Morning News Round-Up -- 5.26.10: not very CSI-like...

Ah, the news about how shabbily handled the De Anza rape case was just keeps coming. Today's news: "...nearly 24 hours elapsed between when the semi-conscious girl was brought to a hospital and the first sheriff's officers knocked on the door of the house where the incident occurred..." That doesn't seem very CSI-like. Expect the Merc's Sean Webby to get another award around his coverage of this story... and expect the Sheriff, the DA, and nearly every other law enforcement official and organization to continue to hate Sean Webby. Which is a pretty good indication that he is doing his job...

Fresh off banning toys at fast food joints, the Board of Supervisors is about to get into the parcel tax game on the November ballot. The tax will go to "preserve health insurance for low-income kids"... this seems pretty ground-breaking to Watch Dog and we wish the Supervisors luck in November. We are pretty sure that there are about a dozen or so school districts out there that were eyeing November for a parcel tax as well. They might not wish the Supervisors much luck because they have to ask themselves: How many new parcel taxes are people willing to support?

The Las Vegas-ification of San Jose gets a deep dive in the Merc today. It doesn't sound like that many people have confidence in the plan for a major hotel near the new San Jose "Strip on First," but Garden City Casino is certainly moving and they are getting more tables (and increasing the City's rake) when they do...

There is at least a conceptual plan, even if not a fully-baked financial one, to make the Mexican Heritage Plaza an arts and culture school. Maybe the increased rake at the card clubs could help finance the place...

And what would a day be without a little news from the San Jose City Council District 5 race? Yesterday all the candidates attended an "ethics workshop" at Santa Clara University and they all signed a pledge to run ethical campaigns. A little late, perhaps? One candidate has already been called a communist and a gang-banger...

If you are planning on getting a fat loan from San Jose as part of your compensation for being hired to a high-level management job, it just got a little less fat... Of course, judging from some of the salaries highlighted in the Merc's Public Employee Pay Database thingy, why would someone need a loan anyway?

San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon gets the Merc Editorial Board nod for the 21st Assembly District... for a Board that questions the status quo up in Sacramento, it seems a strange choice, no?

As a companion piece up the Peninsula, it was Yoriko Kishimoto's turn for a Will Oremus profile...

While we are in Palo Alto... the Palo Alto Finance Committee voted to start charging kids/families to act in the Children's Theatre... that should go over big.

Here's something: Mountain View Police will "forgo pay raises for a year"...

We mentioned earlier this week that we can't resist pointing out imperfections with the online Merc... we are clearly wildly immature. We wouldn't argue agains that...





Finally, where have you gone Politicon Valley? We miss you...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.12.10: Thinking of summer...

Because what everyone needs on a rainy day is to think about summer... and nothing says summer like Major League Baseball:

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times writes a great piece about the Oakland Athletics and their quest to move to downtown San Jose. Please Mr. Selig, at least tell us something... anything!

For those of you that remember back a few years ago know that NUMMI was opposed to the Oakland A's moving into Fremont. Well, now NUMMI is gone and Fremont might want the A's back. They got a federal grant to look at possible reuse options and the folks in Fremont might be looking at the Green and Gold again. Unfortunately for Fremont, the Green and Gold are (probably) really, really sick of Fremont...

We know that the Chronicle doesn't like the ideas of the A's moving to San Jose... but even they couldn't deny that San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed having an Opening Day meeting with Bob DuPuy of MLB was a good sign...

And from summer sports to fall ones...

The Merc goes through the "on the one hand" and the "on the other hand" economics of the 49ers stadium. Watch Dog is sticking with James Rowen's version of things and not these guys, if for no other reason than Rowen is much more interesting...

On to things not related to sports...

The task force tasked with figuring out what to do with the Mexican Heritage Plaza is almost done with their work and will send their recommendation for a school for art and culture to the San Jose City Council. Of course, they are sending their recommendation to the City Council with a $500,000 annual price tag... which may mean the recommendation is DOA...

Here's a surprise, San Jose Firefighters don't like cuts to the fire department. Of course, they don't have their own blog, so they are resigned to voicing their displeasure through the media. But when you go through the media, you let the City Manager and the Mayor tee-off on you like Phil at Augusta. The Mayor's retort: "If the firefighters gave up 10 percent [salaries], we wouldn't have to consider this [cutting services]..." The City Manager's mouthpiece Tom Manheim (he's still there?) said: "We're not in a situation that allows us to hold the Fire Department harmless..."

