Morning News Round-Up -- 2.1.10: Scary Legroom...

Before we do anything else, Watch Dog must welcome Sunnyvale Councilmember Otto Lee back from his one-year tour of duty in Iraq.

Sunday had the Merc's Internal Affairs center-stage on the political gossip front:

IA delved a bit into the departure of the once-considered Chris Constantin from the City Auditor's office to San Diego and what is likely to happen next in that office. IA also talked about San Jose City Council races that are taking shape -- District 9 (Judy Chirco's seat) and District 5 (Nora Campos' seat) are predicted to be battles.

• In District 5, we learn from IA that Magdalena Carrasco is slated to join the race. She has a high-placed ex-husband helping her out and we hear that former Supervisor Alvarado is also on the Carrasco train. Word on the street is that the Campos Camp is worried...
• In District 9, IA missed the entrant into the race that everyone is talking about and whose name rhymes with Scary Legroom... (Ironically, the aforementioned Chris Constantin was once rumored to be in the race...) Meanwhile in District 9, Don Rocha sent an email to supporters (and everyone else) to announce some key endorsements (Assemblymember Jim Beall and current District 9 Councilwoman Judy Chirco) and his fundraising total: $33,000. Everyone else's fundraising totals will be available today/tomorrow. We'll report on those numbers later.

In other political news... the Merc Editorial Board used Jeff Rosen's website to write an editorial against Dolores Carr... just kidding. But the Editorial Board was not shy in its criticism of the District Attorney, running through her ethical lapses and tone-deafness, from the De Anza rape case to the judge boycott... not missing a beat, Rosen has it up on his website with this url rosen4da.com/arrogance.html ...

Perhaps this DA, or the next, will get a chance to prosecute this: two young men beat a homeless man with a stick, and strangled him, in Gilroy last week. The Police are still investigating.

San Jose Family Camp, that family haven near Yosemite, may not open this coming summer because the dining hall is apparently unsafe and the drinking/ cooking water has E. Coli in it. San Jose, which owns and runs the Camp, is trying to figure out what to do and will have a meeting in late February or early March. Expect a big turnout for that meeting. On a someone separate note: Does anyone else find it ironic that there is tainted water at San Jose Family Camp? You could through a rock from that place and hit Hetch Hetchy...

Speaking of overdue repairs: the Merc did some digging and found that the expense to seismically retrofit homes could be too expensive for homeowners to actually do the work. And the cost varies greatly from city to city...

Scott Herhold takes a bunch of people to task for locking the doors of the Fairmont on the First Street side... he says they were always meant to be open, but the crowd is now "rougher"...

Oh no... "Sacramento to consider Little Siagon designation" Let the games begin...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.16.09: Where's Maldo? Edition...

"Where's Maldo?! Where's Maldo?!" -- this was the anxious question overheard at the Governor’s Sunday breakfast. The Governor’s aide was referring to Silicon Valley (and Central Coast) State Senator Abel Maldonado who was giving noncommittal comments about support for a proposed solution to the budget disaster. Maldonado, whose District includes Saratoga and Santa Maria (and a long, thin strip of coast in between) first stubbornly held to the Republican stance – no new taxes. By Sunday Maldonado was “open” to finding a solution to the budget crisis. For those FOA (Friends of Abel) and FOA (Foes of Abel), you'll remember that he was the lone Republican to vote for the budget in 2007 -- firmly entrenching himself as a go-to Republican vote when things get tough for the Governor.

Supervisor George Shirakawa, Jr. is not supporting embattled San Jose Councilmember Madison Nguyen in her recall election. Nor is he supporting the recall. Unbelievably, Shirakawa's spokesperson Andrea Flores Shelton says “he remains neutral.” In politics, Watch Dog will note, sometimes "neutral" doesn't really cut it. In this case, you are either supporting Councilmember Nguyen (anti-recall) or you are not (pro-recall). Neutral (and Shirakawa) fall into the pro-recall camp here. Perhaps that's why Nguyen seemed a little baffled saying she’d spoken with Shirakawa throughout his campaign for Supervisor and that "His name has been on our web site for six months or so, and nobody called us before to tell us to take it off." Shirakawa's name is off of Nguyen's site now, but some interesting folks are on it...like Willie Brown and Supervisor (?) Blanca Alvarado...

The Merc.’s Internal Affairs reports the flurry of campaign websites and finance accounts being launched for former eBay chief/Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman opened by folks not on the Whitman team. Tom Hall, who bought the sites said he would have given them to her if she’d asked and said he’d done it because “…it was kind of funny.” Perhaps Whitman would be willing to bid for the domains?...

Also from the Merc.’s Internal Affairs, Congressman Mike Honda could be (?) considering a run for Mayor against San Jose’s incumbent Mayor Reed. "Rep. Honda has been urged to run and is honored by the support...his plan is to stay in Congress..." said Honda's spokeman however...Councilmember Nora Campos is also being named as possible opponent to Reed (or a replacement for Assemblymember Joe Coto.) Coto has already stated his intention to run for termed out Senator Elaine Alquist’s seat in 2012, but the Metro had a recent piece that also has Coto considering a run against Reed...Watch Dog predicts nobody runs against the Mayor, Campos will run for Coto's seat, and Coto will run for Alquist's seat. We know we aren't breaking any new ground with those predictions -- but we think there is more noise than action in the anti-Reed camp.

