Morning News Round-Up -- 2.25.10: Dolores Carr... again again

Another day, another story featuring District Attorney Dolores Carr...sort of. Part A of this story is that a judge found a man that had been charged (but then uncharged) of murder "factually innocent." Part B of the story is that the judge finding the dude "factually innocent" stood up for the judge that is being boycotted by the DA's office for "standing up for her convictions." Part C is that the judge questioned why the District Attorney's office was fighting the "factually innocent" ruling... A response from the DA's office is expected today, apparently. Watch Dog anxiously awaits...

Speaking of the DA...

The Merc's Scott Herhold looks into the future about "How the Phuong Ho case will unfold"... He agrees with Watch Dog (read this) that the Police Officers in the video beating will not face charges from the District Attorney's office, but doesn't think it has much to do with the endorsement of the Police Officers' Association of the District Attorney... Herhold concluded with this about the Ho case: Put succinctly, Phuong Ho was beaten and shocked with a Taser without adequate reason. If there had not been a cell phone video, he would have been found guilty like dozens of others. It's the way our system works. Not the most reassuring few sentences in the paper this morning...

Picking up where Herhold left off, the Merc Editorial Board looks to the Police Chief to actually take some disciplinary action against the Officers involved in the beating/ Tasering of Ho and to make that action public. About the Officers' actions, the Ed Board concludes: "It may have been legal, but that doesn't make it right"... (Watch Dog predicts no action from the Police Chief.)

This was in yesterday's Chronicle, sorry we missed it: The folks that run Oakland Coliseum -- a.k.a. Alameda County -- are planning to build another stadium that will house two football teams, the Raiders and the 49ers. (Of course, the 49ers don't want to be there, but that's another story.) County Supervisor Scott Haggerty said: "There is only going to be one stadium in the Bay Area, and it's not going to be in Santa Clara... We have a better location, a better infrastructure and better access to roads and mass transit." Unfortunately, Oakland's ability to do anything is seriously in question -- just ask Lew Wolff.

We learn from San Jose Inside that most/all Mayor Chuck Reed's political people are working to get Sheriff Laurie Smith unelected... Mayor Reed isn't involved in the race... yet. The Mayor's political brain trust (?) is all behind former SJ Police Captain Richard Calderon...

In other political news...

Politicon Valley announced Vice Mayor Judy Chirco's endorsement of Supervisorial candidate Teresa Alvarado...

And the race to replace Judy Chirco on the City Council is heating up... and Larry Pegram seems to be in (with Jim Cogan and Don Rocha). There is also a Santa Clara University student in the race... because we all know what great decisions college kids make.

In case you were living inside a Bloom Box, you know that a thingy called a Bloom Box is being touted as the new, new thing in the clean tech world... We'll see. But certainly their PR agency is energized. 60 Minutes. NPR. Every TV station in the world. The Merc's front page. The Chronicle. etc. etc. etc.

A ban on pot in Mountain View... but they have all those yummy restaurants on Castro Street...

The lawsuit filed against San Mateo County's elections office is moving forward. This is about electronic signatures captured via iPhone being used to sign State elections petitions and is being brought by Verafirma, a Silicon Valley start-up. San Mateo County Elections' chief Warren Slocum rejected the signatures because he couldn't figure out a way to verify the signatures under California law. (This is a start-up that involves Silicon Valley man-behind-the-curtain Jude Barry...)

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.2.10: Ground-Hog Fundraising Reports...

There was a big, 2009 year-end political filing due yesterday which had candidates all over the place scrambling to get their stuff in.

In the oft-written-about race for District Attorney, it looks like challenger Jeff Rosen raised about the same amount of money as the incumbent Dolores Carr. Welcome to the big leagues Mr. Rosen... Rumors that Rosen sent a thank you note to the Mercury News Editorial Board earlier in the week are unfounded...

In the race to replace outgoing County Supervisor Don Gage, Teresa Alvarado and Forrest Williams lead the fundraising pack with $116k and $113k respectively. Next comes Mike Wasserman with $81k and way back is Water District Board Member Rosemary Kamei ($51k) and Gilroy Councilmember Dr. Peter Arrellano with ($26k)... perhaps Kamai and Arrellano could team up, pool their money, and make a real run for it...

And to some San Jose races...

• Mayor Chuck Reed is running for re-election and his challenger raised $50... not $50k, just $50. (Reed raised just under $70k... not $70, $70k...)
• In the District 5 race for Nora Campos' seat: Xavier Campos raised just over $32k with challengers far behind. Of course, the newest entry to the race, Magdalena Carrasco wasn't in the race before December 31st, so she didn't raise any money -- but that doesn't mean Xavier & Co. aren't really, really worried...
• In the District 9 race for Judy Chirco's seat: Don Rocha and Jim Cogan both 'raised' about $21k, but Rocha plopped down $10k of his own money so he leads the fundraising race out there.
• District 1: Pete Constant raised about $13k (he has no opponent yet)
• District 3: Sam Liccardo raised about $29k (his opponent Tim Hennessey didn't file anything)
• District 7: Madison Nguyen raised $34k and may face a real re-election battle

In the huge primary battle for the Democratic nomination for the 21 Assembly seat (the one Ira Ruskin will be leaving) -- race newcomer Josh Becker kicked everyone's ass in fundraising and has the most cash on hand going into the new year, over $200k+ to be exact. San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon has $133k+ on hand and Palo Alto City Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimoto has just over $100k to work with... of course, Kishimoto put in $40k of her own money this period, so she is being way outpaced on the fundraising side of the campaign.

