 newly unemployed in its wake. Perhaps a Fremont ballpark can actually happen now?...

The head of the local NAACP may not board the Freedom Train on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because the San Jose Police Officers' Association is a sponsor this year. In his words in the Merc, "After years and months of abusing the community, the San Jose Police Department has the nerve to show up under the banner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..." Well, yes.


But don't worry, it is clear that the SJPOA hears the concerns of the community and is taking steps to repair its reputation... right? Well, not so much... Bobby Lopez, on his way out the door as head of the SJPOA, wrote a piece for the Merc titled: In San Jose Latino arrests, the problem is Latino drinking -- not police practices. Lopez's thinking goes like this: If Latinos would just stop drinking so much, the Police wouldn't have to arrest them so often... Protect San Jose has a reprint of Lopez's OpEd, in case you don't want to give the Merc your "business"...


Taking on the big (sign) issues, San Jose's City Council is going to review changes to the sign ordinance... too big? not big enough? too graphic? too electric? Tuesday is the big day to find out.


"Nobody wants to have any more City bailouts..." That's the sentiment of Chris Esparza who is on the committee (responsible for) making the Mexican Heritage Plaza financially sustainable. He favors a school for the arts while the other major idea is a cultural and entertainment center. The Committee will discuss the ideas publicly Tuesday night...


Scott Herhold provides a picture of how the Sargeant Ranch development (now on hold because owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy) involved Congressman Mike Honda, former Congressman Vic Fazio, and the Amah Mutsun tribe as part of the Ranch owner's bid to circumvent the planning regulations of the County.


The Merc delves a little deeper into the crisis facing Bay Area transit agencies, including the VTA -- but more importantly, brings us a new feature whereby they provide video of reporter Mike Rosenberg talking about the challenges of transit agencies... "New" technology being integrated into the Merc's website? Say it ain't so... That VTA story was on Sunday. Today, the Merc has a piece about how VTA has ambitious plans for the coming years, even though the agency is cash-strapped. Sort of like a newspaper implementing new technology, even though it is cash-strapped...


Speaking of cash-strapped... Team San Jose's Dan Fenton is on his way to Dallas to rescue San Jose's convention business. Team San Jose's labor contracts have pissed off just about everyone in the convention business, and the Convention Center in downtown San Jose is at risk of losing megabucks. The Business Journal (and San Jose Inside) chronicles Fenton's efforts to fix the screw up...


It is car show week in San Jose for all of you folks in the market for high-end automobiles... all three of you.


The race to replace Councilmember Nora Campos on the San Jose City Council got a little more crowded this week, and a little more complicated for sibling Campos (Xavier) who would like to walk right into his sister's seat. Neighborhood leader Aaron Resendez is signing up to run. And in a weird use of City employee time and energy, Councilmember Campos' Chief of Staff takes on the duty of criticizing a political opponent of Xavier Campos...


Moving north... Apple plans to open a "flagship" store in downtown Palo Alto... and yes, there is already an Apple store in downtown Palo Alto -- but this one is going to be a "flagship" store -- so when it opens we'll all have to go see the difference.

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.11.09: Veterans Day Edition...

This will come as a (welcome) surprise to many... Medical care is coming back to downtown San Jose. Five years after Health Corporation of America (suddenly) closed the San Jose Medical Center, HCA appears ready to sell the roughly 14 acres for a medical center, retail, and housing to the County. Councilmember Sam Liccardo offered HCA had “… some responsibility to a City where they closed a hospital and limited care for the poor...” at HCA’s other local hospital.

San Jose’s 25th murder happened the same day that a community meeting happened in East San Jose to discuss the Halloween attack on two children. The victim of yesterday’s murder was a teenage boy. Councilmember Nora Campos joined the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and Mayor Chuck Reed to talk to 300 pissed off community members in an attempt to stem gang violence.