And speaking of Assemblymember Joe Coto. What kind of leadership can we expect from him during his run for State Senate? Well, he was caught napping (check out the photo) following extended hours at the State Capitol trying to wrap up the budget crisis. Speaker Bass had the Sergeants-at-Arms confiscate car keys to prevent sleepy Legislators from escaping. Apparently this is how the largest State in the Union is supposed to operate...

San Jose Councilmembers Pete Constant and Pierluigi Oliverio are hoping to take tobacco settlement money away from non-profits (that, in part, help stop kids from smoking) to pay for the City’s crossing guards over the next three years. Oliverio suggested, "...we could have a crossing guard with a vest that says: 'Don't Smoke!'" Margo Leathers Sidener, President of Breathe California of the Bay Area, said, "The purpose [of the settlement] was to reduce the damage and burden on our communities that tobacco brings and prevent that from happening in future," and is distressed that the Councilmembers are hoping to skirt the spirit of the settlement agreement. She also (apparently) doesn't think Oliverio's beard is as funny as everyone else does...

We wrote last week about a Morgan Hill school official looking to a higher power for funding help...Well, it looks like Morgan Hill Unified Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini heard from her higher power as Legislators propose giving schools a five year waiver allowing them to decide whether to pay for summer school or sports, adult education or assisting gifted students. Essentially, allowing local school districts to spend their money how they want and need. . A good idea from Sacramento? Say it ain't so.

Palo Alto Unified's Superintendent Kevin Skelly is feeling the pain for saying some kids (African-American/Latino) can’t compete with other kids (white/Asian). Merc. columnist Patty Fisher gave him a sympathetic hearing over the weekend saying, “I fear, however, that in his effort to mend fences and keep his job, he has abandoned the straight talk and joined the feel-good chorus.” Skelly apologized saying "As I have listened, reflected, and learned, I can understand why people would feel this way. And I am sorry that I gave this impression. We are committed to excellence for all our students, no matter their background." This issue has started a big debate on the Palo Alto Weekly's comment's page...(but not as big as this issue did...)

Sunnyvale Councilmember/Attorney/Naval Officer/Super Hero(?) Otto Lee is in the news again. This time for a patent infringement case (from a few years ago) in a Philadelphia Federal court. The normally mild-mannered and cheerful Lee was referred to as arrogant when he testified on behalf of the defendants stating a "cease and desist" letter was an "eat s--- and die" letter. Too bad Lee doesn't use that language at Sunnyvale City Council meetings -- they would be a lot more exciting...

Cupertino Planning Commissioner Lisa Geifer found out from a Merc. story on Thursday that City Councilmembers Mark Santoro and Gilbert Wong wanted her dismissed for “insubordination.” Wong and Santoro moved the Council meeting to a different building, away from the cameras which normally record meetings, to discuss Geifer's removal. One small problem for Wong and Santoro, they were in violation of State's open meeting laws. Mayor Orrin Mahoney said the incident was “not our finest hour” and Councilmember/VTA Board President Dolly Sandoval called it an injustice. Santoro said, "[Geifer] basically refused to do what the Council had asked and chose to do something else instead." Geifer didn't respond saying, "I am sending Santoro an 'eat s--- and die' letter..."

Mountain View officials are considering charging sports leagues and others for using Mountain View's fields. Community Services Director David A. Muela is proposing fees of $1/hour for the use of City playing fields and projects the City could collect $20,000 annually. Muela originally wanted a $2/hour fee but the Parks and Recreation Commission cut that to $1 with Commissioner Gary Griffith opposed and saying "these programs are the hardest hit for our youth."

The teenager rushed to Valley Medical Center on Thursday after being exposed to toxic fumes died Friday. (Remember, this caused VMC to be shut down for a while with a toxic smell...) Police are still trying to figure out why he had open containers of hydrogen sulfide in his room. This is pretty nasty stuff, according to Wikipedia.

And we finally learn the results of the much-anticipated Mission City Lantern survey about banning plastic bags. James says that his readers oppose it 2 to 1. Watch Dog guesses that is not a statistical analysis, but rather, three people voted and the vote was 2 to 1. (Sorry James, we couldn't resist...)

Morning (early p.m.) News Round-Up – 1.7.09: Larry Pegram vs. Darwin...coming to a school board near you

Sunnyvale City Council installed CSW (Chief Seat Warmer) Dean Chu to the City Council for Iraq-bound Councilmember Otto Lee last night, in spite of opposition from residents and former Mayors. Chu, who failed in his 2007 attempt to be re-elected, will hold down the fort for Lee. This sets up the dynamic where Chu will serve on the Council along with the guy that beat him in an election -- Dave Whittum. Awkward...

Metro’s Fly blogs about the reinvigorated efforts of the religious right to slap filters on public libraries -- and then some. The Values Advocacy Council, having helped in the passage of a constitutional amendment to prevent some citizens from getting married, is now calling their anti-free speech filters/stop teaching evolution b.s. the “Children’s Bill of Rights.” Watch out local school districts, the Scopes Trial is coming to your Board meetings...

The cost of housing each underage prison inmate is over $250,000 annually so it’s understandable that there’s a push to find alternatives to prison. A report released Tuesday said alternative programs show promise but lack accountability, a never ending story it seems. The County Supervisors will have their work cut out for them to maintain the County’s good reputation and not slide back to warehousing juveniles in the State prison system in the face of budget cut backs. Santa Clara County Probation Chief Sheila Mitchell said, "Keeping the kids here is common sense."

