Morning News Round-Up -- 3.26.10: Can you name the 1992 San Jose City Council?

A couple of days ago in the Palo Alto Daily News, there was a story about a Palo Alto City janitor who cashing out sick leave ($100k+) and retiring with a pension and benefits for life... well, the Merc must have seen that story and asked around San Jose City Hall if the same thing happens there. Guess what? It does. The total amount of sick leave cash outs in 2009 was $11.3 million, up from previous years. It is mostly to police officers and firefighters, who have unlimited (?) sick leave and vacation payouts when they are donPublish Poste with their stint with the City. The leader of the pack was a retiring deputy police chief who cashed in $305,447 of unpaid sick leave and vacation. Today's story also has a little history: "...But the presidents of the police and firefighters unions noted that city officials in 1992 gave them the unlimited sick-leave cash out benefit..." Ok all you old timers... We'll start the 1992 City Council list with Mayor Susan Hammer, David Pandori, Shirley Lewis, Pat Sausedo... can anyone out there name the rest?

(Not to be out-reported, the Palo Alto Weekly dives deep into how much 'cash outs' have cost Palo Alto... $5.3 million last year. We have no clue who was on the Palo Alto Council when those cash out decisions were made...)

The finalists for the now-high profile Independent Police Auditor's job in San Jose have been announced, even though the Merc caught wind of LaDoris Cordell's name prevoiusly. The other three:

• Jeff Schwartz, the head of Letra, a consulting firm that trains and researches law enforcement stuff,
• Marcos Soler, a director with the Research and Strategic Initiatives for the Civilian Complaint Review Board in NYC, and
• Victoria Urbi, a police review commission officer with Berkeley's civilian Police Review Commission.

Well, let's hope whomever gets the gig that they are not neutered like the last several IPAs have been... Because there's nothing a Watch Dog likes less than being neutered...

There is some closure to the sex with a student story in Santa Clara Unified. The Wilcox High School "special" education teacher Ed Slate will spend 2 years and 8 months for "...oral copulation with a minor, sexual penetration, and sodomy with a person younger than 18..."

While we are talking about schools, sort of... the County Office of Education is under the gun from "Alternative School" teachers and staff. The teachers are worried that by taking their concerns to the Board of Trustees, rather than the Superintendent Chuck Weis, that they may face retaliation...

No more classes, no more books, no more teachers dirty looks... at least for summer school. Morgan Hill closed summer school for the coming summer...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.22.10: Are you a Proprietary Member of Fremont Hills?

Two stories of local politicians ignoring folks in their own backyards in order to court voters in Orange County: Tom Campbell "assails" healthcare reform and Steve Poizner goes anti-immigration. We can't leave this part of the Campbell story alone: Campbell delivered his anti-healthcare speech at the Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills, a club that has... "...a total of 425 Proprietary Memberships, granting all members full privileges at the Club. All club memberships are by invitation only..." Oh, and an equestrian center. We can assume that zero of the owners of the 425 Proprietary Members goes without healthcare or finds it too expensive... But perhaps a neat follow-up story to this one (hint to Barbara Boxer's team) would be to see how many of the workers at the Fremont Country Club have health insurance...

The San Jose Independent Police Auditor search appears to be heading into its final stages (finally). And the Merc uncovered one of the finalists: former Judge and former Palo Alto Councilmember LaDoris Cordell. This cannot make law enforcement officials very pleased... which probably does make a whole bunch of other people very, very pleased. We guess no brothers or sisters of current police offices applied...

The Merc just can't get enough of the Happy Hollow Zoo opening... another story appeared this weekend.

Remember those fireworks that you used to love in downtown San Jose during the Fourth of July? Well, you can kiss them goodbye. Fil Maresca says the City's fees for the Police were too expensive. That's sort of what the Chamber of Commerce is saying about the Police as well -- at least their pensions...

Speaking of the Chamber...

The Chamber's political action committee, COMPAC, won a lawsuit and now the City of San Jose owes them $400,000+. Pat Dando can't help but gloat in the Merc's Internal Affairs.

Also Internal Affairs is something that was essentially lifted from San Jose Inside: one of the "also rans" in District 9 is both a Cortese and a karaoke genius...

Rounding-Up Internal Affairs this weekend, we learned Sunday that Steve Poizner shared a flight to the Southern California debate with Meg Whitman's press team. But more important than that are two more things that we learned that were embedded in the piece: 1. Whitman is flying a private jet (everywhere) and 2. the source of all things anti-Poizner that has appeared in Internal Affairs is Mary Anne Ostrom is working for Whitman now but used to work for the Merc. Hmmm... Debunking the myth that all reporters (and former reporters) are Democrats...

Attention Mr./Dr. County Executive: The Mercury News Editorial Board has a big problem with you and how you want to run the Valley Medical Center. Please report directly to the Principal's office for further instructions...

The Merc Editors have started their campaign endorsements. They start with Proposition 16 and recommend no.

There is a new blog in town... zzz...

