Morning News Round-Up -- 3.8.10: Full body scanner...

Is Steve Poizner now the most pathetic politician in California? He is trying to sell himself as another person with his initials: Sarah Palin. Can you imagine a conversation between the two?

Poizner: Governor Palin? It's Steve Poizner from California

Palin: Ah shucks Steve, we have the same darn initials, don't we.

Poizner: Yes ma'am, I guess we do, but I'm calling to see if you'd consider endorsing my candidacy?

Palin: Are you calling because we have the same initials?

Poizner: No ma'am, I am the true conservative in the race and I thought you'd like that.

Palin: SP endorses SP... that would be a cool headline. Do you like guns?

Poizner: I didn't use to, but I kind of do now.

Palin: Are you pro-life?

Poizner: I wasn't, but I can be if it helps.

Palin: Have you read my book?

Poizner: I did.

Palin: Did that ebay chick?

Poizner: I don't think so...

Even though they can't seem to pay for their grand opening, once SJC does open its new doors, there will be full body scanners greeting you.

Speaking of Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio...

Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio will get his day in the sunshine this week when his idea to get affordable housing developers to pay park fees, which they haven't had to do before in San Jose. They haven't done so because it was seen as a burden to pitch in for parks (or build parks) for affordable housing developers in the past, but money is money and parks are parks and Oliverio has been pit-bullish on this...

Perhaps affordable housing developers can also pay to keep The Rep afloat... because nothing else has seemed to work. This could be it for the theatre...

Is downtown Palo Alto the center of the (incredibly whacky) "open carry" movement? Before you write something edgy in response to this story online or on Facebook, remember what happened to the East Palo Alto Police Officer who did... We wonder if the open carry folks are smart enough to realize that Palo Alto is different than East Palo Alto...

Don't worry too much, because Palo Alto is also where Dr. Phil will be shooting... not guns, but a television show. But City officials are asking Dr. Phil not to focus too much on Palo Alto's string of teen suicides.

Voters in Los Gatos will be going to the ballot to vote on a $3.9 million school bond. $3.9 million? Isn't that the same as the average home price in Los Gatos?

Would you be surprised to know that Senator Joe Simitian scored a $3,183.20 trip to Boca Raton Florida from a special interest? We were. (Would you actually pay to spend time with Simitian?) The special interest group is the Soap and Detergent Association, which may seem squeeky clean, but I'm sure the good folks at the water treatment plants feel a little differently.

And Simitian's friends at the Soap and Detergent Association won't be able to text the Senator if a new bill passes the Legislature. Sort of a San Jose-like ordinance for Sacramento. To the bill, the Merc Ed Board says: OMG TY...

Internal Affairs is really getting into the San Jose District 9 race... did you know that Jim Cogan and Don Rocha played on the same basketball team? It gets better: Jim thinks Don was a ball hog. At least the issues are getting a fully hearing in this race. Perhaps a one-on-one game would be in order? "You and me. One-on-one. The winner gets Judy's office..."

The good folks at the Morgan Hill Times take a look at the story after the story about the Hollister-born Pentagon shooter.

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.20.10: Rubber Boots Wednesday...

It is going to rain really, really hard today... in case you've been living under a very wet rock.

San Jose Inside has some good "deep-throat" sources in the Merc's newsroom, and those sources are prepared to dish about how they are being kept in the dark about the Merc owner's bankruptcy. Kudos for San Jose Inside's Fly for covering this story even though the Merc isn't...

Speaking of the Merc newsroom...

The Merc's Patty Fisher gives us a little insight into some grassroots watchdogs (NIMBYs) doing work on High Speed Rail... we also learn that Fisher lives near the tracks, which should probably disqualify her from writing further on the subject...

Los Gatos is knocking down some buildings and building an affordable housing apartment complex near downtown. (You did not misread the previous sentence.) Now Supervisorial Candidate/ Los Gatos Councilmember Mike Wasserman can claim to be an affordable-housing advocate... even in his own backyard.

