Morning News Round-Up – 1.04.10: The Brownstein Report...

Starting the New Year on a high note. San Jose’s controversy mired pension systems board heard the bad news about more retiree overpayments and one retiree not receiving enough. Oops.

The Merc sends props to two new years day babies.

Sunnyvale’s (rotating) Mayoralship is turning into a catfight. Councilmember/Community Administrator Ron Swegles issued a surprise statement saying the “critical issues” facing Sunnyvale (almost) require a “full-time mayor… I think I have more time” than fellow candidates Vice Mayor Melinda Hamilton and Mayor/Retiree Tony Spitaleri.

(rotating) Mayors are also on the minds of Palo Alto’s City Council as they welcome newcomers and elect the new Mayor.

Palo Alto wants to keep its geek-chic and proposes becoming a living laboratory exploring wages. Neil Struthers, CEO for the Building and Construction Trades Council, argues offering a “prevailing wage” doesn’t come with hidden costs and (probably) looks forward to the experiment.

Parents are hoping active courtship will bring Summit Preparatory Charter High to San Jose’s Eastside. Summit CEO Diane Tavenner calls it “wonderful” that parents are pushing and sends a reminder the competitive process continues.

Match fancy new Taser International CopCams with police accused of excessive force, sue Ferrari for not changing your life, and give Working Partnerships’ Bob Brownstein his own, very special, report are among the Merc’s Scott Herhold’s 2010 kickoff.

The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez kicks off the new year on a positive note. Former Teatro Vision director Raul Lozano’s career change helps put food into the yards of Eastside residents. With friends like the Health Trusts Fred Ferrer and Poncho Guevara from Sacred Heart, Lozano is well on his way.

Rough kick off to the new year in San Jose. Two dudes landed in the hospital after a knife fight. After the burning death of a homeless man was ruled murder, San Jose’s 2009 murder toll reached 28.

Thanks to the Merc, government watchers have a list of options this week…

• The County’s Juvenile Justice Systems Collaborative appoints a group to review the disproportionate number of kids of color landing in juve. Funny, this sounds familiar…
• San Jose City Council’s Rules and Open Government Committee looks at ways to push biofuels, makes appointments and offers changes to public meeting rules.
• Santa Clara’s Historical and Landmarks Commission considers a property tax break in exchange for a historic building.
• The Los Gatos Union School District digs into an audit report.
• Sex (education) is on the minds of the Milpitas Unified School District trying to fill the Sex Ed Advisory Committee.

Protect San Jose adds a new name to their blogroll, Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney/Candidate Jeff Rosen pens his opposition to the open grand jury and offers it’s the District Attorney’s job to decide whether to prosecute an officer following the use of deadly force. Strong words for a Police Officer Association blogger.

Mission City Lantern pokes Santa Clara Councilmember Jamie MacLeod to dish on meetings with Santa Clara Plays Fair.

Morning News Round-Up – 12.31.09:It's time to reflect...

The year’s end is a good time for reflection, and we plan to reflect on the habits of our local elected officials… next year.

Gilroy’s personal pot shop is really, this time, facing the music. The City Council approved, for a second time, calling in the legal beagles to head to court with MediLeaf.

The pesky Taser ruling this week has police in Palo Alto looking to define what “reasonable” means before releasing the zap. Police Chief Dennis Burns says “what we want… is a clear policy where everyone understands when it’s appropriate…” (former San Jose) Los Altos Police Captain Andy Galea (seems to) agree saying he still needs to “analyze” the ruling.

The Merc’s Editorial Board calls on San Jose police to keep track of who uses force calling it necessary to help officers. Assistant Police Chief Daniel Katz says the department agrees with the Merc (sort of) and is planning on counseling for officers with a zap-happy hand.

Pissed off developer John Mozart is suing Mountain View arguing affordability fees are an “illegal tax.”

The rotating Mayoralship changes hands in Mountain View on Tuesday when Councilmember Ronit Bryant (assumes she will) take the reins from outgoing Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga. Bryant aims to be Mountain View’s “Green Mayor” for a year.

Also aiming for green-ness… Los Altos plans to lower gas emissions and no, they don’t mean ditching your favorite restaurant. The ambitious (little) town plans on an 80% reduction by 2050.

Palo Alto’s naked California Avenue will get a little love from volunteers in the opening days of 2010. Volunteers hit the streets to start replacing trees. If you want to join the California Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project email or call Sharon Kelly, (650)964-6110 or visit Canopy on the web.

The Merc welcomes a new voice to the Opinion pages with Sami Monsur, a neighborhood leader in downtown San Jose. Monsur asks for changes to San Jose police shift rotations calling them a deterrent to building relationships of trust and respect within communities.

Caltrain called a temporary halt to trains this morning following a(nother) fatal train vs. person incident.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold closes the decade with a touching reminder of the fragility of life and a gentle reminder to carry the pink dot.