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.5.09: Really, no pressure but...

Paris in Palo Alto courtesy of developers “…getting up there” is the goal for a revamped Lytton Plaza. Goodby “flying saucer” benches, hello game tables. Donor/Developer Le Levy used his two minute council time to sing a happy tune.

No singing here on day one of post vacation meetings...

Accusations of fraud and deceit erupted while emotions ran high during San Jose’s City Council do-over discussion of the Education Park Library quagmire. Former Public Defender/Councilmember Ash Kalra espoused expertise on steel subcontractors while declaring he had not been pressured by any group. For your reading pleasure, a steel subcontractor expert/lobbyist report from folks not pressuring Kalra. San Jose Inside has a take on the do-over, this time not relying solely on the Merc’s rendition.



Speaking of San Jose’s City Council…

Former Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard received a little more than the coffee & chocolate parting gift when San Jose’s City Council swapped her $250,000 loan for the condo deed yesterday. No word if they’re renting to the next IPA…

Liquid gold won’t be oil in the future, it’s water. Well under way to reusing wastewater is a $55 million pilot project with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Jose and Santa Clara hoping following in the footsteps of Orange County… Still, pretty high on the ick factor…

Really, Saratoga does want those Federal stimulus dollars… A documentation screw-up had Councilmember Howard Miller saying “Oops, we caused an ambiguity, let's throw this thing back out there,” talking about getting those shovel ready projects underway.

Gilroy’s City Council will be holding on to binding arbitration, for now. A contentious meeting ended with an unhappy Gilroy Chamber of Commerce CEO Susan Valenta sitting in the audience. Police Officer Association President Mitch Madruga previously accused the Chamber of “irrelevant flame-fanning.” Doubtful this battle is over…

Palo Alto’s homeless Council candidate had his (first) day in court fighting the city’s sit-lie ordinance. Victor Frost is hoping free speech and a heart condition let him keep his campaign on track.

Go green, save money and spend your travel bucks at home. HP and Cisco systems hope the crashing economy will help push video conferencing over the top.

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro bids a fond farewell to retiring Superior Court Judge Catherine Gallagher who’s now headed for a post-retirement mediation career at JAMS. Pizarro also dishes the Democratic glitterati were in full force at a fundraiser for Georgia Congressmember John Lewis hosted by his buddy Congressman Mike Honda.

A Silicon Valley staple since 1954, Lupretta’s Deli will be closing the doors in Saratoga’s Village. Daryle Lupretta is looking for new digs with a kitchen… and, lot’s of foot traffic. Watch Dog has paws crossed the ravioli’s reappear soon.

Around the blogosphere…

• Mission City Lantern lashes out against ‘Letters from Silicon Valley’
• San Jose Revealed remains incommunicado (complete with broken site – again), in spite of yesterday’s tempting San Jose City Council meeting…
• Kathleen Flynn issues a throwdown to advocates of open police records declaring on Protect San Jose “…read about the woman who murdered her child, ate her brain, tore her face off, and then tried to kill herself. I rest my case.” Watch Dog invites advocates on all sides to talk.
• San Jose Metblogger Matt Bruensteiner shares photos from his neighborhood National Night Out including cops as kiddy rockstars and tightrope walking Northsiders.

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 -- 5.11.09: A 'Hypocritical Grandstanding'-Free Zone...

Swine Flu mania persists as County officials review the results of this test to their pandemic plan. Outcome? Things could be better. County health officer Dr. Marty Fenstersheib bought a new gizmo to test your fluish samples but as of Friday there were still 800 untested samples. The “pandemic” never turned into a hospital filler but folks were scared.

Valley Transit Authority Board Chair Dolly Sandoval recommended her fellow Board members ditch their $200/month stipend. It won’t cover the $79 million gap but Sandoval hopes it will send “...a message that we are willing to step up...” This brings up the obvious question: VTA Board members get a stipend?

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed has declared a solution to keeping libraries open so the unemployed have computer access. City employees give up raises for the next year. According to Reed he, the City Manager, and all senior staff have given up pay raises. Of course, when you make almost $300,000 a year… This brings up the obvious question: Why are folks due pay-raises anyway? Hasn't the budget been a mess for years?

A’s/Earthquakes owner Lew Wolff will be asked to foot the bill for the new San Jose A’s baseball stadium. Tuesday the City Council will discuss details for negotiations and community outreach. Reminding neighbors to be part of the conversation, former neighborhood association president Harvey Darnell said stopping the ballpark won’t mean “...you’ll get nothing. You’ll still get a lot of something...”

The Merc’s Editorial Board calls on San Jose’s Mayor and City Council to repair the growing rift with the Drunk Task Force. The Merc also calls on the Consortium brought in to displace the Task Force to reach out to the communities that are most affected by this City/Community rift.

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce’s political arm, COMPAC, wasted no time filing a lawsuit against the City of San Jose. They’re pissed off about a $5,000 fine after a judge agreed with them there are no limits to free speech. (We hear Revealed furiously typing away now...)