Here we go... it was only a matter of time before legislators on the Peninsula started listening to all the NIMBYs... and Joe Simitian is the first to crack. In the Chronicle's Matier & Ross column today, Simitian raises questions and doubt about the financial projections to High-Speed Rail... but reading between the lines, Watch Dog thinks this is really about neighborhood opposition up and down the Peninsula... who's next? Jerry Hill? Paul Fong?

Yesterday was Internal Affairs Sunday in the Merc...

Item 1: Campos the Elder (Nora): We learn that Roy Avila is not running against Nora Campos after all. (Even though he still has a website up.) Apparently he put more time into his website and initial fundraiser in Los Gatos than in actually getting his name on the ballot... or he cut himself a deal with the Campos clan...

Item 2: Campos the Younger (Xavier): We learn that labor leaders Cindy Chavez and Neil Struthers sent a threatening letter to 11 members of the State Assembly because they gave money to Xavier's opponent, Magdalena Carrasco. (If you would like to see what a threatening letter from Chavez/Struthers looks like, click here.) Sometimes it helps to have a powerful big brother-(inlaw) and sister... Mission City Lantern even chimed in on the non-Mission City-related stuff...

Scott Herhold compares the books of GOP Gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, becoming perhaps the second or third person in the world to read both books... Essentially, Herhold writes that Poizner is more entrepreneurial and Whitman more corporate... but he also throws in that Jerry Brown is old... which is a theme this week. (The theme was carried through to Internal Affairs, which runs down the funny jokes Republicans made about Jerry Brown's age (72)...)

Palo Alto has a budget gap of $8.3 million. They will close it the way everyone else will close it in the lesser zip codes in Silicon Valley, cutting services, laying off workers, instituting new fees, and charging residents for sidewalk repairs...

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 -- 7.14.09: Bastille Day Edition...

Bon jour...

Third times a charm. Or so hopes the City of San Jose about the latest attempt to re-tool the Mexican Heritage Plaza. The Committee formed for the turn-around includes a mix of personalities, including a former non-profit CEO and people who pledge $1,000 per year of membership.

With roughly 2,200 acres on the Bay up for grabs next to San Jose’s sewage treatment plant, the battle over development versus wildlife should be a fun one to watch. (But development next to a sewage treatment plant doesn't really pass the smell test, does it?)

San Jose’s Assemblymember Joe Coto is no doubt breathing a deep sigh of relief after being dismissed from a lawsuit brought by the San Diego Minutemen. Coto and State Senator Gilbert Cedillo had been accused of conspiracy by the (racist) Minutemen.

Sporting aficionado Mark Purdy is rolling on the floor laughing at the Gavin Newsom spin which goes something like this… 49er's owners John and Jed York are too simple to understand the complexities of San Francisco’s offer. Purdy also dishes the annual Tour de French Fry is gearing up with Purdy taking bids for riders.

With a packed house of 57 residents wanting to talk groceries and so many needing to go to bed before the meeting ended, the Palo Alto City Council moved the JJ&F decision making to a later meeting, proving once again that Palo Alto is a sleepy town...

What won't be sleepy in Palo Alto is politics this Fall. Mayor Peter Drekmeier will NOT seek reelection, opening up the field for a free-for-all for Palo Alto's City Council in November. Stay tuned... 5 council seats are up for grabs with the only incumbent Councilmember Larry Klein running for re-election.

Diabetics have a new friend in Silicon Valley, an attorney. The Valley Medical Center has launched a first-in-the-nation program to help patients deal with work-related legal issues.

“…questionable characters with tow trucks..." The Merc’s Scott Herhold calls on (shy?) Commissioner Greg Saldivar to ditch his lawyer and take the stand in Gilroy’s Father/Son towing nightmare.

Another tiny school district contemplates its future. Tucked into the Santa Cruz Mountains the Lakeside School District has an arrangement with Campbell Union, an arrangement that could soon cost parents $5,000 per student. Maybe it is time to look at calls for consolidation…

It started as a Public Records Act request for the Morgan Hill Unified School District budget – it is (maybe) ending as a revamped budget. Trustee Shelle Thomas said she wasn’t sure the Board would support funding a more readable budget -- or perhaps the Board likes having budgets that are difficult for the public to understand...

The trial of (alleged) gang members in Gilroy is in a holding pattern while Superior Court Judge Teresa Guerrero-Daley waits for background information. The Metro provided some good background information is Jude Guerrero-Daley is interested...