It was a busy day at the San Jose City Council meeting: Absent from the proceedings were Councilmembers Pete Constant (obviously), Kansen Chu, and Madison Nguyen. San Jose’s City Council officially ditched Styrofoam at special events and hundreds packed the meeting to ask San Jose not kill their affordable housing program.

Gilroy City Manager Tom Haglund has plans to rein on Medileaf’s pot parade by issuing a “cease and desist” order. Haglund disputes owner Batzi Kuburovich’s claim that non-profits don’t need business permits. Get your "prescription" in Gilroy fast, this time tomorrow it’s likely you'll only be able to buy pot on the street, not in the club...

Mountain View-Whisman School District Superintendent Maurice Ghysels is looking to leave his gig following revelations of his relationship with Landels Elementary principal Carmen Mizell.

Here is a weird coincidence: The Superintendent of the Mountain View-Whisman's next door neighbor, the Los Altos School District, is leaving at the end of the school year...

Congressmember Anna Eshoo was in town pitching healthcare and to make sure Hangar One isn’t “de-skinned and left” like a freak of nature. Eshoo emphasized “we have to have a plan.”

Also hoping to talk to Mountain View residents, Supervisor/President Liz Kniss talks swine flu Thursday.

If you were hoping to send your post-high school student to a CSU far from home, think again. With less money from the State, all CSU’s are tightening belts and offering fewer seats to freshmen. CSU San Jose President Jon Whitmore plans to cut thousands of incoming seats saying “we’re downsizing.”

San Jose Police Officer Association President/Protect San Jose’s Bobby Lopez continues the chant that if it weren’t for the pesky media, San Jose’s Police force would not be in so much hot water – or, at least, no one would know about the hot water. Funny, if Lopez spent half as much time addressing the problem as he does accusing the Merc of “trying to sell one more paper” there might not be any problem.

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo received a “tsunami of racist comments” following last week’s discussion and suggests this provides a “teachable moment” for the less enlightened. DiSalvo remains optimistic that the achievement gap can be erased, pointing out “there will always be critics to any bold initiative.”

Morning News Round-Up -- 10.22.09: Beam me up...

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed opted out of adding sunshine to a gloomy Tuesday (Remember this? Sunshine go away today...) this week but now says he wants to reconsider releasing 911 tapes from the shooting of Daniel Pham. Perhaps a little late to the table, Reed and San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis are accused of misrepresenting the Sunshine Reform Task Force requests. The Merc’s Editorial Board sends props to Councilmembers Ash Kalra, Nora Campos, Kansen Chu, Sam Liccardo and Madison Nguyen for “standing up for public access.”

Parents at Wilcox High say they warned school officials about teacher/perv Edward Slate’s “flirtatious” emails to their 17 year old daughter. Superintendent Steve Stavis said the District is working closely with Police during the investigation.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold reminds us that the written/ spoken word is a mighty powerful tool, or weapon, as his neighbors talk about the use of ethnicity in describing cyclists (who may be) casing the neighborhood.

Payless Hardware on King Road in San Jose is licking its wounds after realizing it wasn’t the economy causing that slow leak from the till. Accounts Receivable clerk Desiree Herrera and husband Ruben skimmed more than $1.3 million in 7 years. The State tax guys are also pissed, the Herrera’s didn’t pay $182,000 in taxes on their ill-gotten gain. Office Manager Karey Thatcher is given props for the numeric sleuthing that uncovered the crime.

Silicon Valley the home to spies? Say it ain’t so. According to defense attorneys for Lan Lee and Yuefei Ge the Feds got it all wrong, Lee and Ge are super smart geeks who invented the better mouse trap. The FBI and prosecutors say not so fast, Lee and Ge were thieves getting ready to sell secrets to China.

Former Assemblymember Sally Lieber speaks out on campaign finance...

Palo Alto has tossed in the towel, declaring an impasse in negotiations with their largest union after 5 months of contentious talks. Union representative Nick Steinmeier and City Manager James Keene point at the other side for not accepting “reasonable” counter offers.