Will the Independent Police Auditor with the shortest reign in history run for termed out Councilmember Judy Chirco’s seat? The Merc’s Internal Affairs wants to know. Chris Constantin is being coy but candidate Jim Cogan says Constantin isn’t a threat. (Watch Dog sort of said the same thing about Cogan a while back... much to Cogan's displeasure...)

Thanks to a Watch Dog tipster we learned… San Jose’s Assemblymember Joe Coto got press for working with the Greenlining Institute and the Florida Minority Community Reinvestment Coalition to get $30 million set aside as support for Hispanic run non-profits. (Hopefully not this Hispanic run non-profit...)

Internal Affairs also dishes Councilmember Nora Campos has her sights set on Sacramento, not the Mayor's seat...yet. Campos’ recent missteps over the too public former Mayor/lobbyist complaint, Independent Police Auditor, and tossing her Task Force baby under a bus may have helped make the decision.

Which brings us to the Merc’s Scott Herhold's column about Councilmember Campos. He takes time to dis San Jose Councilmember (and new Mom) Nora Campos on Mothers Day. Herhold doesn’t restrict himself to Campos and calls out Campos' staffers Ryan Ford and Rolando Bonilla for getting the boss noticed through “hypocritical grandstanding.”

San Jose Police shot and killed a young man in East San Jose Sunday morning as they responded to a domestic disturbance and he answered the door wielding a knife.

Gilroy Police busted three gang members for stabbing a 20 year old man during a Saturday afternoon gang fight. A fourth assailant is being sought, if you’ve got info call investigator Geoff Guerin of the Gilroy Police Department at 408-846-0650.

For all you Silicon Valley City Hall Watch Dogs, here’s where to get your fix this week:

• The San Jose City Council Chambers will be the site of baseball negotiation principles and how to talk to the community. (Oh, and that pesky budget problem is on tap as well.)
• San Jose’s Elections Commission will consider charging you for the privilege of complaining, campaign contribution limits, and anonymous filings...
• The Mountain View City Council talks about the Day Worker Center of Mountain View (the bigot’s of D.C. will be there as well)...
• The Santa Clara City Council talks dollars (or lack thereof)...
• In Sunnyvale, there’s a plan hatching to create City-generated email spam letting you know about public meetings. (Please include us...)

In your kids' schools this week…

• The Alum Rock Union School District considers small schools and how much to pay the interim Superintendent. (How about with savings from not having to pay the last one?)
• The Cupertino Union School District studies revised budgets. (Revised down, we guess...)
• Los Gatos Union School District talks union contracts. (Have fun...)
• The Mountain View-Los Altos High School District will consider laying off one teacher, and bringing back adult education...

Revealed adds to items of government watch interest in San Jose… (It must be nice to have interns to do this type of stuff for you Mr./Ms. Revealed...)

• Federal stimulus dollars helping San Jose’s homeless.
• It’ll cost you more to recycle those old cans.
• Garbage, garbage and more garbage.
• Crime at local gambling joints is on the rise, hookers down, child abuse up.

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.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.29.09: Swine Flu Day 2

The national panic begins and Silicon Valley is not immune. San Jose’s Branham High School has one student out with the Swine flu. Campbell Union High School District website let's us know that Branham will be closed for a week, other updates on the Swine flu can be read on Twitter on @swineflunews...

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed starts to repair the damage after his Independent Police Auditor (IPA) mea culpa. He pronounced the initial process bad. Next time, he suggests, all candidates get reviewed by all Councilmembers. You may recall, the last time around Reed, along with Councilmembers Nora Campos and Pete Constant, selected the final four IPA candidates and the final two. The stress is making even the normally bland Reed a little snarky “My councilmembers usually have pretty good ears,” in reference to the brewing battle with Campos over who knew and when about the brotherly conflict.

At yesterday’s San Jose City Council meeting $4.8 million was approved for removing the toxic sludge in Watson Park and downtown club owners will share the cost of policing downtown on weekends. (These two things are unrelated, by the way... although, former Mayor Tom McEnery probably feels like the sludge and downtown club owners are pretty closely related.)

Los Altos School District hired four new Principals with none of the drama seen last year when parents and Trustees battled over the selection of Terri Stromfeld. Joining the Los Altos ranks are Wade Spenader, Kimberly Attell, Erin Green, and Amy Rettberg.

The Merc is celebrating as staff writer Karen de Sa takes home the Silver Gavel from the American Bar Association for her series on juvenile dependency courts – the same series that landed the District Attorney’s office in hot water. Merc Editor David J. Butler said the award “underscores the commitment of the Merc’s staff to continue its tradition of producing world-class journalism.”

It’s good to be green. When Silicon Valley gets there Watch Dog will let you know. Santa Clara County received an ‘F’ from the American Lung Association on the 10th annual “State of the Air” report card. Joining Silicon Valley were 37 other counties mostly in Southern California and the Central Valley.

