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 -- 1.7.10: Good morning Ms. Carr...

The top story today will make DA Dolores Carr's head explode -- and perhaps her political future as well. A man sentenced to 38 years in prison in a child molestation case is going to be let out of prison because the prosecutors were corrupt. Watch Dog can't make this stuff up, see for yourself. The trial didn't happen under Carr's watch, but the key point of this story is that the steps the DA's office took, or didn't take, when they learned of over 3,000 video tapes made of victims telling their stories that they never handed over to defense attorneys. (No reponse -- yet -- from the Rosen for DA camp...)

In other crime news... You remember the story about a Fry's executive who liked to gamble with Fry's money? Well, his attorney is asking for the case to be dismissed. Good thing the DA's office isn't the one prosecuting this case...

Scott Herhold goes after his least-favorite government agency today... again: the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Referring to the agency as 'the Golden Spigot' he chronicles their continued missteps and financial fucked-uppedness. This story has political implications too...

In really important news... San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant is getting two new chocolate Labradors. "What's Labrador?" Perhaps Constant can name the pups Cheech and Chong...

Few things are more interesting on local City Councils than split votes... so when Melinda Hamilton was elected/selected by only four of her colleagues to become Mayor of Sunnyvale, we take notice. She beat out Ron Swegles for the position. Perhaps Sunnyvale politics will be interesting for the next little bit...

Three former high-ranking Mountain View department heads retired last month and are collecting their pensions... oh, and they are back at work part-time. Pension checks from the City and paychecks from the City... the double-dip.

Good thing local governments have extra money to throw around because Palo Alto just settled a lawsuit brought by a resident who was hit by a City employee who was driving and reaching for his cell phone... the total tab: $1.45 million and a spinal injury for the resident...

To the blogs...

San Jose Inside/The Fly gets Councilmember Liccardo talking about the San Francisco Giant's polling in San Jose -- which Watch Dog wrote about earlier this week...

Protect San Jose takes and responds to comments today. Watch Dog has only one -- when is "In Their Words" going to come down as promised? Just asking...

Politicon Valley gets the press statements from local electeds (and elected wannabes) about the Governor's State of the State...

Morning News Round-Up – 12.09.09: the No Problem zone...

Santa Clara’s City Council received bad news while they approved the 49ers environmental impact report, the happy folks at Great America will sue. Adding to the confusion were different community groups offering a voter initiative to avoid environmental reviews. 49ers spokesperson Lisa Lang said the team “is not prepared” to talk about going directly to the voters.

With 200 pissed off college employees watching, Trustees for the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District ditched (immediate) plans to lay off 106 people. An investigation into District finances uncovered (suspected) financial abuse by Chancellor Rosa Perez. (now) Retiring Chancellor Perez will temporarily be replaced by Vice Chancellor Jeanine Hawk.

Calling conventioneers response an “overreaction” San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed joined colleagues in sending Team San Jose back to the drawing board to fix the problem of pissed off (San Francisco) Teamsters and conventioneers. Councilmember Sam Liccardo expressed dismay over the problem saying “didn’t anybody say to you… ‘Hey, this could be a problem’?”

There’s a new Chancellor coming to town. Foothill-DeAnza Community College District has selected Arizona’s Rio Salado college president Linda Thor to fill the hole created when Martha Kanter heard the siren call of the Obama Administration.

Palo Alto Unified School District Trustees had a busy night. A mail-in ballot is (likely) on tap to increase parcel taxes to an annual $598. Trustee Barb Mitchell said bluntly not receiving voter approval would mean the loss of 95 teachers. Teachers or taxes...

The Merc’s Editorial Board wants to see the sun shine on arbitration hearings between the city of San Jose and unions. Mayor Chuck Reed adds hearings in the dark might be illegal and a violation of the Brown Act.

When you head out to grab a bite today, local elected officials will gather for a memorial service recognizing the 67 men and women who died living on the streets this year. The annual EHC LifeBuilders memorial service is open to the public.

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo wants all jailed kids to learn to FLY. Fresh Lifelines for Youth offers kids alternatives and saves taxpayers 10 times the money it costs to run the program, according to DiSalvo who had his eggs served with FLY graduate testimonials.

Mission City Lantern posted their top ten ways to prevent Santa Clara Councilmember Jamie McLeod from becoming the next Mayor. Including are such gems as asking McLeod’s friend/Campbell Mayor Evan Low to declare her “uncool” and preventing seniors from voting.

PoliticonValley notes San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed joined Councilmembers Sam Liccardo and Madison Nguyen to create an “unconventional” approach to keeping homeowners from being tossed on the streets.

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.19.09: Enhanced Edition...

