This will come as a (welcome) surprise to many... Medical care is coming back to downtown San Jose. Five years after Health Corporation of America (suddenly) closed the San Jose Medical Center, HCA appears ready to sell the roughly 14 acres for a medical center, retail, and housing to the County. Councilmember Sam Liccardo offered HCA had “… some responsibility to a City where they closed a hospital and limited care for the poor...” at HCA’s other local hospital.
San Jose’s 25th murder happened the same day that a community meeting happened in East San Jose to discuss the Halloween attack on two children. The victim of yesterday’s murder was a teenage boy. Councilmember Nora Campos joined the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and Mayor Chuck Reed to talk to 300 pissed off community members in an attempt to stem gang violence.
It was a busy day at the San Jose City Council meeting: Absent from the proceedings were Councilmembers Pete Constant (obviously), Kansen Chu, and Madison Nguyen. San Jose’s City Council officially ditched Styrofoam at special events and hundreds packed the meeting to ask San Jose not kill their affordable housing program.
Gilroy City Manager Tom Haglund has plans to rein on Medileaf’s pot parade by issuing a “cease and desist” order. Haglund disputes owner Batzi Kuburovich’s claim that non-profits don’t need business permits. Get your "prescription" in Gilroy fast, this time tomorrow it’s likely you'll only be able to buy pot on the street, not in the club...
Mountain View-Whisman School District Superintendent Maurice Ghysels is looking to leave his gig following revelations of his relationship with Landels Elementary principal Carmen Mizell.
Here is a weird coincidence: The Superintendent of the Mountain View-Whisman's next door neighbor, the Los Altos School District, is leaving at the end of the school year...
Congressmember Anna Eshoo was in town pitching healthcare and to make sure Hangar One isn’t “de-skinned and left” like a freak of nature. Eshoo emphasized “we have to have a plan.”
Also hoping to talk to Mountain View residents, Supervisor/President Liz Kniss talks swine flu Thursday.
If you were hoping to send your post-high school student to a CSU far from home, think again. With less money from the State, all CSU’s are tightening belts and offering fewer seats to freshmen. CSU San Jose President Jon Whitmore plans to cut thousands of incoming seats saying “we’re downsizing.”
San Jose Police Officer Association President/Protect San Jose’s Bobby Lopez continues the chant that if it weren’t for the pesky media, San Jose’s Police force would not be in so much hot water – or, at least, no one would know about the hot water. Funny, if Lopez spent half as much time addressing the problem as he does accusing the Merc of “trying to sell one more paper” there might not be any problem.
San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo received a “tsunami of racist comments” following last week’s discussion and suggests this provides a “teachable moment” for the less enlightened. DiSalvo remains optimistic that the achievement gap can be erased, pointing out “there will always be critics to any bold initiative.”
Showing posts with label kniss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kniss. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Morning news Round-Up – 6.18.09: Enviable talent...
Another day, another garbage story. This time, district attorneys around the bay and the State, including District Attorney Dolores Carr, are joining forces in a lawsuit alleging Target dumps “…flammable liquids and toxic chemicals in local landfills...”
Seems the County Supervisors weren’t interested in cutting services to the County’s vulnerable. Before the public had a chance to speak, Supervisor Liz Kniss took Social Services Agency cuts off the table. The Merc’s Editorial Board congratulates the Supervisors for saving services and tells the County streamlining opportunities exist elsewhere.
The Merc’s Scott Herhold offers a backhanded compliment to San Jose Police Officers Association president Bobby Lopez saying Lopez has an “enviable talent for lobbing a verbal grenade into a crowded room.” Herhold and Lopez are at odds over the cost/benefit of police officers at festivals and the culture wars.
It’s a fact, fewer students in class pays off, especially for low-income and minority students. And still, the current economic climate is forcing San Jose Unified School District to consider increasing class sizes for K-2. Janice Allen, president of the San Jose Teachers Association said teachers in 3-12 already have 30 kids, laying them off to keep kindergarten classes small would not be fair.
San Jose’s dream of becoming the Bay Area’s transit hub isn’t guaranteed. First up, overcoming NIMBY chants (and money) High-Speed Rail NIMBYs (from Menlo Park and Atherton) are raising money for the NIMBY lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority. On one hand, it’s a tough time to raise money. On the other hand, if you have to raise NIMBY money, Menlo Park and Atherton are (probably) great places to start...
And, with more NIMBY/train news…
Mountain View NIMBY’s were vocal in their opposition to a housing proposal near Caltrain. Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga disagreed, calling the location for density “one of the best” as the council supported the Minton’s proposal.
Here's a Watch Dog San Mateo/Watch Dog Silicon Valley story for you: Gubernatorial candidates (maybe) snarled as they passed on the 101 yesterday. Republican Tom Campbell spoke to a joint session of Congress, well, actually it was a joint session of the Burlingame, Foster City, and San Mateo Rotaries in Foster City. Democrat Gavin Newsom spoke to the San Jose Rotary. We’lll let you decide which event was more high-profile and let pundits describe candidates chances of success...
In a creative move to generate revenue, Morgan Hill Police Commander David Swing says the city should open it’s own vehicle impound yard. Dion Bracco (owner of Bracco’s Towing and Transport/Gilroy Councilmember) says Morgan Hill will “turn this thing into a fiasco.”
Silicon Valley Realtors descended upon Sacramento to oppose legislation removing illegal/unenforceable restrictions from title records. Assemblymember Joe Coto was moved by the Realtors and arranged for a meeting with the bill’s author. Other Silicon Valley legislators were unable to meet with the Realtors due to the pesky business of being in session.
Some will call Stanford Hospital's $124 million investment in "community benefits" a way for Stanford to be a good neighbor to their Palo Alto "friends". Others will call this investment a way to buy good will... If the latter, the cost of good will is pretty steep...
Bad news for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a grand jury report accuses the District of being “awash in cash while county and cities drown in red ink.” Board Chairman, Sig Sanchez, chided the Grand Jury for not digging deeply. Sanchez will dig more deeply himself and provide a formal response in a month.
Gilroy’s economic woes have Councilmember Perry Woodward heading for the hills. Woodward hits the road for a two week solo trek to the top of Mt. Whitney.
Cupertino’s Ramya Auroprem was a ringer at the Rep’s Spelling Bee, pulled on stage to be part of the performance. To get the show back on track the cast resorted to made up words to fool the 13 year old’s keen sense of wordology.
Do you Facebook? Creation of a new verb, ala Google, is what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is dreaming about. Looks like the trendy Silicon Valley startup may have its dreams come true.
Times are tough when you’re stealing tips from Barristas… Watch out Starbucks, there’s a serial tip thief on the loose.
Seems the County Supervisors weren’t interested in cutting services to the County’s vulnerable. Before the public had a chance to speak, Supervisor Liz Kniss took Social Services Agency cuts off the table. The Merc’s Editorial Board congratulates the Supervisors for saving services and tells the County streamlining opportunities exist elsewhere.
The Merc’s Scott Herhold offers a backhanded compliment to San Jose Police Officers Association president Bobby Lopez saying Lopez has an “enviable talent for lobbing a verbal grenade into a crowded room.” Herhold and Lopez are at odds over the cost/benefit of police officers at festivals and the culture wars.