What does Palo Alto have against plastic? Chemical lover Manny Diaz screwed up again as Palo Alto’s City Council joined the growing ranks of cities banning polystyrene, those foam boxes you call a doggie bag. Palo Alto estimates the foam box ban will affect only 30% of local restaurants, everyone else having moved away from the chemical killers before now.

The Koi donated to San Jose by Sister City Okayama are dying of herpes, no kidding. Mona Favorite-Hill, spokesperson for San Jose Parks, said chances are someone wanted their own herpes ridden fish to roam free among their Japanese cousins.

A teenager in Palo Alto kept a lot more than fireworks at home. The PA Police found explosive components when they went home with the kid.

Watch Dog enjoyed the celebration at Morgan Hill’s two year old dog park. Councilmember Marilyn Librers said it was paws up for the work done by MHDOG.

Morgan Hill revenues are down. With the crashing economy and no one hitting the stores it comes as no surprise sales and property taxes are in the toilet.

According to venture capitalist Peter Thiel, it’s the fairer sex that f’d up the world once they started voting. Yep, ladies, according to the Facebook backer/former Paypal CEO “the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women … have rendered the notion of "capitalist democracy" into an oxymoron.” Thiel also shares his opinion that the only ones not on drugs are idiots.

Watch Dog had to list this, blogger Will Wilson works with his pooch Dora the boxer on political blogging, among other things. San Jose’s recent adventure into porn filters caught Dora’s keen eye.

San Jose Insider/County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo worries about a brain drain from public schools as Charter Schools take off in popularity.

San Jose Revealed is hopping a plane to LA and leaves us with this question: Is the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce the leading voice in business in the Valley? Revealed’s snarky afterthought indicates the Chamber might be the leading party organizer.

In a related (?) story...

This note from the South Bay Labor Council, Steve Preminger, Director of Working Partnerships and Chair of the local Democratic Party, was honored by the Dalai Lama as one of the worlds “Unsung Heroes” for 2009.

How about an IPA on Friday evening Mayor Reed?...

The Mayor (just this afternoon) admitted that he screwed up the Independent Police Auditor (IPA) selection. (He wanted a Lager?)

In so doing, the Mayor also shot back that he let the entire Council know that the Chris Constantin had a brother on the San Jose Police force. He isn't using the actual phrase, "Councilmember Campos is lying..." but that is what he is really saying. And he has Councilmembers Pete Constant and Pierluigi Oliverio to back him up. You see, Campos has been hammering the Mayor over the "flawed" selection process, even though she was (seemingly) intimately involved in the selection process. In fact, the Mayor, Constant, and Campos were the three most important people in the process, according tonight's story.

This is all very interesting in terms of the actual IPA story...

But the timing also reinforces a lesson that Watch Dog has been teaching readers for some time: If you want to release bad news, or as in this case, admit a mistake, do it late on a Friday afternoon, or the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, or around Christmas Eve...

This mea culpa was released on Friday afternoon and appeared in the Mercury News at 6:49 p.m. on Friday. A pretty good time to bury a story. If we didn't have such a crush on John Woolfolk, we wouldn't know that the Mayor admitted this mistake until Saturday or perhaps even Sunday. (Spies who work late in City Hall also help a lot...)

Morning News Round-Up – 4.21.09: It was an interesting fact...

It's been a fun filled month in San Jose with Porn BFF's Larry Pegram and Pete Constant battling for headlines over Mayor Chuck Reed's "clownish" IPA mishap and the ongoing Drunk Task Force drama. Rep's from the rest of Silicon Valley are breathing a deep sigh of relief as San Jose stays firmly in the spotlight.

San Jose’s IPA screw-up continued. Unless you were under a rock you saw this one coming…

• The newly appointed Independent Police Auditor Chris Constantin quits under the growing outrage.
• San Jose officials sheepishly admit newly appointed Independent Police Auditor Chris Constantin would be auditing his own brother.
• Watch Dog posted the early rumor about the eminent demise of Chris Constantin as Independent Police Auditor.
• Mayor Reed : When asked about the brother “It was an interesting fact and probably should have been in there. But it was one of a whole series of facts about the man.''
• Councilmember Nora Campos stomps her foot saying she received a promise from the Mayor.
• Merc Editorial : Constantin did not disclose the brotherly love in his application. City leaders did not tell a citizen review panel about Constantin’s brother, those same leaders did not ask the city attorney about any conflict.
• Scott Herhold : Mayor Reed’s staffers were unenthusiastic about Constantin, it was a clownish affair. Way to turn on the boss...
• San Jose Revealed : That was quick, followed by a public spanking of Constantin and Mayor Reed.