In other Los Gatos news, retiring City Councilmember Steve Glickman is not riding off quietly into the sunset... in fact, he is being a pain in the ass to his Council colleagues and upsetting folks all over town -- according to the Los Gatos Observer. He is criculating two ballot initiatives (one for term limits and one for stopping the library reconstruction). In his own words, Glickman is "...kind of cleaning up some unfinished business..."

The Morgan Hill Times reporter Natalie Everett got assigned a great story... one that she probably never imagined in journalism school. She tested how difficult (not very) it would be to get a doctor's note and get medical marijuana from one of the local dispensaries... Her next assignment, describe how delicious In-and-Out Burger is.

Mission City Lantern criticized us yesterday for using the word fuck. We are all grown-ups Mr. Rowen, but I will try to stay away from using it... unless I get really, really pissed.

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.8.10: Need a miracle?

High Speed Rail has certainly gotten the attention of folks up and down the Peninsula -- think Atherton, Menlo Park, and Palo Alto. But now, Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilmembers Pierluigi Oliverio and Sam Liccardo are concerned about a raised HSR track through downtown. So they did what elected officials do when they are concerned... they wrote a letter.

While that letter might have an impact, we doubt it caused this... The Executive Director of the California High Speed Rail Authority (Mehdi Morshed) is retiring in March.

Here's a fun story to end the week on: Silicon Valley bankruptcies are at an all-time high. Have a good weekend...

While we're on bankruptcies...

It is nice to see folks in the Merc newsroom are reading Watch Dog (or at least the Gilroy Dispatch...) They caught up with the story about the Sargent Ranch folks filing for bankruptcy... The Dispatch had it earlier in the week...

Four folks who are definately not filing for bankruptcy anytime soon are the four folks who are officially running for Governor (Whitman, Campbell, Poizner, and Brown -- sort of sounds like a law firm...) are being asked by the Bay Area News Group papers to release their tax filings. From rich to not-as-rich, here's where we think folks will line up: Whitman, Poizner, Campbell, Brown...

Lately when Watch Dog has written about the Santa Clara Unified School District is involved either teenage models or rapist-teachers -- but today it is new type of story for the District. Parents slept out and lined up for their chance to get their kids into the kindergarten at the Don Callejon School. No word if anyone uttered: I need a miracle...

There is an OpEd in today's Merc celebrating 30 years of the Rep. Kudos Mr. Reber and all who enjoy the theatre...

Taking Scott Herhold's column and running with it -- water well owners in South County are protesting proposed fees. Apparently, if more than 1/2 of all the well owners protest, then they won't have to pay it, according to the Morgan Hill Times.

There was a bomb threat at Palo Alto's City Hall yesterday morning which caused an evacuation (obviously). Coincidently (?) a small earthquake shoot Palo Alto City Hall (and the rest of us) at almost the exact same time... perhaps the bomb-threat-maker caused the earthquake?

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.27.09: A Cause for NIMBY Celebration

High-Speed Rail foes have something, other than their never-ending NIMBYism, to hang their hats on today. A Judge questioned the Environmental Impact Report for the proposed route over Pacheco Pass (and into San Jose). This has NIMBYs pretty psyched. Not so fast, say High-Speed Rail advocates, because the Judge also called the other possible routes, over Altamont Pass and across the Bay, too expensive. Nonetheless, this means delay, and cost, and probably huge parties up and down the Caltrain corridor this weekend. Remember, if you drink at these parties NIMBYs, take the train home...

Speaking of High-Speed Rail, perhaps it is the only issue that could be less fun for local a member of Congress to hear about than healthcare at a Town Hall these days... And Congresswoman Eshoo heard all about it this week.

Speaking of Speaking...

The Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was in town yesterday greeted by San Jose's Rotary Club (and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren...) The Merc focused their coverage (and headline) of the story on the protesters outside the Rotary meeting while San Jose Inside focused on what the Speaker said...