It’s a fact, fewer students in class pays off, especially for low-income and minority students. And still, the current economic climate is forcing San Jose Unified School District to consider increasing class sizes for K-2. Janice Allen, president of the San Jose Teachers Association said teachers in 3-12 already have 30 kids, laying them off to keep kindergarten classes small would not be fair.
San Jose’s dream of becoming the Bay Area’s transit hub isn’t guaranteed. First up, overcoming NIMBY chants (and money) High-Speed Rail NIMBYs (from Menlo Park and Atherton) are raising money for the NIMBY lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority. On one hand, it’s a tough time to raise money. On the other hand, if you have to raise NIMBY money, Menlo Park and Atherton are (probably) great places to start...
And, with more NIMBY/train news…
Mountain View NIMBY’s were vocal in their opposition to a housing proposal near Caltrain. Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga disagreed, calling the location for density “one of the best” as the council supported the Minton’s proposal.
Here's a Watch Dog San Mateo/Watch Dog Silicon Valley story for you: Gubernatorial candidates (maybe) snarled as they passed on the 101 yesterday. Republican Tom Campbell spoke to a joint session of Congress, well, actually it was a joint session of the Burlingame, Foster City, and San Mateo Rotaries in Foster City. Democrat Gavin Newsom spoke to the San Jose Rotary. We’lll let you decide which event was more high-profile and let pundits describe candidates chances of success...
In a creative move to generate revenue, Morgan Hill Police Commander David Swing says the city should open it’s own vehicle impound yard. Dion Bracco (owner of Bracco’s Towing and Transport/Gilroy Councilmember) says Morgan Hill will “turn this thing into a fiasco.”
Silicon Valley Realtors descended upon Sacramento to oppose legislation removing illegal/unenforceable restrictions from title records. Assemblymember Joe Coto was moved by the Realtors and arranged for a meeting with the bill’s author. Other Silicon Valley legislators were unable to meet with the Realtors due to the pesky business of being in session.
Some will call Stanford Hospital's $124 million investment in "community benefits" a way for Stanford to be a good neighbor to their Palo Alto "friends". Others will call this investment a way to buy good will... If the latter, the cost of good will is pretty steep...
Bad news for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a grand jury report accuses the District of being “awash in cash while county and cities drown in red ink.” Board Chairman, Sig Sanchez, chided the Grand Jury for not digging deeply. Sanchez will dig more deeply himself and provide a formal response in a month.
Gilroy’s economic woes have Councilmember Perry Woodward heading for the hills. Woodward hits the road for a two week solo trek to the top of Mt. Whitney.
Cupertino’s Ramya Auroprem was a ringer at the Rep’s Spelling Bee, pulled on stage to be part of the performance. To get the show back on track the cast resorted to made up words to fool the 13 year old’s keen sense of wordology.
Do you Facebook? Creation of a new verb, ala Google, is what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is dreaming about. Looks like the trendy Silicon Valley startup may have its dreams come true.
Times are tough when you’re stealing tips from Barristas… Watch out Starbucks, there’s a serial tip thief on the loose.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Morning News Round-Up -- 5.26.09: A Supreme Tuesday Edition...
As we come back from a long weekend, the news today will be dominated by Supreme legal stuff... California Supreme Court's decision on Proposition 8 and Obama's pick for the US Supreme Court.
But Watch Dog must ask that you don't forget the local stuff... luckily, the Merc’s Internal Affairs never forgets the local stuff…
San Jose Police are refusing to release 911 tapes from the fatal Mother’s Day shooting of mentally ill Daniel Pham. Santa Clara Police Lt. Phil Cooke crossed the Blue Line and sounded less convinced about the need for San Jose Police Department's secrecy saying, “Police departments live on public trust. You take that away and you have nothing.” Unfortunately, Watch Dog thinks the public trust in the San Jose Police Department may have been bruised well before this incident... (See: Drunk Task Force and IPA selection.)
The Merc Editorial Board sends kudos to the City of San Jose for helping to add Rancho San Vicente to Silicon Valley’s open spaces. The Merc credits San Jose Planners with resisting pressure from developers and lobbyists wanting to build luxury estates. (A much more contentious issue dealing with developers, open space, and lobbyists is brewing in Redwood City, for those of you interested in things north of the Santa Clara/San Mateo County line...)
It was a violent weekend in San Jose…
Morgan Hill’s sparkling new courthouse is headed for its own courtroom battle. In a finger pointing drama, County Supervisor Don Gage says the builder blew it while Paul Thompson with West Bay Builders points at County staff for errors. At issue is $20 million which the County says it doesn't owe the builder -- and the builder kindly disagrees.
An (apparent) joyrider stole a Mountain View Police car during a Shoreline concert. Police later found the car ditched in an apartment complex parking garage. (The Officer left the keys in the car... oops!)
A Monte Sereno “good neighbor” fence was anything but neighborly for Darla Padget who says City Manager Brian Loventhal sent threatening letters. The 10 year old “fence” trial heads to the jury this week.
Here for your Watch Doggers pleasure… the week around Silicon Valley government, with mad props to the Merc's Government Watch (on-again/off-again) crew...
If you were anywhere near San Jose’s downtown you couldn’t miss Fanime’s costumed conventioneers. If you missed it, you really missed it...
But Watch Dog must ask that you don't forget the local stuff... luckily, the Merc’s Internal Affairs never forgets the local stuff…
- Supervisor/President Liz Kniss is fighting with Supervisor Dave Cortese over foster kids. (No, this isn't a custody battle...)
- San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos has a friend in the White House, Adolfo Carrion. Unfortunately, Carrion is accused of taking bribes while a New York Bronx borough president and might not be there long enough to help. (Which is ironic, since Campos' mentor was also written about in the Merc this weekend... we'll get to this later.)
- San Jose’s normally genteel Councilmember Nancy Pyle got testy over accusations she met more than once with bail bonds lobbyists Tom Saggau and Dustin DeRollo and snapped at members of the public. Saggau said if he’s riding the elevator “with someone who's reportable, and I just mention Bad Boys Bail Bonds” he reports the contact.
San Jose Police are refusing to release 911 tapes from the fatal Mother’s Day shooting of mentally ill Daniel Pham. Santa Clara Police Lt. Phil Cooke crossed the Blue Line and sounded less convinced about the need for San Jose Police Department's secrecy saying, “Police departments live on public trust. You take that away and you have nothing.” Unfortunately, Watch Dog thinks the public trust in the San Jose Police Department may have been bruised well before this incident... (See: Drunk Task Force and IPA selection.)
The Merc Editorial Board sends kudos to the City of San Jose for helping to add Rancho San Vicente to Silicon Valley’s open spaces. The Merc credits San Jose Planners with resisting pressure from developers and lobbyists wanting to build luxury estates. (A much more contentious issue dealing with developers, open space, and lobbyists is brewing in Redwood City, for those of you interested in things north of the Santa Clara/San Mateo County line...)
