Morning News Round-Up -- 1.15.10: It is officially official for Candidate Campbell...

Good Friday to you all...

Almaden's Tom Campbell made it officially official yesterday -- and also successfully turned a one day news story into three -- when he made the jump from the Governor'$ to the race for US Senate. We can only hope for Carly Fiorina's sake that she is having serious cramming sessions on issues because there is no one that knows more about more stuff than Tom Campbell.

And the man Tom Campbell won't replace -- Governor Schwarzenegger -- was in town yesterday. If you missed it, it's because the sound of a lame duck is often quiet...

There is an awesome story about one of SJPD's finest in today's Merc. Darrell Cortez, who is about to retire from the force next week, saved a woman's life who was hanging from a tree. Thank you Officer Cortez.

The controversy about pot clubs is no longer just in Gilroy, but also in San Jose. Thanks to the Metro/ San Jose Inside, we know what's up. Here is the issue in planning/code enforcement-speak to "clarify":

“If it is determined that these businesses are dispensing medical marijuana/cannabis for a fee, which is neither permitted or a conditional use under the City of San Jose’s Zoning Ordinance, Code Enforcement Division staff intends to issue compliance orders to both the property owner and business owner requiring that the unpermitted businesses cease operating within 30 days.”

Speaking of permits... sort of: One of the biggest air polluters in Silicon Valley, Cupertino's Lehigh Cement Plant, permit renewal is put on hold because of new regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are expected in June. The plant will wait for those new rules and adjust accordingly. Interesting in this article is that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is "...evaluating and responding to a deluge of public comments regarding the permit..." We bet.

The San Jose mom whose car was repo'ed with her kid in the back seat is getting help from Merc. readers... and from across the country. Folks really want her to keep her 2000 green Honda Accord.

The Campbell Union School District has named a new Superintendent that will take over mid-year on February 1st. Welcome to Silicon Valley Eric Andrew... Watch Dog thinks it is probably a good time to become a Superintendent because the economic forecast and school funding could only get better... right?

Milpitas politics is an animal unto itself. This year's contest for Mayor will feature two folks whose names you probably recognize: Milpitas Councilmember/ former Supervisor/ former Milpitas Mayor Primo McHugh and Milpitas Councilmember/ former Supervisorial candidate Jose Esteves... oh, and Councilwoman Debbie Giordano might jump in on Monday too. Watch Dog will try to keep an eye on this race for y'all because politics can get nasty in the big M.

You can add Morgan Hill (and Gilroy) to the communities concerns about California High Speed Rail's route into Silicon Valley. (Remember Mayor Chuck Reed, et al sent a letter about HSR's approach into downtown San Jose last week...) Morgan Hill is concerned because it may mean a loss of soccer fields...

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.2.09: Coolest Mayor in Silicon Valley Award...

West Valley cities are all the rage today... giving the SJPD a well-deserved break. Cupertino has a majority Asian-American City Council with Gilbert Wong taking the center seat on the dais and Campbell has "one of the youngest gay and youngest Asian American mayors in the country" according to the Chronicle (Evan Low). Watch Dog will refer to him as the coolest Mayor in Silicon Valley. (No offense Chuck...)

And while SJPD (and the District Attorney) get a break today, loyal reader Kathleen posted this in the comments of yesterday's Round-Up: how to have your voice heard with the Consortium looking into San Jose Police practices as well as the search for the new "Independent" Police Auditor...

San Jose's City Clerk's office is entering the year 2000 with some real technological advances. The City Council decided yesterday to mandate Council candidates file online. That should make the filings for the City Council races in 2002 so easy to access...

The Merc Editorial Board gives a thumbs up to Alviso, and provides us all with an Alviso 101 with this:

Alviso is a small town uncomfortably annexed to San Jose but separate from the rest of the city and little changed through the years.

Really? You mean Vahl's hasn't changed through the years?

Mountain View is looking to head off the easy-to-predict NIMBYism about a downtown affordable housing development they are subsidizing to the tune of $9 million. Interesting that they should be concerned about that because the developer of the project, ROEM Development Corp, has had its problems with neighbors...

Good thing they have a new Police Chief, because the riff-raff are on their way to Palo Alto for the opening of PA's first Trader Joe's on Friday. Bad Hawaiian shirt sales are through the roof...

Perhaps the new revenue from the Trader Joe's will help fill a gap a budget manager in Palo Alto that mistakenly caused a $4.8 million accounting error in this year's budget. That manager, Sharon Bozman, was not mentioned by name at the meeting where Palo Alto officials continued to grapple with the gigantic budget hole -- but the complete revamping of the budget process in Palo Alto was a pretty good indication that she isn't welcome back anytime soon. Rumors that Palo Alto is now interviewing former Enron executives to fill the budget management role are unfounded...

And while Palo Alto looks to improve its budget process, Los Gatos is leaving their traffic patrol to a group of elementary school students from Van Meter Elementary... seriously. They are tracking traffic violations near their school. Thank you Los Gatos Observer.

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.10.09: A day without Dolores Carr...

A day without Dolores Carr news is like a San Jose day without (politically damaged and ethically challenged) sunshine...

Gilroy Councilmember Craig Gartman’s wrangling with opponents over Gilroy’s Memorial Day Parade financial records has landed him in the sights of District Attorney Dolores Carr.