San Jose Revealed this week rationalizes why they were down (too many visitors), spanks supporters of Kevin Moore for making fun of a voice of support to Revealed on Facebook (Revealed has only 10 Facebook fans), updates reader 2008 highlights and predictions (...the Merc. will leave town), and ponders Mayor Chuck Reed’s upcoming State of the City speech (not exciting).

Silicon Valley technology at work…to choose boys? There’s an increasing number of boys being born among Asian immigrant families. According to journalist Preeti Shekar, a highly sought after gender selection tool has both, "sexist and racist consequences." San Jose’s Dr. Suresh Nayak refused to speak to the Mercury News about ads he runs offering to assist parents choose the gender of their child.

Morning News Round-Up – 1.6.09: An all eBay election?

‘Putting the Strip in Strip Mall’ the Gilroy Dispatch and Morgan Hill Times kick off competition for the best headline of the year. Saratoga resident Ante Bilic, who Sunnyvale residents remember for running an alleged prostitution ring out of a local club, is hoping to open a topless bar in Gilroy. Bilic didn't say, "Husbands need something to do while their wives shop..."

Santa Clara County has filed new legal challenges to Prop. 8. Santa Clara County Counsel, Ann Ravel, said "One of the courts' central roles is to enforce the equality principle of our Constitution, and to ensure that vulnerable minorities are treated fairly by political majorities." Prop. 8 supporters insist that the will of the majority should supercede.

There was some good news this holiday season: Drunk driving arrests were down 7% in Santa Clara County. The bad news: deaths due to drunk drivers were up. Unsurprisingly, San Jose had 23% of the DUI arrests while the CHP came in a distant second with 17% of DUI’s. Watch Dog has been following closely San Jose’s penchant for finding those hidden drunks and hauling them off to jail, here, here, here and here.

Is Silicon Valley ground zero for Republicans to launch their next candidate for Governor? Meg Whitman inches her way towards making formal declaration by resigning from corporate boards, insiders say a formal announcement is coming in 4 to 6 weeks. The other elephants include State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (Los Gatos) and former Congressman/former State Senator/former Haas Dean/former Budget Guru Tom Campbell (San Jose). (And don't forget the race for Governor must go through Atherton first...check out Watch Dog San Mateo -- 1 town, 1 company, 2 candidates, 2 parties)

Morgan Hill City Manager Ed Tewes is nonplussed by a report that the Anderson Dam could send a 35’ wall of water into Morgan Hill and said his community has known for years it was living in the shadow of a 240’ dam. Santa Clara Valley Water District spokeswoman Susan Siravo said, "We want to be open and transparent with the public. And we want to proceed with a comprehensive study to ensure the safety of the dam for generations to come."

Watch Dog has been faithfully covering the goings on in Sunnyvale where former Mayor Otto Lee was tapped to join the troops in Iraq. Tonight’s the big night for former Sunnyvale Councilmember Dean Chu as he gets appointed Chief Seat Warmer (CSW) for Iraq-bound Otto Lee. Lee will be phoning it in tonight from a San Diego Naval base in his last official act before heading to boot camp.

Through Chris Vongsarath, the Campbell Reporter (another local paper whose online edition seems designed to ensure a complete lack of readership - thank you Silicon Valley Community Newspapers/Mercury News), does a nice summary of the year in Campbell. From the sad demise of former Mayor Rusty Hammer to the shuffling of day workers from one spot to another to the conversion of standard public schools into charter schools.

Doctors are speculating Steve Jobs has problems with ‘malabsorption.’ The guess is he should start gaining weight this year, ending rumors he’s a contestant on Paris Hilton’s My New BFF and ensuring Apple stock does not continue its slide.

Morning News Round-Up – 1.5.09: Famous last words "...we don't forecast anything that dramatic..."

When elected officials take off for the holidays, it usually means that they want to hit the ground running in the New Year. Watch Dog suspects it is because they want folks to think that they work hard. The weird part is the City of San Jose doesn't have a Council meeting this week. I guess they work so hard in San Jose that they deserve to take an extra week off ;)...so the New Year begins with lots and lots of meetings (except the San Jose City Council)...here is a snap-shot...

• The Sunnyvale City Council will meet Tuesday to choose an interim Council member as bench warmer for Otto Lee, elect a Vice Mayor, and figure out how to make the budget work.
• In Mountain View, the City Council will elect their new Mayor on Tuesday.
• The Milpitas City Council will talk about land deals with the County for a new park.
• Monte Sereno residents will air their grievances about garbage and weeds in front of the Council on Tuesday.
• On Wednesday, San Jose’s Rules Committee will decide how much sunshine they want on meetings with McEnery et al about the new San Pedro Square Market.
• The Santa Clara Unified School District meets on Thursday to see how their schools did in 2008.

Saratoga’s new Mayor, Chuck Page, meets twice a month with the public, he says he’s often surprised by the scope of the conversations and even more surprised by how much he knows. He credits being second chair to Mayor Ann Waltonsmith for preparing him for the lively meetings. Looking forward Page says, "So if there's a way to create an environment for sustainability, a better world for our kids, that's a better thing. That’s the right thing to do.” Page hopes to build consensus with his colleagues (including incoming Councilmembers Susie Nagpal and Howard Miller) to discourage use of plastic bags.

San Jose’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, which contributes millions to San Jose’s financial health, is projecting little impact due to the economic meltdown. Dan Fenton, the CEO of both the ConVis Bureau and Team San Jose that runs the convention center, says "It's still too early but we don't forecast anything that dramatic at all. I think we're positioned much better than we were to be more resilient." Really Mr. Fenton? San Jose's convention business is immune to the economic downturn?

