Morning News Round-Up -- 4.20.10: 420, need we say more?

420... 'nuff said. Now, onto November...

It has been a bad few weeks for the South Bay Labor Council head honcho Cindy Chavez. First she got Jude Barry blacklisted -- which led to bad press. Then she sent a threatening letter to several Democratic Assemblymembers because they are supporting her "opponent" in a City Council race -- which led to bad press. Then her strong, yet unsuccessful, push to get Republican Dolores Carr endorsed for DA was uncovered -- which led to bad press. Today, the Merc's Scott Herhold ties it all up in a bow... He concludes: "...For such a sunny personality, hers are cold tactics indeed..."

"Hi Phil, it's Cindy. Can you relaunch sanjoserevealed as soon as possible? Thanks..."

Check out Watch Dog's piece from yesterday about Cindy Chavez, Dolores Carr, and Xavier Campos: United Carr Workers and Xavier Campos.

Watch Dog didn't really know something like this was possible, but... National Hispanic University was sold to a for-profit college conglomerate. Think of it as Walmart coming in to buy your small school. Laureate Education is the purchaser and their company is valued at $3.5 billion. If you are going to sell out, go big or go home, we guess...

Lately when anyone has been talking about Santa Clara, it has been about the 49ers or Yahoo... that's because everyone has stopped talking about the BAREC housing development that was controversial and contentious. But it is finally FINALLY moving forward as the clean-up starts... (If you know nothing about this development, then don't even try to understand the history...)

Yesterday was a bad day to be train-dependent. First a bomb threat that screwed up the afternoon/ evening community, then a suspicious package at the Caltrain Station in Mountain View closed things down for a while last night...

Speaking of trains... but a much, much faster one, hopefully. The Mountain View Council is studying the High-Speed Rail alignment options for Mountain View, and they really don't know what they like best... or least.

One Silicon Valley-ite who is running for high office has released his tax returns... Tom Campbell. And we learn what we already knew... he isn't a rich as Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, or Steve Poizner... Most stunning of all, he donated only $600 to charity in 2009. ... that's it. Perhaps the library in Almaden didn't need his help last year.

Speaking of Silicon Valley types running for office... Chris Kelly is a former Facebook executive running for Attorney General. (In case you didn't know that, and if you didn't know that, then you are in the majority...) He is facing some tough questions about Facebook's privacy policies. Questions like, does Facebook have a privacy policy?

Palo Alto is celebrating 420... well, Earth Day actually. They have a bunch of new enviro-sheek things happening.

To the blogs...

Protect San Jose answers a real(?) "Ask a Beat Cop" question today about a car getting stolen in downtown San Jose... of course the answer is about high-capacity night clubs...

Mission City Lantern has some advice for Cindy Chavez...

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.21.09

The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters estimated 40% of the Valley’s voters would take part in the May 19 bloodbath, turns out they were optimistic. Roughly 25% of Santa Clara County voters showed up. Better than the State average where the ballot decisions were made by 23% of voters.

Speaking of (future) elections...

The moment Santa Clara’s City Council happily announced a (tentative) deal with the 49ers, owner Jed York was dishing. Also excited, Councilmember Dominic Caserta who said “I’m so excited, I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.” The San Francisco Chronicle's coverage is (predictably) less enthusiastic... Expect an election in March 2010, if you live in Santa Clara.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed will meet with People Acting in Community Together (PACT) to wrangle over East San Jose’s high foreclosure rates, crime, City neglect, and mistrust of Police. PACT co-chair Margie Marquez said “...we want to get him to focus on the pain and concern in our community.”

Joe White, with the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District, said the impact of Tuesday's election was still unclear, but it would be ugly. Foothill-DeAnza’s Andy Dunn agreed saying community colleges and K-12 have some tough (impossible) decisions ahead.

Santa Clara County prosecutor Troy Benson said he “freaked out” when he learned a child sex-abuse victim’s medical exam had been videotaped. He promptly told the defense. Superior Court Judge Paul Bernal’s testimony pokes holes in Benson’s story and it seems the DA’s office can’t get their stories straight.

The folks in Mountain View are looking forward to (praying for) a shopping center face lift... The Thoits family will sell a corner slice of their San Antonio shopping center to San Diego developer Merlone Geier Partners. Mountain View Councilmember Ronit Bryant is happy and says the shopping center was not living up to its potential. Bryant looks forward to a mixed use project.

Speaking of shopping centers...

The Merc’s Scott Herhold reports Silicon Valley Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren is stepping in to help Sunnyvale’s downtown. Lofgren shot letters to the Presidents of Wells Fargo and Bank of America demanding to know why they turned off the money to developer Peter Pau, especially after federal bailouts.

The Los Altos Planning Commission expects a full house tonight while they talk about a proposal for 28 new senior homes. Even NIMBYs have parents.

Los Gatos contractor/(accused) firebug Channing Verdan now has former Deputy District Attorney Dennis Lempert by his side. After telling reporters he was a “poor man” Verdan is no longer talking to the press and hasn’t entered a plea.

East San Jose teacher Janine Henderson’s students were out of shape, fighting, and 92% failed the President’s Physical Fitness test last year. Los Gatos Rotary President Beth Smith and Rotary buddies stepped in with a one year fitness program. The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez dishes all the sweaty details.

Merc. sports maven Ann Killion dishes her own version of tapas with two local nibbles…

• 49ers – let the chaos begin.
• A’s – Brad Pitt to play Billy Beane

Sunnyvale’s NetApp is the big deal in Silicon Valley with plans to buy Santa Clara based Data Domain for $1.5 Billion. NetApp CEO Daniel Warmenhoven dismissed rumors of becoming a takeover target…

Metro reporter Alastair Bland took time to visit the San Jose-Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant (the stuff you flush). After 53 years of continuous operation the plant faces a $1 billion overhaul. The Plant's Mike Ortega shares tales of Plant humor, the ill-gotten gains of a bank robbery, and drunken seagulls among them.

They coulda used a little water pollution control… The Environmental Protection Agency spanked California Waste Solutions and American Metal and Iron for dumping pollutants into San Jose waterways.

SaveBAREC was unable to save itself. The grassroots group lost an appeal in Santa Clara Superior Court to stop development on a former pesticide test site and has called it quits. Summerhill Homes has to clean the site of toxins which SaveBAREC brought attention to according to Gordon Stemple, an attorney representing residents in another lawsuit.

San Jose Revealed lets loose with Thursday Quick Notes, among them…

• Glee over newsworthy Chamber of Commerce leaders (which they got from us yesterday...),
• Mayor Reed’s trip to East San Jose, and
• Girls Gone Wild bus visits downtown San Jose.

Metro/San Jose Inside Editor posts a lament that San Jose will never lose its “soulless corporate blandness” as long as it kicks out local eateries like La Taqueria and replaces them with Carl’s Junior. The Editor expresses hope that the (McEnery) San Jose Public Market will give priority to local businesses, “not soul-sucking chains.”

San Jose Insider Pete Campbell posts his last Inside blog with a nostalgic look backwards and a cranky view of today.