It was a violent weekend in San Jose…
- A “melee” left 4 men with stab wounds at a South San Jose party. If you have info dish to the San Jose Police Department's assaults unit at 408-277-4161. (Watch Dog doubts many of our readers attend such parties, but you never know...)
- Paul Leyva was beaten and left brain-dead outside a San Jose pizzeria. Call Sgt. Merlin Newton or Detective Bill Hoyt of the San Jose Police Department's homicide unit at 408-277-5283.
- A 25 year old man was shot near McKee and Capitol. Anonymous callers can call Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867).
Morgan Hill’s sparkling new courthouse is headed for its own courtroom battle. In a finger pointing drama, County Supervisor Don Gage says the builder blew it while Paul Thompson with West Bay Builders points at County staff for errors. At issue is $20 million which the County says it doesn't owe the builder -- and the builder kindly disagrees.
An (apparent) joyrider stole a Mountain View Police car during a Shoreline concert. Police later found the car ditched in an apartment complex parking garage. (The Officer left the keys in the car... oops!)
A Monte Sereno “good neighbor” fence was anything but neighborly for Darla Padget who says City Manager Brian Loventhal sent threatening letters. The 10 year old “fence” trial heads to the jury this week.
Here for your Watch Doggers pleasure… the week around Silicon Valley government, with mad props to the Merc's Government Watch (on-again/off-again) crew...
- The City of San Jose Rules Committee talks pay cuts for Councilmembers and management as well as the growing maintenance backlog.
- The Cupertino Union School District studies the Governor’s revised/slashed education budget.
- Franklin-McKinley School District reviews (horrible) financial projections.
- Palo Alto Unified has a full plate with talks of enrollment, boundary changes, Mandarin immersion, and a delayed reopening Garland Elementary. Oh, and the (crappy) budget.
If you were anywhere near San Jose’s downtown you couldn’t miss Fanime’s costumed conventioneers. If you missed it, you really missed it...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Morning News Round-Up -- 5.6.09: Shading sunshine in San Jose...
Yawn, Watch Dog hopes this is the end of the Swine Flu updates. Yesterday was the last day of the Swine Flu vacation, today schools are open and expecting your kids at their desks. Santa Clara County Health Officer Marty Fenstersheib made the bold decision shortly after the Centers for Disease Control backed off rigid closing requirements. “This novel virus looks exactly like the seasonal flu...” except for the school closures and mass-hysteria... (or Mask Hysteria.)
On to the fun stuff -- yesterday's San Jose City Council meeting...
There’s a new gig up for grabs, again. The San Jose City Council agreed to reopen the hiring process for the Independent Police Auditor and keep the original applicants in the mix. Yep, that’s right, Chris Constantin has a second shot at being the guy to review his brother's (and his brother's brothers-in-blue) work. But this isn't the most interesting part of the City Council meeting yesterday... this is:
Mayor Chuck Reed was a little testy, trying hard to get colleagues to tell all of the closed door session discussion when the chose Constantin, who apparently wasn't Mayor Reed's first choice. Remember, Councilmember Nora Campos was spinning the tale that she didn't know about Constantin's police-relations when she voted to make him the new IPA. The Mayor (apparently) knows that Campos is not telling the truth -- and so do some Councilmembers. The Mayor tried, unsuccessfully, to get the Council to release the notes from the Closed Session meeting where Constantin was approved. But the majority on the City Council said, unbelievably, that they would like to decide in private whether to keep the private conversation private. (That sentence makes sense, read it again...) So much for sunshine...
San Jose Revealed weighs in on the new/old IPA hunt (Reed screwed up) and the Earthquakes land deal (the City lost money). Revealed also shares opinions on the Mayor’s biennial Ethics Review Memo.
San Jose Inside’s Fly dishes the news that members of the Elections Commission are hinting that Councilmember Nora Campos was the source of the anonymous complaint against Tom McEnery. Campos’ Chief of Staff Ryan Ford heard the hints and suggested the Elections Commission go ahead, try to find out saying, “we had nothing to do with that.” City Clerk Lee Price says the Commission doesn’t have the authority to investigate. Perhaps evidence would point to the (blo)sphere of influence between Campos and San Jose Revealed and the complaint...
GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL! Is expected to be heard in San Jose. Tuesday the City Council unanimously approved sale of land to Earthquakes/A’s owner Lew Wolff to build a soccer stadium, a hotel, and some retail shops. Soccer Silicon Valley president Don Gagliardi expressed his inner soccer joy saying “...this is the culmination of five years of effort...”
Home value tracking site Zillow.com provided the news that the plunging housing market has slowed, a little. Wet blanket Santa Clara Assessor Larry Stone offered his thoughts that the home value losses were greater than the $57 billion estimated by Zillow.com. “I was surprised it was so low, there has been a serious erosion of equity,” said party pooper Stone.
Vahid Hosseini was a respected shopkeeper in a tough neighborhood with occasional gang violence. The Willow Market was the place where neighbors could cash their paychecks and get groceries. Police Chief Rob Davis announced Tuesday Alejandro Mendoza has been arrested for last years murder of Hosseini. Chief Davis said “the investigation is still ongoing – literally – as we speak,” and asked anyone with information call 408-277-5283.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Liz Kniss is expecting unprecedented federal support and says without it “our financial boat would barely be afloat.” The President (Kniss) is referring to federal stimulus dollars coming from D.C. to provide support for some of the County’s mental health, alcohol/drug abuse programs, and those gentle Nightingales who poked a needle in your Swine Fluish arm. Not helped by the federal bucks will be seniors, the disabled, and unemployed families – all of whom can expect continued budget cuts. (While Kniss is making her case in the newspaper, Supervisors in San Mateo County were actually testifying on Capitol Hill...)
Lest we forget, yesterday was an Election Day in some parts of the County. Voters in the Moreland and Cupertino Union School Districts agreed to help schools and passed their parcel tax measures, in spite of the gloomy economy.
It was a geeks paradise where San Jose’s Harker Academy eighth-grader Sierra Lincoln proved herself the geekiest of all. Lincoln took three awards in all and won top awards for programming and robot skills at the international VEX Robotics championship competition in Omaha, Nebraska. Geek on, sister.
Saratoga wants more of those fed dollars and is fighting for more than the $851,580 street paving dollars guaranteed. Saratoga is hoping to move City offices completely off the electric grid and is banking on federal green bucks to help make that happen.
Monte Sereno’s City Council had the unenviable chore of voting itself a salary during the worst economic disaster in decades. Councilmember Marshall Anstandig vows to return the salary or donate it to charity. Monte Serenan Lon Allen wants the Council to delay the vote a month in order to mail a postcard to everyone in town letting them know about the $300/month proposal. Estimated cost of mailing postcards: $3,600.
Morgan Hill’s Chamber of Commerce decided to move the popular Friday Night Music Series out of the street and into the amphitheatre – against the wishes of downtown merchants who see revenue disappearing into the amphitheatre along with the music. As of press time it was not known how many Chamber members voted for the move.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District meets to vote on a proposal to raise South County water rates. Great Oaks attorney Tim Guster called the rate raising process “flawed” and plans to attend the Wednesday night meeting to say so.
On to the fun stuff -- yesterday's San Jose City Council meeting...