We love The Town: Los Gatos Observer Editor Alastair Dallas looks forward to the new police headquarters, as well as Smokey Market. Mayor Mike Wasserman has the honor of first shovel at the groundbreaking for a new library and Los Gatos Economic Vitality Manager Danielle Surdin has hightailed it to Santa Rosa, her seat to be replaced with a Community Development Director.

Watch Dog was going to launch into San Jose Revealed today about a weird bias in a post about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Not long after writing this anti-Revealed piece, Revealed disappeared...which caused some consternation on San Jose Inside but nothing compared to Mr. Rowen's consternation at Mission City Lantern. Watch Dog knows that it isn't Blogger's fault that Revealed is down because we run Blogger too...

...

This affects a lot of folks locally, so I'll include it today. If you own Apple stock (and who doesn't) hold on to your hats. Steve Jobs announced that he has a "hormone imbalance" -- and not reoccurring cancer. Perhaps not since Fidel Castro has the world been so eagerly anticipated someone's health news. This will not end speculation about Jobs' health and stock jitters that come with it -- especially after Apple backed out of MacWorld.

Morning News Round-Up – 1.2.09: Eddie Garcia as a County Supervisor?

Not everyone is happy with the (backroom deal) way in which Sunnyvale Councilmember/Naval Officer Otto Lee’s seat was filled while he left for Iraq. For those who haven’t been paying attention, Dean Chu was appointed to fill Lee's seat while Lee serves in Iraq. Chu, however, failed in 2007 to get reelected to his seat on the Sunnyvale City Council. Lucky for him, his former Council colleagues still like him. Lee, on the other hand, is using his deployment as a fundraising vehicle to help retire campaign debt from his failed bid for the Board of Supervisors. Which raises the obvious questions:

• What if Lee had won his race for Supervisor but was not able to serve?
• What would have the Board of Supervisors have done then?

Perhaps George Shirakawa could have tried to get Eddie Garcia appointed...("Appointment Shenanigans" are now a theme across the Watch Dog world: East Side Union High School District has their issues and so does San Mateo County.)

Cupertino Union School District is holding meetings to fill everyone in on the budget disaster that looms. Superintendent Phil Quon will be presenting the idea of a parcel tax saying, "This parcel tax is not for extra cash; this is about survival. It's about sustaining what we have."

Trustee and Superintendent. Lafayette resident Richard Whitmore pulls double education duty. At night he is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Acalanes Union High School District ranked #1 in California. During the day as Superintendent for Los Gatos Union School District, ranked #36 in the State. One can assume that the commute between his District job and his District Board seat could make him a candidate to replace John Wailin, the Super Commuter...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.1.09: Feliz ano...

Watch Dog Silicon Valley salutes all who celebrated the New Year all the way to dawn, Watch Dog San Mateo offers this to help cure what ails you.

Incoming San Jose councilmember Rose Herrera is off to a curious start as reported by the Fly on SanJoseInside. Watch Dog will try to make some sense of it. Herrera promised Mark Tiernan the top dog seat in her office, then Tiernan told her he wouldn’t be available full-time until March. Herrera downgraded Tiernan to policy director and hired Jennifer Malutta as top dog. According to Fly Malutta wasn’t happy with the new Tiernan title and had Herrera give Tiernan the boot. Watch Dog note: Malutta’s claim to fame was as Deputy Chief of Staff to Ron Gonzales. A staffer on the 18th floor wondered “How do you go from being No. 1 to being let go the day before break?”

The quiet release of interesting news continues with Santa Clara county officials declaring a much improved process for delinquent kids in court. Watch Dog San Mateo last week highlighted the holidays as an ideal time to bury news. It was only this summer that the county was described as “one of the worst-performing" of 100 nationwide sites working on detention alternatives. Patricia Gardner, with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, gives props to the courts saying "What great transparency for a court to give such a report."

(Un)Surprisingly, San Jose police officer Julio Morales denies any inappropriate touching of a young woman picked up in downtown San Jose. Police Watch Dogs, (San Jose dumped theirs) will be snooping around to see if the officer believed the 18 year old was involved in criminal activity and was armed at touch time.

It took a little over ten years from campaign promise to grand opening but Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves says the library opening in January is on time and on budget – built with funds approved in 2000. And that was with 3 terms as Mayor under his belt.

Before the festivities were underway a pedestrian was killed by a train in Mountain View, near Castro Street. 2008 saw 16 deaths on the tracks, 8 from suicide by CalTrain.

Sunnyvale Councilmember Otto Lee is off to do battle in Iraq, leaving behind a wife, two daughters and $182,000 in campaign debt. Lee wants friends to send money, not care packages, to recover from the expenses generated by his failed run for Supervisor.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold provides a list of resolutions he hopes others will make this year from living scandal free to kid-free political ads. Herhold doesn’t say what his own resolutions are, tomorrow?

SanJoseRevealed asks for your predictions on the biggest items in 2009, topping the list so far are Tom McEnery gets busted for lobbying boo-boos, the Vietnamese community gets pissed, and the Merc leaves town. Revealed’s parting photo for 2008 has Santa Clara city councilmember Kevin Moore (reportedly) dressed as Buckwheat getting cuddly with Fred Flintstone (Chuck Blair). Blair, with two failed attempts at Santa Clara city council, is (perhaps) more pre-historic character than he thinks.

MissionCityLantern closes the year with a backgrounder for their numerous international visitors. Rowen reports the blog is biting sarcasm engaged in “drive by shooting” wit and cynicism (with a typo we hope will be fixed), that may be rancid butter but at least is on “your side of the bread.”