Trekkies beam in to San Jose this week for “Star Trek: The Exhibition” at geekiest museum of all, the San Jose Tech. The Merc’s Sal Pizarro joined Museum board members Judy Swanson, Steven Moore, and Mike and Joan Hackworth in greeting Mr. Sulu on the bridge. Pizarro reminds us the holidays are around the corner with a variety of gift purchasing opportunities in store.

San Jose Inside’s Fly ran into fake protesters marching in downtown San Jose. The pretend protesters work for Barry Swenson and are trying to increase sales during the housing crash. According to spokesperson Christy Marbry, it works.

Protect San Jose’s irascible Kathleen Flynn said Tuesday’s San Jose City Council meeting left her with “conflicted feelings.” On the one hand she was delighted with the Mayor’s stance against recommendations from the Sunshine Reform Task Force on the other hand she was pissed that Sunshine member/Mercury News Managing Editor Bert Robinson wanted reforms enacted… Bringing up the most puzzling question of all these days: Where is Sunshine Task Force Chair/Protect San Jose blogger Ed Rast?...

Morning News Round-Up – 9.22.09:

You remember this story, former San Jose Police Officer/Santa Clara County District Attorney investigator Sandra Woodall smashed her car into parked cars and injured a teenager. Collegial courtesy (allegedly) caused San Jose Police Officers Will Manion and Patrick D’Arrigo to look the other way after Woodall's visit to the neighborhood bar for a post-rehab celebratory drink (allegedly) impaired her driving. San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis let the other shoe drop this week, he wants to fire Manion and D’Arrigo.

California hopes to snag $1.28 billion in federal funds to bundle with Prop 1A funds for Caltrain expansion and moving High-speed rail at high speed to Northern CA.

It’s a little anti-climatic - the Palo Alto City Council approved a change over to (formerly interim) Police Chief Dennis Burns who hopes to “lead the organization in a fair and ethical way.” A slap at former boss/predecessor Lynne Johnson?

De Anza community college is at the “…bottom of a funnel” according to spokesperson/former Merc reporter Becky Bartindale so they shut the doors on more than 8,000 students hoping to beef up their accounting, chemistry and writing skills.

The Merc’s Editorial Board offers San Jose the chance to step out from the crowd and become a leader – ditch the bag. Likening the demise of the plastic bag to getting cigarettes out of restaurants, Merc Editors offer it could be increasingly painful to keep the bag (along with (possible) federal sanctions).

Earthquakes/A’s owner Lew Wolff isn’t caught by surprise often so when Soccer Silicon Valley President Don Gagliardi rattled off SSV’s good deeds even Wolff was impressed according to the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. State Senator Joe Simitian and San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos will be in San Jose to discuss State reform with Joint Ventures Silicon Valley and the American Leadership Forum.

San Jose Insider/San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio was not happy with his colleagues last week when they ignored his request to kill a “Shared Room Occupancy” proposal in his neighborhood. Watch Dog is hopeful Oliverio meant “Single Room Occupancy” in his collegial spanking.

Mission City Lantern slaps a favorite, Jamie McLeod, and celebrates a win by the San Francisco/(future Santa Clara?) 49ers.

Protect San Jose's Tuesday numbers guy, Ed Rast, wasn't up and running by post time, the Friday forum landed two comments over the weekend.

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.31.09: Farewell to August Edition...

High-Speed Rail talks to Union Pacific… The recent judicial smack down has dueling rail advocates chatting. Rod Diridon, Sr. hopes the final ruling from the judge is a request for “remedial action” and not a death knell. High-Speed Railers complain this is a stalling tactic by Union PacificaP as they up the ante.

