Morning News Round-Up -- 1.7.10: Good morning Ms. Carr...

The top story today will make DA Dolores Carr's head explode -- and perhaps her political future as well. A man sentenced to 38 years in prison in a child molestation case is going to be let out of prison because the prosecutors were corrupt. Watch Dog can't make this stuff up, see for yourself. The trial didn't happen under Carr's watch, but the key point of this story is that the steps the DA's office took, or didn't take, when they learned of over 3,000 video tapes made of victims telling their stories that they never handed over to defense attorneys. (No reponse -- yet -- from the Rosen for DA camp...)

In other crime news... You remember the story about a Fry's executive who liked to gamble with Fry's money? Well, his attorney is asking for the case to be dismissed. Good thing the DA's office isn't the one prosecuting this case...

Scott Herhold goes after his least-favorite government agency today... again: the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Referring to the agency as 'the Golden Spigot' he chronicles their continued missteps and financial fucked-uppedness. This story has political implications too...

In really important news... San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant is getting two new chocolate Labradors. "What's Labrador?" Perhaps Constant can name the pups Cheech and Chong...

Few things are more interesting on local City Councils than split votes... so when Melinda Hamilton was elected/selected by only four of her colleagues to become Mayor of Sunnyvale, we take notice. She beat out Ron Swegles for the position. Perhaps Sunnyvale politics will be interesting for the next little bit...

Three former high-ranking Mountain View department heads retired last month and are collecting their pensions... oh, and they are back at work part-time. Pension checks from the City and paychecks from the City... the double-dip.

Good thing local governments have extra money to throw around because Palo Alto just settled a lawsuit brought by a resident who was hit by a City employee who was driving and reaching for his cell phone... the total tab: $1.45 million and a spinal injury for the resident...

To the blogs...

San Jose Inside/The Fly gets Councilmember Liccardo talking about the San Francisco Giant's polling in San Jose -- which Watch Dog wrote about earlier this week...

Protect San Jose takes and responds to comments today. Watch Dog has only one -- when is "In Their Words" going to come down as promised? Just asking...

Politicon Valley gets the press statements from local electeds (and elected wannabes) about the Governor's State of the State...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.6.10: Smoke 'em if you got 'em...

In case you missed it. Please check out Watch Dog's post yesterday pointing out how the San Francisco Giants are trying to meddle in San Jose politics... Survey Says!

Assemblymember Jim Beall is a patient man. Heck, anyone who can sit on the San Jose City Council, then the Board of Supervisors, and then the State Assembly must be willing to wait, and wait, and wait... and so Beall must wait some more regarding his plan to implement a per-alcoholic-drink fee to pay for some criminal justice and health costs in the State. Hang in there Assemblymember Beall... someday.

*A new technology could be making its way into California politics for signature gathering. The cleverly named "Verafirma" is co-founded by San Jose's own Jude Barry and will make it possible to collect signatures for ballot initiatives via smart phones. While technologists and political operatives may be drooling over the idea, some elections officials are not quite sure. Nonetheless, it seems some political organizations are signing up to use the technology.

Here's something the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce can promote: There's a place to smoke cigars in downtown Morgan Hill. One closed cigar shop has been replaced by another. Smoke 'em if you got 'em...

But this might be something the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce may not want to promote... the owners of the 65,000 acre Sargent Ranch just south of Gilroy filed for bankruptcy in San Diego. Expect interesting times in the future with the big piece of land which already has an interesting 'planning' history that includes Gilroy, the County, and the Amah Mutsun tribe. Gilroy A's anyone?

And to the blogs...

*Protect San Jose gives props to Scott Herhold and the Merc. Seriously...

Joseph DiSalvo sets forth his ideas about Charter Schools in Santa Clara County with his post on San Jose Inside...

*Mission City Lantern points readers to the Santa Clarans for Economic Progress (pro-49er's) website. James calls the SCEP site "smashing"...

* If you know why there is an asterisk next to these stories, email Watch Dog.

The Giant's Survey Says...

Here is something you might be interested in that just came across Watch Dog's email...

As you no doubt remember from way back in December 2009, the San Jose Giants are being used as a front group from the San Francisco Giants efforts to thwart the Oakland A's from moving further away from the AT&T Park than they already are...

Well, the SF Giants conducted a late December poll of San Jose voters in order to throw a wrench into the political push at the ballot for baseball in San Jose. Unfortunately for the SF Giants, but fortunately for Watch Dog readers, one such San Jose voter took really good notes.

(For those pro-MLB in San Jose people, these questions should give you a pretty good idea about what the SF Giant's arguments are going to be to San Jose voters.)

As a courtesy, we pass the voter's notes onto you... as they say on the Family Feud, Survey Says:

Major topic areas:

- Economy

- Greedy team owners

- No promises for mitigation for impacts

- Giving away land

Some initial questions:

- Are you a paid media representative?

- Related to one or an unpaid blogger?

- Do you belong to any social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace? If so, which?

Rank on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being do not agree and 10 being agree

- Do you think the city of San Jose is headed in the right direction?

- Do you think Mayor Chuck Reed is doing a good job?

- Do you think the San Jose City Council is doing a good job?

- Do you think city resources should be spent on: Police, Firefighters, Public Libraries, Parks, Trails, Land Giveaways

Specific language used in second part of survey:

For each of the following statements, if this were used as an argument for bringing a baseball team to San Jose would it make you extremely likely, likely, unlikely, extremely unlikely to vote yes?

- Full funding is restored to the police department

- A new stadium will be built only after full funding is restored to the police department

- A new stadium will be built only after full funding is restored to libraries

- The team owners will receive land and be required to mitigate traffic impacts

- The team owners will receive land and not be required to mitigate traffic impacts

- Bringing a team would mean the San Jose Giants are forced to leave San Jose

- The team owners will receive land and be required to pay for all public safety needs due to increased traffic and activity

- The team owners will receive land and not be required to pay for all public safety needs due to increased traffic and activity

Specific language used in third part of survey:

For each of the following statements, if this were used as an argument for preventing a baseball team from coming to San Jose would it make you extremely likely, likely, unlikely, extremely unlikely to support the measure?

- A new team will be subsidized by the San Jose Redevelopment Agency

- The land for a ballpark is being given away to wealthy team owners who are not required to stay or pay for traffic mitigation

- The land for a ballpark is being given away to wealthy team owners who are not required to stay or pay for necessary mitigation

- The land for a ballpark is being given away to wealthy team owners who are not required to pay for traffic mitigation

- The land for a ballpark is being given away to wealthy team owners who are not required to pay for necessary mitigation

- Team owners will receive millions in city funds leaving less money for San Jose firefighters, police, libraries and parks

- Traffic will be severely impacted and team owners will not be required to pay for mitigation

- San Jose is severely cash strapped now and cannot afford another subsidy

- Greedy team owners are profiting at the expense of San Jose residents

- San Jose cannot keep libraries open and wants to pour millions of dollars into subsidies for greedy team owners

- San Jose doesn’t have enough police officers or firefighters and wants to give away valuable land