There’s a new gig up for grabs, again. The San Jose City Council agreed to reopen the hiring process for the Independent Police Auditor and keep the original applicants in the mix. Yep, that’s right, Chris Constantin has a second shot at being the guy to review his brother's (and his brother's brothers-in-blue) work. But this isn't the most interesting part of the City Council meeting yesterday... this is:
Mayor Chuck Reed was a little testy, trying hard to get colleagues to tell all of the closed door session discussion when the chose Constantin, who apparently wasn't Mayor Reed's first choice. Remember, Councilmember Nora Campos was spinning the tale that she didn't know about Constantin's police-relations when she voted to make him the new IPA. The Mayor (apparently) knows that Campos is not telling the truth -- and so do some Councilmembers. The Mayor tried, unsuccessfully, to get the Council to release the notes from the Closed Session meeting where Constantin was approved. But the majority on the City Council said, unbelievably, that they would like to decide in private whether to keep the private conversation private. (That sentence makes sense, read it again...) So much for sunshine...
San Jose Revealed weighs in on the new/old IPA hunt (Reed screwed up) and the Earthquakes land deal (the City lost money). Revealed also shares opinions on the Mayor’s biennial Ethics Review Memo.
San Jose Inside’s Fly dishes the news that members of the Elections Commission are hinting that Councilmember Nora Campos was the source of the anonymous complaint against Tom McEnery. Campos’ Chief of Staff Ryan Ford heard the hints and suggested the Elections Commission go ahead, try to find out saying, “we had nothing to do with that.” City Clerk Lee Price says the Commission doesn’t have the authority to investigate. Perhaps evidence would point to the (blo)sphere of influence between Campos and San Jose Revealed and the complaint...
GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL! Is expected to be heard in San Jose. Tuesday the City Council unanimously approved sale of land to Earthquakes/A’s owner Lew Wolff to build a soccer stadium, a hotel, and some retail shops. Soccer Silicon Valley president Don Gagliardi expressed his inner soccer joy saying “...this is the culmination of five years of effort...”
Home value tracking site Zillow.com provided the news that the plunging housing market has slowed, a little. Wet blanket Santa Clara Assessor Larry Stone offered his thoughts that the home value losses were greater than the $57 billion estimated by Zillow.com. “I was surprised it was so low, there has been a serious erosion of equity,” said party pooper Stone.
Vahid Hosseini was a respected shopkeeper in a tough neighborhood with occasional gang violence. The Willow Market was the place where neighbors could cash their paychecks and get groceries. Police Chief Rob Davis announced Tuesday Alejandro Mendoza has been arrested for last years murder of Hosseini. Chief Davis said “the investigation is still ongoing – literally – as we speak,” and asked anyone with information call 408-277-5283.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Liz Kniss is expecting unprecedented federal support and says without it “our financial boat would barely be afloat.” The President (Kniss) is referring to federal stimulus dollars coming from D.C. to provide support for some of the County’s mental health, alcohol/drug abuse programs, and those gentle Nightingales who poked a needle in your Swine Fluish arm. Not helped by the federal bucks will be seniors, the disabled, and unemployed families – all of whom can expect continued budget cuts. (While Kniss is making her case in the newspaper, Supervisors in San Mateo County were actually testifying on Capitol Hill...)
Lest we forget, yesterday was an Election Day in some parts of the County. Voters in the Moreland and Cupertino Union School Districts agreed to help schools and passed their parcel tax measures, in spite of the gloomy economy.
It was a geeks paradise where San Jose’s Harker Academy eighth-grader Sierra Lincoln proved herself the geekiest of all. Lincoln took three awards in all and won top awards for programming and robot skills at the international VEX Robotics championship competition in Omaha, Nebraska. Geek on, sister.
Saratoga wants more of those fed dollars and is fighting for more than the $851,580 street paving dollars guaranteed. Saratoga is hoping to move City offices completely off the electric grid and is banking on federal green bucks to help make that happen.
Monte Sereno’s City Council had the unenviable chore of voting itself a salary during the worst economic disaster in decades. Councilmember Marshall Anstandig vows to return the salary or donate it to charity. Monte Serenan Lon Allen wants the Council to delay the vote a month in order to mail a postcard to everyone in town letting them know about the $300/month proposal. Estimated cost of mailing postcards: $3,600.
Morgan Hill’s Chamber of Commerce decided to move the popular Friday Night Music Series out of the street and into the amphitheatre – against the wishes of downtown merchants who see revenue disappearing into the amphitheatre along with the music. As of press time it was not known how many Chamber members voted for the move.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District meets to vote on a proposal to raise South County water rates. Great Oaks attorney Tim Guster called the rate raising process “flawed” and plans to attend the Wednesday night meeting to say so.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Morning News Round-Up – 3.4.09: It’s a Nguyen-Win!
(Sorry about the obvious title. Too easy...) Now, onto Nguyen News Round-Up:
San Jose Councilmember Madison Nguyen survived the recall and won by more than 1,200 votes. Congrats Madison, sorry Andre Charles...
The Merc.'s Scott Herhold reminds Nguyen, and her supporters, that she is partially to blame for having stepped into the mess that landed her in a recall election. Herhold calls out Supervisor George Shirakawa, Jr. (Grand Poobah) as a loser in this battle for remaining “neutral”...
San Jose Inside blogged live from Nguyen’s Police Officers' Association celebration, numerous mentions of raucous noise but no details about who was there and what was being said away from the microphone…
San Jose Revealed received (and posted) Tweets from the streets of San Jose – most seem to be from no on recall volunteers. Revealed called the race at 8:19 pm, sending a dig at the yes on recall team for creating so much turmoil.
Mission City Lantern sends a warning to recall fans…Nguyen could be on the war-path…
And other news...
Sales tax revenues are down, no surprise there. A VTA Workshop last week painted a bleak picture for the BART to San Jose timeline and shocked VTA Boardmembers, according to President Liz Kniss.
Gilroy’s City Council has taken a stand against housing, or so it would seem from the funding denial at this week's Council meeting. Councilmembers Dion Bracco, Craig Gartman, and Bob Dillion denied purchase of 50% stake in South County’s Cannery Project – effectively leaving empty downtown properties. Councilmembers Cat Tucker and Peter Arellano, along with Mayor Al Pinheiro supported the project but without Councilmember Perry Woodward the proposal died a painful death.
In sporting news...His Hairness met with the 49ers yesterday to see if he could woo...
Composting has created a Task Force situation in Palo Alto. The normally non-controversial need to do the right thing split the City Council and drove them to fill a Task Force with vocal advocates on both sides. Former Councilmember/park advocate Emily Renzel stands staunchly against composting in the new Byxbee Park while Palo Alto’s Community Environmental Action Partnership member Bryan Long supports a smaller park if it means saving the planet.
Los Altan Dana Nachtman will have her documentary “Witch Hunt” on display at San Jose’s Cinequest this week. Nachtman, a journalist and mom, followed the saga of working-class men and women accused (and wrongfully convicted) of child molestation in the early 80’s. (Sounds like a film our local DA's office should take a look at...)
And on the local blog/website front...