And speaking of trains...

Diridon Station was closed for a period of time yesterday afternoon after a written bomb threat was found.

Prosecutors from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office are in the news today, and (amazingly) the story doesn't involved the words "lack of ethics" or "Dolores Carr"... (They are supporting a bill that the Governor is expected to sign to crack down on fraudulent mortgage brokers.)

It seems access to public information isn't an issue only in San Jose (think text messages)... Saratoga is dealing with it too. Saratoga officials are complaining that they have received 20 requests so far this year. (San Jose's City Clerk Lee Price is ROFL at that HUGE number.)

Here are the scrolling headlines of the Gilroy Dispatch today.

• Police arrest man after high speed drunken chase.
• Murder suspect pleads guilty to unrelated drug charge.
• Wanted man adds stolen gun, stolen motorcycle charges to list.

Need we say more?

The Morgan Hill Times has a slightly different crime story: Skaters attack ice cream truck...

Your South County papers, all crime, all the time.

And finally, the Merc's Scott Herhold provides a local angle (Jude Barry) to the death of Senator Kennedy. The Editorial page also pays respects.

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.31.09: Butterflies, Earthquakes, and Porn, OH MY!

In case you missed it, Watch Dog had late breaking baseball news yesterday…MLB Commissioner Bud Selig named a panel to study the A’s options. The Merc’s Morning Buzz tries to spray some water on San Jose’s excitement…the apparently aren't impressed with Lew Wolff's ability to attract microphones magnetically to his mouth...

A minor 4.3 earthquake in the foothills near Mt. Hamilton yesterday shook nerves around Silicon Valley and beyond and uncovered a brand new fault line. Oh, goody. The new fault line runs parallel to the more active Calaveras line which shook the area last in 2007. You can tell the USGS all about your shaking here...

The Merc’s Editorial Board wonders why Supervisor Dave Cortese is the only one seeking a public explanation as to why a 10 year old was tossed in the pokey. In case you missed it, tossing the 10 year old into jail is also a violation of Federal law. Oops…The DA’s office recently turned over kid cases to LACY, none too soon it would seem.

Neighbors around Watson Park are pissed off. It seems San Jose once used the park as a toxic dump. When the sludge was re-discovered the City offered to help. Now that the cleanup is over, the neighbors are trying to deal with the aftermath (home prices, health effects)…

Morgan Hill’s "mixed-use" Measure A plan could be considered panacea by proponents, at least the Morgan Hill Times seems to think so. With support by everyone from the Greenbelt Alliance and Sierra Club to the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Association it looks like former Mayor Dennis Kennedy is keeping his promise to not take anything for granted. Not everyone seems to think mixed use is a good idea, downtown property owner Gary Walton claims it’s “like fitting a square peg in a round hole.” Walton must not get out of Morgan Hill much…

Gilroy’s Safeway has a creep prowling the parking lot. An 18 year old woman was the third victim attacked while heading back to the car. The attacker looks for women traveling solo, until they catch him, take the baggers on their offer for help back to your car...

San Jose Revealed offers a new target to porn crusaders Councilmember Pete "Ball Gag" Constant and former Councilmember Larry Pegram: Sexy San Jose. We would give you an idea about what Revealed wrote, but the website is down -- and has been since (before?) Revealed posted about it...

San Jose Insider/Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio keeps his partying ways going. This time celebrating the San Jose Bike Party with a “Psychedelic Robot Ride.” Watch Dog note from one blogger to another, too much rode-here-rode-there, blah blah blah.

According to the Merc’s Chris O’Brien, Senator Dianne Feinstein is trying to clean up the bureaucratic quagmire that surrounds the patent office. Local giants Cisco and Google have been complaining about patent messes that cost them big bucks and squelch the free flow of ideas... looks like they found their advocate.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold spends too much time wandering the halls of Justice. His column is all about the white or khaki shirts that watch as your worldly possessions roll through the x-ray machine, and how much those shirts make.

