Morning News Round-Up -- 5.4.10: Buy your Corona today...

The County of Santa Clara has a big, gigantic $200,000,000+ deficit that they need to bridge. How? Like everyone else does: use reserves, cut jobs, "streamline services," and banning toys at fast food joints... But leave it up to a realist (non-politician) to shed some light on things. Patricia Gardner of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits adds, "...it is great that [County Executive] Smith is preserving so much of our servcies at a time when our community is having so much hardship...[but] we need to be mindful that this budget does not take into account any of the state cuts..." May revise next week... hold on to your hats...

The folks in South County are not too pleased (apparently) with the new redistricting lines drawn by the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board... that's because one of the two seats puts Gilroy with Palo Alto... can't we all just get along? Or at least get it right?

Joe Rodriguez in the Merc tries to get back into the political realm and breaks down the similarities between the San Jose City Council re-election races of Pete Constant in District 1 and Sam Liccardo in District 3. Two popular incumbents, also-rans running against them, etc., etc.

A San Jose Police Officer that is due to be laid off saved the life of a cyclist this week. Chief Davis jumped at the chance to praise the officer after getting bashed by Protect San Jose last week...

This is weird, and seems a little out of line. Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio writes an open letter to San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis on San Jose Inside pushing for the promotion of Captain Gary Kirby... Watch Dog has to wonder whose water PO is carrying with this....

Another tough day for the South Bay Labor Council in the Mercury News. This time from the Editorial page regarding the San Jose (barely) International Airport and recommendations from the Airport head honcho that should be re-looked at to cut costs at the airport to make it even a little bit competitive with SFO and OAK. They include: "...contracting out services and paying living wages..." That will be a fun Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday...

While we are on it... we bring you this from the Chronicle: "San Francisco and its largest union have reached a long-delayed tentative agreement on a giveback plan, helping the city trim its projected $483 million budget deficit."

While we are on SFGate.com...

The Chronicle gets in on the action, obviously. The newspaper is so worried that they will lose the 49ers and that their beloved Giants will somehow get hurt if a team moves 30 miles further away, that they are now writing Editorials criticizing the A's for cracking down on their banner policy in the stadium. (We'd LOVE to see someone try to put up a banner anywhere in SBC, errr AT&T Park...) Actually, the Editorial isn't that bad and tells the Oakland City Attorney to back the f... up.

You have got to love California. In November, we will have a ballot measure, funded by oil companies, that looks to make AB 32 (the big anti-global warming bill) obsolete and a ballot measure to make recreational pot legal. Ironically, you will need to smoke pot to make all the November election commercials bearable...

This will make some people really happy... and some people not so much... metering lights in San Jose on 280. Thank you Mr. Roadshow for the heads up.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.29.10: Palin and Dellums share a speech-writer?

Shock of shocks! Oakland is now trying to keep the A's in Oakland, after ignoring them for a decade... they have some sites picked out and now they have an economic study that states the obvious: MLB is good for business and jobs. Perhaps former Mayor Jerry Brown should have commissioned that study and then tried to keep the team 10 years ago... But you have to love Mayor Dellums' quote about the new economic study: "We know that it has a spiritual quality in that people love very much to be excited by the ability to root for the home team..." Is Sarah Palin now writing talking points for Mayor Dellums? Either that, or Dellums has morphed into Yoda...

And if that wasn't reason enough to leave Oakland... a follow-up from yesterday's news that folks were kicked out of the stadium for criticizing Lew Wolff... the Oakland City Attorney says that banning signs from the stadium is unconstitutional and is making a big fuss... there is a 100 percent chance that San Jose's City Attorney Rick Doyle would never do such a thing. Welcome Lew Wolff... no signs, no politically ambitious City Attorney's, and no crazy Mayors (see above)...

But leave it up to some SF-based media to bring hyperbole into the mix when it comes to Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose and the A's plans... the same study that garnered the totally awesome (and weird) Dellums' quote brought this headline: A's leaving Oakland would devastate city's economy. Which begs the question: What does it do to for Oakland's economy when nobody actually goes to the games? (Or when folks get killed in broad daylight downtown?) We're just saying...

Speaking of sports teams... the Red Wings are in town for the NHL playoffs, but they landed past the curfew, and like in high school, breaking curfew has consequences. While the Red Wings won't be grounded for Game 1 tonight, let's all get on the bandwagon for the Sharks, shall we?

"Damn it Google, why are you so good at finding out all those Mercury News stories about me..." While that probably is not a direct quote from San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis, it might as well have been as he lost out as a finalist for the Dallas Police Department top job... I wonder if it the Merc's Sean Webby finds irony in the fact that he gets to write the story about the Chief not getting the job in Dallas when Webby's previous stories were likely a factor in the Chief not getting the job...

The Merc Editorial Board sends props to the San Jose City Council for taking a paycut and paycutting the building inspectors' union... (yes, we made up a word, paycutting...)

HP is buying Palm for a cool $1.2 billion... with the history of Compaq, how could this go wrong?

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.10.10: Welcome to LAS, I mean SJC

Well, the City of San Jose is officially selling itself to the devil. Literally. They voted to put a measure on the June ballot to expand gambling in San Jose in order to help bolster their bottom line. It reminds Watch Dog of schools that allowed Coke and Pepsi into their cafeterias because there was money in it for the schools. Sort of, "we'll deal with the evil because we need the money"... It doesn't make it a good idea just because there is money attached to it. Five (FIVE!) Councilmembers opposed it: Councilmembers Ash Kalra, Nora Campos, Madison Nguyen, Kansen Chu, and Sam Liccardo. Nothing about it on the Values Advocacy Council website yet...

One person who may not have to deal with the results of more gambling (which we can only imagine he is very much against) is San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis. That's because Davis seems to be in the running for the top job in Dallas. The cheers from the ACLU and DeBug's offices were audible from the street when this news came out yesterday afternoon...

And then there is the daily story about the airport... this time the Merc Editorial Board took their turn. They say no to lifting the curfew totally, but maybe some tinkering with it might make sense... but it really is about jobs and wages, both of which may need to be discussed to keep SJC on track with paying its debt obligations and its doors open... Perhaps the City should consider putting a card room in Terminal 1...

