Morning News Round-Up -- 8.28.09: The Detroit of the Bay Area?

It’s official, Toyota walks away from Fremont after 25 years. That is a heck of a year for Fremont, losing a professional baseball team AND a massive automobile manufacturing plant. We'd call them the Detroit of the Bay Area, but Detroit has a baseball team. Perhaps casinos would be a nice addition...

Things took a turn towards ugly at meetings for San Jose’s pension systems this week. Current and future retiree’s attacked the Canadian consultant’s proposal to create an independent board while non-governmental folks attacked worker pensions. “Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic...” was the accusation of tech retiree Jerry Mungai. Oddly, the pissing match at the actual meetings sounded a lot nastier than the joint post from the Police Officers and Firefighter union heads this week on Protect San Jose where Bobby Lopez and Randy Sekany offered this: "We’re always open to listening and talking about ways to improve things."

We hope the anti-High Speed Rail/ NIMBY celebrants are enjoying their party. One downside the court's ruling this week questioning the EIR of High-Speed Rail, which the NIMBY's love, is that Caltrain electrification could be delayed or defuned... buzz kill, man.

The Civil Grand Jury took a swipe at San Jose in June for cost increases at the Los Lagos Golf Course. San Jose responded this week saying an unexpected increase in construction costs was the problem.

Wanna catch up with the Merc’s Sal Pizarro? Sounds like he’ll be at the grand (re)opening of San Jose’s 101 year old Carnegie Library following the $9 million overhaul.

Speaking of openings... the Merc’s Scott Herhold munched on shrimp and sipped champagne while San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo channeled Will Rogers at the opening of San Jose’s newest downtown attraction: a grocery store in a downtown high-rise condo building.

Don’t be dumping your garbage in San Jose’s Hoffman Via Monte neighborhood. The neighbors voted to keep their no-warning-big-fine penalty in place for the idiots tossing beds on sidewalks.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stopped by San Jose to see those federal stimulus dollars start trickling in this week for the Lower Silver Creek flood control project.

It’s Barry Swenson Friday… First up, pissed off Cupertinites found the ad-hoc parking lot for as many as 50 construction vehicles offensive... A few calls to Cupertino City officials later, Swenson was in hot water. Next, the Watch Dog formula of the day:

• Prime Development Land + High Housing Prices = Goodbye Palo Alto Bowl

Was Mountain View pissed they weren’t called kid friendly and San Jose was? Maybe. This week the City bulldozed a 20 year old make-shift BMX park called “Creek Trails” by local dirt bikers. City Attorney Michael Martello (the biggest downer of them all) ‘fessed up it was his idea saying it was “…one of the times where you hate to be an adult...” but it was a lawsuit that caused San Jose’s $8 million got the bull-dozers rolling.

Palo Alto Mayor Peter Drekmeier will host a forum organized by the faith community and Penny Barrett to help grown-ups figure out how to help fix the teen suicide problem. The Merc’s Editorial Board adds their voice supporting the County’s call for more work.

Mountain View Councilmembers agree with the Santa Clara Valley Water District and McKelvey Park is headed for a flood protection/ baseball field of dreams. Councilmember Laura Macias stayed out of the conversation as colleagues called it a win-win.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.14.09: Bastille Day Edition...

Bon jour...

Third times a charm. Or so hopes the City of San Jose about the latest attempt to re-tool the Mexican Heritage Plaza. The Committee formed for the turn-around includes a mix of personalities, including a former non-profit CEO and people who pledge $1,000 per year of membership.

With roughly 2,200 acres on the Bay up for grabs next to San Jose’s sewage treatment plant, the battle over development versus wildlife should be a fun one to watch. (But development next to a sewage treatment plant doesn't really pass the smell test, does it?)

San Jose’s Assemblymember Joe Coto is no doubt breathing a deep sigh of relief after being dismissed from a lawsuit brought by the San Diego Minutemen. Coto and State Senator Gilbert Cedillo had been accused of conspiracy by the (racist) Minutemen.

Sporting aficionado Mark Purdy is rolling on the floor laughing at the Gavin Newsom spin which goes something like this… 49er's owners John and Jed York are too simple to understand the complexities of San Francisco’s offer. Purdy also dishes the annual Tour de French Fry is gearing up with Purdy taking bids for riders.

With a packed house of 57 residents wanting to talk groceries and so many needing to go to bed before the meeting ended, the Palo Alto City Council moved the JJ&F decision making to a later meeting, proving once again that Palo Alto is a sleepy town...

What won't be sleepy in Palo Alto is politics this Fall. Mayor Peter Drekmeier will NOT seek reelection, opening up the field for a free-for-all for Palo Alto's City Council in November. Stay tuned... 5 council seats are up for grabs with the only incumbent Councilmember Larry Klein running for re-election.

Diabetics have a new friend in Silicon Valley, an attorney. The Valley Medical Center has launched a first-in-the-nation program to help patients deal with work-related legal issues.