Watch Dog wrote previously about the Los Gatos Observer not being updated since new ownership (Virtual Valley/Metro) took over. In a weird twist to that story, this note now appears by ousted Observer Editor Alastair Dallas. Does he still have the password?
San Jose Councilmember Madison Nguyen survived the recall and won by more than 1,200 votes. Congrats Madison, sorry Andre Charles...
The Merc.'s Scott Herhold reminds Nguyen, and her supporters, that she is partially to blame for having stepped into the mess that landed her in a recall election. Herhold calls out Supervisor George Shirakawa, Jr. (Grand Poobah) as a loser in this battle for remaining “neutral”...San Jose Inside blogged live from Nguyen’s Police Officers' Association celebration, numerous mentions of raucous noise but no details about who was there and what was being said away from the microphone…
San Jose Revealed received (and posted) Tweets from the streets of San Jose – most seem to be from no on recall volunteers. Revealed called the race at 8:19 pm, sending a dig at the yes on recall team for creating so much turmoil.
Mission City Lantern sends a warning to recall fans…Nguyen could be on the war-path…
And other news...
Sales tax revenues are down, no surprise there. A VTA Workshop last week painted a bleak picture for the BART to San Jose timeline and shocked VTA Boardmembers, according to President Liz Kniss.
Gilroy’s City Council has taken a stand against housing, or so it would seem from the funding denial at this week's Council meeting. Councilmembers Dion Bracco, Craig Gartman, and Bob Dillion denied purchase of 50% stake in South County’s Cannery Project – effectively leaving empty downtown properties. Councilmembers Cat Tucker and Peter Arellano, along with Mayor Al Pinheiro supported the project but without Councilmember Perry Woodward the proposal died a painful death.
In sporting news...His Hairness met with the 49ers yesterday to see if he could woo...
Composting has created a Task Force situation in Palo Alto. The normally non-controversial need to do the right thing split the City Council and drove them to fill a Task Force with vocal advocates on both sides. Former Councilmember/park advocate Emily Renzel stands staunchly against composting in the new Byxbee Park while Palo Alto’s Community Environmental Action Partnership member Bryan Long supports a smaller park if it means saving the planet.
Los Altan Dana Nachtman will have her documentary “Witch Hunt” on display at San Jose’s Cinequest this week. Nachtman, a journalist and mom, followed the saga of working-class men and women accused (and wrongfully convicted) of child molestation in the early 80’s. (Sounds like a film our local DA's office should take a look at...)
And on the local blog/website front...
Watch Dog wrote previously about the Los Gatos Observer not being updated since new ownership (Virtual Valley/Metro) took over. In a weird twist to that story, this note now appears by ousted Observer Editor Alastair Dallas. Does he still have the password?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Morning News Round-Up -- 3.2.09: A Nickname is Born...
The final days leading up to the biggest day San Jose Councilmember Madison Nguyen’s career are filled with precinct walking and calloused dialing fingers. Tomorrow at 8 p.m., one way or another, papers will be recycled, old coffee cups thrown away, and sleep will come in more than a few hours at a time. San Jose has seen 5 recall elections before now, only one was successful. "We were hopeful that she would understand the Vietnamese community better," volunteer My Phuong Le said in between (Yes) calling voters Sunday, "because that's her background." We will be blogging live on Tuesday night as the results come in...whatever the results, Andre Charles is putting his new resume together...
As Nguyen's date with the recall nears, it looks like Silicon Valley/Santa Maria State Senator Abel Maldonado will avoid a recall. Former Congressman/Former Assemblymember Ernie Konnyu is choosing not to harass Abel Maldonado via recall. (Konnyu is fond of other kinds of harassment, though.) But as Konnyu eases up, GOP leaders aren't going to. The State Republican Party has decided that they are going to withhold campaign dollars from Maldonado and the other five Republicans who voted for the budget package. Maldonado said his party “…is down in the dumpsters, and it's wrong to do this." Truer words have rarely been said...
The Merc’s Internal Affairs continues to muse over San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos’ ambitious goals for higher office. (They are still writing that story?) Campos aims to expand her meet and greets outside Assemblymember Joe Coto’s Assembly District to include the entire City – covering her bases for his seat and Mayor Reed’s.
In other Internal Affairs news, Supervisor Liz Kniss opted for the title President over Chair saying she could have chosen Grand Poobah. Supervisor George Shirakawa did not say, "She really couldn't have chosen Grand Poobah, because I'm the Grand Poobah...I even have the hat..." And with this story, a new nickname is born for the County's newest Supervisor...
As scrutiny increased on the San Jose Police Department, the questionable arrest rates curiously plunged in December and January. ACLU's local Director Skyler Porras said it was, "an alarming confirmation of the sheer number of wrongful arrests" that were occurring. Police Chief Rob Davis had a different spin saying he was pleased the "changes we have made" were having a "positive impact." That is quite a different tune than Chief Davis was singing last year...
Speaking of fun drunken times…Internal Affairs ferreted out four downtown clubs that offer the biggest challenges to San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis: WET, Miami Beach Club, Vivid, and Motif...if anyone reading this blog has ever gone to one of these places, hit me up so we can roll together...
And the Drunk Task Force is still talking drunks in San Jose…City Manager Debra Figone ordered Police Chief Rob Davis to release 200 police reports to the Drunk Task Force for review. "We consider access to the information to actually identify the problem as a fundamental piece of our charge," said ACLU’s (always quotable) Sklyer Porras. "There is no point in sitting at the table to combat symptoms without getting at the disease."
Someone on the Merc’s Editorial Board was feeling particularly sassy this weekend when they wrote, “The great crossing guard panic of San Jose.” The Merc. Ed Board is critical of Councilmembers Pierluigi Oliverio and Pete Constant for frightening parents and education leaders when they claimed the crossing guard budget was being cut. Just as entertaining was the Rules Committee meeting where they feigned ignorance over the furor they helped create.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to give Santa Clara County $90 million of the $490 million in Federal money. The funding is a relief because the State has cut funding said VTA spokesperson Jennie Hwang Loft adding, "Losing a few million dollars is one thing. When you start getting into double digits, that's a whole other scenario."
Los Altos Planners are mulling over the results of polling data in order to narrow the scope of a bond measure for their new Civic Center. In November, voters head to the polls to decide how much they are willing to tax themselves for a City Hall. Assistant City Manager James Walgren is confident sufficient funds are available for one facility and plans to survey voters again in the summer. Any chance Los Altos wants to relocate their City Hall to 801 N. First Street in San Jose? We hear there is an empty building there...
Watch Dog congratulation Mountain View for joining Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, and San Jose on the Bicycle Friendly Community list of California’s bike friendly cities.
Mountain View Police arrested community leader/soccer coach Pedro Carbajal for sexually assaulting female relatives under the age of 14. Police spokesperson Liz Wylie said they are “not looking for victims” among the Amigo League teams he coached.
And while we are on the topic...