And now Watch Dog is curling up in front of a roaring fire with a little hair of the dog… Wishing all a Happy New Year.

Morning News Round-Up – 12.22.08: (Unfortunately...) Drunk Driving Edition...

The non-lethal(?) taser stays in the news this weekend. Edwin Rodriguez was killed Friday after being tased, his family says he suffered from schizophrenia and may have been confused when he was tased by police officers. Campbell Police Captain David Dehaan insists Rodriguez was struggling and not handcuffed when he was tased. Sgt. Donald Morrissey of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is keeping mum and won’t comment on the investigation. (Un)Surprising based on San Jose's experience last week...

Hoping to keep the Peralta Action Plan (McEnery Plan) under scrutiny, Councilmember Nora Campos has requested Council access to all legal documents saying, “In order to ensure openness and transparency, the City Council must have access to all documents related to this investigation." Mayor Chuck Reed said the request will be considered in Committee before a decision to discuss in public. The problem for Campos is that the Committee in question is far more likely to delay the request due to a lack of strong Campos allies.

The Merc.'s Internal Affairs reports former San Jose police officer Sandra Woodall will, for now, keep her job as an investigator with the District Attorney’s office. Woodall confessed to drunk driving, is serving time in jail, and, more importantly, undergoing rehab. It seems to Watch Dog she’s owning up and paying penance, what about Sgt. Will Manion and Officer Patrick D'Arrigo, who covered up her drunk driving?

The Gilroy Dispatch is publishing the names of DUI repeat offenders as they’re re-arrested. Watch Dog wonders - is this an attempt to embarrass them into AA or just warn their neighbors? Sandra Woodall should take notice and avoid Gilroy...

Gilberto Vasquez Reyes blew through the red light in San Jose, hitting a mother of four. Debi Dee Parsons-Mason was on her way home from the corner market where she and her youngest son were buying chocolate bars. Police Officer Kathryn Kraus sent the grieving family a condolence card after arresting Reyes for felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.

San Jose Inside posted a few more Rants & Raves over the weekend, including a gripe that there are too many new daily blogs on SJI (there’s a problem reading – or not reading – more than one story?) and an invitation from Editor Eric Johnson to Kathleen for coffee. Her grumping about editing (by removing libelous remarks) was apparently sufficient to warrant a free cuppa Joe.

Sorry, Barbara Attard, no big fat check for you. But as a lovely parting gift you get all the coffee and chocolate you need to stay wired looking for your next job. Mayor Chuck Reed politely thanked Attard (after unceremoniously dumping her) with a basket of Peet’s and Schurra’s. Not to be left out, Police Chief Rob Davis thanked Attard for the things she did to make San Jose a better place to live (that he stood in the way of) -- like pushing for use of breathalyzers...Mayor Reed was busy shopping, he gave a basket with San Jose Giants tickets and ball caps to outgoing Vice Mayor (supervisor-elect) Dave Cortese and tickets to the Jazz Society to outgoing Councilmember (soon to be Supervisorial intern/candidate) Forrest Williams. Both also received some of the delicious Schurra’s chocolates. A couple of things...does Chuck Reed not notice that a their are locally-owned coffee shops downtown? Does Dave Cortese need to report receiving these gifts from the San Jose Mayor as part of his Supervisorial reporting?...

Sunnyvale Councilmember Otto Lee has been busy since he received notification of his impending deployment to Iraq. Lee has had to wrap up his business affairs, make sure his family is cared for, attend the usual series of holiday parties, and make sure his Council seat is kept warm while he’s away (and that he can get it back when he returns). Dean Chu, who contacted only Lee before his temporary appointment, said he was surprised and had expected an appointment process. Watch Dog wonders if Chu thought that he’d get the seat only after others were invited to apply?

Merc. columnist Patty Fisher lends a voice of support for First 5 in support of keeping their $30 million out of the hands of state Legislators. Tobacco tax money funds the agency allowing them to insure children, improve preschools, keep families together, and provide parenting skills. With the state facing a deepening financial crisis Fisher is right to be worried...

Morning News Round-Up --- 12.17.08: Sports teams leaving, coming, and (hopefully) building downtown...

If using the Taser stops being cool, will police departments go back to bullets? This summer, after the dismissal of 70 lawsuits, TASER International was found partly responsible in the death of Robert C. Heston. (Apparently not related to this gun-loving Heston.) Yesterday, the City of San Jose agreed to pay $70,000 to the wife and child Jose Angel Rios – the City’s first Taser-death-related settlement. San Jose officials face the dismal prospect of two more lawsuits for Taser-related deaths.

After nearly three decades as a public servant, Supervisor Blanca Alvarado attended one last heated meeting as the Supervisors decided to renovate, not expand, the William F. James Boys Ranch. Supervisor Don Gage fought to expand the ranch saying, "We need to go for the 108 beds — this society is getting more violent." (Not everywhere Supervisor Gage, mostly just in your neck of the woods...)

At the same County Supervisors' meeting, and in a presumably much less contentious discussion, Supervisors decided to continue inspecting boats for the invasive quagga mussel.

Crackberry users might need a ranch of their own soon. Mr. Roadshow reminds us that texting while driving joins playing an accordion while driving as a jail-ready offense beginning January 1, 2009. Put the Crackberry and accordions down while driving people...