Whoops! Before Silicon Valley’s former HP CEO Carly Fiorina can go after Senator Barbara Boxer she needs to spin (illegal) sales to Iran. The usual “I dunno” isn’t likely to work, Democratic Party Chair John Burton scoffed at the suggestion saying “...it’s always somebody else’s fault...” As to reports of Fiorina’s previous lack of interest in civic engagement, it probably wouldn’t hurt if Fiorina’s spokesperson didn’t have to say “…she regrets not voting...”

After 36 years in the Oak Grove School District, including 10 as Superintendent, Manny Barbara is off to the non-profit world. Unlike other superintendents' departures, Barbara’s leaving pulled at the heartstrings of everyone he touched.

Morgan Hill Unified Schools are celebrating. A $25 million federal grant means solar panels on two schools – no word (yet) about where the remaining $24.5 million (give or take) goes…

That thud heard in Gilroy and at the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) was the report from the County Office of Education asking District Attorney Dolores Carr to investigate “…apparent illegal fiscal practices and misappropriation of funds...” MACSA’s interim CEO, Maria Elena De La Garza says they are (now) in the midst of 100% change in leadership, closing their charter schools, and letting someone else do the books. We know some folks that are probably not excited about a prolonged investigation...

San Jose is hoping the new San Jose Parks Foundation (a la Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy) will pay for programs and playgrounds. Councilmember Nora Campos said it’s a great direction and it should keep “…kids off the streets and safe and feeling productive in society...”

Gruesome Economy + Panicked Homeowners = An “Overwhelmed” Tax Assessor Larry Stone

For a personal tale of panicked homeowners, turn to the Merc’s Scott Herhold who follows Mountain View’s Lisa Burns through the nightmarish Making Home Affordable and 2 cents that nearly cost her a home.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG... what a name!) had some cheery weekend news for San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed… They’re coming… Roughly 400,000 new residents over the next quarter century. Reed promises San Jose’s sprawly past doesn’t portend its future.

Less than a month after surgery San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant will hit the stage for Scott and Shannon Guggenheim’s (re)opening of the Retro Dome. The Merc’s Sal Pizarro also reports Arts Council CEO Bruce Davis is giddy over Adobe grants, Evergreen’s Samantha Worrall “…Has Talent” and lawyers from Robinson & Wood (along with co-workers) traded briefs for paint buckets at Sacred Heart Nativity School. On a final note, it’s goodbye COMPAC hello ChamberPAC.

San Jose Police busted David Conklin for lacing baby food with powdered aspirin – then sticking it back on shelves at CVS and Walgreens. The Police want to hear from you if you think you may have found contaminated baby food call 911 or the San Jose Police at 408-277-8900.

Morning News Round-Up – 6.29.09: Council raises meet economic reality...

San Jose’s “huge sucking sound” comes from resident dollars landing outside San Jose according to Councilmember Sam Liccardo. To fix it San Jose had a dream of North San Jose becoming a second downtown – those dreams are now turning into visions of a McCarthy Ranch redux.

Gilroy Councilmember Craig Gartman has asked colleagues to ditch their $64,000 medical benefits in exchange for a council/mayoral raise. The part-time Councilmembers will consider their 106% raise while they ask police and fire unions to take a 15% paycut. Colleague Dion Bracco doubts the lost medical benefits will be gone for more than a year calling the move whimsical, self-serving tricky politics.

Also on the frontlines of salary wars...

San Jose Downtown Association President Scott Knies and Councilmember Nora Campos engaged in a salary throwdown. Campos wants to know if Knies really really got a 19% city pay raise. Knies salary is listed on city payrolls at $134,399 and in a report from the non-profit at $68,916. $134k + $69k = $203,000, could it be…

Our Sister Blog, Watch Dog San Mateo shares this cross over story… East Palo Alto’s Housing Director Wilbert Lee called the ongoing vandalism at the Courtyard at Bay Road unforeseen. Wheelchair bound Arnold Hart complains he can’t get in, carpets used as toilets and a crowbar modified elevator are a few of the problems giving San Jose’s Community Housing a headache.