Gilroy High math teacher (Morgan Hill resident) Alberto Gomez Vicuna, Jr. heads to court in San Jose this week. According to Deputy DA Ray Mendoza Vicuna, Jr. is a very, very bad man and faces up to 10 years in prison for having sex with a 14 year old San Jose girl he met on the social networking site Tagged.com. Vicuna had over 100 female friends on the site. Mendoza is concerned there may be more victims. Pissed off parent Jeannie White said, "If they have a pedophile on school grounds, I want to know if they're not doing a good enough background check."
Gang members in Gilroy High started an oatmeal fight which escalated to a battle that included 30 police officers in riot gear and shotgun wielding CHP officers and the arrest of 7 students. While the students were entertained, Principal James Maxwell was not because he was hosting reviewers from the California School Recognition Program for a possible award. (Was it an award for the most gang members at lunch?) Maxwell sighed, "Every couple of years you get a riot like this, and a lot of kids think this is a big joke, but it's not..."
Breaking news this morning in San Jose: A body was found on the 680/McKee off-ramp early this morning. Officer Jermaine Thomas said, "This was an apparent hit-and-run, and the pedestrian was dragged after the collision.'' Yikes...
It’s going to be a race now as to who is more pissed off: the Spansion employees who got rudely ditched last week (while the bosses got raises) or the ones who learned Sunday that their employer was filing for bankruptcy. Former Chief Exec Bertrand Cambou pledged Friday to return his $403,000 severance check because “my heart is broken” seeing his old team let go without severance. Current Chief Exec John Kispert said Chapter 11 made sense because it provides the company “the most effective means to preserve our market position and to maintain customer confidence."
As Nguyen's date with the recall nears, it looks like Silicon Valley/Santa Maria State Senator Abel Maldonado will avoid a recall. Former Congressman/Former Assemblymember Ernie Konnyu is choosing not to harass Abel Maldonado via recall. (Konnyu is fond of other kinds of harassment, though.) But as Konnyu eases up, GOP leaders aren't going to. The State Republican Party has decided that they are going to withhold campaign dollars from Maldonado and the other five Republicans who voted for the budget package. Maldonado said his party “…is down in the dumpsters, and it's wrong to do this." Truer words have rarely been said...
The Merc’s Internal Affairs continues to muse over San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos’ ambitious goals for higher office. (They are still writing that story?) Campos aims to expand her meet and greets outside Assemblymember Joe Coto’s Assembly District to include the entire City – covering her bases for his seat and Mayor Reed’s. In other Internal Affairs news, Supervisor Liz Kniss opted for the title President over Chair saying she could have chosen Grand Poobah. Supervisor George Shirakawa did not say, "She really couldn't have chosen Grand Poobah, because I'm the Grand Poobah...I even have the hat..." And with this story, a new nickname is born for the County's newest Supervisor...
As scrutiny increased on the San Jose Police Department, the questionable arrest rates curiously plunged in December and January. ACLU's local Director Skyler Porras said it was, "an alarming confirmation of the sheer number of wrongful arrests" that were occurring. Police Chief Rob Davis had a different spin saying he was pleased the "changes we have made" were having a "positive impact." That is quite a different tune than Chief Davis was singing last year...
Speaking of fun drunken times…Internal Affairs ferreted out four downtown clubs that offer the biggest challenges to San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis: WET, Miami Beach Club, Vivid, and Motif...if anyone reading this blog has ever gone to one of these places, hit me up so we can roll together...
And the Drunk Task Force is still talking drunks in San Jose…City Manager Debra Figone ordered Police Chief Rob Davis to release 200 police reports to the Drunk Task Force for review. "We consider access to the information to actually identify the problem as a fundamental piece of our charge," said ACLU’s (always quotable) Sklyer Porras. "There is no point in sitting at the table to combat symptoms without getting at the disease."
Someone on the Merc’s Editorial Board was feeling particularly sassy this weekend when they wrote, “The great crossing guard panic of San Jose.” The Merc. Ed Board is critical of Councilmembers Pierluigi Oliverio and Pete Constant for frightening parents and education leaders when they claimed the crossing guard budget was being cut. Just as entertaining was the Rules Committee meeting where they feigned ignorance over the furor they helped create.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to give Santa Clara County $90 million of the $490 million in Federal money. The funding is a relief because the State has cut funding said VTA spokesperson Jennie Hwang Loft adding, "Losing a few million dollars is one thing. When you start getting into double digits, that's a whole other scenario."
Los Altos Planners are mulling over the results of polling data in order to narrow the scope of a bond measure for their new Civic Center. In November, voters head to the polls to decide how much they are willing to tax themselves for a City Hall. Assistant City Manager James Walgren is confident sufficient funds are available for one facility and plans to survey voters again in the summer. Any chance Los Altos wants to relocate their City Hall to 801 N. First Street in San Jose? We hear there is an empty building there...
Watch Dog congratulation Mountain View for joining Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, and San Jose on the Bicycle Friendly Community list of California’s bike friendly cities.
Mountain View Police arrested community leader/soccer coach Pedro Carbajal for sexually assaulting female relatives under the age of 14. Police spokesperson Liz Wylie said they are “not looking for victims” among the Amigo League teams he coached.
And while we are on the topic...
Gilroy High math teacher (Morgan Hill resident) Alberto Gomez Vicuna, Jr. heads to court in San Jose this week. According to Deputy DA Ray Mendoza Vicuna, Jr. is a very, very bad man and faces up to 10 years in prison for having sex with a 14 year old San Jose girl he met on the social networking site Tagged.com. Vicuna had over 100 female friends on the site. Mendoza is concerned there may be more victims. Pissed off parent Jeannie White said, "If they have a pedophile on school grounds, I want to know if they're not doing a good enough background check."
Gang members in Gilroy High started an oatmeal fight which escalated to a battle that included 30 police officers in riot gear and shotgun wielding CHP officers and the arrest of 7 students. While the students were entertained, Principal James Maxwell was not because he was hosting reviewers from the California School Recognition Program for a possible award. (Was it an award for the most gang members at lunch?) Maxwell sighed, "Every couple of years you get a riot like this, and a lot of kids think this is a big joke, but it's not..."
Breaking news this morning in San Jose: A body was found on the 680/McKee off-ramp early this morning. Officer Jermaine Thomas said, "This was an apparent hit-and-run, and the pedestrian was dragged after the collision.'' Yikes...
It’s going to be a race now as to who is more pissed off: the Spansion employees who got rudely ditched last week (while the bosses got raises) or the ones who learned Sunday that their employer was filing for bankruptcy. Former Chief Exec Bertrand Cambou pledged Friday to return his $403,000 severance check because “my heart is broken” seeing his old team let go without severance. Current Chief Exec John Kispert said Chapter 11 made sense because it provides the company “the most effective means to preserve our market position and to maintain customer confidence."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Morning News Round-Up – 1.28.09: Are you shovel-ready?
County Supervisor Liz Kniss created a list of 32 “shovel-ready” projects that the County will use to ask for Federal dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Supe’s list comes to $174 million, a fraction of the $1.6 billion San Jose’s Mayor Chuck is asking for. Reed has requested for 50 projects. As the Merc. points out Reed’s request represents “a good chuck of the City’s total…” A little Freudian slip with your coffee? As the Metro pointed out, Chuck doesn't really play an active role in politics outside of San Jose -- which may or may not help his chances at Federal cash...
