Morning News Round-Up -- 1.28.10: 420 on 330...

On March 30th (unfortunately not on April 20th) expect a really cool (and mellow) crowd at San Jose City Hall as the Council discusses what to do with medical marijuana dispensaries in the City. With a seeming wink to 'friends', John Woolfolk, the Merc reporter covering the story, uses the term "haze" in the first sentence. Here's a wink right back...

Speaking of medical... this isn't a good day at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (or the County Building, for that matter)... VMC was one of three Bay Area hospitals fined for "...safety violations that put patients at risk of serious injury or death..."

Another Scott Herhold column about District Attorney Dolores Carr appears in today's paper about her boycott of a judge. He ends with: "...with her usual tone-deaf style, she's made herself look spiteful..." Look spiteful? (On a separate note, could DA. Carr please send a different photo to the Merc's online folks?)

There is a multi-billion upgrade about to happen with the San Jose Wastewater Treatment Plant (where your poop goes)... this could mean a big piece of land that is now a buffer between the plant and the Bay (where the wastewater eventually goes) could become something different -- which is what today's story is about. Hidden in the story, but well-known at City Hall, is that there will be multi-year rate increases to pay for it all. And there is really no better time for a rate increase than right now...

Some local aviation stories for your reading pleasure:

• A man was arrested for shining a green laser at a Sheriff's helicopter several times... of course, the Sheriff's could easily track him down because they were in a helicopter and he was in a Honda...
• Remember that "plane crash" over the weekend in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Well, it turns out it was a hoax. What kind of jerk?...
• More Hangar One drama... the Navy wants to tear off the 'skin' and leave a big metal structure out there at Moffett Field. Nobody locally wants that to happen and Congresswoman Eshoo is looking for ideas as to what the community would want to do with the structure before anyone asks Congress to fund restoration...

In Palo Alto, they are tackling the big issues: like cracking down on door-to-door magazine sales people... in other words, keep your middle schooler away from my house.

This is weird: A man with a knife robbed a Goodwill in Palo Alto... robbing a Goodwill? Really?

We hate to constantly re-report about crime in Gilroy, but when a gang-related drive-by shooting happens in downtown Gilroy... the Police did make an arrest.

While we are down in South County, the rain has had one positive effect: reservoir levels are up...

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.6.09: State Senator Dando?

State Senator Abel Maldonado appears headed to fill the Lt. Governor's seat recently vacated by (now) Congressman John Garamendi. Most Republican insiders are reported to be anxious to boot Maldo from their caucus midst and happy to see him heading to the Guvernator's side. A special election for Maldo’s seat could be just what the Dem’s are hoping for in the South Bay. But Watch Dog spies tell us that Chamber head-honcho, Republican, former San Jose Vice Mayor, and former Gov-staffer Pat Dando's hat is firmly in the ring for that seat...

Just as Watch Dog was making plans to go clubbing in downtown San Jose tonight this news: Vault Ultra Lounge (whatever an "ultra lounge" is) was shut down by the State Alcoholic Beverage Control. Something about minors hanging in the bar and ignoring the State’s labor regulations. Vault’s owners weren’t dishing to the press -- shocker... What will Vault's lobbyists do when they can't blame the Police and the City for screwing up their client's business... perhaps Tim Hennessey will come to the rescue?

Three kids and an 18 year old, confessed to Police they shot and stabbed trick-or-treating children on Halloween. District Attorney Dolores Carr and Mayor Chuck Reed look forward to trying the teenagers as adults. San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos is pissed as gang violence continues to rise in her Council District. The irony of this story:

• We know about the confessions because the Police released their Police reports... which is exactly what was being asked of them a few weeks ago and they fought. Just to be clear on the new policy: Good news for Police = Reports get released. Bad news for Police = Reports don't get released...

The Merc’s Editorial Board sends props to San Jose Police for their rapid arrests in the Halloween gang violence then reminds us that busting minorities is an area where San Jose Police excel -- and it is hurting their ability to do their job in the long run.

Not to be left out of the reform-the-police debate, the President of San Jose Downtown Association calls on San Jose leaders to set a Civilian Review Board off to oversee accusations of police misconduct.

City staff and taxpayers need to share the burden of San Jose’s 9 consecutive years of red ink -- that's the plan the City Council passed (without Councilmember PO). Slightly less painful than Mayor Reed’s initial proposal, a blended proposal calls for a 5% reduction in employee costs, efficiencies, and taxes... how fun...