The District Attorney hoped to take the nearly $2 million contract away from FACES to create a “more efficient” victim support agency. It looks like the Supervisors don’t agree with Carr’s “baffling” argument... this year.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold says that even though the District Attorney’s “series of blunders” has “wounded” her, it’s doubtful a serious opponent will challenge her re-election. That doesn't stop Herhold from dishing about who might be on the anti-Carr list: Deputy DA/former Mayoral candidate David Pandori, Deputy DA/former La Raza President Chris Arriola, San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo, and Deputy DA Jeff Rosen.

To other news...

It looks like there may be 10 contestants for Palo Alto’s 5 City Council seats. Sole incumbent Larry Klein no doubt hopes he’ll be heard through the fray. Further south, Mark Santoro, elected to replace Patrick Kwok in 2008, isn’t waiting until his term is up in 2009 and has tossed his hat in the ring for one of Cupertino’s open seats.

Ted Scarlett lost in his bid to replace Forest Williams as a San Jose Councilmember, then he fouled up on campaign disclosures. More than a year later he faces fines for poor reporting…

Santa Clara County’s juvenile “boot camp” is now a homey ranch that Barry Krisberg, President of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, hopes will no longer be a “conveyor belt to prison.”

The Merc’s Internal Affairs had some fun last week rounding up these juicy bits…

• Someone at San Jose City Hall reads Watch Dog… Deputy Finance Director Walter Rossmann announced fired Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard’s underwater condo is up for rent.
• San Jose City Council’s do-over vote for a library landed winners and losers, apparently. Managing to straddle the fence Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilmember Rose Herrera with a little success and a little flop.
• District Attorney Dolores Carr reports hubby John’s only problem was security consultant for Vahid Hosseini’s family. Meanwhile, Judge Kenneth Shapero ordered Carr’s office to handover hundreds of page of paperwork to the defense. This story isn't going away... for proof, see the top three stories of today's Round-Up.
• Those fun-filled Jerry Springer Town Hall meetings taking place across the nation as Congressmembers return home won’t be seen in Silicon Valley. Congressmembers Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren are holding telephone Town Halls and Eshoo will be at a high-speed rail meeting.

The Merc Editorial Board has joined the Tooth Fairy in support of fluoridating San Jose’s water. Senator Dianne Feinstein is also the focus of an Editorial Board commentary as they ask her to help Congressmembers Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren turn Mount Um into the Mount Tam of the South.

Happy Hollow Park wasn’t so happy Sunday night when a kid was shot, he’s in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

San Jose Insider Pete Campbell treads into dangerous territory comparing San Jose’s much beloved Cesar Chavez to (Pete Constant's friends) the Minutemen of Southern California.

For your governmental readership enjoyment…

• Sunnyvale City Council talks gas shutoff – for appliances, seriously.
• San Jose City Council considers adding sunshine to campaign finance and hears from the (neutered) Independent Police Auditor.
• San Jose’s Elections Commission ponders anonymous complaints, instant runoff voting, and (the above-mentioned) Ted Scarlett’s pesky filing problems.
• Santa Clara’s Parks and Recreation Commission review’s inventory and amenities at Brachler Park.
• The Mountain View-Los Altos School District looks at a school bond next June.
• The Los Gatos Union School District retreats to review goals and strategize.
• Beleagured/tiny Luther Burbank School District considers (again) their response to grand jury reports and ponders the budget.
• Santa Clara County Office of Education Trustees look at adding Federal Stimulus bucks to the budget.
• Alum Rock Union School District looks at after school programs along with speech and language.
• The Campbell Union School District considers studying a general obligation bond and gets an update to the State budget.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.27.09: DA Conflicts and Blogwars Edition...

Poor District Attorney Dolores Carr. Even the Mercury News Editorial Board is slamming her poor judgement in having both sides of the marital bed working the case of Vahid Hosseini's murder... She as the DA, and her husband as a security consultant to the victim's family. DA Carr did respond on person via a Letter to the Editor... Watch Dog thinks it will take a bit more than a Letter to the Editor to get away from this controversy. (We also have to wonder whether this significant slip up has some folks thinking of unseating the incumbent...)

Blogwars that were launched on Friday created lots of blog-buzz over the weekend. The most recent chapter in this fun-fest started when San Jose Inside posted "Team Chavez, Revealed" 'outing' San Jose Revealed's author. San Jose Revealed responded (twice) over the weekend. Mission City Lantern continues its commentary on the subject... Phil Bump (fingered by Inside) denies the accusation on his own site. Commenters are busy typing away on all sites. (The Mercury News also found its way online to write a piece about the blogwar...)

On an (un)related topic -- it was all about the Chamber of Commerce this weekend in the local paper: Pat Dando, the Chamber CEO, called for a re-vote on a library project in San Jose. We also learned that another Pat (Sausedo) will be going "in-house" at the Chamber of Commerce as VP.

Former San Jose Planning Commissioner Randi Kinman is elated that the "blight"-inducing baseball safety net is coming down from San Jose City College's field. A tiny problem like violations to the Environmental Impact Report had Trustees voting unanimously to dump the project -- even after sinking $2 million into the project. Another quarter million is required to undo the safety net...

Campbell Union and Mountain View-Whisman are now entering the rarified air of "basic aid" schools districts. Even though they rely on their own property taxes to funds schools, the State loves their money just as much as it loves every other school districts' money...

The Merc's Patty Fisher toured an empty Santa Clara County Children's Shelter. 14 years after opening, the center changes its mission from destination to way station as children find temporary homes with friends and family.

The Merc's Scott Herhold takes a look at the Billy DeFrank Center's new interim CEO Paul Wysocki.