Tonight San Jose’s city council will decide whether to back the guy with limited punctuation skills!!!! Or, library proponents, Books Not Filters. For all your (unfiltered) viewing pleasure…

• The Spartan Daily revisits the redux of the decade old proposal. With millions of visitors and internet sessions were the handful of complaints worth all the hoopla?
• A Watch Dog tipster sent the message Pegram had his army storming city hall, much to the dismay of the folks on the 18th floor. (Thanks, tipster, if you see them today shoot Watch Dog a note)
• Watch Dog shares Exclamation Points from the Loudest Filter Screamer, the Rovian Larry Pegram!!! Exclamation point count: 5.
• A pissed off library patron shared Pegram’s (not so) well designed flyer. Exclamation point count: 8.
• Pegram sends email with dire warnings. Exclamation point count: 5.
• The Merc Editorial Board appears bored with the ongoing BFF Pegram/Constant drama.
• Newsweek takes a shot at Pegram with the End of Christian America.
  Watch Dog spies at city hall, keep us informed…
  

If you live in Mountain View, well, you probably can’t afford it, or anywhere else in Silicon Valley. The Environmental Planning Commission hears the grim news this week. Mountain View planner Scott Plambaeck was philosophical saying “yeah, housing’s expensive here.”

Morgan Hill’s Measure A advocates are leaving nothing to chance. They’ve got their own blogging and mixers with movers and shakers, including Mayor Steve Tate and former Mayors John Varela and Dennis Kennedy. Without any organized opposition the measure depends on voters optimism about the future.

A few of Gilroy’s finest received raises over 30% in the last few years. Councilmember Craig Gartman is getting pissed at slow disclosure from city administration and wonders if he should keep turning over rocks or ignore them. This is one case where ignorance is not bliss…

Yesterday’s 420 was largely ignored by the local press but Watch Dog bets the Beer Tax will get pot brewing. Assemblymember Jim Beall is hoping the second time around will help to fill the state’s empty coffers. Prepare for marches from pissed off grape stompers and hops swillers…

Los Gatos town council is proposing more new and higher fees to help raise funds. You know that safe where you hide your guns to protect you from thieves, count on it costing you…. Mayor Wasserman wants to charge for false alarms and you might end up paying more for using that park.

Open space in Mountain View is about to become a Summerhill Homes construction zone. The Los Altos NIMBY’s are getting support from Los Altos councilmember David Casas who says “I will be encouraging the neighborhood ... to vocalize and coordinate their activities to make sure that their interests (are represented).”

Julie Packard, yes, that Packard, was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Herhold: "...Chuck Reed's Achilles heel — his flawed political instincts..."

The Merc's Scott Herhold chimes in where San Jose Revealed left off. He calls for the new "Independent" Police Auditor to step down.

Herhold references the press release that Mayor Chuck Reed put out about the pick of Chris Constantin's, and the omission of the important fact that Constantin's brother is a sworn San Jose Police Officer. Watch Dog has to wonder if Herhold saw the link the press release on today's Morning News Round-Up...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.20.09: Porn on 420...a perfect day?

Where to begin today's Round-Up? That is the question. Let's go with porn...

If you missed it, a pissed-off library patron shot Watch Dog a copy of a flier that "Values" Advocacy Council folks were handing out San Jose libraries this weekend. Please notice that none of these folks bothered to enter the library and take a look through the Chicago Manual of Style...or an 8th Grade English text book.

While we are on it, the Merc’s Editorial Board chimes in on Internet filters and advocates common sense and spending money where it helps over fear-mongering. “The long-expected showdown over censorship at San Jose's public libraries has fizzled into a squabble over money. And that is a very good thing.” Watch Dog will have more on this subject as today (and tomorrow) roll on.

Now, onto the San Jose and another controversy about police and police oversight...not as sexy as pornography, but...

The new Independent Police Auditor may have a tiny conflict of interest. Ok, probably a bit larger than tiny. It seems seems Chris Constantin’s brother is a San Jose homicide detective. Mayor Chuck Reed and the City Council were aware but no one bothered to mention it during the press roll-out. (Check out the Mayor's press release here. See if you can find mention of Chris Constantin's brother...) Downtown Association President Scott Knies called for Constantin’s resignation. San Jose Revealed offered up the news as well…

District Attorney Dolores Carr has yet another prosecutorial mishap on her hands. This time David Tomkin’s identified his status as prosecutor in a letter to the Santa Cruz Planning Commission. The husband and wife duo of Cheryl and Thad Poland called it inappropriate and so does the State Bar code.

In an obvious sign that there are a lot of folks who are willing to work for free and do tedious work...San Jose Revealed has a new Friday feature – “Next Week’s Agenda.” This week Revealed is excited to see:

• Retiree Healthcare
• Porn-For-All
• No Free Parks
• Drunk Latino Task Force Squabbles
• Who Hangs in Downtown San Jose

Retired San Jose firefighter James Carter collected a cool quarter million for unused sick days. Apparently not getting his talking points from Jack Salois, even Mr. Carter thinks it was over the top. When told the amount he’d collected a surprised “Holy Cow” popped out of his mouth.