And the daily 49ers story... the Santa Clara City Council voted on mitigations to the stadium plan last night. But you weren't there, you were home watching Crystal Bowersox...

There is an interesting write-in campaign is going on with the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Because a judge ruled they had been collecting a groundwater fee illegally, they may have to stop collecting it if more than half of the customers will well-water write a letter saying they want to stop paying.. A weird exercise in democracy, to say the least...

What is it about Palo Alto Utilities? They can't seem to keep the lights on. In the past month they have had some problems... as outlined here. And they should probably get a new spokesperson. Dean Batchelor had this to say about yesterday's incident: "No one was injured, thank god." Thank god? You're the guy in charge and you need to have faith to make sure no one gets hurt? Later in the story he had this to say about the three outages this morning: "This is not a good month for us right now..." Y'think?

Not only that, but a big company is leaving Palo Alto because the electricity is unreliable... oops. Not a good month indeed...

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 -- 1.29.10: Coto vs Reed?

For a Friday, there is some pretty big news...

Good morning San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis (and the SJPOA)... Assemblymembers Joe Coto and Paul Fong have something to tell you... they are asking the Joint Legislative Audit Committee launch an investigation into the SJPD to see if officers are trained properly and look into citizen complaints about use of force properly. But the intrigue doesn't end there... Mayor Reed criticized Coto and Fong, saying: "I see Joe Coto and Paul Fong all the time, and I'm surprised they haven't asked me about this." Stay tuned... Remember when there was talk of Coto running against Mayor Reed this June? Hmmmm...

The Merc's sport columnist Mark Purdy gives us an update about what the heck is happening with MLB in San Jose. The bottomline? MLB (and Bud Selig) are dragging their feet and San Jose needs to get on with it...

The City of San Jose, sensing a public sentiment shift under their own feet, is considering a new tax or fee to pay for tree maintenance... Which will make folks in the City who are uber-protective of their salary, benefits, and pensions pretty happy. You see, if there is a tax (or fee) for trees, then that money doesn't have to come from the general fund -- which means everyone's salary, benefits, and pensions are safe... for now.

You probably remember Broom Closet Modelling at Wilcox High in Santa Clara... the janitor who was running at teen modelling agency. But before there was the broom closet, there was a teacher arrested at Wilcox High School on the first day of school for allegedly having sex with a student... and that may have been a pattern that perhaps the principal knew about. Well, we have some more information today, thanks to the Merc: the Principal at the school will not face criminal "failure to report" charges... Not that it means anything, but... the principal's attorney is Steve Manchester, who seemingly endorsed the District Attorney when she ran the first time...

While we are talking about the DA's office, there is an Op Ed in the Merc by former Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell who calls for a mutany in the DA's office. She urges prosecutors to ignore their boss's decree to boycott one judge... and she calls out Jeff Rosen on the issue too...

High-Speed Rail could be moving faster than planned (pun intended) with a new influx of Federal cash... $2.25 billion, with a "b"... NIMBYs with an "n" better get their act together...

The backyard hockey rink in Palo Alto at the home of Sun Microsystems Chairman Scott McNealy needs to go through Palo Alto's planning process if he wants to keep it... What is weirder: Having a backyard hockey rink or Palo Alto's planning process?

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.17.09: Going Rogue?

We hate to make this the top story today for fear that we'll hear from Kathleen about it... but a San Jose Police Lieutenant is suing the SJPD and Chief Davis for alleged racial discrimination. This is probably just what Chief Davis wants to deal with right now. On the positive side, it allows City Attorney Rick Doyle to answer media inquiries, which provided this gem of a quote:

"I think San Jose has a very good record of not having any racial discrimination in employment..." You think San Jose has a very good record? You don't know? We'll probably find out in the course of this lawsuit which will almost certainly end in a settlement...

To baseball:

We found this from an NBC Sports blog "Circling the Bases" about how Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums wants to not only use Oakland Revedevelopment dollars to keep the A's in Oakland, he wants to use some of your Federal tax dollars (stimulus) too. I'm sure that project will go over big in D.C.

On the same topic, there was a meeting about the neighborhood/traffic impacts of a new stadium downtown last night. But the best part of today's story about that meeting is what the Mayor had to say about the San Jose Giants involvement in opposing the MLB plans downtown: "Did they [the San Jose Giants] not notice the million dollars we spent on Muni Stadium? It's kind of funny... But I don't expect people to be consistent when it gets to these political issues." If I read that right, it seems the Mayor used sarcasm and humor...

And on the topic of stadiums... the Merc Editorial Board supports baseball, but with a "limited public investment." Watch Dog likes any Editorial where "beer batter" is referenced...

It is obvious today that reporters/editors at the Merc rely on Watch Dog to read "out of town" newspapers for them. Yesterday morning we spotted a Matier & Ross piece on sfgate.com that talked about a pretty unfavorable audit of Valley Medical Center doctors' travel. Then last night, (after reading Watch Dog?) the Merc got on the story... (We also kind of joked about it yesterday with this: It is a good thing that we have a local newspaper to cover local topics...

The Fly/San Jose Inside "has heard" that the Chamber of Commerce may be Going Rogue at their annual Legends and Leaders event... Which begs the question, is Sarah Palin a legend or a leader?

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.25.09: A Very Broccoli Thanksgiving...

Hitting the pages today news that State Senator Abel Maldonado has his fingers crossed for confirmation as Lt. Governor. The Merc’s Editorial Board chimes in their support for Maldonado calling it “progress for Californians.” And progress for broccoli too...

Now, the real question, which Watch Dog has been talking about even if no one else is: Is Pat Dando taking this extra long weekend to make a decisions about her future political career?

San Jose hasn’t been the “safest” big city since 2006 and now trails New York as 4th safest in the land. Mayor Chuck Reed remains committed to regaining the title as Assistant Police Chief Dan Katz reminds San Joseans “we’re the safest big city in California.”

And if San Jose is ever going to move up that silly list again, it may be with a new Police Chief. At least that's what some folks would like to see. With San Jose’s City Hall as a backdrop, “based on the questions… (we) ask that (Dolores Carr) convene an open grand jury…” asked Asian Law Alliance’s Richard Konda’s at a press conference with more than 15 other community groups. Police Chief Rob Davis asked Sgt. Ronnie Lopez to send an email saying his door was open and he was disappointed. Because nothing says "open door" like an email sent through a spokesperson through the media...