San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber CEO Pat Dando left San Jose’s City Hall pissed yesterday saying, “this is policy run amok,” after the City Council voted to review a 12 year old policy on outsourcing City jobs. Ever chipper, Councilmember Nancy Pyle said, “If the current policy isn’t working, we need to find out why.” Perhaps because every discussion at the City Council takes 4 hours?...
Symantec CEO John Thompson will/may be heading to D.C. as President Obama’s Secretary of Commerce, filling the last remaining seat in the Cabinet. Thompson had already announced his departure from Symantec to be replaced by Enrique Salem. (Watch Dog guesses that the talk of San Jose’s Congressman Mike Honda getting a new gig was Honda-hype...because he is still in Congress and no one is asking Honda to serve...)
The USGS released new maps detailing seismic safety along San Jose’s Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek, home to San Jose’s tech companies and new housing. For a bunch of scientists, the USGS provides some fun stuff for the non-geeks among us. For developers and homeowners, perhaps not so much fun as a warning on encroachment into the liquefaction zone. According to Mineta San Jose International Airport's David Vossbrink, the new construction meets current standards and the concrete runways are less vulnerable than a building. (This isn't Vossbrink's first time speaking for folks on shaky ground.)
Following a closed door meeting Tuesday, San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed and Bobby Lopez with the Police Officers Association (POA) emerged happy about a new contract. Lopez said, “We gave a little to get a lot… we felt it was important to increase salaries significantly.” Alex Gurza said it was cheaper to increase salaries by 5.5% than agree to the pension demands. Maybe the POA saw the billion dollar pension fund loss as a sign of the future. San Jose Inside/Metro’s Erin Sherbert has been following the deal the POA cut with Mayor Reed. POA’s Bobby Lopez is quoted as saying, “We didn’t want to be accused of being the greedy filthy cops that everyone thinks we are.” Was that the message Lopez was supposed to deliver?
Probably not. Watch Dog blames/commends Erin Sherbert for Lopez's off-message (but certainly not misquoted) quote. She has a way of making people say things they probably shouldn't. Remember when Shirakawa (jokingly) called himself a "corrupt lobbyist" in one of her stories?
San Jose Revealed has some fun coupling news of the Merc’s location within the liquefaction zone with their economic problems and shrinking size.
Cupertino’s City Council approved Shashi Corp’s request to build a high-end luxury hotel but not before arguing over the aesthetics of the proposed design. Shashi representatives were adamant about receiving approval on the revised design, approved by the Planning Commission who also argued the original didn’t appear to be “luxurious” enough. "If you're trying to put in a high-end hotel in Cupertino and it's going to be that big and massive, you might as well have something that makes people say,`Wow, that looks neat' rather than`Wow, that looks big,'" said Councilman Mark Santoro. Cupertino Watch Dogs, if you saw the plans please weigh in. This is not the first time folks in Cupertino have had controversy about a hotel and growth...
Sunnyvale’s Planning Commission will review development plans for housing for mostly low or extremely low-income seniors early February. The Commission issued concerns about density and a lack of open space. NIMBYs don't like less-wealthy people in their neighborhoods...expect a battle in Sunnyvale. Otto Lee is going to be pleased he missed this one...
Saratoga’s City Council will be hosting a community meeting to talk about the $4,700 use permit fee – if you’re interested the meeting is next week at City Hall. If you aren't...join the club.
Get your credit cards ready. The Boss is coming to town, in fact, he begins his world tour on April Fool’s day at the Shark Tank. Tickets on sale Monday. This should help the Mayor with some of those tax dollars...
Romeo and Juliet, a.k.a. James Palmerson and Roselyn Marshall, were found sleeping in grandpa’s car at a mall outside the Mile High City. Los Altos Sgt. John Korges says, “Thank god they’re safe. This was a happy ending.” (Happy ending Sgt.? They are teenagers...) Not too shabby for a 14 year old, over 1,000 miles, through the Sierra, the Wasatch, and into the Rockies. Rosylyn’s dad, Steven Marshall was surprised his mild daughter, “..would feel empowered enough to do something like this.”
San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber CEO Pat Dando left San Jose’s City Hall pissed yesterday saying, “this is policy run amok,” after the City Council voted to review a 12 year old policy on outsourcing City jobs. Ever chipper, Councilmember Nancy Pyle said, “If the current policy isn’t working, we need to find out why.” Perhaps because every discussion at the City Council takes 4 hours?...
Symantec CEO John Thompson will/may be heading to D.C. as President Obama’s Secretary of Commerce, filling the last remaining seat in the Cabinet. Thompson had already announced his departure from Symantec to be replaced by Enrique Salem. (Watch Dog guesses that the talk of San Jose’s Congressman Mike Honda getting a new gig was Honda-hype...because he is still in Congress and no one is asking Honda to serve...)
The USGS released new maps detailing seismic safety along San Jose’s Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek, home to San Jose’s tech companies and new housing. For a bunch of scientists, the USGS provides some fun stuff for the non-geeks among us. For developers and homeowners, perhaps not so much fun as a warning on encroachment into the liquefaction zone. According to Mineta San Jose International Airport's David Vossbrink, the new construction meets current standards and the concrete runways are less vulnerable than a building. (This isn't Vossbrink's first time speaking for folks on shaky ground.)
Following a closed door meeting Tuesday, San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed and Bobby Lopez with the Police Officers Association (POA) emerged happy about a new contract. Lopez said, “We gave a little to get a lot… we felt it was important to increase salaries significantly.” Alex Gurza said it was cheaper to increase salaries by 5.5% than agree to the pension demands. Maybe the POA saw the billion dollar pension fund loss as a sign of the future. San Jose Inside/Metro’s Erin Sherbert has been following the deal the POA cut with Mayor Reed. POA’s Bobby Lopez is quoted as saying, “We didn’t want to be accused of being the greedy filthy cops that everyone thinks we are.” Was that the message Lopez was supposed to deliver?
Probably not. Watch Dog blames/commends Erin Sherbert for Lopez's off-message (but certainly not misquoted) quote. She has a way of making people say things they probably shouldn't. Remember when Shirakawa (jokingly) called himself a "corrupt lobbyist" in one of her stories?
San Jose Revealed has some fun coupling news of the Merc’s location within the liquefaction zone with their economic problems and shrinking size.
Cupertino’s City Council approved Shashi Corp’s request to build a high-end luxury hotel but not before arguing over the aesthetics of the proposed design. Shashi representatives were adamant about receiving approval on the revised design, approved by the Planning Commission who also argued the original didn’t appear to be “luxurious” enough. "If you're trying to put in a high-end hotel in Cupertino and it's going to be that big and massive, you might as well have something that makes people say,`Wow, that looks neat' rather than`Wow, that looks big,'" said Councilman Mark Santoro. Cupertino Watch Dogs, if you saw the plans please weigh in. This is not the first time folks in Cupertino have had controversy about a hotel and growth...
Sunnyvale’s Planning Commission will review development plans for housing for mostly low or extremely low-income seniors early February. The Commission issued concerns about density and a lack of open space. NIMBYs don't like less-wealthy people in their neighborhoods...expect a battle in Sunnyvale. Otto Lee is going to be pleased he missed this one...