Monte Serenans (including one pissed off former Mayor) hope to boot 3 Councilmembers for giving themselves $300 a month via a recall. (Targeted) Councilmember Lana Malloy said it was tough to identify “…what the motivation might be for something so silly...”

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.4.09: Close the Fence Gate...

49ers spokesperson Lisa Lang said there’s a long road ahead before Silicon Valley will be tail-gating. Environmental reports, voter approval, two cranky Santa Clara Councilmembers, and chatter of a Great America parking lot lawsuit lay ahead. Stepping up in support of tail-gating, Santa Clara County Tax Assessor Larry Stone with friends State Senator Elaine Alquist, Assemblymember Joe Coto, and San Jose Councilmembers Sam Liccardo and Pete Constant.

Here is your crime news for the week...

San Jose Police won’t be asked to release the 911 tape from the deadly shooting of Daniel Pham, yet. The Rules and Open Government Committee heard a plea from District Attorney Dolores Carr for secrecy. After a Grand Jury investigation they’ll reconsider unless Police Chief Rob Davis or District Attorney Dolores Carr object, again.

Fry’s former exec/Baccarat-loving/embezzler Ausaf “Omar” Siddiqui is generating a lot of business for local lawyers. No less than 5 lawsuits are filling the courthouse. Fry’s is suing Siddiqui, vendors are suing Fry’s, and casinos around the country are after Siddiqui for millions in unpaid gambling debt. Nonetheless, your best buys are always...

A would-be bank robber hit up a grocery bound Mountain View B of A. The robber left without the cash, or groceries, when he figured out the silent alarm was ringing. Begging the question, if a robber doesn't leave with any merchandise or money...?

It was not a good day for Ernest Latta. Dude busted the window of an auto body shop in Mountain View, cut himself, tried to hot wire a Volvo, and was hauled off to jail. Police Officer Liz Wylie said Latta , “...wasn’t in the right frame of mind...” She's probably right...

Early this year 5 twenty-something cretins from San Jose tried to kill a man taking an evening stroll. They are all behind bars and looking at possible charges from other crimes. SJPD Jermaine Thomas hopes you’ll share what you know and call 408-277-4166.

San Jose’s Officer Jermaine Thomas is a busy guy. Thomas reports a possible gang-related shooting ended with a man in the hospital.

This doesn't fit in "crime news" but... San Jose Inside’s Fly "stumbled across" the San Jose Police Officers Association/Bobby Lopez’ clumsy video making fun of De-Bug’s Raj Jayadev. Fly asks if Jayadev’s bald head was scary and suggests Councilmember Pete Constant has trouble with numbers.

For your trash protection needs… San Jose residents are offering the Merc’s Mr. Roadshow tips on keeping wild boars out of the garbage. Suggestions include the miraculous duct tape, mountain lion pee, and eating the boars…

Business owners are threatening to leave Palo Alto if a tax on gross-receipts becomes reality. Terry Conner with Thoits, Love, Hershberger and McLean wants the City to tax business by employee, not income. So do a group of business owners along with Councilmembers Larry Klein and Pat Burt. On the other side, Councilmembers Jack Morton and Greg Schmid say it’s just as easy to report receipts as employees. Not to mention a few lawyers generate more money than the local bookstore…

Former Mayor/lobbyist Tom McEnery teamed up with Mexican Heritage Plaza CEO Marcela Aviles to ask that money for the arts not suffer during the Great Recession. As an example of benefit they point to “40 million media impressions” coming from the Mariachi Festival. (We expect San Jose Revealed to go on an anti-McEnery tirade on this... just because.)

The Monte Sereno decades-old fence fiasco (Fence Gate?) made the list for the Merc’s Scott Herhold. Pointing out the big winner are the lawyers, Herhold suggests a loss for the City could result in covering $1 million in legal fees for the “litigious couple.” Would it be appropriate to call for the closing of the Fence Gate?

The battle for Los Gatos term limits and capital expenditure limits is heating up. Lunardi’s had Tim Smith with San Francisco’s Pacific Petition competing with volunteers from Friends of the Library over shopper signatures. Lunardi’s Manager Steve Pinney was pissed at the controversy and suggested Smith “go to Nob Hill.”

Developers David Rossi and Gary Naillon are pitching designs for the Village Shopping Center that some say fits in San Jose’s Santana Row – not Saratoga. Councilmember Jill Hunter wants a “new and improved design” before she supports the project. Oh yeah, and Not In My BackYard...