A paramedic, (former) drunk drivers and victims band together in Gary “Mr. Roadshow” Richards New Year’s Eve message – take a cab, get a designated driver, ride the bus or a train when you head out tonight for your last night of drinking debauchery in 2009.

Protect San Jose has no comment on the Merc’s call to count but does want to see you on the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Train.

San Jose’s $100 million deficit drove San Jose Insider Pete Campbell to a Wall Street Journal story calling on American cities to rethink the way they do business.

Mission City Lantern throws a bone to 49ers foes and suggests they should break $100 before fundraising for 2009 is over.

A big Watch Dog Woof for tonight’s revelry, we’ll see you next year.

Morning News Round-Up – 12.30.09: The busted edition…

The Governator continues to make his mark on the judicial scene in Santa Clara County. Schwarzenegger adds 6 new Superior Court judges bringing his appointments to nearly 2 dozen. Welcome to the bench Julia Emede, Maureen Folan, Ronald Toff, Daniel Nishigaya, Jesus Valencia Jr., and Theodore Zayner.

Misdemeanor + Broke = Guilty?

San Jose police were watching this week as the U.S. Court of Appeals restricted the use of Tasers. City Attorney Rick Doyle shrugged saying San Jose police already used Tasers only as a “reasonable” level of force under “some immediate threat.” The attorney for San Jose State student Phoung Ho disagreed.

Count on seeing more of the San Jose Conservation Corps, at least $160,000 more.

The Merc’s Editorial Board looked past the uproar over Alum Rocks closing of Pala Middle School to see new schools and opportunities. Editors send props to Superintendent Jose Manzo for accepting the charter school competition.

Life is filled with opportunity. For example, Gary “Mr. Roadshow” Richards knows before you got your first DUI you (probably) offered the police 87 other opportunities.

Busted. Frances Stewart is behind bars accused of stealing $100,000 from the Silicon Valley Community foundation flexible spending accounts. Translation, Stewart skimmed employee health care money.

San Jose police are looking for Jennifer Bautista as a “person of interest” in the brutal death of Alviso’s Norma Leticia Martinez. If you have information, call the San Jose police at (408)277-5283.

Protect San Jose gives themselves year-end props and wants to hear from you before making improvements. Reader suggestions to the Police Officer Association bloggers include a more active politicking along with advertising in the local paper.

San Jose Insider Danny Wool jumps into the Tech Museum fracas with a rehash of the Merc story.

Brian Darby gets a little (un)love from Mission City Lantern.

Morning News Round-Up – 12.23.09:The failure edition...

Remember those videotapes District Attorney Dolores Carr hoped would disappear? They’re back in the news. Appellate attorney Dallas Sacher hopes his wrongly convicted client is declared factually innocent after review of his tape shows Dr. James Crawford disputing medical assertions. Looks like Carr has more ‘splaining to do…

There is no truth to the rumor that it was more of those nasty videotapes clogging the sewers in the Santa Clara County Government Center. And the stench was raw sewage not worn out pols.

The Merc’s Editorial Board sends out a reminder that less tax money in translates to fewer services on the streets. Maybe Santa will sweep the streets…

Megachurch Abundant Life Christian Fellowship is losing Paul Sheppard who announced he was resigning following a “moral failure.” Congregants suggest it was Sheppard's own hot toddy that brought him down...

The victim of Saturday night’s murder in San Jose has been identified as Daniel Booker. San Jose police report observing an altercation and Bookers shooting before arresting Walter Hughes for San Jose’s 28th murder of 2009. Say what?

Protect San Jose’s Beat Cop sends a shout out for safety. Beat Cop forgot to mention, don’t bring that 45 when you head downtown for a Chai Hot Toddy…

Santa is getting a special request from someone too old to get those stockings stuffed by the big guy. San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education member Joseph DiSalvo has one tiny request, send those “hundreds of billions of tax dollars to nation building at home and not abroad.”

Morning News Round-Up – 12.21.09: It's all about moving...

Following last week’s baseball self-importance… The San Jose/(San Francisco) Giants are stamping their feet in anger with San Francisco attorney Todd Smith as chief grump for a nine page letter filled with arguments against the (San Jose) A’s moving to town. Sportswriter Mark Purdy says the Giants (apparently) think San Jose is filled with “totally stupid… rubes.” Santa Clara County Tax Assessor Larry Stone wiggled the knife for Giants President Larry Baer with the news Bud Selig’s committee was meeting with officials in San Jose. According to the Merc’s Internal Affairs Stone and Baer were sharing 49er’s owner Jed York’s suite for a little football…

Valley Medical Center’s executive director, Michael Skehan, is leaving in search of a Master’s Degree. County Supervisor Liz Kniss suggests it’s not the “blistering” audit but “being second or third in command.”