Baseball neighborhood NIMBY’s get their Easter cocktails at Patty’s Inn with Baseball San Jose fans according to bartender Ken Tonelli. Neighbor Bobby Menbari is worried about drunk baseball fans ambling through the neighborhood. Neighborhood President Helen Chapman says the new ballpark should be built “…really, really well.” As opposed to what, Ms. Chapman?

Roll out the bike – it’s a Spare the Air Day – no free transit though on this record breaking hot day.

San Jose Insider/Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio confesses that, although a San Jose native, safety concerns kept him out of East San Jose. The Campos combo of Councilmember Nora Campos and Planning Commissioner Xavier Campos took Oliverio touring to dispel his childhood bias. It must have worked, Oliverio becomes a pitchman for Council wannabe Xavier Campos.

The Metro/Inside Fly got a giggle when Council candidate Pam Foley received a plug (and dinner) from San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Pat Dando. The irony is, Foley’s opponent in the race, Ball Gag’s Chief of Staff Jim Cogan, once worked for Dando. Cogan was a no show at the Chamber event. The following night Foley was the guest of Silicon Valley Assemblyman Jim Beall at the annual Santa Clara County Democratic Party dinner. Watch Dog spies tell us Cogan did make the Democratic Dinner which featured Gubernatorial wannabes John Garamendi and Gavin Newsom.

Speaking of Pat Dando..."Run, Patsy, Run!" Is the word from the Merc’s Internal Affairs about Chamber CEO Pat Dando’s toying with a shot at County Supervisor next year. Dando says she’s interested in balancing the views on the Board, not that she’s politically ambitious. Good thing the political reporters at the Merc. read the Metro a few weeks ago or they would have missed this one...

The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez shares the life of San Jose’s Yosimar Reyes and asks “Poor, brown and gay: Poetry makes his day, but does it pay?” MACLA leader Tamara Alvarado said slam poets tend to fade quickly but “Yosi” is a natural writer. With friends like Carlos Santana and Harry Belafonte, the poet is headed for good rhythms.

Internal Affairs also reports a squabble is brewing between GOP gubernatorial wannabe/neighbors Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner. Poizner is calling Whitman’s handling of eBay finances “disastrous. Easy for Poizner to say, he sold his company at the peak of the original tech boom and didn't have to manage it through any busts...

Finally, Internal Affairs calls out San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed for “stupidest statement of the year.” His Mayoralness apparently thinks Silicon Valley families earning $250,000 can’t buy a house and created the up and coming “upper working class.” Really, Chuck?

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.17.09: "I hate taxes...but love my government paychecks..."

In addition to former Councilmember/Right-Winger Larry Pegram, San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant keeps mighty strange (and disturbing) company. Constant showed up a Fox News-inspired rally against socialism, the disabled retiree who collects not one but two government checks railed against taxes. Sorry, Petey, no taxes means no double dipping for you. Here's Constant's quote from the Tea (bagging?) Party:

“We’re being taxed to death, and something has to be done to stop this blizzard of taxes. I understand that federal state and local governments are trying to survive but no one’s looking at the cumulative effect on us.”

Perhaps he should return the Council raise he begged for...that would probably cut down on the need for more taxes...

On a (sort of) related note, Inside's Pete Campbell takes a shot at the biggest target around...former Mayor Ron Gonzales...

San Jose Revealed wasn’t impressed by the Merc’s Editorial or Scott Herhold's support for San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis and philosophizes Mayor Reed will use the Bush strategy of praying for improvement. In the Quick Notes, Revealed also picks at the Independent Police Auditor and gambling scabs San Jose hopes will heal.

“The coolest thing on Earth,” is how San Jose Public Art Director Barbara Goldstein refers to the “Space Observer” coming to the Mineta International Airport. Sadly, Goldstein also promises the R2D2 cousin won’t be carrying anyone's bags...

Palo Alto is looking for a Police Chief who can address “complaints of racial profiling.” You remember last year's Palo Alto Police Chief drama (like San Jose’s Police Chief drama). If you’re up to the gig, and the intense public scrutiny, PA's City Manager Jim Keene wants to talk. Former North County Supervising District Attorney/former Palo Alto resident Jay Boyarsky said it’s a good thing to be upfront about problems facing the new Chief.

Republican gubernatorial wannabe/former eBay CEO/Atherton billionaire Meg Whitman complained about “gridlock in Sacramento.” Watch Dog doubts she means Republican State Senator Abel Maldonado, but is she pointing fingers at other Republicans?

Accused cop killer DeShawn Campbell is no match for Prosecutor Lane Liroff. Campbell got confused and admitted a mistake on the stand. Defense attorney Stuart Kirchik blames Campbell’s retardation for his testimonial mistakes.

The con men weren’t as smooth (nor as hot) as Paul Newman and Robert Redford, but they did manage to run a con on a Palo Alto resident. Palo Alto, if you’re hanging out on University Ave. when you get a great deal on a diamond…

They don’t have anyone to sue (yet) but that didn’t stop Verizon from filing a lawsuit against the sabotage driven cable clipper. If you turn in John (or Jane) Doe, there’s a quarter mill waiting for you…

Los Gatos non-profits have been asked to lower their expectations, and their demands for money, as the economic crisis hits the local economy. Police Chief Scott Seaman got the go-ahead to charge businesses to register their burglar alarms, the Chief hopes to offset the cost of responding to false alarms.