In spite of a request from San Jose’s outgoing Vice Mayor (Supervisor-elect) Dave Cortese and patients, Good Samaritan Hospital is closing a medical rehab program for cardiac patients. San Jose businessman Tim Bumb says it’s a mistake to close, because he has been using the facility since his quadruple bypass last year. Between Bay 101 and the San Jose Flea Market, Bumb can probably afford a treadmill if not an entire spa.

An excited Lana Malloy took office Tuesday as a Monte Sereno’s Councilmember. A fan of protecting hillsides, Malloy said serving on the Towns Site and Architectural Committee was a must before election to council and reported working on pressing issues such as correct story poles. (story poles?) Malloy fears a proposal from Russ Stanely to convert the La Hacienda Inn into a multi-story senior housing complex saying, "My fear is if [Stanley] gets his way with multi-family housing, it puts the city in jeopardy." After all, who wants those pesky seniors living nearby.

While some cities still can’t manage to get their council meetings on television (Attention Watch Dog San Mateo -- your cities of Atherton and East Palo Alto can't seem to get this right...) Morgan Hill has taken the fireside chat to a new level. As if the world was clamoring for it, now you can get your fix of City Manager Ed Tewes via podcast. Most recently Tewes chatted with Councilmember Marby Lee about the economic struggles faced by Morgan Hill.

As Sunnyvale’s Sailor/Councilmember Otto Lee leaves for Iraq the City Council voted to appoint former Councilmember Dean Chu to keep Lee’s seat warm until his return. Chu came closest (but still lost) in the November 2007 election. David Whittum (the highest vote-getter) and Chris Moylan voted against the proposal. (In an unrelated note, for those of you interested in San Mateo politics...check out what happened yesterday in San Mateo County when a seat opened up -- our northern Watch Dog is an angry dog...)

The Merc's Sal Pizzaro reports Santa Clara University’s Father Paul Locatelli accepted a replica of the St. John’s Bible worth nearly $100,000 from university benefactor Tita Crilly Diepenbrock. If you’re able to repeat the name of the Bible’s home three times “Harrington Learning Commons, Sobrato Technology Center, and Orradre Library” you can visit, and touch the beautiful reproduction.

Opera lovers are a passionate bunch but they don’t normally pay in blood. Opera San Jose’s General Director Irene Dalis is giving opera lovers the opportunity to win tickets to the opening night of Cosi fan Tutti with a donation to the Red Cross. An offer even Dracula would love.

Saratogans will soon be able to get their tea fix locally, Maria Tran’s Teas the Season received approval from the Saratoga Planning Commission – along with a request that the restaurant stay open past 4 p.m. daily and have outdoor seating.

Cupertino is filling a position for Environmental Coordinator in spite of a heated debate on the Council. Councilmember Dolly Sandoval was determined to keep the position funded saying, “I am hoping that we're not going to backtrack on that decision by being penny-wise and pound-foolish. This position is going to pay for itself over and over again." Colleague Gilbert Wong worried the State might (might?) take more money from local jurisdictions – seeking to ease concerns City Manager David Knapp said Cupertino is “…very careful with our pennies. We have an organization that knows how to react in hard times." Famous last words...

The Merc Editorial team cheers the idea of a A’s ballpark in downtown San Jose. Lew Wolff is encouraged to look for private funding ala SBC/Pac Bell/AT&T park. Unfortunately, Major League Baseball hates that idea, but Scott Knies probably loves it...

Music makes the news in Saratoga – the drum major along with the rest of the marching band of Redwood Middle School head to D.C. for an appearance in the Obama inaugural parade. The kids need your help getting there – sending 115 kids will cost $200,000. The Merc’s Patty Fisher asks you send your check for the Saratoga Music Boosters to Redwood Middle School at 13925 Fruitvale Ave Saratoga, CA 95070.

Vova and Jenny Ekhilevsky lost their 4 year old daughter to a mysterious illness and want to know why. Originally thought to be meningitis, the child’s death had parents in Los Gatos and the Santa Cruz mountains terrified. Now, the Coroner’s office has no idea why this otherwise healthy child died.

Apparently seeking to outdo Supervisor-elect George Shirakawa, Jr. for expensive taste, Morton's Steakhouse in downtown San Jose saw the New England Patriots chow down following their victory of the Oakland Raiders. San Jose Inside’s The Fly says that while the steaks are expensive at Morton’s it was the champagne and cognac that helped the bill tip the scales at $30,000.

Also hanging out in San Jose restaurants, Sal Pizzaro attended a farewell party for San Jose’s (fired) Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard at Smoke Tiki Lounge. The party included De-Bug’s Raj Jayadev, former IPA now Superior Court Judge Teresa Guerrero-Daley along with a host of Councilmembers. Attard promises to continue consulting on police-oversight issues saying, "I'll still be a thorn in the sides of those who need that, and a beacon of light to others.”

San Jose Inside's Tom McEnery chides The Fly for referring to the boys in blue as “rogues” preferring instead to lay that moniker at the feet of federal judges considering the release of 52,000 inmates due to overcrowded prisons. McEnery worries that poor neighborhoods may see an influx of ex-cons.

The death of the SaberCats leads San Jose Revealed to a long diatribe about the various sporting maneuvers underway in San Jose.

Can it really be MacWorld without Apple? Yep, Steve Jobs has yanked Apple and himself from MacWorld after next months event. Rumors abound that Jobs’ health is the real reason for the disappearance from MacWorld...and the tumble in the stock price...