Convinced that continuing the conversation about police use of force is the best PR strategy... San Jose Police Officers Association Vice President George Beattie was “bothered” after re-reading the Merc’s use of force story. Beattie takes issue with the implication that force is common practice and that “minor infractions” are always safe.

Santa Clara Vice Mayor Jamie Matthews is keeping his inner-Yahoo under wraps (for now) to be “sensitive” to neighbor Sunnyvale. If Yahoo’s plans work out they’ll ditch Sunnyvale to be near the Silicon Valley 49ers – in Santa Clara.

Mountain View Police credit extra feet on the street from the Gang Suppression Team and a “zero tolerance” attitude towards underage drinking for a decrease in gang violence. That probably all helped... but also the fact that they are in Mountain View probably has something to do with it...

The Mountain View-Whisman School District yanked a discussion on special education teacher cuts before the meeting, at the request of the teachers union. Parents were pissed about a lack of “transparency” as cuts turned into part-time positions.

San Jose Insides Joseph DiSalvo sends his appreciation to teachers in schools as well as those in his life. Before heading off to enjoy his holiday repast DiSalvo closes by poking Inside readers “the division and the rancor of the discourse bordering on the personal on SJI is very distressing to me…” Perhaps he should have read the blog he posts on before agreeing to posting weekly. You think the personal stuff is bad now, DiSalvo should have read Inside during the 2006 Mayoral race...

Heading into the long weekend a little good news…

• Christmas in the Park opens for the 30th time in San Jose on Friday...
• Sunnyvale’s eSilicon is ditching a redux of their 2008 luxe dinner at Santana Row for a pizza bash in their office and a $5,000 donation to Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety...
• If you want to join eSilicon in the giving spirit this year the Merc has a few ideas...

And we end this short work week with this great tid-bit... As we were searching for the above picture of Pat Dando, and interesting "Sponsored Link" came up. It seems someone in the San Jose Revealed world is still paying the bill to AdWords... Go ahead, do a search for Pat Dando in Google and see what pops up.

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.23.09: San Jose = Agrestic?

It seems someone at the Chronicle is finally paying attention to what happens south of SFO. Last week it was this story, this week it is Matier & Ross getting into the action talking about how a 2-team option is included in the 49er's Environmental Impact Report that was passed unanimously by the Santa Clara Planning Commission. (Thank you very friendly Mr./Ms. Anonymous...)

San Jose usually loves being unique, but this is not be one of those times. Sunday’s headline on the Merc “S.J. Strategy in mental disturbances questioned.” Those pesky paper-sellers chatted up police in New York and Memphis to learn how officers with mental health training are sent when mental illness is a factor in dispatch calls. San Jose Police Sgt. Teresa Jeglum says SJPD doesn’t “have the staffing for an automatic trigger.” Probably not the best choice of words Sgt. Jeglum when responding to a story about a Police shooting...

Keeping up with San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis, the Merc’s Scott Herhold suggests there’s a growing rift between Mayor Reed and Davis due to “pratfalls” (the shooting of Daniel Pham), “personnel” and “politics.” Herhold pokes at Davis for keeping even his SJPD start date a state secret. With a little sleuthing, Herhold learns Davis can officially ditch San Jose with a pension over $200,000 October 24, 2010. For those of you who like to keep count, October 24th is 11 months from tomorrow... and from what our folks on the 18th floor tell us, that is going to be a loooooong 11 months for the Chief.

Let the mud fly. Silicon Valley’s GOP gubernatorial wannabe’s are getting their YouTube experience early as they slap each other around in an early war of the words. According to the Merc’s Internal Affairs a recent Merc story drew claws from the teams of Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman. At least these two will be prepared for the childish games in Sacramento should either of them beat Jerry Brown...

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed hopes to freeze Redevelopment Agency spending, slicing Redevelopment chief Harry Mavrogenes budget of $132 million. Reed also supports alternatives to dishing the $58 million owed to the County, like handing over the keys to the former City Hall, saying “their obligations are subordinate…” County Executive Jeff Smith is unlikely to go along “the fact they are overleveraged… is a problem we didn’t create.”

While Gilroy tries to shut down their defiant pot shop, San Jose gears up to write the rules to set out the “Open 4(20) Business” sign. Despite Mayor Chuck Reed’s reminder, pot shops are not (yet) legal in San Jose -- even if San Jose sometimes looks like Agrestic.

The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez visited an East San Jose neighborhood in search of answers. Why were trick-or-treating children attacked by Sureno gang members who were barely old enough to drive?

Judge Edward Lee loves his new “Soviet-bloc-style” courthouse in Morgan Hill, in spite of the smell of sewage, a flooded parking lot, a messed up sound system, an unusable jury room, and a door that won’t close. Lee admits there are “minor quirks” staff “has put up with” but is confident the County can fix problems not covered under warranty. This is the story that keeps on giving...

The week kicks off with the obligatory Carr/Rosen moment-by-moment campaign reporting. This week's update: the two work on different floors in the County building... Thank you Internal Affairs for that critical bit of information. Internal Affairs could also barely contain themselves after learning Palo Alto marketing firm Global Fluency wasn’t as fluent on the local media. It seems the Merc received a pitch to cover the (apparently) unknown berg of San Jose. Mayor Reed’s spokesperson Michelle McGurk sniffed “a pitch like this to the local paper is not something I consider a priority.” Unless it is part of her own job...

Local government buffs will want to know…

• San Jose’s Envision 2040 Task Force meets to work out San Jose’s master plan.
• The Mountain View – Los Altos High School District talks employee contracts.
• Santa Clara Unified School District considers class-size reduction and converting the old Agnews Hospital to school grounds.
• Sunnyvale’s City Council talks parkland.

This is funny...

A Watch Dog friend who reads pbump.net religiously sent us this update from Phillip Bump (via Twitter):

In a cab, headed to JFK, for a flight to San Jose. Probably for secret plots to undermine the old guard! Who knows!

Expect well-written, funny, and effective political steps to be taken soon from Canoas Garden... watch out Mayor Reed...

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.9.09: Chiefs of PD's Past and Present...