San Jose’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative will feel the hit from the State’s $75 million money grab. Redevelopment Agency executive director Harry Mavrogenes said of the 84% budget cut in SNI “everybody is getting the same kind of cutback.”

The Merc’s Internal Affairs dishes former South Bay Labor Council “apparatchik” Phil Bump keeps up with some local news in his New York blog. On an (un)related note, Watch Dog really misses the snarky blog Bump didn’t have a hand in, their domain name is up for grabs… IA follows GOP gubernatorial wannabe/former eBay CEO Meg Whitman through courtroom proceedings where it’s looking more like Whitman has a little Jekyll and Hyde action.

The next time you get busted in San Jose, look for the EarCam. Some of San Jose’s finest will carry ear mounted cameras to record all “contact with a person.” The first 18 are provided by Taser International (pissed their friends in blue get bad press?), if San Jose police fully outfit the cost could run $4 million plus roughly $1.7 million yearly. Silicon Valley DeBug’s Raj Jayadev wasn’t so impressed suggesting “we can’t solve our problems with a new piece of gadgetry.”

The Merc’s Scott Herhold gets his Year in Review out early with a note that it’s all about following the money, studying the past and keeping an eye on the kids.

How many times do you need to hear it… Don’t bring things that go bang home from the war…

Protect San Jose is giddy with success declaring they are Movin’ On Up. Don’t worry, PSJ promises not to rest on their laurels…

Mission City Lantern outlines one of the Top 10 of 2009… The 49ers.

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.16.09: Anti-San Jose A's... funded by?

Here is something that will make the Mayor's (and Lew Wolff's) holiday season a little bit less festivek. An anti-San Jose A's groups is forming with the San Jose Giants folks as the front for a "...San Francisco public relations agency..."... The first inning of this battle will be for the group to poke legal holes (via an expensive lawyer) in the environmental impact report... What else do we know about this group? The San Jose Giants are not footing the bill for the lawyer or the PR agency and the San Francisco Giants aren't returning phone calls... hmmm...

Speaking of professional sports... Ethics and basketball closed out San Jose’s City Council year. Mayor Chuck Reed saw most of his proposals agreed to by colleagues. The Merc’s Editorial Board said some of the proposals have “an unfortunate political tone,” they’ll be happy to know those are on hold. San Jose is ready for the NBA, but is the NBA looking for San Jose?

It is a good thing that we have a local newspaper to cover local topics... the Chronicle's Matier & Ross have a piece today about how doctors at the County's Valley Medical Center seem to vacation/study on the taxpayers' dime... in Maui, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, the Bahamas, and Europe.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold says a fond adieu to Santa Clara Valley Water District Boardmember Sig Sanchez who served the public for more than 55 years after winning his first election.

The Merc’s Editorial Board calls for funding alcohol education for kids following the tragic binge drinking death of Morgan Hill’s Sarah Botill.

Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo calls funding the needs of gifted students “as important a civil rights issue” as helping low achieving students pump it up.

Protect San Jose invites one and all for dinner and drinks at the Police Officers Association annual holiday festivities and suggests you might run into your favorite Protect San Jose blogger. Of course, inviting "one and all" may exclude Councilmember Ash Kalra, if you scroll through the comments on Protect San Jose...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Morning News Round-Up – 10.16.09: The Biggest Little City in the World is NOT San Jose...

The Merc’s Editorial Board calls moves by San Jose (retired) Police Officer David Bacigalupi and the Police Officers' Association “tone deaf” and filled with “chutzpah” about wanting to get rid of the doctor that makes disability recommendations to the City's pension boards. Following stories in the Merc. that “Dr. No’s” own job was in danger Police Officer Association President/Protect San Jose blogger Bobby Lopez writes he’s not interested in firing Dr. Das, he wants to clone him… We wonder where Councilmember Constant comes down on this issue...

Mayor Chuck Reed wasn’t in Reno for the roulette. San Jose’s “green mayor” went to take home an award from the International Economic Development Council for his Green Vision. San Jose Inside found Reed hopes to inspire “other cities around the world…” Isn't Reno a weird place for this type of award to be given out? It is the definition of suburban sprawl with big, energy-guzzling casinos with indoor smoking... but it is the Biggest Little City in the World... funny, we thought that was San Jose.

“Mayor Green” will be happy to hear San Jose is on its way towards 100 miles of trails with a little over 50 miles ready for action. Save Our Trails President/Willow Glen resident Taisia McMahon hopes to keep Willow Glen trailheads in the mix…

The debate over the tree-free California Avenue roared on during Palo Alto’s Architectural Review Committee. Committee members (strangely) prefer an architectural aesthetic to tree selection. Board member David Solnick complained “there’s really no design guidance here…” Only-in-Palo Alto...