Also getting in on the San Jose budget fun... San Jose Inside read reports of Council decisions on sharing the pain and asks “after nine years of budget deficits, are city operations still inefficient to the tune of $32 million?” SJI also wants to know how it is police and firefighter salary and benfits “shot up 78 percent” while the rest of the world saw 18% increases.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff who ran over cyclists has now cost the County $4.6 million with another lawsuit in the works.

Mountain View seeks to out-do San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s passion for green. Setting an aggressive goal of greenhouse gas reduction puts Mountain View among the first of cities across the nation.

Just in time for your Saturday lawn mowing pleasure: Residents of Santa Clara Valley didn’t reach their water savings goal. The pretty green lawn-keepers missed the 15% reduction mark, and used more water than their Peninsula and East Bay cousins. Don’t worry your pretty little roses over it, there’s no teeth in the Water Districts regulations.

The Merc’s Sean Webby better hope he never gets pulled over by San Jose’s finest. Protect San Jose’s James Gonzales suggests the sale of newspapers is behind the Merc’s investigation into allegations of excessive force... (If the Merc didn't need to sell papers, I guess we can assume that the paper wouldn't cover videos of baton-wielding Police Officers busting college students or the lack of transparency from the Police Department...) The Protect blog seems to be taking a page from Sarah Palin's playbook: blame the media.

Morning News Round-Up -- 9.11.09: The Honorable Councilmember Slumlord...

Here is a ballot designation Cupertino Councilmember Gilbert Wong probably won't put next to his name next time he runs: Slumlord. Wong refused to meet with property owners in San Jose’s Hoffman Via Monte neighborhood for year. When property owner Nubia Ramirez and neighbors threatened with a letter to the Cupertino City Clerk Wong found time to talk. Post-meeting, Ramirez says Wong asked her not to dish details to the press. Oops.

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro enjoyed a lesson in history as San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza celebrated its 10th birthday. Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilmembers Nora Campos and Sam Liccardo were on hand to honor founder Blanca Alvarado with a mosaic.

Speaking of folks no longer working at the County Building...

Retired Santa Clara County executive Pete Kutras sends a smack down to San Jose State University Professor Terry Christensen and lobbyist Pete Carrillo. Kutras is truly pissed off at the idea he, and his County Executive colleagues, are unknown and need a Mayor of Silicon Valley to provide accountability. As rebuttal to being unknown Kutras rattles off the names of County Exec’s crying “I never knew we were unknown.” Is this the most obscure fight you have ever heard of? It is almost the beginning of a joke: A retired County Executive, a lobbyist, and a professor walk into a bar...

Santa Clara County Sheriffs shot a man in East San Jose. A slight problem: they were in the City of San Jose. The man who was shot was not identified and was taken to the hospital.

Los Gatos developers are hoping offers of new (soccer) turf and LED’s for trees will help sway minds for storage building on University Ave. Planning Commissioner Marcia Jensen said she wonders how a soccer field offset “the traffic impact…” right before she voted for the project.

Busted. Acupuncturist/perv Tung Wei Pan secretly videotaped patients as they undressed. A sharp eyed woman saw the tell-tale red light and sent Santa Clara County Sheriff’s to expose the child porn filmmaker.

The new look at Palo Alto’s City website is courtesy of a citizen committee pissed off at the (nearly) quarter million face-lifts the site received 2 years ago. (Former) Committee member David Voelker ditched the community effort complaining discussions on the basics could have been done quickly if the pros were left alone. (We just like using the phrase "face-lift" and "Palo Alto" in the same story...)

Forget the rabbit’s foot, Palo Alto has a lucky building. Saeed Amidi’s office on University Avenue has seen the birth of Google, Logitech, and PayPal along with Amidi’s own American Liquid Packaging Systems. UpMo CEO Jack Abraham is the latest to pin their hopes on technology and a lucky building, not to mention Amidi’s angel investor status.

Mountain View City Councilmembers prefer wildflowers. Looking at ways to build the Stevens Creek Trail residents and City staff proposed picnic tables, restoration of the cherry orchard, a community farm, and trees. Led by Councilmember Ronit Bryant, the Council settled on flowers, if there was money for it. Councilmember Mike Kasperzak said of the farm idea “I don’t think we want people bringing their hoes and rakes on the trail.”

More Students = More Headaches for Mountain View-Whisman.

San Jose Inside and Mission City Lantern shared the news: San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant is not happy at the thought of losing his crackberry during meetings. Constant did not say, "I really don't like my colleagues, so why should I listen to them when they speak?"