(Former) San Jose Police Chief/Stanford Hoover Institute Research Fellow Joseph McNamara takes issue with the Merc's coverage of San Jose's Police Department -- and uses the Merc's Opinion page to call on Sean Webby to cover the happy side of San Jose Police business. McNamara suggests the Merc's headline writers are shaping public opinion with spicy headlines. Police coming to the defense of police? Say it ain't so.

(By the way, Watch Dog does not know, and has never spoken to, Sean Webby...)

Speaking of Police Chiefs... Chief Rob Davis (apparently) dusted off his resume early this year to apply for head honcho position in Los Angeles. Davis' didn't land the gig, perhaps due to the salacious headlines in the Merc that are upsetting McNamara, or perhaps the annoying Drunk in Public scandal, or perhaps Chief Davis isn't well loved by the rank and file? The Merc's Internal Affairs tried to get the (secretive) Chief to dish details of his (possible) LA LA land visit... but no luck.

As opposed to Rob Davis who was trying to head to greener pastures, there was a Superintendent locally who was put out to pasture... East Side Union High School Trustees dished details on the ouster of Superintendent Bob Nunez. With monthly expenses running as much as $4,000 a month, auditors found sloppy bookkeeping but nothing illegal in his expensive (alleged) meals with Supervisor/(former) Trustee George Shirakawa and Trustee Eddie Garcia. The audit also found weak oversight... really?

First plastic bags now Styrofoam... Environmentalists must be celebrating in San Jose as the 10th largest city in the nation considers banning those pesky white (non-degradable) coffee cups from public events. Lauren Kates of Aunt Lali's Mobile Cafe said the free ride she's gotten on disposables was nice but she's not stressing over the changes. The same can't be said for the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers who could be looking for a mouthpiece...

The Merc's Editorial Board calls on Campbell's Planning Commission to just say no to a planned "specialty" (rich persons') hospital. Accusing the specialty doctor digs of "cherry-picking" profitable surgeries...

Two train deaths occurred Friday afternoon and both were homeless. Cheryl Mendoza and John Vincent were killed in separate accidents on the Caltrain right of way. Mendoza's death is being investigated as a possible suicide and her friends mourned the San Jose woman who had been homeless for as long as they could remember.

Smart and predatory, the success of the California gull in the Bay's wetlands could threaten wetland restoration efforts. Cheryl Strong, a wildlife biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service worries planned wildlife habitats could turn into an "expensive hotel for gulls."

And this will get firefighters' attention... in Gilroy a City Councilmember is proposing fewer firefighters per truck. Can this be the start of a trend?

Mission City Lantern sends props to Stanford football for besting the Beavers while lamenting the whipping San Jose Spartans took at the hands of Nevada wolf pack.

Morning News Round-Up – 11.5.09: The pleasant edition...

The San Jose City Council said this time the 911 recordings should be released. You can listen in starting next Friday. Police Chief Rob Davis argued against release of 911 tapes citing concerns the neighbors voice would be recognizable. Of course, just knowing it was the neighbor making the initial call… Chief Davis also worried the police report is too “nonlinear” and “not chronological” and might mislead readers.

The race is on for District Attorney of Santa Clara County. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Rosen officially announced his desire to boot the boss. This promises to be the most interesting of all races. Shortly after Rosen’s announcement (ethically challenged) Carr shot back Rosen was tagged for making an error in a trial 8 years ago. Ouch, that has to hurt.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold digs into the Halloween shooting and stabbing of kids in East San Jose. Gang members asked the 12 and 13 year olds which gang they sided with before shooting/stabbing and stealing their popular Nikes. Herhold wonders if a pair of tennies is worth a child’s life.

Pissed off at neighbors for building on their border, Sunnyvale ponders rule changes allowing them to comment on (possible) non-Sunnyvalians in their midst and on their streets.

The Merc’s Editorial Board pokes at San Jose’s Pension Board suggesting they seek realistic returns on investments, pointing out the taxpayer makes up the difference.

Rumors of dealings in smoke-filled backrooms while weighing the merits of (medical) marijuana are unfounded (we think). Looking at a possible $10,000 fee per dispensary, Councilmember Nancy Pyle said “I’d like to get all the facts.” Perhaps a book is in the Councilmembers future.

The Elite Chinese School where a teacher ran over, and killed, a 5 year old boy, is in more hot water. Seems the school had a business license from Cupertino but not the required state license.

Protect San Jose’s Kathleen Flynn calls on San Jose’s City Council to stop allowing “special interest groups” to march on City Hall. Flynn suggests residents join police on a ride along and when you see a police officer “…thank him or her and ask them to stay safe.” Pocket the bad attitude that “can turn an easy-to-handle situation into an unpleasant one.” Stay pleasant out there...

San Jose Insider Pete Campbell suggests San Jose civic leaders have no sense and argues “Unions Control San Jose’s Budget.”

Meanwhile, Pete Campbell gets his own bit in Mission City Lantern as the “Constable of San Jose.”

Morning News Round-Up – 10.27.09: It's bad news Tuesday....

According to attorney Terry Bowman, representing the San Jose police officer caught on video striking San Jose State math student Phuong Ho with a police baton, “Mr. Ho is responsible…” San Jose Councilmembers Madison Nguyen, Sam Liccardo and Ash Kalra stated they were “saddened the Vietnamese American community has recently experienced two incidents with the San Jose Police Department regarding possible use of excessive force.” The Merc’s Scott Herhold steps into the fray with his own analysis of Phuong Ho’s videotaped interview offering this “It’s hard to think he’s making this up… it is extraordinarily hard to make charges against cops stick before a jury.”

Following the death of Beverly Head when she got tangled up by a dog leash, San Jose takes on bikes and pooches. Somewhere, someone is hoping bikes and pooches become a leading story...

Santa Clara’s City Council tackles one hurdle standing in the way of bringing the 49ers to town. Up tonight, letting the team pick the builder of their (planned) Santa Clara Stadium…

The Merc’s Editorial Board wants Sunnyvale voters to know they’re not getting all the facts. The Merc takes a swipe at endorsed candidates Mayor Tony Spitaleri and Councilmember Chris Moylan for telling pieces of a story…

Love is in the air for the Mountain View Whisman School District. Superintendent Maurice Ghysels sheepishly admitted he’s been getting cozy with elementary school principal Carmen Mizell.