Saratoga Planning Commissioners were giddy at the prospect of a microbrewery in the Village and unanimously approved plans for St. Stan’s Brewing Company. Commissioner Manny Cappello said “it fills a need” for the Village and suggested the microbrewery would soon need a much larger location. Watch Dog likes that a brewery would fill a need in Saratoga. We guess beer has been hard to find over there...

Cupertino’s Bill Moody said the relationship between real estate prices and good schools is enough for him to contribute as much as $50,000 from his real estate sales to the Cupertino School District. Moody promises to track donations on his website.

The Sunnyvale City Council is looking at a proposal to upgrade their 50 year old water pollution control plant. At issue is finding the $380 million to do it and whether the plant is new or updated. No word if Sunnyvale hopes to turn their sewage facility into a tourist attraction like San Jose...

Morning News Round-Up – 2.3.09: Vegas comes to San Jose...

Watch Dog can always count on San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo for witty repartee. This time he said, "I'm glad to say that if the City Council has not sufficiently beaten this dead horse. We can always count on lawyers to do so," about the seemingly never-ending Little Saigon challenge. (Perhaps Liccardo forgot about his Harvard law degree?) Lee’s Sandwiches Henry Huong Le is being accused of tricking business owners into signing a petition against “Little Saigon.” San Jose attorney Minh Steven Dovan filed the lawsuit yesterday but (unbelievably) dismisses any thought that the timing is more than coincidental...

Ausaf “Omar” Siddiqui, the former Fry’s exec/Baccarat player/embezzler will appear in federal court this week to face charges. In advance, the Feds are raiding Vegas casinos to make sure what happened in Vegas gets into the case in San Jose.

When San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed was giving his Celebrity critique of the Super Bowl ads he forgot to mention the brief porn interruption that happened on some COMCAST subscribers' televisions. Apparently Eddie Garcia's absence is having an impact over there...Luckily for everyone, Pete Constant was shielded from the pornography because it only happened in Tucson. Perhaps to avoid second-hand porn in San Jose, we should ban television...

Treading close to the danger line, Palo Alto Schools Superintendent Kevin Skelly says low income/Black/Latino kids can’t compete with the kids of Stanford grads. Skelly’s colleague Santa Clara County Office of Education Superintendent disagrees. Chuck Weis says, "Teaching is more powerful than what kids bring to school with them as background.'' California’s chief educator Jack O’Connell also believes the gap can be closed. Of course, with California ranking anywhere from 43rd to 48th in the nation for education…

Letter writers ask Mr. Roadshow/Gary Richards who pays for fixes to the nasty 280-880-Stevens Creek interchange? Seems even the dismal economy can’t keep shoppers away from Valley Fair/Santana Row and the dreaded off-ramp.

The Merc.’s Joe Rodriguez shares the names of a new group hoping to turn around the moribund Mexican Heritage Plaza. Last week, the City Council appointed a baker’s dozen including San Jose Taiko’s Roy Hirabayashi, community leader Olivia Mendiola, artist/retired SJSU Professor Erin Goodwin-Guerrero, the head of Los Lupenos Maria de la Rosa and Chris Esparza with Giant Creative Services. Together with the Redevelopment Agency they hope to take the 10 year old, beautiful but rarely-used, Plaza and bring it life – and try make sure the City doesn’t have to bail it out yet again.

Mountain View Whisman and Mountain View-Los Altos School Districts may have to look at ways to slash a combined $5 million from their budgets. It looks like layoffs may be ahead.

San Jose Revealed received a mountain of email (really?) about the Merc’s “expose” on Vic Ajlouny – while thanking those who sent it reminds them there was nothing new in the story.

Morgan Hill’s Downtown Association is asking the City Council to delay a decision on a $20 million project until the Association can discuss all options with City staff. Mayor Steve Tate expressed frustration with the proposed delay and Councilmember Greg Sellers said any delay now would mean a delay later in opening. Perhaps an opening not during the Great Recession is preferable?

The Gilroy Dispatch wants to hear from you: Should Gilroy’s Mayor Al Pinheiro and the City Council be recalled over layoffs of City employees? Very productive Mr. Gilroy Dispatch...

On San Jose Inside, Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio pops off on the subject of campaign donations – and who should be allowed to make them. This all stems from the argument about the 'competition policy' that the Council discussed (and discussed and discussed) last Tuesday.

On a campaign-related note...

Mission City Lantern gives props and issues concerns about the Santa Clara County Democratic Party – adding that there appears to be no Republican counterpart aside from Vic Ajlouny (who actually lives in Nebraska).