Sal Pizzaro shares a celebration with the Amigos de Cesar Chavez who will be delivering over 250 lunches to farm workers in Santa Clara County in honor of Cesar Chavez’ birthday today.

Those fluttering leaves everyone is seeing around the Valley are actually Painted Lady butterflies making their annual migration North. De Anza biologist Ryan Phillips is giddy with excitement and called the mass migration “truly spectacular.”

San Jose Police are investigating a late night shooting in San Jose. Sounds like neighbors on Sebasian Way were feuding, the gunman shot at men standing outside his neighbors home. Luckily for the victims (and shooter), neither victim was critically injured.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara Police are still looking into Sunday's murder/suicide...Neighbors are shocked by the deaths of 6 Sunday night. Neighbor Amit Sinha said, "It's such a quiet neighborhood. I don't even hear anybody speaking in a loud voice. And then there are 20 police with semi-automatic guns."

A Mountain View woman who disappeared for four days last year after partying in Mountain View is now heading to jail. To stay out of trouble with the parents she lied to the Police saying she’d been kidnapped and assaulted...now she’s ‘fessed up to concocting the story. Liz Wylie, Police spokesperson, said something was amiss about the story…Y'think?

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.10.09: Watch Dog in the News...

Watch Dog Silicon Valley is mentioned/criticized in the Mercury News by columnist Scott Herhold today. The way the Merc. is going however, more people may read this recap of Herhold's piece than the actual paper version...we will have more (much more) to say about this soon. (San Jose Revealed, also criticized, responded this morning...)

And while we are in a self-praise mode, the COWs (Citizens Of Woodside) love Watch Dog too...

An Atherton resident threw her hat in the ring for Governor...in case you missed it yesterday, Watch Dog wrote about it here and here.

San Jose’s airport will see Mayor Chuck Reed racing through tonight as he catches a red-eye to D.C. in order to meet up with Mayors Antonio Villaragosa (LA) and Jerry Sanders (San Diego). The three will lobby Congress for sending some of those stimulus dollars California's way. Reed hates to travel and says, "…this is my nightmare version of it," but "it's an important trip, or else I wouldn't be doing it." Pressing his Green Vision, Reed will ask for money for clean tech and green jobs, perhaps still hoping/praying to get Tesla into San Jose. As a reminder, you should probably check out this piece that ran in the Metro about the Mayor's D.C. plans. Judging from the timing, it looks like Reed is being dragged to D.C. as opposed to pulling others with him...Reed's original plans were to trek to D.C. in late February/early March...

In the final dramatic change to the County’s dependency courts, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s will no longer represent children. That job now belongs to LACY – Legal Advocates for Children and Youth. The Merc. published a series “Broken Families, Broken Courts” which put the juvenile court system under the spotlight. Judge Katherine Lucero said, “We were very, very impressed with LACY, and it was a unanimous decision. We felt that LACY had a very whole-child approach." That quote would suggest that the DA's office did not...

The Saratoga City Council talked for 30 minutes before approving a fence ordinance that their Planning Commission spent 16 months to hammer out during numerous community meetings. While Councilmember Kathleen King expressed frustration at the time involved she said, “…I can see how much time they put into this ordinance.” Councilmember Jill Hunter said she was nervous about approving the ordinance because fences are so contentious in her neighborhood and expressed surprise that only two community members appeared at the Council meeting to discuss the proposal. Perhaps community members were adding in a few last minute inches and feet on their fences...

What does former Los Gatos Councilmember Steve Glickman have against libraries? While on Council he repeatedly attempted to prevent the Council from moving forward according to Mayor Mike Wasserman who says, "I'm really disappointed. We've had so many public meetings — probably a dozen — and we've had surveys done, and in every case support for the library was high." Now Glickman is hoping to put a ballot measure that would limit Los Gatos’ ability to spend money on capital projects. Weird, since he supported this capital project...