San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency released their bad news budget. After $75 million was taken by the State and facing decreased property tax revenues the Agency did some fancy (internal) footwork slashing budgets. Set your sights lower for the convention center expansion…

If you’re looking for your swine flu shot make sure you’re tops on the list. Public Health Officer Marty Fenstersheib had to shuffle after learning fewer (anti) swine-ish shots would be arriving. Kids and pregnant moms top the list… Keeping in mind, not all flues are swine-ish…

Speaking of budgets… San Jose Insider/San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio takes a stab at explaining the financial benefits of outsourcing city jobs and how San Jose’s budget works…

Also a San Jose Insider, Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo is eternally optimistic that San Jose’s 19 school districts can be organized into 4, DiSalvo wants to hear from you. Do you think 19 school boards, 19 superintendents, 19 sets of district staff, 19, well, you get the picture… willing to give up turf for the good of the children?

Protect San Jose’s numeric guru/Sunshine Task Force chair Ed Rast digs into the mind-numbing world of “item 3.5” and suggests the City Manager is reading Protect San Jose. Still no word about Sunshine…

Morning News Round-Up – 10.26.09: No singing in San Jose...

Across California, San Jose has landed in the news…

• San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis put 4 officers on leave after a videotape wound up in the hands of Attorney Duyen Hoang Nguyen.
• (apparently) Showing a brutal beating of San Jose State University math student Phuong Ho, the video is disturbing.
• Former San Francisco Police Chief/Mayor Frank Jordan joined others in asking if the beating was necessary.
• Following a yearlong series of questions about San Jose police (possibly) profiling or behaving badly, this has to sting.
• The Merc’s Editorial Board reminds San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed of his previous statements that it’s not enough to avoid breaking the law, it’s doing the right thing that counts.
• The Merc calls on District Attorney Dolores Carr to open the (inevitable) grand jury hearings on this case.
• San Jose Inside shares Mayor Reed’s comment that he is “troubled” by the contents of the video and notes Chief Rob Davis launched an Internal Affairs investigation after learning from the Merc about the video.

Following two deaths from illegal road races in San Jose, the Merc’s Gary “Mr. Roadshow” Richards did a little digging. Thousands of racers are ticketed in the Bay Area. It’s tough tracking down races. And…. California Highway Patrol Sgt. William Bradshaw says the solution is to give kids their own race track, Sonoma’s Infineon is too far and, well, kids will be kids…

Former Vice Mayor/Labor leader Cindy Chavez says calls by San Jose City Manager Debra Figone for drastic cuts will damage the city and isn’t very creative. Figone, facing a $90 million budget gap is calling for reductions in pay and benefits including elimination of “redundant compensation” to police and firefighters.


Sunnyvale dentist John Licking bucked the sagging home value trend after the city of San Jose offered to settle a lawsuit and buy up property near a planned BART station for a cool $2 million. San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo said, in “technical legal terms” the deal was “twofer” noting the end of the lawsuit and purchase of needed land.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs uncovered a little gloating in District Attorney Dolores Carr’s office. Carr let loose a “final salvo” at (former) Deputy DA/Councilmember Sam Liccardo and (former) defense attorney/Councilmember Ash Kalra for supporting the dangerous promotion of Sunshine. After a Pacific Research Institute report that said Los Altos elementary school, Santa Rita, suspended 81% of their little tykes for “obscene, disruptive, hostile or intimidating behavior” IA went to the source only to find Los Altos is not a hotbed of violent crime.

Thanks to a Watch Dog tipster this blurb from last week. Porn king/Values Advocacy Council president Larry Pegram has officially tossed his hat in the ring to unseat Congressional representative Jerry McNerney. Pegram plans to ditch San Jose for Plesanton. Oddly, the Pegram press release made no mention of Pegrams penchant for censorship.

The Merc’s Patty Fisher was reminded of the importance of friends during the memorial service for former Mountain View Mayor Rosemary Stasek. Email was Stasek’s favored communications tool as she maintained lives, and friendships around the world. Still mourning Stasek, husband Morne du Preez said his wife love parties but always liked leaving while “she was still having fun.”

For your government Watch Dog pleasure…

• San Jose’s City Council talks further cutbacks and critter care.
• The Los Altos School District (not a hotbed of kiddie violence) considers renewal of a parcel tax.
• School closure is on the minds of Trustees for the Alum Rock Union School District with 5 schools facing darkness.
• The Cupertino Union School District considers technology and special education.
• In Palo Alto the Unified School District noodles over plans for student achievement and Gunn and Palo Alto High buildings. The board also considers a pre-kindergarten plan.
• San Jose’s Franklin-McKinley School District hears Rocketship Education's plans to open charter schools.

Following a weekend of bad news for local deputy dawgs, Protect San Jose leads with an invite to the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers dinner.

Morning News Round-Up -- 9.25.09: Who's in for Club Wet this weekend?

The Merc’s Editorial Board sends props to San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis for firing officers involved in a drunk driving coverup and their own Sean Webby for watch-dogging the news of imminent firings. This won't be received well (we guess) from the good folks at Protect San Jose.

As (self-imposed) furlough days go…. Palo Alto workers were all in purple as they marched outside City Hall to protest contract cuts. The Merc’s (union member) Patty Fisher is sympathetic though she shares the words of Pamela Polos wondering about the wisdom of striking these days "Instead of demonstrating for their own benefits, I wish they were out there marching for national health care reform." You and the Palo Alto City Council Patty...

Sunnyvale recycling workers received an unexpected surprise among the grimy cardboard and soda cans - $100 bills rained from the ceiling. If you think the mystery money is yours, call the Sunnyvale Public Works Department.

"Warehousing kids does not teach them what family is all about," said foster youth advocate/former warehouse resident Hemal Sharifzada. And so, Santa Clara County prepares to close the 132-bed children's “warehouse” and move abused and neglected kids to “wrap around” care facilities.

Former Mountain View Mayor Rosemary Stasek passed away in Afghanistan where she was working with the women of Afghanistan with A Little Help in Kabul. Sad story. We like Rosemary a lot...

More sad economic news comes from the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. Silicon Valley FACES ditched their fundraiser.

Swine flu fears have caused the (official) demise of Stanford’s kissing frenzy, Full Moon. How else are shy first-year students supposed to get any action then?