(very late) Morning News Round-Up – 12.15.08

Christmas came early for San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos when the bid for rebuilding a fire station in her Council District (and the busiest in San Jose) came in a million dollars under engineering estimates and $3 million under original estimates. Astute Watch Dogs with good memories will remember that when Campos got the Council behind her to vote for this fire station, it was an indication that Mayor Reed could be beaten on specific issues -- and Campos beat him first. Council colleague Pete Constant still argues against a complete rebuild for the East Side fire station saying, "When we're spending taxpayer money we should be looking for the best value." Perhaps he'll remember this as he pushes to spend money on a useless city-censorship device for library computers...

San Jose Police Department lost two of its own to suicide last month while the Walnut Creek Police Department also lost a member. SJPD Sgt. Mike Sullivan says the three suicides in such a short time has everyone stunned, "Morale is low and we're all asking 'Why did they do it?' Both were stellar police officers. That's the thing — why?"

Is San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant looking for a new wife? Constant recused himself from a discussion about benefits for second spouses saying, "potentially I could have another spouse as a retiree some time in the future, and this would affect me.” Nothing like planning for a second wife...

Who watches out for the children? That’s the question being asked as proposals come from law firms and the District Attorney’s office to represent children in court. Why is this an issue? Because the Merc did a series this year which questioned the viability of the DA’s office to adequately represent children. Chief Assistant DA Marc Bueller says the DA’s office is doing a fine job representing children, "We will continue to have the same commitment to quality representation, with experienced lawyers who have expertise in the area of dependency."

The Cupertino Union and Montebello School Districts will consider merging or shifting territory at this weeks meeting. And now that Pearl Cheng is moving on, Cupertino will also need to discuss how to fill her vacancy. With any luck Pearl won’t advocate a plot to replace herself with a failed candidate a la George Shirakawa/Eddie Garcia...

Sunnyvale’s City Council will hear a year end financial report, maybe Otto Lee will be happy to be leaving for Iraq at the end of Tuesdays meeting. Sunnyvale will also work out how to replace Lee while he’s gone.

The tumultuous meetings in Alum Rock will continue as they review the decision for a generous parting gift for Superintendent Norma Martinez along with replacing legal counsel.

Yes, Virginia, that is snow you see at Mt. Hamilton. Lick Observatory guide Wendy Hansen said the weather was unusual this early in the winter season. While no one expects it to stay long there are places you can go to play.

Cancel that party! Around the valley corporations are stepping up to help the many non-profits struggling to support area residents. Three Cheers to T.J. Rodgers (Cypress Semiconductor), Michael Hsing (Monolithic Power Systems), Paul Maritz (VMWare), Hank Nothaft (Tessera Technologies), Steve Specker (Electric Power Research), and their boards for redirecting the money for parties to Second Harvest Food Bank. Dr. Zbigniew Radzimski (Silicon Quest International) is hoping the San Jose Family Shelter will find a better use for their party money. Sacred Heart’s Executive Director Poncho Guevara says the new phenomena is an indication companies are trying to find new ways to get their employees involved.

The economic crisis has created a rush to local libraries. San Jose Library Director Jane Light says ,“the library is a natural place to go," as people live more frugal lives. There is a fear that as the crisis deepens funding to libraries will be among the first to go. This must make Larry Pegram nervous -- you know how dangerous libraries can be...

San Jose may not be the safest place in California but it among the most diverse. In fact, San Jose ranks fourth for both diversity and safety. Ironically, it is diversity and safety are the center of the San Jose drunk arrest controversy...

The Metro's "The Fly" was out late Saturday night to observe the traditional SJPD party zone shutdown. The Fly reports on San Jose Inside that club patrons paused to vomit on area businesses prior to driving off in their cars, SJPD officers arrested others, and a Metro photographer was cited for iPhotojournalism. Like The Fly says – there are a few bad apples on both sides of this ongoing problem.

The fraud lawsuit against Dan Pulcrano was dismissed when the case was settled out of court, much to the chagrin of San Jose Revealed writers...

What has been a bright spot on the San Jose sports scene -- the San Jose SaberCats may not be playing this season...owners voted to cancel the season for financial reasons. While the positive spin come from the owners sounds good -- the USFL thought it would be back too...

Morning News Round-Up – 12.11.08: Baseball in San Jose? Not if East Side Union has anything to say about it...

Play Ball! Or not. If you’re a kid in the East Side Union High School District your sports may be cut. Superintendent Bob Nunez is considering elimination of all sports saying, “I didn’t do this for shock value. I did it because I need to look at the academic programs we would not have if we keep sports.”

But that doesn't mean all sports talk is bad...San Jose’s outgoing Vice Mayor (soon-to-be Supervisor) Dave Cortese is hoping to throw the first ball at a San Jose A’s game. Cortese’s hopes were raised when a letter from Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig potentially erased the pesky problem of Giants territorial-rights. Mayor Chuck Reed appears suspicious of the sudden appearance of the letter saying, “One curious fact is why and how this letter surfaced at this time.” Is Lew Wolff simply waiting for the best offer? Because he has two different sites in Fremont he is thinking about and teasing San Jose again...where is Baseball San Jose when you need them?

Mission City Lantern is rooting for Santa Clara to become the home of A’s baseball.

In Los Gatos Danielle Jolley created a baseball league for kids with disabilities in honor of her son, Justin, born with Down syndrome and a passion for baseball. The Challenger Division is the first for California’s District 12 and joins similar divisions across the United States.