Gilroy held the first public meeting on a Sunshine Ordinace and no one showed up, or almost no one. Councilmember Perry Woodward, who won his seat campaigning against secrecy was there along with Mayor Al Pinheiro. Their colleague, Councilmember Peter Arellano, was stuck in New Mexico. City Administrator Tom Haglund said, "We're working through implementing the ordinance consistent with all of its provisions and we'll continue to do that..." No one from the public was in attendance and the meeting ended 15 minutes after it began. Perhaps the sunshine was keeping people from Sunshine...

The entertaining line of the year may go to Morgan Hill Times reporter Natalie Everett who wrote, “Asking the city's Business Assistance and Housing Services Department how successful they are at attracting and retaining businesses in the current economy is like asking a tugboat captain how he fares in the high seas during a storm.” Department Director Garrett Toy laid out what they don’t control – demographics, population, developers, and property owners before saying the department is only a small factor. Toy accounts for their success in bringing (and keeping) business with an aggressive marketing and retention program combined with tweaking things in their control.

Sally Lieber gets good press in the Mountain View Voice with a very friendly story about the former Councilmember/former Assemblymember/former Speaker Pro Tem’s improbable rise to power. Councilmember Mike Kasperzak said, "Sally and I disagree politically on some things, But I would never accuse Sally of taking the safe way out." Hey Mike, Lieber not running for Supervisor seemed like the 'safe way out.'

Google is making good on its goal to push the green agenda. The Google PowerMeter will help residents watch their household energy usage. The goal is to create the “Prius effect” with homeowners striving to push consumption down once they see it in realtime. The software works with the smart meters being rolled out by PG&E. Googler Michael Terrell, an energy program manager has it at his house, he says, "I'm driving my friends crazy. I'm really into the data,” as he yanks incandescent bulbs that prove to be energy hogs.

Trying to buck the trend of the anonymous, chain coffeehouse, and the dreary economy, Frank and Carole Rast reconfigured her parents aging and unused gas station into a hopping Japantown meeting spot, Roy’s Station Coffee & Teas. Roy Murotsone’s family bought the gas station after being released from WWII internment camps in Arizona. The family ran the gas station and attached diner. Opened yesterday, the updated neighborhood roost saw San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo and attorney Daniel Mayfield enjoying coffee while 5 year-old Madeline Gorman celebrated her birthday.

Morning News Round-Up – 1.12.09: Manny Diaz for Secretary of Commerce?

Watch Dog San Mateo was way ahead of the City of San Jose in sniffing out recycling pilferers...But San Jose wants you on the hunt as well. San Jose leaders plan to stop would-be thieves from stealing recycling/money from the pros by asking you to turn in scavengers. Add this to your list of things the City wants you to patrol for. The list now includes watching to see if your neighbors are lighting a winter fire or an any other way are violating City codes. Perhaps we should all ask Mayor for a pay increase. Or at least a bonus to our pensions...

East Side Union High School District appointed Eddie Garcia for his second (unelected) stint on the Board. This is not a surprise -- it was a done deal a long time ago. What is surprising is the appointment was unanimously supported. Trustee Frank Biehl had originally supported Barbara Boone but gave in when three of his colleagues indicated support for Garcia. (Frank Biehl...a profile in courage...) Garcia faces yet another election in 2010, if he loses that one who will be there to get him re-appointed? Don't worry about Mr. Garcia though, he has landed a plum job as Supervisor George Shirakawa's Chief of Staff at the County. (Care to guess what a Chief of Staff at the County makes?) So, Garcia has Shirakawa to thank for this paycheck and his unelected political office -- the George and Eddie Show continues...