San Jose MetBlogger Matt Bruensteiner celebrates the demise of the plastic bag and sends San Jose’s City Council kudos.

Mission City Lantern executes a little time traveling fable drawing in the Mission City’s neighbor to the South.

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo looks for an Education Governor and tosses his support behind new Dad/ Gubernatorial wanna be Gavin Newsom. We are certain that this should put Newsom over the top...

A (YouTube) brawl at Club Wet... who could have predicted it?

Guess what? Club Wet is in the news again. This time with a YouTube video of a 4 minute brawl and (another) seemingly weak crackdown by the Police Department.

Here is the key line from our blog-friends at San Jose Inside about the "punishment" the Club received:

Wet was served late Friday. Club officials say the timing gave them no opportunity to challenge the action in court. The club will be open and be able to serve alcohol and play music, just won’t have live entertainment.

Here is the video. A Watch Dog warning, you'll be pretty disturbed by the video.



Where to even begin with this story...

The History: It is important to remember the history of Club Wet... There have been multiple stabbings there over the past six months. As a result, they got slapped with a penalty (?) in July whereby they had cut their capacity by 15 people (that's not a typo) and close 15 minutes early (also not a typo). Based on the video, we don't think those cautionary measures worked.

The Lobbyist/Apologist: Let's remember what Wet's lobbyist said the last time (but certainly not the first time) there was a stabbing at Club Wet:

"...It was one individual bad apple that spoiled the barrel..." and
"...We don't think this was preventable...

From the video is looks like it may have been a barrel-full of bad apples and not all of those bad apples were necessarily patrons... Was this brawl preventable Mr. DeRollo?

The Incredibly Weak Punishment/Accountability: It is amazing enough that Club Wet is allowed to stay open after all this history and the newest brawl. Not only that, but Club Wet is sill being allowed to sell alcohol and play music. Where is the accountability to the owners, promoters, and security in Club Wet? How long before someone is killed at Club Wet?

The Most Shameless: "...Club officials say the timing gave them no opportunity to challenge the action in court..." Really? Club officials want to challenge the City's action in court? Really? Instead of taking the City to court, they should kiss Chief Davis on the lips for the kid gloves with which they are being treated...

We are absolutely positive that this story is not over. If history is any guide, Club Wet will continue to operate, relatively free from punishment, until someone dies in the Club. It is sad, but seemingly true.

Obviously the Club has influence at City Hall and that seems to be the only thing that matters these days. In the meantime, stay safe club-goers...

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.24.09: DA Carr meet Lt. Carr

Yet again there’s a big "Oops" being heard over at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office. This time the widow of slain shopkeeper Vahid Hosseini got worried when she found out last month her $14,000 security consultant was none other than District Attorney Dolores Carr’s hubby… Too bad it took the widow to raise the alarm in the potential death penalty case. DA Carr is stepping aside from the case... Amazing that this potential conflict didn't come up in the DA's race in 2006. (Just kidding.)

San Jose Congressmember Mike Honda is elated over a $4 million Congressional committee recommendation to clean up Mt. Umunhum’s abandoned military base. If approved, work could begin as soon as fall.

A special OpEd in the Mercury News criticizes Congresswoman Eshoo for wanting to protect the biotech industry a bit too much in the pending healthcare bill. (The OpEd is written by biotech/ pharmaceutical industry watchdogs...)

San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis has a few words for Judge Diane Northway as she ponders the fate of convicted police killer DeShawn Campbell. His “highly unusual” request to speak is supported by Prosecutor Lane Liroff.

The Merc’s Editorial Board meandered through the Norman Mineta International Airport’s new digs, they’re thrilled.

Keeping up with the State money raid: Morgan Hill is looking at losing nearly $10 million over the next 2 years. Assemblymember Bill Monning stopped by City Hall to “commiserate.” Perhaps his commiserating could be better done by making local government's case in Sacramento?

It’s a wet kinda day (not that Wet…) leading to this equation:

• Winter Rains + Horse Poop = A very unhappy Calero Ranch Stables
• More of those Federal Stimulus bucks are heading West. This time the Santa Clara Valley Water District has landed $4.3 million to make recycled water more available. Supervisorial wannabe/ Water District Director Rosemary Kamei pointed to ongoing droughts and the importance of recycled water as key elements in landing money.
• Dredging up a 5 decade old solution, the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority is looking at a bigger channel and a shorter levee to stop the annual flood. The Palo Alto City Council announced their support of the $8 million proposal, mostly funded by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
  

(EPA Superfund * 2 Decades + Toxic Fumes) * People = More Clean up for Mountain View Triangle (and a pretty complicated Watch Dog equation)

That annoying little matter of cost could dash Gilroy recall champion Mark Zappa’s plan to end Mayor Al Pinheiro’s reign. Zappa said “I would never do [the recall] if it cost [$400,000], never.” Zappa still wants to talk to anti-recall campaign manager/ Mayoral wannabe/ Supervisor Don Gage “…to see what he stands for now.”

“…what the hell business is that of yours?” asks Gilroy Councilmember/former Memorial Day parade organizer Craig Gartman who bought “espresso beans” for parade employees. Colleague/ Councilmember Dion Bracco’s wife, Christy, with the new committee is pissed about the (alleged) lack of financial paperwork while District Attorney Dolores Carr receives mysterious “espresso bean” mail. (Perhaps the DA can be part of this case without a conflict?)

Hoping to fill Supervisor Don Gage’s feisty shoes are (at least) four wannabe’s and the Morgan Hill Times introduces them. Of the four, Gilroy Councilmember/Dr. Peter Arellano sent his spokesmodel to answer questions.

If you love paella from Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme (who doesn’t), you can catch them along with other local chefs starting today at the annual homage to the stinking rose. At least, so says the Merc’s Sal Pizarro who nose his way around a good dish.

Los Gatos Town Manager Greg Larson said thanks, but no thanks to the petitions calling for Los Gatos Council term limits and library spending. Term limit/ anti-library champion former, Councilmember Steve Glickman, was unavailable while Mayor Mike Wasserman said simply they “… didn’t comply with the law.” Watch Dog loves small town politics...