The respect and goodwill that Republican Gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman are showing each other is heartwarming... really. Yesterday Poizner told reporters that Whitman's campaign guru Mike Murphy threatened him to drop out of the race. (Poizner had an email sent from Murphy to a Poizner staffer to back up his claim...) Murphy, obviously much funnier than Poizner, then questioned Poizner's "mental condition"... Murphy went on to call Dianne Feinstein old and that Poizner might want to take on an old Democratic Senator in a few years rather than stay and fight in a race where he'll be outspent and beat up... I'm not sure this race is helping democracy any, and it certainly isn't good for the Republican Party, but it is good reading...

San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo put pen to paper (or finger to keypad) in today's Mercury News defending VTA and talking about innovation in tough economic times. Personal Rapid Transit, coming to an airport near you...

The Merc Editorial Board (finally) gives a nod to San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis for promoting Phan Ngy to Deputy Chief.

Here is something that should surprise absolutely nobody: our County's property tax base is taking a major hit to the tune of $70 million...

And while that's happening, the City of Gilroy (and everyone else) is trying to figure out what to do with ballooning retirement costs of city employees... today's nightmare story is about Gilroy.

And if property taxes are falling, why not look to increase the property taxes?

Foothill-De Anza Community College may become the first Community College District in the state to put a parcel tax measure on the ballot... they are moving forward with a poll to see what voters will swallow.

Protect San Jose wants body armor to be banned for felons -- that makes sense. But if you outlaw body armor, only outlaws will have body armor... or something like that. I read that on a bumper sticker once.

There was a bad accident in Los Gatos yesterday that killed a bicyclist.

Morning News Round-Up – 6.29.09: Council raises meet economic reality...

San Jose’s “huge sucking sound” comes from resident dollars landing outside San Jose according to Councilmember Sam Liccardo. To fix it San Jose had a dream of North San Jose becoming a second downtown – those dreams are now turning into visions of a McCarthy Ranch redux.

Gilroy Councilmember Craig Gartman has asked colleagues to ditch their $64,000 medical benefits in exchange for a council/mayoral raise. The part-time Councilmembers will consider their 106% raise while they ask police and fire unions to take a 15% paycut. Colleague Dion Bracco doubts the lost medical benefits will be gone for more than a year calling the move whimsical, self-serving tricky politics.

Also on the frontlines of salary wars...

San Jose Downtown Association President Scott Knies and Councilmember Nora Campos engaged in a salary throwdown. Campos wants to know if Knies really really got a 19% city pay raise. Knies salary is listed on city payrolls at $134,399 and in a report from the non-profit at $68,916. $134k + $69k = $203,000, could it be…

Our Sister Blog, Watch Dog San Mateo shares this cross over story… East Palo Alto’s Housing Director Wilbert Lee called the ongoing vandalism at the Courtyard at Bay Road unforeseen. Wheelchair bound Arnold Hart complains he can’t get in, carpets used as toilets and a crowbar modified elevator are a few of the problems giving San Jose’s Community Housing a headache.

Interim Santa Clara County Executive Gary Graves is sucking it up. although disappointed by the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Smith. Graves says “sitting in the executive chair is a whole different ballgame.” Smith said negotiations on take home pay are in the works, the last exec took home $292,000.

Gilroy’s tale of fence wars made the big time… Mercury News curmudgeon Scott Herhold heard from home invasion survivor when Chris Cote launched email to Herhold with his side of fence wars. Like Herhold, Watch Dog is sympathetic with Cote but thinks there has to be a better way than razor wire.

(Former) County Counsel/US Deputy Assistant District Attorney General Ann Ravel attended her own “wake” according to the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. Pizarro had a busy week including Falcons, interesting hands, and Teddy Bear Clinics. Los Lupenos is looking for alumni, email Barbara Perez Diaz lupenos40th@ix.netcom.com.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs entertains with various mini-soaps…

• Where was “No-Show Ngyuen” during San Jose City Council budget discussions? IA thinks the absences were a sign of avoiding contentious labor votes. IA sends props to council colleague Judy Chirco for donning a hat and joining discussions in spite of chemotherapy. San Jose Insider’s joined in via Rants and Raves…
  
• Supervisorial candidate Teresa Alvarado shot a “snarky” email to IA with a huffy retort to the implication that she and opponent Rosemary Kamei the same constituency.
  
• The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office anxiously awaits a report from (retired) Superior Court Judge/(former) Prosecutor William F. Martin about a “trove of some 3,300 tapes” of sexual assault medical exams. The DA’s hope they got their stories straight for the judge…
  

Los Gatos Planning Commissioners delayed a decision on creekside storage asking Extra Space to come back in August with a bigger parking lot and a shorter building. Extra Space’s Scott Wyckoff offered there would be “no significant” environmental impact and the 3 story storage facility would be “gorgeous.” No doubt a big parking lot will help with the aesthetics.

The Merc’s Mr. Roadshow (aka, Gary Richards) got the dish from the California Highway Patrol that 200,000 hands free scofflaws have been busted.

Sad news from Santa Teresa County Park, a woman was found dead on the trail by another hiker. No word if County budget woes (and a lack of park oversight) had anything to do with her death.

Today marks 2 weeks since San Jose Revealed ditched blogging for pneumonia. Could it be Revealed has ditched blogging or just ditched the moniker? Give up on all that good will, nah… Mission City Lantern suggests Revealed has headed for fashion world or maybe a Sanford like liaison.