Speaking of Los Gatos burglars…

Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police arrested two San Joseans on suspicion of stealing from Los Gatos homes under construction. Police Sgt. Randy Rimple says the empty-house burglaries are on the rise. Either it’s really a good market for tools or construction workers are stealing from each other.

The Saratoga Planning Commission had a rare sight, opposing parties that are now happy. Brent Fairbanks and Christy Rohrig originally planned for a Craftsman McMansion to the dismay of neighbors. By the time they all landed in front of the Planning Commission the McMansion met with neighbors delight. Commissioner Mary-Lynne Bernald didn’t say “it was a miracle,” but close. Two new Commissioners, David Reis and Douglas Robertson, took their seats just in time to see the miracle.

Morgan Hill School District administrators worry that while they’ve struggled to keep cuts away from the classroom, the latest round might get to students.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.16.09: Police Chief Watch (Dog)...the countdown begins

San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis is all over the news these days, and not in a good way. Here’s a rundown on local commentary…

From this story in the Merc. titled "Rumors swirling around San Jose police chief Davis, but job appears secure":

• San Jose councilmember Nora Campos thinks the Chief “...is being looked at a little closer...”
• From Police Officers Association President Bobby Lopez, the Chief’s position is precarious...
• Rev. Jeff Moore II, head of the local NAACP, wants to know if “...a zebra can change his stripes...”
• Perhaps the most telling is this: "City Manager Debra Figone, who has the power to fire Davis, has made no public indication either way." No public comment either way, that's one way to not stand behind your Police Chief...

From Scott Herhold's column titled "San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis's heartburn":

• A Silicon Valley De-Bug round table saw the Chief interrupt a storyteller to tell him “...Spanish is the language of the angels...” That doesn't seem to be gaining the Chief any friends in San Jose's Latino community...
  
• Herhold picks up where the Metro left off last week and describes the troubles facing Chief Davis, and they aren't good.

From the Metro:

• Erin Sherbert digs deeper into the mounting problems facing the Chief.
• Interestingly, Councilmember Madison Nguyen refuses to talk on the record. Rather, she punts until Chief Davis rolls out some "short-term reforms." Those reforms better be good...
  

The latest San Jose Independent Police Auditor Chris Constantin landed in San Jose Inside with a bare bones review. Thanks to Watch Dog tipsters we know Constantin is hitting the bricks and meeting with anyone who slows down long enough to talk to him. The dude doesn’t start work until next month and is showing up at community and stakeholder meetings.

The tanking economy hasn’t hit San Jose’s casinos. The gambling business is good and casinos want to hire. Garden City Casino is filing (another) lawsuit complaining San Jose isn’t helping with hiring. City Attorney Rick Doyle calls it “needless lawyering.” Coming from a lawyer, that is really saying something...

The Merc.’s Action Line guy, Dennis Rockstroh, reports San Jose City’s budget cutting has hit landscaping. The Cty’s Greg Schultz says high maintenance shrubs and ground cover are the targets of this landscaping scale-back.

Bigots imported from Washington, D.C. to fight a Day Worker center in Mountain View are making claims of “soft racism” accusing Americans’ desire for cheap labor of creating the problem. Mountain View Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga said the immigration issue that brought Judicial Watch to Mountain View is a federal issue she’s not sure what they expect from the Council.

The Merc’s Editorial Board supports school district parcel tax measures A & B, with their “well thought out” spending plans and protection of the elderly and disabled. Moreland and Cupertino School Districts have a challenging race ahead, but they have to be happy to have the Merc’s support.

Super Soakers and nametags are the latest tools for gang members looking to leave their intimidating mark on San Jose. Tagging is on the rise and San Jose’s increasing deficit isn’t helping. Mayor Chuck Reed says “we’re losing ground” and the City needs to “be more stubborn than the taggers.” If you’re interested in being one of the stubborn, call 408-277-3208 or e-mail: antigraffiti@sanjoseca.gov.

Sal Pizzaro, the Merc’s Man About Town, dishes gubernatorial wanna be/former eBay CEO Meg Whitman will be at tonight’s San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Women in Leadership dinner. Pizzaro adds Whitman should provide insight on the State’s financial woes.

Palo Alto’s Midtown parents will see big changes (hint: Big parental beefs are brewing) as school boundaries are redrawn and the old/new Garland School is re-opened.

A former Reporter/Editor of several (Peninsula and Palo Alto) local papers was arrested (again) on drug charges. Brian Bothun was picked up on April 5th in Palo Alto. This just proves that Reporters/Editors love writing about Reporters/Editors. Hell hath no fury like former newspaper rivals...