San Jose’s City Council will discuss a dollar for dollar match of Redevelopment funds with money from area hotels hoping to cash in on an expansive new convention center. With a little luck, the famously ugly blue tent will disappear along with the old library. The first City Council meeting of the year will also welcome newcomers Ash Kalra and Rose Herrera. Planning Commission Chair Jim Zito says of his former colleague "[Kalra] was well-informed, diligent, and did his research well." Zito's nice words about Kalra come in pretty stark contrast to the stories about Herrera in the past few weeks: first she hires then fires a staffer, then she puts the (apparent) kibosh on her former opponent's dream of becoming a Planning Commissioner...it sounds like she'll fit in fine on the 18th floor...

The Merc’s Internal Affairs heard from former Congressman Tom Campbell – coming clean to say, yep, he’s considering a run for the Guv’s seat. His two biggest challengers right now for the Republican nomination include eBay's Meg Whitman and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner – along with their giant pocketbooks. Just some inside baseball stuff -- Meg Whitman leaked her possible run for Governor in an AP story that was covered State- and Nation-wide. Perhaps Campbell should think about a larger platform to make such announcements. Internal Affairs is widely read...but...

Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio may have been feeling a little saucy last week when he told the Merc. he would not be speaking with attorney James McManis about the McEnery as lobbyist saga and called the complaint a joke. McManis told the Merc.’s, “I don't think Pierluigi Whatever-his-name-is is serving the city by making cracks like that." McManis didn't go on to say, "...and his beard is weird..."

Internal Affairs also dishes on recommendations by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of prominent Latinos to fill the Cabinet shoes of embarrassed New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson when he had to withdraw his bid to be Obama’s Commerce Secretary. Among the locals nominated by LULAC is Hector Ruiz, whose claim to fame having been fired after driving AMD into the ground. IA was also a little mystified to see "Manny Diaz" listed until they realized it wasn’t San Jose’s own on again/off again politician/lobbyist.

Santa Clara University is celebrating the success of alumni Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and former Congressman Leon Panetta (a.k.a. Leo McGarry) as President-elect Obama taps them to head to D.C. with the administration.

The Merc.’s Patty Fisher jumps into the political tug-of-war over Moffett Field's Hangar One. The Navy says preservationists can keep it – after they strip it bare of walls leaving only a giant exoskeleton behind. The new landlord, NASA, sent Deputy Director Lewis Braxton a note to say that unless the hangar was in use-able condition, NASA didn’t want any part of it – and that restoration was part of the deal. The costs are dizzying with $30 million to tear away the old siding and possibly $15 million to get something else installed. If only there was someone who had local knowledge of the issue, held an elective office, and had a connection to the Navy...

Violence is erupting around San Jose. A hostage situation in Councilmember Judy Chirco’s District ended late Sunday night without injuries. In Councilmember Kansen Chu’s North San Jose District, two people were stabbed at a mobile home park. Perhaps downtown is the safest place to be...with the number of arrests and all...

Around Silicon Valley, elected officials shake off the last vestiges’ of the holidays and begin the New Year with a vengeance. San Jose’s City Council will review the $1 billion dollar losses in pension funds, attempt to correct chronic deficits, and review a cost-benefit analysis for the Convention Center. Sounds like fun... New Supervisors Dave Cortese and George Shirakawa, Jr. take their seats for the first time and Liz Kniss takes the helm as Board Chair.

Tenet Healthcare, which is operating Community Hospital, has given Los Gatos residents until April 10 to use the hospital and emergency room. After that, the doors close until the new owner, El Camino Hospital moves in June 1. The Town's Mayor Mike Wasserman said of the temporary closing, "My concern is that the residents of Los Gatos know what's going on and where to go in an emergency." The El Camino Hospital District Board will meet Wednesday to talk about the acquisition, and perhaps an early opening?

Proving it’s never too late to give bad news, the Morgan Hill Times reported yesterday the Salvation Army was burglarized nearly two weeks before Christmas losing bicycles, food, and toys intended for needy families. Really? You are running a story a month late?