“…questionable characters with tow trucks..." The Merc’s Scott Herhold calls on (shy?) Commissioner Greg Saldivar to ditch his lawyer and take the stand in Gilroy’s Father/Son towing nightmare.

Another tiny school district contemplates its future. Tucked into the Santa Cruz Mountains the Lakeside School District has an arrangement with Campbell Union, an arrangement that could soon cost parents $5,000 per student. Maybe it is time to look at calls for consolidation…

It started as a Public Records Act request for the Morgan Hill Unified School District budget – it is (maybe) ending as a revamped budget. Trustee Shelle Thomas said she wasn’t sure the Board would support funding a more readable budget -- or perhaps the Board likes having budgets that are difficult for the public to understand...

The trial of (alleged) gang members in Gilroy is in a holding pattern while Superior Court Judge Teresa Guerrero-Daley waits for background information. The Metro provided some good background information is Jude Guerrero-Daley is interested...

Monte Serenans (including one pissed off former Mayor) hope to boot 3 Councilmembers for giving themselves $300 a month via a recall. (Targeted) Councilmember Lana Malloy said it was tough to identify “…what the motivation might be for something so silly...”

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.27.09: Practice, Practice, Practice...

Is there a more fun guy to watch operate than Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff? He is like a microphone magnet. A few weeks ago, he tells Oakland 'thanks, but no thanks' for their renewed interest in keeping the team. (It was quite a statement. If you haven't read it -- Ms. Heffner over at the Baseball San Jose blog has it.) Then yesterday, Wolff was the speaker at a San Francisco luncheon and moved the ball down the field a bit (sorry to mix sports metaphors): expressing his desire to move the team to San Jose, the City's efforts so far to get the land, and what Major League Baseball's role in the deal would be -- including dealing with those pesky Giants. (Like in Chicago's northside, hope springs eternal for baseball in San Jose...)

Congratulations Santa Clara County, you locked up a 10 year old. Judge Patrick Tondreau, who made the decision, is said to be fuming and felt forced to put the kid in the pokey. Supervisor Dave Cortese is really pissed he had to hear about it from a reporter.

San Jose’s Police Department continues cultivating its reputation as a bad boy. San Jose is offering $360,000 to schizophrenic Kenneth Grason to end a Federal lawsuit alleging San Jose Police beat him up for wandering around San Jose Airport. City Attorney Rick Doyle said that while the settlement was “fairly large” it was better (less costly) than the alternative if they lost...(The City prefers to pay huge legal settlements directly to the County...)

Morgan Hill’s City Council faced a dozen pissed off coaches and parents. The coaches and parents convinced the Council to put off raising field usage fees until after a public meeting. Councilmember Larry Carr reminded the crowd there were “implications for the City budget.” Field usage fees are and increasing challenge for cities and school districts.
Valuable Assets (fields) + Economic Crisis (now) = Increased Usage Fees therefore
Increased Usage Fees = Pissed Off Parents/Coaches

Gilroy’s unions are not happy about the wage freeze handed down by the City Council this week. Police Officer Association President Mitch Madruga said that while the economy stinks it would be “irresponsible of the union to give up” their automatic raises before members have the chance to hear what the Council wants. Councilmember Perry Woodward said he was “relieved” the Council voted to stop the automatic raises. It sounds like this fight is not over.

An un-named San Jose man hooked up with a woman in cyberspace using MocoSpace. When they hooked up in the real world the woman and her friends beat him, stole his clothes, and his money before leaving him naked and dying along the Bethany Reservoir. He’ll survive, thanks to the fishermen who rescued him.

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro has a series of interesting bits including a tip that songbird Linda Ronstadt is headed to D.C. to sing for the Silicon Valley Arts Advocacy Day supper in front of Congress.

Councilmember Peter Drekmeier promised a green Palo Alto future. Part of the green Palo Alto future is banning plastic bags at grocery stores (over the objections of anti-enviro/former Assemblymember Manny Diaz). They are also bringing in local farmers to provide fresh, organic produce through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

Speaking of green…Palo Alto and Mountain View (along with San Mateo and San Mateo County) are getting green-bucks from the Feds to implement green job growth projects. Vice President Joe Biden said the dollars are meant to put people to work and cut energy use.

Sunnyvale Councilmember Melinda Hamilton asked California High Speed Rail leader Rod Diridon, Sr. to stick a stop in Sunnyvale. So much for the "High Speed" part of "High Speed Rail"...

San Jose Revealed was (apparently) impressed with the disclosure of Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino’s salary. So impressed that they bought the new version of Photoshop...Revealed dug up photos of everyone he could think of to give us a visual on how Guardino’s daily dollars stack up.

Gilroy’s Chamber Choir answered the age-old question: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?". They are headed to the Big Apple for an all-star performance there. Basketball star/singer Dylan Jensen admitted he didn’t start getting nervous until they started learning about the big voices who’d hit the stage at Carnegie before them.