San Jose Revealed made Watch Dog’s head spin using complicated baseball statistics to figure out how San Jose’s Councilmembers stack up in terms of gathering team support. The big losers, Councilmembers Pierluigi Oliverio and Pete Constant. As Revealed points out, it reflects badly on the Councilmember if they can’t garner support from their colleagues…

Peter Lawrence might be the happiest guy in Silicon Valley, he retired at 44 from a great job at HP, authored a book, and contemplates quiet mornings with a view of redwoods. While Lawrence doesn’t consider himself frugal the rest of us might, he has no furniture (or bed), two pairs of pants, and watches TV on his laptop. In these tough times it could pay to emulate at least some of Lawrence’s lifestyle, just don’t take Watch Dog's bed away.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.15.09: Post Marked (by midnight) Edition...

San Jose’s City Council learned their deficit is growing and the stock market meltdown requires San Jose officials to cough up an additional $50 million (or more) to recover the over $1 billion lost in the employee pension fund. The bad news led Councilmembers to quibble over details of the disaster. Councilmember Nancy Pyle urged not to plan the next 5 years based on bad news, Councilmember Sam Liccardo pointed out that even “great stock market returns…doesn’t get us out of the hole.”

Unless you live under a rock, you know San Jose Police are under the microscope for
their Drunk Latino arrests. Now it seems Santa Clara County arrests far more juveniles than almost anywhere else in California. The (not-so) lucky officials in San Jose arrest the highest percentage of the youth. Police Chief Rob Davis says, “We firmly believe other alternatives are more effective in helping these youth.” The hits just keep on coming for the Police Chief...

and, just in time…

San Jose’s City Council has (finally) found a new Independent Police Auditor. Senior City Auditor Chris Constantin steps into former Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard's shoes (and her salary) with support from Silicon Valley De-Bug’s Raj Jayadev. The appointment was questioned by ACLU Director Skyler Porras.

The demise of traditional newspapers is all the rage, San Jose Revealed jumps into the act advocating for the survival of hyper-local news. Yeah, kinda like what Watch Dog Silicon Valley does but without the snark. EveryBlock San Jose has cool charts showing the number of police calls -- 25,000 in the past month.

If you put off filing those taxes, you’re not alone. San Jose’s H&R Block office was open until 11pm Monday and the post office is open to midnight. One (anonymous) taxpayer still coughing up money for back taxes from a failed business is pissed he’s not getting any reduction while AIG walks with $100 billion. Looking on the bright side, Claudia Hill with TaxMam in Cupertino said with the reduced incomes (layoffs) more people are getting refunds this year.

San Jose icon Hicklebee’s hits 30 with a big party Saturday and an award from Senator Joe Simitian for being the small business of the year. Being the small business of the year in this economy is no small feat...

Pissed off Mountain View NIMBYs have asked the anti-immigrant Judicial Watch to help shut down a Day Worker center. The D.C. based bigots are “helping” around the country to shut down “sanctuary” cities. They didn’t do their homework well, Mountain View is not a “sanctuary” city, but this might encourage them to become one.

This is big news, especially if you are Stanford or the City of Palo Alto. Stanford dropped its plans to expand its Mall with new shops and a hotel. Stanford says it is because that expansion has been a distraction from their hospital and other expansion plans on campus. (Perhaps the economy has something to do with it too...) Former Palo Alto City Councilmember Bern Beecham had a different take. He is blaming the much talked-about "Palo Alto Process" for the demise of the Mall plan and said, "To me, this is a real black eye for the city process..." Tell us how you really feel Bern.

Los Altos City Council is ready to launch “Shop Los Altos” to separate you from your dwindling dollars. Julie Rose with the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce said it sends the message that Los Altos loves its business community.

The cratering economy is hitting local non-profits hard. Santa Clara County’s Healthy Kid’s wants to take care of 12 uninsured Morgan Hill children, they asked Morgan Hill for the dollars to make it so. Councilmember Larry Carr wants to help and asked the Community Health Foundation to cover the costs, after all, he said, we gave you a half million…

While we're in Morgan Hill...

Morgan Hill is laying people off and giving others raises. This has some Councilmembers scratching their heads. Councilmember Marby Lee wants to talk about the incongruity of firing people and paying the remain folks more. City Manager Ed Tewes said the failing property tax revenues means another $1 million out of City coffers.

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Ed Trustee Joseph DiSalvo sends us back a few days and showing the report card to the parents. DiSalvo makes his case for doing away with grades and focusing on learning.

Keep your iPod at home is the word from Mountain View Police. Petty thieves are increasingly breaking car windows to steal everything from your smelly gym bag to iPods – so keep your stuff in your home, if that hasn't been taken away yet...

How did we miss this? Tesla CEO Elon Musk was pissed local gossip blog was getting the dish from insiders and set a trap by sending everyone their own personalized memo. Small problem, General Counsel Craig Harding sent everyone his “fingerprint” edition. Some smart aleck figured out the Musk idea and promptly sent the Harding memo to Valley Wag. (Tesla Chronicles here...)