Morning News Round-Up -- 2.26.10: SJC Bake Sale?

The news just keeps getting worse (and more embarassing) for the San Jose (International) Airport. First, a coast-to-coast snow storm impacted absolutely every airport in the country, execept SJC... Then, Frontier Airlines decides it is going to leave town... And then, a report about High-Speed Rail released yesterday says that the train will hurt airports in the Bay Area, especially SJC... Now, the airport is begging local businesses to pick up the tag of their grand opening. And they are using superhero Captain Sully to do it. Look for the SJC Bake Sale announcement soon... While funding the grand opening is one issue, larger issues remain, like the fact that the airport can't really afford its debt service... stay tuned.

Councilmember Nora Campos proposed expanding and increasing the number of 'no gang zones' in San Jose. It sounds like a great idea -- especially in an election year... It probably would have sounded just as good any of the other 8 years she has served on the City Council...

Team San Jose, Teamsters, the San Jose Convention Center... another story. It turns out the local Teamsters might get the work at the Convention Center after all -- and this time, it may not cost the Convention Center all of its business...

A team from a local newspaper finally (finally!) got to sit down with Atherton's Meg Whitman. The Merc grilled her and she seemed to respond pretty well. Of course, if you dodged the media for a year, you might be able to prepare yourself well too... Watch Dog's conversation with Whitman is slated for next week.

Another turn in the story of Sarah Botill, the 15 year old Gilroy girl who died after a night of drinking. The 18 year old (Kayla Dunigan) who brought the booze will face misdemeanor charges for providing the alcohol.

Perhaps Mountain View restaurants will be getting business from all the good folks with munchies after all. The Mountain View City Council banned pot clubs for a year, but they are draft regulations to (maybe) allow them after that.

Finally, our friend at Mission City Lantern takes aim at Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty for taking aim at the 49ers...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.22.10: What if you built an airport, and no airlines showed up?

You remember the controversy whereby the folks that run the Convention Center in San Jose -- Team San Jose -- signed an exclusive contract with Teamsters that made convention promoters head for the hills? Well, Team San Jose rescinded the deal with the Teamsters and perhaps some folks will think about coming back to the Convention Center. Perhaps...

Of course, if conventioners do come back, they won't be coming here on Frontier Airlines... that's because Frontier Airlines is leaving SJC. Last week we wrote about how sad it was that a storm blanketed most of the country, crippling air traffic everywhere... except SJC. Perhaps a new road and new parking coming online at SJC will convince other airlines not to jump ship...

Just when you thought you would never see the word "Little" and "Saigon" right next to each other in the Mercury News, a story came out late on Friday that noted that the group that sued the City of San Jose about Little Saigon and open government violations lost in court... good thing, because Madison Nguyen is up for re-election...

Another "little" story from this weekend: San Jose is getting closer to having a Little Italy... of course, Little Italy hasn't yet started a recall effort, so it isn't nearly as interesting. But in San Jose, anything new and cool might run into some bureaucracy at City Hall, and the banners for Little Italy are no different, we learned in Internal Affairs on Sunday...

San Jose Inside is the only publication covering the continuing story over in the East Side Union High School District. Inside was there when fired Superintendent scolded the Board after the County Office of Education audit cleared his name... and Inside was there last Thursday night when County Superintendent said this, “The district now has two studies and one extraordinary audit, over a nearly 10 year period, and all three have reveled a weakness in your internal control structure. I just want to pause on that. Same problem, for over a decade.” Thank youInside for covering this issue... and let us now forget that the President of the Board at East Side Union High School District has never, ever been elected to the Board, but appointed twice. Maybe voters have a pretty good intuition on these things...

While covering a story that no one else is covering is great, San Jose Inside is still apparently in love with really dry content (Oliverio, DiSilva...) because they reprinted Mayor Reed's State of the City speech. As we noted last week, a quick span of the speech will not turn up the famous words, "The State of the City is..." But we remember when that sentence garnered great attention and a blog post on San Jose Inside...

Another thing not mentioned in the speech...

Expect some disappointed San Jose kids and parents this summer because San Jose Family Camp will not open this year. They need to repair a roof and figure out what to do about getting clean water to the Yosemite resort. The State of San Jose Family Camp is sad...

Also sad...

The San Jose City Council will discuss the San Jose Redevelopment Agency budget this week. Trimmed-down would be an understatement. Major projects are still on the books, but scaled back a bit... or a lot.