Interim Santa Clara County Executive Gary Graves is sucking it up. although disappointed by the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Smith. Graves says “sitting in the executive chair is a whole different ballgame.” Smith said negotiations on take home pay are in the works, the last exec took home $292,000.

Gilroy’s tale of fence wars made the big time… Mercury News curmudgeon Scott Herhold heard from home invasion survivor when Chris Cote launched email to Herhold with his side of fence wars. Like Herhold, Watch Dog is sympathetic with Cote but thinks there has to be a better way than razor wire.

(Former) County Counsel/US Deputy Assistant District Attorney General Ann Ravel attended her own “wake” according to the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. Pizarro had a busy week including Falcons, interesting hands, and Teddy Bear Clinics. Los Lupenos is looking for alumni, email Barbara Perez Diaz lupenos40th@ix.netcom.com.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs entertains with various mini-soaps…

• Where was “No-Show Ngyuen” during San Jose City Council budget discussions? IA thinks the absences were a sign of avoiding contentious labor votes. IA sends props to council colleague Judy Chirco for donning a hat and joining discussions in spite of chemotherapy. San Jose Insider’s joined in via Rants and Raves…
  
• Supervisorial candidate Teresa Alvarado shot a “snarky” email to IA with a huffy retort to the implication that she and opponent Rosemary Kamei the same constituency.
  
• The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office anxiously awaits a report from (retired) Superior Court Judge/(former) Prosecutor William F. Martin about a “trove of some 3,300 tapes” of sexual assault medical exams. The DA’s hope they got their stories straight for the judge…
  

Los Gatos Planning Commissioners delayed a decision on creekside storage asking Extra Space to come back in August with a bigger parking lot and a shorter building. Extra Space’s Scott Wyckoff offered there would be “no significant” environmental impact and the 3 story storage facility would be “gorgeous.” No doubt a big parking lot will help with the aesthetics.

The Merc’s Mr. Roadshow (aka, Gary Richards) got the dish from the California Highway Patrol that 200,000 hands free scofflaws have been busted.

Sad news from Santa Teresa County Park, a woman was found dead on the trail by another hiker. No word if County budget woes (and a lack of park oversight) had anything to do with her death.

Today marks 2 weeks since San Jose Revealed ditched blogging for pneumonia. Could it be Revealed has ditched blogging or just ditched the moniker? Give up on all that good will, nah… Mission City Lantern suggests Revealed has headed for fashion world or maybe a Sanford like liaison.

Arrests, Task Forces and Video-gate.... Oh, My!

(in a Spader-free zone...)

“Thin-skinned” filmmaker/San Jose Police Officers Association President Bobby Lopez continued his media attack with an opinion piece in the Merc. (Followed closely by (another) Herhold piece on Lopez today.) In Lopez’ piece, he repeated his assertion that “patience is wearing thin” is a “serious attempt to threaten and intimidate the City Council.”

While the POA’s video may defy explanation… the entire ordeal calls for a recap of how we got where we are today…

October 2008: Latino + San Jose = Drunk Arrest?

• The Merc. broke the story that San Jose arrests for “drunk in public” outpaced all other California cities with a historic review of San Jose’s ongoing problems with “attitude” arrests.
• Then Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard said she didn’t understand why San Jose’s arrests were “so much higher than everyone else.” Mayor Chuck Reed (awkwardly) explained that “it’s a socio-economic problem.”
• Councilmember Nora Campos proposes amending a State law to ensure intoxication arrests are used uniformly and not left to the“interpretation of individual municipalities."
• La Raza Roundtable leader Victor Garza called on Mayor Chuck Reed and Police Chief Rob Davis to “reduce these arrests and stop criminalizing Latinos.”