Mountain View City Council hates kids? Youth Motivated for Action and Involvement seems poised to say so after their calls for options for kids are rejected…

A Post-It note fan vandalized the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory damaging thousands of synchrotron radiation lightsource samples. The synchrotron may be best remembered for looking deep into the “evolutionary keystone” Thermopolis Archaeopteryx. (We don't really know what we just wrote, but we figured it was an important story...)

The Blogosphere shrinks…

• San Jose Inside regurgitates Gilroy news on the blossoming Mayoral throwdown.
• San Jose Revealed remains dark and silent.
• Mission City Lantern suggests a knife wielding Guvernator is looking for a throwdown with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed over (Lantern-initiated) San Jose secession plans. Lantern also adds to the "Revealed is..." list. Vote today...
• Protect San Jose has Facebook Chief Privacy Officer/ Attorney General wannabe Chris Kelly writing a campaign piece.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.21.09: A Garbage Saga in Cupertino?

Cupertino Public Works Director Ralph Qualls asked his City Council to hold off on a deciding whether to stick with garbage collectors Los Altos Garbage. Perhaps nervous about Qualls, LAGCo sent a letter directly to Councilmembers, bypassing staff, with their new proposal. This story would seem to be of limited interest to most folks, except... Los Altos Garbage's parent company (Norcal) is prominently featured in Watch Dog San Mateo's Garbage Saga. But even more intriguing, the same company was also involved in Gonzales/Garbage Gate in San Jose.

Speaking of Mayor's being roughed up... Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro faces a recall effort from conservative activist Mark Zappa and the Police Officers Association. Zappa said recalling the Mayor would “...send a strong message to the other starry eyed members of council who the real boss is...” Watch Dog wonders if San Jose's Bobby Lopez is getting any ideas...

The Merc’s Editorial Board joins the growing chorus of those unhappy with finances in local school districts. The Editorial Board goes so far as to say Luther Burbank School District, with one school and 575 students, shouldn’t be a District. East Side Union’s questionable spending is called out and a lack of documentation questioned.

Those Federal bucks stimulating the economy have found their way to San Jose. Early beneficiaries are roads and trails. (Not this place, which a recent emailer suggested was a good place for stimulus dollars to be spent.)

San Jose Police have (again) opted not to release 911 tapes from the murder/suicide by Jian Ming Liang. In a letter to the Mercury News, Chief Rob Davis (with City Attorney Rick Doyle) said “...it is not the department’s intent to deny every request for 911 information...” Though, (apparently) it is the result…

Joining the band of cities pissed at the Guvernator, Cupertino is part of a lawsuit from the League of California Cities fighting the jurisdictional dollar theft.

The unique gang murder case underway in Morgan Hill has a new Judge and new charges for Christian Jimenez. The trial restarts Wednesday after the new Judge has had time to catch up.

Hank Nijmeh’s family owns San Jose’s iconic Falafel’s Drive-In. He’s lived in Silicon Valley for over 40 years, graduated from Campbell’s Del Mar High School, and is now being deported by U.S. immigration to Israel. His crime appears to be mental illness and smoking pot.

For decades the fact she flew military planes during WWII was a State secret. San Jose’s Marcella Tucker was one of 25,000 American women trained to fly military aircraft. Soon she’ll receive the Congressional Gold Medal recognizing her efforts.

Local restaurateur, Tom Muller of Lou’s Village fame, shared memories of Walter Cronkite’s visit with the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. "And that's the way it is..."

The Merc’s Scott Herhold tossed his curmudgeonly attitude overboard for his first Bike Party with 2,500 cycling revelers.

And to the local blogosphere...

• Mission City Lantern is hosting a new poll on the identity of San Jose Revealed.
• Speaking of Revealed... you know what's not fun? Your blog these days...
  

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.16.09: More Wet News...

Barely halfway through 2009, San Jose is on track for a record number of murders. A man was shot to death in the Santee area. Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said it probably wasn’t a drive-by.

The Blue Ribbon Compost Task Force in Palo Alto has made a recommendation to keep composting. Seriously. We can't make this stuff up. (In fairness, it is a little more complicated than that...)

In other "News of the Weird" from Palo Alto... A homeless City Council candidate is being asked by Palo Alto Police not to take up residence outside Whole Foods. (Watch Dog guesses it might lead to some serious liberal guilt if he was living outside of Whole Foods...)

The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez didn’t get asked his opinion on un-doing the problems of the “monumental flop” called the Mexican Heritage Plaza, but that didn’t stop him from posting ideas from readers. Ideas for re-tooling the 1987 vision by then-Councilmember Blanca Alvarado include a Seattle-style Space Needle with a rotating Mexican restaurant.

Other opinions from Merc columnists... The unveiling of a piece of the Mineta San Jose International Airport drew kudos from the Merc’s Sal Pizarro who toured with “dozens of dignitaries.” Begging the question, San Jose has "dozens" of dignitaries?

Mountain View Police will soon take advantage of Google’s free WiFi. The WiFi system will also be used to enhance the water meters at the Pulte Homes' development.

Lots of Los Altos/Los Altos Hills news today...

• New (rotating) Los Altos Hills Mayor Dean Warshawsky takes the helm for a second time. His big goal, annex Hidden Villa, keep the rural atmosphere, and upgrade recreation for residents. (Translation: Better access to the Fremont Hills Country Club.)
• Neighbors in Los Altos (NIMBYs) are still pissed off about a proposed Senior housing proposal approved by the Planning Commission in May. After a contentious meeting this week where NIMBY’s grumped about the noise and dust of construction, the City Council voted to have another meeting to delay their decision.
  
• It seems inaction is contagious in Los Altos. A lawsuit is brewing between the Los Altos School District and the Bullis Charter because Bullis administrators are pissed following 5 years of talk but no action on “...equitably shared facilities...” by the Los Altos School District.

(Apparently) Worried the Los Gatos City Council might not know where they were, the Los Gatos Arts Commission has remade the Council Chambers with an exhibit called “You Are Here.” No word if City Manager Greg Larson has Facebooked about the exhibit yet... (Watch Dog spies are constantly updating us on Larson's status...)