A few updates on some previously covered stories start off this sunny Thursday:

The Police Video: The Mercury News hired a forensic audio/visual person to enhance the video of the Police beating/Tasing of San Jose State's Phuong Ho. Because we don't like being accused of being a shill for Sean Webby, we encourage every single person to click through to the video, watch it, and then remember that there are (apparently) two sides to every story... This (and a review board looking at police force in San Jose) prompted another Editorial in the Mercury News calling a review of SJPD's use of force a good first step. (Enter your Palin-esque anti-media comments below... you know who you are.)

Wilcox High's "Broom Closet Modeling Agency" CEO: We know you remember the story of the janitor at Wilcox High School getting fired because he was running a modeling agency made up of Wilcox High School girls. Well, the School District apparently puts a lot of stock in Facebook fan pages because they rehired the guy to work on the grounds crew. Don't worry though, he won't be at Wilcox High -- unless of course the grass needs to be cut. The absolute best quote in this story is this, from Joe Miller the Broom Closet Modeling Agency: "I'm looking forward to my new job within the school district and practicing and producing the art of vintage through my Rockabilly Model agency outside the district..." Well, at least he learned his lesson...

South Bay 49ers: The 49er's stadium plan went to the Santa Clara Planning Commission yesterday and the meeting went late into the night... we know one thing for sure, the stadium plans are bike-friendly...

Total buzz kill... Mayor Reed wants to remind everyone that pot clubs are illegal in the City. Really? Mayor Reed would be so much more fun if he visited one of these clubs once and a while... How is Mayor Reed's position consistent with San Jose's "Green Vision"?

Downtown Palo Alto -- you know, the place with all the high-tech men in blue button-downs and khakis and all the students in flip-flops... well, it has been tough going for the area -- but a recovery may be on the horizon...

One of the several Silicon Valley, high-tech egos running for Statewide office next year was in DC chatting up the DC press corps. According to the Merc's story, Fiorina "...suggested that the science surrounding global warming is less than conclusive..." That is pretty much all you need to know about the pandering nature her campaign to come. Expect a supportive visit from Sarah Palin and James Inhofe soon...

Just to check in with how things were going, we took a gander over to our blogosphere neighbors at PoliticonValley... but the last posting was put up there on November 2nd... keep up the good work.

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.18.09: The Final Tesla Chronicle Chapter?

San Jose has been jilted by fickle lover Tesla one last time. Ditched by Elon Musk for the allure of a geek filled campus next door, San Jose is mum about news of Tesla’s powertrain manufacturing moving to Palo Alto. But Watch Dog has not been mum... heck, we've been writing about this for ever...

San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed (apparently) reads the Merc’s Editorial pages. Feeling the sting following an Editorial Board call to dish on lobbyist driven texts, the Mayor released a Memo calling on colleagues to ‘fess up on those lobbyist texts. [CR is POed... LMAO!]

(soon to be former) Police Officers Association President/ Blogger Bobby Lopez was one pissed off cop when he learned “wasteful spending” at City Hall caused a $5 million cost overrun on SJPD’s “second home.” The architectural professionals explaining themselves today are no doubt shaking in their boots.

If rumors of San Jose Revealed’s ties to the South Bay Labor Council are to be believed, maybe San Jose Revealed morphed into Politicon Valley. Politicon Valley started blogging, and Tweeting, late June – sans anonymous blogger snark. Recently, Politcon Valley landed a story direct from the South Bay Labor Council… Welcome to Silicon Valley Politicon Valley...

Gilroy Unified School District Trustees “enthusiastically” supported 60 hours of community service before high school graduation. Trustee Javier Aguirre said he was excited because the volunteer hours would “allow our graduates to continue being competitive.”

The Mountain View Voice Editorial Board was pissed when the El Camino Hospital Board of Directors gave a (nearly) 5% raise to a dozen top execs. Pointing to the collapsing economy, national debate on soaring healthcare costs, and the ever increasing unemployment rates, the Voice reminds readers there are 2 elected seats up for grabs in the November election.

In other healthcare news… Governor Schwarzenegger’s cuts to Healthy Families could affect 9,000 Silicon Valley children according to Saratoga Councilmember/ Executive Director Santa Clara Health Plan’s Kathleen King. Thank you Governor.

In a contentious radio debate on the elixir of life (no, not this) Palo Alto’s Senator Joe Simitian took a stab at explaining the finer points of the great Delta (water) debate – and what it means for Silicon Valley.

Great America’s dangling roller riders might be surprised to learn they weren’t the first ones to get hung up on Invertigo. Mission City Lantern joins the fray pointing at another of James Rowen’s favorite targets – Cedar Fair.

Mischief + Scott Herhold = Quarterly puppy update

Silicon Valley’s favorite philanthropists, Mike and Mary Ellen Fox, celebrated their golden anniversary and received some love from the Merc’s Sal Pizarro.