November 2008: Houston, we got a problem…

• The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (as if they have any say in this issue…) unanimously ordered a review of public intoxication arrests, at the request of outgoing Supervisor Blanca Alvarado.
• Councilmember Sam Liccardo called for a wide range of options including a sobering center and data on arrestees.
• Mayor Chuck Reed said the Council would see if problems needed to be handled better and they would not “dodge the ethnicity question.”
• Mayor Reed and Councilmember Nora Campos join forces to create the (obvious solution) Public Intoxication Task Force. Councilmember Liccardo expressed doubt the Task Force was the best idea…

December 2008: Data? What data?

• Police Chief Rob Davis was surprised to learn the data didn’t support his assertions on San Jose’s drunk Latino arrest rates…
• Mayor Reed, data wonk at heart, said “It’s pretty clear to me that we have some problems that need to be fixed.”
• (Soon-to-be-former) Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard’s recommendation to use Breathalyzers was implemented.

January 2009: Task Forces…where good ideas go to die…

• The Drunk Task Force had its first meeting. Silicon Valley Democratic Forum’s Pete Carrillo allowed there could be a reason 57% of those arrested were Latino “but, I haven’t heard it.”
• De-Bug/Really Scary/San Jose Inside’s Raj Jayadev expressed belief the Task Force needs only will power to create reform. Oh, support and authority wouldn’t hurt either.
• The Drunk Task Force and City of San Jose staff squabble over the relevance of history, having forgotten “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it…”

February 2009: Campos to the rescue…

• Councilmember Nora Campos went to Sacramento to call for changes to drunk arrest laws while the Latino Forum’s Pete Carrillo expressed the belief of a “credibility and trust issue.”
• The Merc’s Editorial Board calls on the San Jose Police Department to release reports on drunk arrests in support of Councilmember Nora Campos’ records request.

March 2009: Task Force slow death begins…

• Early in the month, ACLU Leader Skyler Porras said “there is no point in sitting at the table to combat the symptoms without getting at the disease.”
• The other shoe fell as the Task Force was ditched in favor of the (Police Chief-selected) Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity.
• De-Bug/San Jose Inside’s Raj Jayadev teamed up with Task Force colleague Raul Colunga to suggest the Task Force change its name to “Task Force of the Humored.”

April 2009: Flipping the bird…

• The Task Force gives a (figurative) finger to the City of San Jose

May 2009: Going, going, gone…

• Seven members of the Public Intoxication Task Force resign in protest, the day before their final meeting leaving the final meeting to conclude with 70% of the community members gone.
• The Merc’s Editorial Board calls on the city to repair the rift with the Task Force.

June 2009: Old recommendations and YouTube…

• Recommendations from what was left of the Task Force were presented to City Council among them Breathalyzers (December), sobering center (October), documenting arrests (really?), and enhanced training for officers.
• Video-Gate… (YouTube is still waiting...)

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 – 6.5.09: Children in jail, again...

Severely mentally ill, a child was booked into Juvenile Hall days after his 11th birthday, nearly a year ago. Not the first time a young child was tossed in the Santa Clara pokey, this child’s case is now being heard by Judge Paul Bernal. The child’s court appointed attorney David Avila said there’s no easy answer for questions of youth competency but didn't say he'd get the child better accomodations.

A short, scathing editorial in the Merc calls on Mayor Chuck Reed to stick to his “principles... his inclination toward sunshine in government” and allow the release of the Daniel Pham 911 tapes.

Sheriff Laurie Smith demoted Deputy James Council who killed two cyclists after falling asleep at the wheel. Karen Clarkson, Mother of Olympic hopeful Kristy Gough, was happy Council would no longer be behind the wheel. Council lost his 10 year old sister in a car accident and is said to be deeply remorseful, in spite of two previous drunk driving counts and a conviction for racing in Los Angeles.

Fence-gate is over. Monte Sereno has been ordered to pay $1 in compensatory damages – and could be liable for Joe Padgett’s legal fees, (now) estimated at over $2 million. Yikes.

San Jose Councilmembers/pension fund trustees Sam Liccardo and Rose Herrera called on fellow trustees to ditch “due diligence” trips except under “extraordinary” circumstances. City Finance Director Scott Johnson agreed. The rest of the trustees decided to keep travel alive and a split board will talk again at their next meeting when trustee/police officer Conrad Taylor shows up for the vote.