Giants beat reporter (that’s pre-blog for the puppies out there) Nick “The Greek” Peters has been elected to Coooperstown for having followed the Giants since they left the Big Apple for the Golden Gates in 1958. Peter says about his job, "I knew from my junior year in high school that this is what I wanted to do." In spite of wishes from San Jose Giants fans, Peters doesn’t cover the games in South Campus.

Before he goes, head Yahoo! Jerry Yang will likely let go as many as 1,500 fellow Yahoos in an effort to “better align costs with revenues.” Ouch. The push for a deal with Microsoft is also on the table as Ivory Investment Management (a big Yahoo! shareholder) asks to renew negotiations.

In a scoop Watch Dog reported last week, the Merc finally got the story today and announced that Sunnyvale City Councilmember Otto Lee will be leaving for active duty in Iraq. Watch Dog wishes Lee a safe journey and swift return to duty in Sunnyvale.

Before taking off Lee helped the Sunnyvale City Council decide to convert the Onizuka Air Force Station into an auto mall. Councilmembers Chris Moylan and Dave Whittum voted against the proposal preferring instead the site become housing.

The preschooler who passed away this week did not die of meningitis as previously reported. Dr. Poki Namkung now believes the cause, "is most likely a very common bacteria that we all carry. For unknown reasons, her body could not respond appropriately. It really is extraordinary bad luck." Thank you House.

The Merc editorial team weighs in on the lively San Jose City Council meeting earlier this week suggesting the complaint filed against former Mayor Tom McEnery was a grumpy rival with plenty of cash. Apparently the complainant did a mass mailing with complaints against McEnery, Watch Dog wasn’t on the mailing list and had to read it here. (For a full timeline of how this played out, including where Councilmember Nora Campos got her "delay until the Elections Commission reviews the complaint" idea, read this.)

Saratoga’s new (rotating) Mayor will be Chuck Page with Councilmember Kathleen King as his Vice Mayor. Incoming Councilmembers Howard Miller and Susie Nagpal were sworn in for their first terms.

Los Altos police had a scare when they pulled over Morgan Hill resident Troy Moulton for a traffic violation. Moulton had over a dozen homemade bombs with him. Watch Dog is trying to figure out whether to laugh or stop traveling to either Morgan Hill or Los Altos.

Joshua Williams mother Ida held tears back as she watched the trial of her son yesterday. Williams and reputed gang member Israel Juarez are accused of a gang retaliation killing in November in the (apparent) gang capital of Santa Clara County...Gilroy.

Morning News Round-Up – 12.05.08: With a theme...

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is in a mad dash for $1 billion in aid from the Feds saying, “We want to make sure we get our share.” First on the Honey-Do list, the ever sexy street paving for a mere $100 million, and BART, and green tech, and...and...and...Isn't it times like these that it would be helpful for Mayor Reed to be a little bit more political? Did he help Obama or any other Democrats in the past election? Too bad, because as Senator Boxer famously said, "elections have consequences..."



Alum Rock gets reprimanded by the Merc for their massive bungling of the Norma Martinez bailout. Pointing out it’s about the children, “This latest giveaway is more evidence that voters aren't electing trustees worthy of their children's abilities.” (Chuck Reed added that some of the money that went to Martinez would be better spent on San Jose roads...)

Sunnyvale’s new City Manager, Gary Luebbers atteneded his first Sunnyvale City Council meeting to learn the Council, and the job, he’d just left was paying him the $309,000 they owed him. With the quarter million Sunnyvale is ponying up it’s a good guess that the taxman will be knocking on his door...(Chuck Reed hopes that the tax that Luebbers will pay will be returned directly to Silicon Valley for BART...)

Thanks to a Watch Dog tipster we know Sunnyvale Councilmember/former Sup. candidate Otto Lee will be leaving for Iraq to continue his job as a Naval Supply Officer. Lee must have updated his Wikipedia page to scoop the media. (Chuck Reed asked that Lee's meeting-stipend that Sunnyvale Councilmembers get be transfered to a "green tech" economic development fund...)

Oops! U.S. District Judge James Ware ruled as many as 900,000 people may be eligible to collect damages from American Corrective Counseling Services – used by Santa Clara County and others as debt collectors. If you got dinged any time between 1997 and now you could be part of the class action. (Chuck Reed believes the City of San Jose is owed part of this money...)

The Mercury News gives their take on the Big Three Bailout. Automakers showed up in Washington without the private jets and contrition in evidence. Among the Merc’s suggestions – drop the battle with states wanting higher fuel standards. (...and Chuck Reed wants some of that bailout too...)

Area gossip blog Valley Wag reports Google CEO Eric Schmidt could be setting up girlfriend #2 with a job at Google rather than funding her floundering documentary film company, Kate Bohner Productions. Wife Wendy deals with the very public mistress by running a bookstore 3,000 miles away. (Chuck Reed thinks that if Google has enough money to hire the CEO's mistress, than perhaps they could spare a few bucks for San Jose...pretty please?)

The folks at San Jose Revealed are grumpier than usual taking a whack at Tom McEnery, Sam Liccardo, and Lew Wolff in one long (grumpy) breath. (Chuck Reed knows enough to not ask the San Jose Revealed folks for money...)

And finally this nugget...San Jose has had some high-profile problems with arresting drunks downtown and entering them into 'the system'. In most places, drunks go into the drunk tank until they sober up -- keeping drunk people off the street for the night but not clogging the justice system with small 'crimes'...San Jose doesn't have a drunk tank anymore, contributing to this problem. But when San Jose did have a drunk tank, they didn't use it. (Reed promises to get a new drunk tank with Federal money if it comes...)