San Jose is getting a Children's Zone modeled after a Harlem Children's Zone around the troubled Santee Elementary School, "from cradle to college to community-building..." Amen.

Everyone is writing about San Jose parks these days...

• Scott Herhold let's us all know that there is really no such thing as a 'closed park'...
• At the same time that Herhold was writing his park piece, Councilmember Sam Liccardo was writing his own park piece, that appeared on San Jose Inside's website on Sunday... (San Jose Inside seems to be publishing all week now... Watch out Merc...)
• And Tracy Seipel at the Merc covered a story in today's paper about San Jose parks, off-leash dogs, and angry neighbors... always a fun combination.

Internal Affairs fills us in on the news that running for office in San Jose is still inexpensive, unless of course you want voters to know what you stand for... and if you want your 200 word ballot statement to appear in the ballot guide voters get in the mail, then that will cost you nearly $10,000 if you are running for Mayor, or $2,000 if you are running for City Council... Bill Chew, the White Skating Knight of San Jose, is not pleased.

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.7.09: A White Monday!

Mayor Patricia Mahan is confident colleagues on the Santa Clara City Council will “make it to the next big thing” by approving the 49er's Environmental Impact Report this week and move toward a June 2010 election. Planning Commission Chair Teresa O’Neill says there shouldn’t be a problem with the EIR, it’s only one of “five pieces (that) are missing.” The City of Santa Clara seems pretty good at closing the deal... not so much for the team.

The Merc’s Editorial Board points to foul-ups in an agreement with local Teamsters that left San Jose conventioneers dealing with Teamsters in San Jose and San Francisco. San Jose’s chief development officer, Paul Krutko, hopes the City Council will ask Team San Jose to “reconsider” the agreement and do better marketing to address negative publicity. San Jose Inside (via the Business Journal) reports the Mayor is ready to ditch convention expansion plans altogether...

The High-Speed Rail won’t be heading underground in San Jose, according to Rod Diridon. Willow Glen activist Jean Dresden wants to know why it’s so difficult, pointing out “BART is already underground.” Maybe San Jose should have joined NIMBY’s to the North in that pesky lawsuit.

An attorney representing one of the San Jose Police Officers involved in the Taser-happy arrest of San Jose State student Phuong Ho took time to share an opinion on Protect San Jose. Terry Bowman suggests Silicon Valley residents need to learn to “listen like kindergartners” to avoid being Tasered. Bowman says officers are ok being disliked but being ignored is another matter… Can you imagine the PR campaign from the Police Department letting folks know that they should listen to Police Officers like we are all kindergartners? That's not patronizing at all...

The Merc reports Campbell Mayor Evan Low isn’t Campbell’s youngest Mayor ever (Rusty Hammer holds that distinction), but he is the youngest Asian-American and youngest gay mayor, ever. Low laughs off critics worried he plans to “push the gay” agenda pointing out there isn’t “a gay pothole or a straight street sign.” Watch Dog still maintains that he is Silicon Valley's coolest mayor too...

Gilroy is mourning the loss of 15 year old Sarah Botill following her apparent death from alcohol poisoning. Botill and friends (apparently) smuggled vodka to drink at the home of (former) Gilroy Councilmember/ Supervisor Don Gage’s policy aide Roland Velasco. Gilroy has rules that try to prevent underage drinking with penalties for hosts and parents – Velasco championed those rules addressing loud parties. (Apparently) The rules don’t apply because this was not a loud party, just one where a kid died.

Things are heating up in Mountain View. Hundreds of people showed up to vote in the neighborhood association election of officers. Write-in candidates opposing redevelopment of Minton’s Hardware took 3 seats kicking off what should be an interesting/ongoing NIMBY debate.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs was funny this weekend...

• Santa Clara District Attorney Dolores Carr’s hubby hired Carr contributor/ buddy James McManis to represent him when the bank came calling with “sticky” questions over what pillow talk revealed about the Hosseini murder. Neither the Carrs nor McManis would dish to IA… shocker.
• (Former) East Side Union High School Superintendent Bob Nunez got a little love from teachers following his ouster. They also gave him an ironic gift of a coffee card...
• We learn that campaign managers for GOP gubernatorial wannabes Poizner/ Whitman stuff envelopes.

A hiker in Milpitas made a grisly discovery, a body in an abandoned vehicle.

Yes, it is likely you’ll see the white stuff, (real) snow that is, on the mountains to the East and West this morning.