Campbell’s Brad Imamura was pissed about Psycho Donuts and got in touch with his elected officials to complain. The end result was a donut free mental health workshop. Councilmember Dan Furtado said his hands were tied and he’s unable to force a name change on the Psychos enjoying their 15 minutes.

Olivia Soza-Mendiola, Mexican American Community Services Agency CEO, wrote “it is with a heavy heart… MACSA is electing to relinquish the El Portal Charter Petition.” Superintendent Deborah Flores and the trustees said they welcome future collaboration and input from MACSA – they didn’t say, as long as MACSA didn’t do the banking. No word yet about MACSA’s San Jose embezzlement problems or the District Attorney’s decisions…

Facing a $6 million deficit, Mountain View’s city council cut park/street maintenance, code enforcement, public works staff and library services to the tune of $4 million. Councilmember Laura Macias proposed a $3 charge to non-residents using Shoreline park while Councilmember Mike Kasperzak fretted no one would drive there if the charge were in place.

High Speed Rail Authority boardmember Rod Diridon, Sr. says a reversal by the board could make HSR eligible for federal stimulus dollars. Diridon said the Bay Area would be “giving away billions of dollars,” without the switch.

Just as there’s a tiny bit of economic sunshine, commuters get hit with continuing news about fare hikes and service cuts. VTA Chair Dolly Sandoval is hoping for good economic news quick or “we will be in for more pain.”

NASA and the Navy won’t say they can’t agree, just that discussions over how and who pays for re-skinning the toxic Hangar One are a “struggle” and have “slowed.” Seems no one wants the $15 million plus restoration responsibility.

Google hosted Mountain View’s meeting on the future of the city, NASA and Microsoft were there to pitch ideas for Mountain View’s future. Google construction manager said “there is no land to build on… the only way to go is up.” Oh, and Mayor Reed, Mountain View’s planning director thinks they’re the “Capital of Silicon Valley.”

Assemblymember Anna Caballero is angling for promotion to State Senate. Ready to take her seat are Gilroy Unified School District trustee Francisco Dominguez, political consultant/(Caballero) campaign manager Rick Rivas, Watsonville Councilman Luis Alejo, San Benito County Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz, and Hollister Mayor Eugenia Sanchez from going after Caballero’s seat next year.

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro shares the news that San Jose’s own great speller, Ramya Auroprem, hits the stage in the Rep’s Spelling Bee. Pizarro can be found tonight at San Jose’s SubZero festival where the public voted to see San Jose’s Mayor, city council and police chief hit the dunk tank. No word if Pizarro will needing a post-dunk towel.

Sports Fan/Merc columnist Mark Purdy points an accusing finger at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for bickering over the fate of the County Fairgrounds. Purdy asks if an intimate music hall attached to a new off-track betting venue might save the crumbling fairgrounds.

Watch Dog plans to ditch the real world Saturday and hit the 3rd Annual Silicon Valley Soap Box Derby in Mountain View. As many as 40 Silicon Valley kids will compete for a chance to head to Akron, Ohio for nationals. Mountain View Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga and Palo Alto Councilmember Yiaway Yeh will be racing against Mayor’s Cup reigning champion/VTA Chair Dolly Sandoval.

Morgan Hill celebrates the grand opening of the West Little Llagas Creek bike/pedestrian path. Mayor Steve Tate said “it’s a natural coupling of passive recreation” with a needed public facility.

San Jose police have released the image of a man seen just before the city’s 10th murder of the year. Juan Mendoza was shot in early May, if you know the hoody wearing suspect, contact Detective Sergeants Tony Mata or Pete Ramirez of the San Jose Police Department, Homicide Unit, at (408) 277-5283.