San Jose Inside’s Fly reports Police Chief Rob Davis forced the closure of Club Wet. Apparently, the weapon used during the most-recent stabbing was the size of a pinkie finger and really, no serious wounds were left behind. Club owners dismissed the multiple stabbing as a little dance floor fight with revelers back in action after security guards swooped in. Aside from the fact SJPD didn’t close the club (club owners did), it’s nice to know that if you’re stabbed with a little knife it’s not really a "stabbing." Remember, this "stabbing" was unpreventable according to Wet's lobbyist. (A nightclub needs a lobbyist?)

San Jose Inside’s Silicon Valley Newsroom has resorted to using Watch Dog as their news source of choice having given up on reporters. The latest homage to Watch Dog is reposting the (old) news that Assemblymember Joe Coto and State Senator Gilbert Cedillo were dropped from the Minuteman lawsuit.

Inside isn't the only blog joining the news aggregating business, so is Protect San Jose...

Sadly, Revealed remains silent... pneumonia... vacation... new job?

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.1.09: Football season begins early...

It is almost professional football season... at least in Santa Clara it is. The Merc’s Editorial Board offers an opinion on the (Santa Clara) 49ers – let the voters chime in. Santa Clara Unified School District Superintendent Steve Stavis is on board and sent a note to Mayor Patricia Mahan that included mention of $141 million for schools if the 49ers make their new home here… At the same time, Santa Clara City Manager Jennifer Sparacino says the proposed stadium will result in “excellent economic development.”

Calling San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis’ “just say no” policy to public requests for the 911 tapes “inflexible” the Merc’s Editorial Board also says it's bad policy. They call on the Chief to release the tapes from the death of Daniel Pham. Very Herholdian of the Editorial Board...

The economic meltdown could bring benefits to San Jose development projects. Councilmembers Sam Liccardo and Nora Campos are teaming up to support lowered fees for Mesa Development’s 360 Residences. According to Campos the biggest risk is “failing to support projects” ready for prime time.

The Campos Crew was elsewhere in the news over the weekend too...

• Mr. Insurance, otherwise known as Assemblymember Joe Coto, is handing his lucrative reins to San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos. According to the Merc’s Internal Affairs, Campos should officially announce that she is running for Assembly today. San Jose Revealed dished last week on the (un)surprising news…
• Councilmemer Nora Campos’ brother Planning Commissioner/Council hopeful Xavier Campos’ involvement in multiple “scandalous” events.
  

Assemblymember Joe Coto is focusing his legislation on the hyper-local. Legislation changing elections for the Santa Clara Valley Water District is on tap for Assemblymembers. Water District Director Rosemary Kamei calls it a good idea and says it will ensure South County of representation.

The Merc’s Man About Town, Sal Pizarro, didn’t offer to help the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Cathy Kimball with her dunk tank. But, he does ask you to offer names for the ICA’s buck a dunk fun during the SubZero Festival… Pizarro hopes you’ll head to the Fairmont for dinner with Cisco’s John Chambers and (former) Foothill-DeAnza Chancellor/D.C.-bound Martha Kanter.

San Jose brothers Kulbir and Amirtpal Dhaliwal walk away with $900,000, Carlos Sousa, Jr. and Tatiana lost their lives. The Merc’s Scott Herhold says the boys aren’t angels but the San Francisco Zoo got off easy.

Mountain View Police ended a Shoreline concert early when fighting broke out and 6 people were stabbed. None of the victims appears to have life threatening injuries.

The perv following sisters on their way to school was busted. Seems Armando Sanchez is already a convicted sex offender.

And the understatement of the day... schools in Mountain View and Los Altos didn’t do too badly in the states new API rankings.

San Jose Inside gets a giggle out of a Tesla recall…

Here to inform, the Merc’s Government Watch…

• The budget is top news for City Councils in Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, along with Fremont Union High School, Palo Alto Unified School District, and San Jose Unified School District
• Milpitas Councilmembers discuss a proposal from Vice Mayor Pete McHugh for an un-layoff of full-time City employees.
• San Jose’s City Council considers keeping/cutting their pay and hears recommendations from the (decimated) Drunk Task Force.
• San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee talks to the Merc about release of the Daniel Pham/911 tapes.
• Santa Clara County Office of Education talks school safety and charter schools.

Goodnight Drunk Task Force...

Well, we said it would be six months until San Jose's Public Intoxication Task Force (the Drunk Task Force) set up by Mayor Reed and Councilmember Campos came to some conclusion... We didn't expect this to be the conclusion, however.

Seven members of the Task Force symbolically resigned on the eve of their final meeting. Expressing frustration with the constraints placed on their investigation, seven members joined forces to walk out. The latest blow up in the Drunk Task Force drama got Watch Dog to look back to see how events unfolded…

10.08: The Merc broke the news, San Jose arrests a disproportionate number of Latinos in San Jose.

11.08: San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed joined forces with Councilmember Nora Campos to form the Public Intoxication Task Force. Councilmember Sam Liccardo, channeling the President-elect, expressed the opinion that task forces were “…the place where good ideas go to die…”

1.09: San Jose Drunk Task Force member/De-Bug Silicon Valley’s Raj Jayadev said perhaps the Task Force was where good ideas went to die. Jayadev then expressed the hope that it was within the Task Force’s power to make it work…

3.09: The honeymoon for the Reed/Campos Drunk Task Force was officially over. Reed, Chief Rob Davis, and City Manager Debra Figone ignored and replaced the Task Force with the Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity. Task Force member/ACLU leader Skyler Porras called the move an “end run” around the Task Force. Watch Dog predicted a big blow up…

4.09: Following weeks of bickering the Task Force flashed a (figurative) finger to their bosses saying they didn’t like the way they were being treated…

5.09: The San Jose City Council officially tossed their Drunk Task Force baby under a bus approving the Consortium.

And here we are, the Drunk Task Force, the brain child of Mayor Reed and Councilmember Campos is left with only three members: Rod Schisler (Hunters Video Bar), Jorge Wong (Asian Americans for Community Involvement), and Kathy Cordova (Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley).

Farewell, Rev. Jeff Moore (NAACP), Raul Colunga (La Raza Roundtable), Alfredo Morales (La Raza Lawyers Association), Pete Carrillo (Silicon Valley Latino Democratic Club), Raj Jayadev (Silicon Valley DeBug), Walter Wilson (African-American Community Services Agency), and Skyler Porras (ACLU).

Watch Dog hates to say I told you so… but...