Saratoga’s City Council will be hosting a community meeting to talk about the $4,700 use permit fee – if you’re interested the meeting is next week at City Hall. If you aren't...join the club.
Get your credit cards ready. The Boss is coming to town, in fact, he begins his world tour on April Fool’s day at the Shark Tank. Tickets on sale Monday. This should help the Mayor with some of those tax dollars...
Romeo and Juliet, a.k.a. James Palmerson and Roselyn Marshall, were found sleeping in grandpa’s car at a mall outside the Mile High City. Los Altos Sgt. John Korges says, “Thank god they’re safe. This was a happy ending.” (Happy ending Sgt.? They are teenagers...) Not too shabby for a 14 year old, over 1,000 miles, through the Sierra, the Wasatch, and into the Rockies. Rosylyn’s dad, Steven Marshall was surprised his mild daughter, “..would feel empowered enough to do something like this.”
Friday, December 12, 2008
Morning News Round-Up – 12.12.08: Drunk San Jose...continued...with a twist
Although ‘The Lioness’ has left the Chambers on Hedding her presence will still be felt. Supervisor Blanca Alvarado’s career had dramatic ups and downs, she’ll take some time off and return to San Jose to continue her work. Alvarado was San Jose’s first Latina Councilmember and the County’s first Latina Supervisor, appointed when Congresswoman (former Supervisor) Zoe Lofgren left for D.C. (after Lofgren beat-up on this guy.)
Whether the booze is to dull the pain of the economic crisis or to celebrate the holidays – watch out. Without any drunk tanks it could cost you as much as $8,000 in addition to the night in jail if you get pulled over for a DUI. A drunk tank might have prevented the death of a Sunnyvale man this week. A drunk driver driving North in the Southbound lanes of 280 killed one man and injured another.
But not everyone gets arrested for being drunk in San Jose. District Attorney Dolores Carr is expected to ask a secret grand jury to investigate a possible cover-up by two San Jose police officers for driving drunk. (Ironic, given the zero-tolerance policy usually in place.) Earlier this year District Attorney investigator (and former San Jose police officer) Sandra Woodall smashed her Cadillac Escalade into two cars injuring a teenager. Officers then (reportedly) helped her answer questions and delayed a blood alcohol test long enough to render any results inaccurate.
Angry parents, students, and coaches yelled at East Side Union Superintendent Bob Nunez for his threat to take away sports in an attempt to balance the budget. The San Jose Earthquakes (Lew Wolff) and Oakland A’s (Lew Wolff) have stepped up with offers to help the District raise money for sports. Watch Dog gnaws on this bone, come June when the final decision is made how likely is it sports remain while teachers, administrators, and staff disappear? What do you think, should East Side toss sports?
Without athletics to unload, the City of Morgan Hill is laying off as many as 13 employees in an effort to cut $2.1 million from its budget. At a community meeting, attendees offered ideas ranging from a 10% pay cut for management (savings: $40,000) to shutting off street lights (savings: $150,000). Councilmember Greg Sellers expressed concern that the budget cuts made now might be a prelude to a more painful situation if the state again takes/cuts City funds.
The Merc. makes a case to the Alum Rock Board of Trustees to put aside rancor and move forward – put the children, not the personalities, first. That truly would be a first in that school District...
Monte Sereno has selected Curtis Wright as its new (rotating) Mayor and Don Perry as Vice Mayor.
It was a mix of celebration and nostalgia as Campbell said farewell to Mayor Don Burr who has spent 50 years supporting his community in various roles and welcomed new (recycled and rotating) Mayor Jane Kennedy and Vice Mayor Evan Low. While Kennedy celebrated her fourth Mayoral appointment, newcomers Mike Kotowski and Jason Baker were sworn in to their Council seats in front of friends and family.
New VTA Board Chair Dolly Sandoval has asked her colleagues to stop bickering and get behind implementation of BART saying, "If we are going to max federal stimulus dollars or our own local dollars, we've got to make sure we are singing from the same hymn book." Amen sister...Outgoing VTA Chair Liz Kniss reportedly told a packed room of Measure B supporters she didn’t expect to see BART in her lifetime. Looking surprised, Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino voiced an expectation of the first trains rolling through in 2017. Perhaps 2017 if we all sing from Dolly's hymnal...
Whether the booze is to dull the pain of the economic crisis or to celebrate the holidays – watch out. Without any drunk tanks it could cost you as much as $8,000 in addition to the night in jail if you get pulled over for a DUI. A drunk tank might have prevented the death of a Sunnyvale man this week. A drunk driver driving North in the Southbound lanes of 280 killed one man and injured another.
But not everyone gets arrested for being drunk in San Jose. District Attorney Dolores Carr is expected to ask a secret grand jury to investigate a possible cover-up by two San Jose police officers for driving drunk. (Ironic, given the zero-tolerance policy usually in place.) Earlier this year District Attorney investigator (and former San Jose police officer) Sandra Woodall smashed her Cadillac Escalade into two cars injuring a teenager. Officers then (reportedly) helped her answer questions and delayed a blood alcohol test long enough to render any results inaccurate.
Angry parents, students, and coaches yelled at East Side Union Superintendent Bob Nunez for his threat to take away sports in an attempt to balance the budget. The San Jose Earthquakes (Lew Wolff) and Oakland A’s (Lew Wolff) have stepped up with offers to help the District raise money for sports. Watch Dog gnaws on this bone, come June when the final decision is made how likely is it sports remain while teachers, administrators, and staff disappear? What do you think, should East Side toss sports?
Without athletics to unload, the City of Morgan Hill is laying off as many as 13 employees in an effort to cut $2.1 million from its budget. At a community meeting, attendees offered ideas ranging from a 10% pay cut for management (savings: $40,000) to shutting off street lights (savings: $150,000). Councilmember Greg Sellers expressed concern that the budget cuts made now might be a prelude to a more painful situation if the state again takes/cuts City funds.
The Merc. makes a case to the Alum Rock Board of Trustees to put aside rancor and move forward – put the children, not the personalities, first. That truly would be a first in that school District...
Monte Sereno has selected Curtis Wright as its new (rotating) Mayor and Don Perry as Vice Mayor.
It was a mix of celebration and nostalgia as Campbell said farewell to Mayor Don Burr who has spent 50 years supporting his community in various roles and welcomed new (recycled and rotating) Mayor Jane Kennedy and Vice Mayor Evan Low. While Kennedy celebrated her fourth Mayoral appointment, newcomers Mike Kotowski and Jason Baker were sworn in to their Council seats in front of friends and family.
New VTA Board Chair Dolly Sandoval has asked her colleagues to stop bickering and get behind implementation of BART saying, "If we are going to max federal stimulus dollars or our own local dollars, we've got to make sure we are singing from the same hymn book." Amen sister...Outgoing VTA Chair Liz Kniss reportedly told a packed room of Measure B supporters she didn’t expect to see BART in her lifetime. Looking surprised, Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino voiced an expectation of the first trains rolling through in 2017. Perhaps 2017 if we all sing from Dolly's hymnal...
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