San Jose Inside provides more details on San Jose’s consideration of Instant Runoff Voting. An open discussion moderated by San Jose State Professor Terry Christensen follows the Elections Commission discussion next week.

San Jose Revealed makes analogies between the slow demise of Mercury News and the Titanic as well as “the death rattle of the Third Reich,” while congratulating themselves for “scooping” Internal Affairs on the (yawn) news that Councilmember Nora Campos seeks to fill Assemblymember Joe Coto’s shoes.

San Jose Revealed’s review of San Jose’s city council agenda gives us

• The continued ceremonial item race.
• San Jose rents an old police building.
• Pay cuts on tap.
• Giving Tom McEnenry “conniptions”

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.

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.1.09: Football season begins early...

It is almost professional football season... at least in Santa Clara it is. The Merc’s Editorial Board offers an opinion on the (Santa Clara) 49ers – let the voters chime in. Santa Clara Unified School District Superintendent Steve Stavis is on board and sent a note to Mayor Patricia Mahan that included mention of $141 million for schools if the 49ers make their new home here… At the same time, Santa Clara City Manager Jennifer Sparacino says the proposed stadium will result in “excellent economic development.”

Calling San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis’ “just say no” policy to public requests for the 911 tapes “inflexible” the Merc’s Editorial Board also says it's bad policy. They call on the Chief to release the tapes from the death of Daniel Pham. Very Herholdian of the Editorial Board...

The economic meltdown could bring benefits to San Jose development projects. Councilmembers Sam Liccardo and Nora Campos are teaming up to support lowered fees for Mesa Development’s 360 Residences. According to Campos the biggest risk is “failing to support projects” ready for prime time.

The Campos Crew was elsewhere in the news over the weekend too...

• Mr. Insurance, otherwise known as Assemblymember Joe Coto, is handing his lucrative reins to San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos. According to the Merc’s Internal Affairs, Campos should officially announce that she is running for Assembly today. San Jose Revealed dished last week on the (un)surprising news…
• Councilmemer Nora Campos’ brother Planning Commissioner/Council hopeful Xavier Campos’ involvement in multiple “scandalous” events.
  

Assemblymember Joe Coto is focusing his legislation on the hyper-local. Legislation changing elections for the Santa Clara Valley Water District is on tap for Assemblymembers. Water District Director Rosemary Kamei calls it a good idea and says it will ensure South County of representation.

The Merc’s Man About Town, Sal Pizarro, didn’t offer to help the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Cathy Kimball with her dunk tank. But, he does ask you to offer names for the ICA’s buck a dunk fun during the SubZero Festival… Pizarro hopes you’ll head to the Fairmont for dinner with Cisco’s John Chambers and (former) Foothill-DeAnza Chancellor/D.C.-bound Martha Kanter.

San Jose brothers Kulbir and Amirtpal Dhaliwal walk away with $900,000, Carlos Sousa, Jr. and Tatiana lost their lives. The Merc’s Scott Herhold says the boys aren’t angels but the San Francisco Zoo got off easy.

Mountain View Police ended a Shoreline concert early when fighting broke out and 6 people were stabbed. None of the victims appears to have life threatening injuries.

The perv following sisters on their way to school was busted. Seems Armando Sanchez is already a convicted sex offender.

And the understatement of the day... schools in Mountain View and Los Altos didn’t do too badly in the states new API rankings.

San Jose Inside gets a giggle out of a Tesla recall…

Here to inform, the Merc’s Government Watch…

• The budget is top news for City Councils in Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, along with Fremont Union High School, Palo Alto Unified School District, and San Jose Unified School District
• Milpitas Councilmembers discuss a proposal from Vice Mayor Pete McHugh for an un-layoff of full-time City employees.
• San Jose’s City Council considers keeping/cutting their pay and hears recommendations from the (decimated) Drunk Task Force.
• San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee talks to the Merc about release of the Daniel Pham/911 tapes.
• Santa Clara County Office of Education talks school safety and charter schools.