Local government watchers will have to rack up the miles hopping between meetings this week. Thanks to the Merc for agenda-watching…

• San Jose’s City Council meets to consider use of force problems (?) and look at customer satisfaction measureables
• San Jose’s Elections Commission is all about the money when they look at adjusting the voluntary spending cap and pay-to-play restrictions.
• Among school districts… taxes are on the minds of Los Altos School District... Fremont Union High School District (even though they just lost a parcel tax election)... The Palo Alto Unified School District looks at April 6th for their parcel tax... and the Milpitas Unified School District also wants a parcel tax next year...
• Just to be different, Los Gatos Union School District hears what the public had to say about a possible bond measure.
• Not talking about taxes…The Santa Clara County Office of Education Board meets to consider a review of alternative education programs and improvements... The San Jose Unified School District elects new officers and certifies an interim budget report... District demographics are on tap for the Cupertino Union School District... The East Side Union High School District considers the paperwork to bring Don Moser on as interim Superintendent (without coffee privileges) and creation of a district election system for trustees... Alum Rock School District considers school closures... Officer elections are on tap at the Mountain View-Whisman School District... Santa Clara Unified School District considers flexibility on class-size reduction following the loss of their parcel tax... Enrollment is on the minds of Campbell Union School District Trustees as they consider school-site capacity.

This is fun: Congresswoman Eshoo opposes the Afghan troop surge. But don't worry, she is working on other important issues in DC -- like making sure your TV isn't too loud during the Snuggie commercials. Seriously.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.23.09: Fabio + Garlic = Recall?

From Gilroy: The Recall Capital of Santa Clara County -- Gilroy Mayoral Wannabe/ County Supervisor Don Gage says he’s so-not trying to force Mayor Al Pinheiro out of office... but he does want to replace him if the recall is successful. The Supervisor has even offered to lead Pinheiro’s anti-recall effort. (With friends like that...) Expect the political fireworks to be on full display this weekend as the Garlic Festival heats up (featuring Top Chef's Fabio...).

Former California Water Service (San Jose Water Company) Auditor Abdirahman Ismail Abdi is on his way back to San Jose after getting busted in the UK. You remember Ismail, he tried slinking out of town with a cool $9 million.

Naval Officer/Sunnyvale Councilmember (on hiatus) Otto Lee was spotted in Silicon Valley on shore leave. The Merc’s Sal Pizarro reports Mike Fox, Sr. has signed up as chief fundraiser to retire Lee’s $200,000 Supervisorial campaign debt.

Mountain View’s City leaders are pissed the Guvernator is looking to grab as much as $6 million. Mountain View and the royally pissed off San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed ($100 million) might be joining 188 other cities in the League of California Cities Stop the Ponzi Scheme lawsuit.

The Mountain View Voice Editorial Board weighs in on the Civil Grand Jury report slamming local school districts saying the Grand Jury missed the forest for the trees and calling the reports deductions “ridiculous.” We are certain the Civil Grand Jury's feelings are hurt...

The Palo Alto VA’s blinding Optometrists got support from the Mother Ship. The California Optometric Association is standing behind Veterans Affairs Optometry Chief, Curtis Keswick, over accusations the VA blinded 7 veterans.

Team San Jose is teaming up with Los Angeles’ Nederlander Concerts in an attempt to breathe life into the San Jose Civic Center. Local Nederlander Max McAndrew said the Civic had great bones “it just needed some love.”

The Merc’s Scott Herhold takes time out from his usual tone to celebrate U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer’s sense of design. That is, Herhold tells us we can thank Breyer for decorating local courthouses.

Train vs. Man, never good. A man was killed while apparently trying to cross the railroad tracks near Caltrain’s Blossom Hill Station.

Won’t somebody please replace Foothill-DeAnza Community College Trustee Hal Plotkin? The District has applications open until August 17, expect a replacement August 31.

In a news round-up for toney Los Altans (and their Hillside brothers and sisters)…

• The Linden Tree is up for grabs for anyone wanting a kids' bookstore…
• The Los Altos City Council set up a Landlord Tenant Committee because tenants were freaking out. Problem is the big landlord, Los Altos Village Association, is opting out…
• Los Altos Hills makes nice with the Mountain View Dayworker Center. Mayor Jean Murdo hosted a celebration at his home for the Dayworkers.
• The historic landmark Halsey House would be torn down if Councilmember David Casas had his way. But Councilmember Val Carpenter is going for “adaptive reuse.”