Los Altans have an election on their hands… 4 candidates are competing for 3 Trustee seats on the Los Altos School District Board. Mark Goines (incumbent), Doug Smith, Tamara Logan and Rowene Hood agreed financial solvency tops the list of concerns, but not without taking shots at the Charter school in town.

Mountain View’s Rengstorff Park will become a “safe and enjoyable” place if Councilmembers have their way. Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga said summer use of the Community Center was unbearable and colleague Mike Kasperzak hopes to rebuild the Community Center as tall as possible, maybe even 4 stories… 4 stories in Mountain View passes for tall, we guess.

Hoping to see City employees pedaling more, Cupertino looks at the purchase of as many as 5 EZip bikes. City spokesperson Rick Kitson hopes employees will ride/pedal their way to cross town meetings.

Mani-pedi with that hip surgery? Seems to be the question for Los Gatos businessman Bobby Sarnevesht hoping to open a physician owned hospital in Campbell. What looked like a simple business proposition got heated when the opposition started coming from Congressional representative Mike Honda, nurses, and the South Bay Labor Council.

Morning News Round-Up – 10.15.09: In celebration of the grouch...

Taxi deregulation has arrived in Mountain View… Mountain View’s City Council doesn’t want “… market regulations…” for taxis and is hoping statements taken under oath will keep taxis insured and running smoothly.

Not everyone is a fan of the 2 year mayor, Mountain View’s Council Procedures Committee voted down changes to the annually rotating mayor-ship. Councilmember Mike Kasperzak wants to ditch rotating mayors making the mayoral privilege an elected one.

If Police Officer Association President Bobby Lopez has his way Dr. Rajiv “Dr. No” Das will lose a good chunk of his annual salary because Das insists on police and firefighters getting paperwork from personal physicians. San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo suggests “… a doctor of any significant competence is not going to be any more lenient.”

Local (Republican) gubernatorial wannabe’s Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina can’t catch a break on those “spotty” voting records. Republican political consultant Sean Walsh suggests the tech millionaires settle on an explanation and move on. Guess he didn’t like Whitman’s (various) reasons or the fact this story shows up again, and again and again…

The Merc’s Editorial Board sends props to Assemblymember Joe Coto for pushing reforms at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, in exchange for a bill District boardmembers wanted…

Thanks to the generosity of two families, 125 people will have beds to sleep in this winter. The Merc’s Editorial Board sends props to Joe and Michele Costello and for Ajay Shah and Lata Krishnan for keeping EHC LifeBuilders beds open.

According to the Merc’s Scott Herhold, while office porn is “offensive and unprofessional” trying to ban it will be as effective as Prohibition. Herhold suggests better management might have prevented Julie LeBlanc’s ostracism and the pain San Jose is feeling with that $200,000 check.

Protect San Jose’s Kathleen Flynn invites you to join her in San Jose’s City Hall to oppose the “small but vocal minority…” dragging around statistics about the high arrest rates, per capita, while “..racial profiling, and unfairly targeting minorities.”

Mission City Lantern reports there may be more than 15 minutes of fame for a Lantern favorite – Philip Bump. According to Mission City, Bump’s predilection for posting might have been a problem in the jury box.

A Watch Dog woof to grouches of Silicon Valley...

Morning News Round-Up – 10.12.09:

Senator Joe Simitian breathed a sigh of relief, the Governor took time to sign his SB19 bill that puts California in line for as much as $4.5 Billion in federal Race to the Top dollars. Also a winner in the Schwarzenegger signing frenzy was San Jose State Senator Elaine Alquist (digital textbooks/health information/instructional materials). Not faring as well were Assemblymembers Joe Coto (pawnbrokers), Paul Fong (community colleges), and Jim Beall (aging). There's a joke in here somewhere about aging pawnbrokers....

(soon to be retired) San Jose Police Officer Association president Bobby Lopez is pissed Dr. Rajiv Das wants injured retirees to have doctors sign a 2 page form. The Merc dug deep to uncover statistics : San Jose has the highest rate of retired police and firefighters on disability in the state and saying “No” isn’t part of the Trustees game plan. (un)Surprisingly, Lopez is calling for Das’ ouster…

The Merc’s Internal Affairs was sniffing around the San Jose Police Officers Association website and found president Bobby Lopez talking retirement, and encouraging his colleagues to do the same. Suggestions that Lopez may be trying to strip San Jose of experienced officers as a bargaining ploy caused Lopez to respond “am I being disingenuous?” Also in IA blogger/former South Bay Labor Council political director Philip Bump landed in his hometown paper as juror #3 causing a stir at a San Jose Downtown Association confab according to San Jose Inside, and IA boredom and annoyance at the NASA Ames LCROSS lunar bashing.

Sports loving San Jose is adding the Sacramento Kings to the list of San Jose hopefuls.

“It’s so much cheaper… to give somebody a flu shot than to let a child make a whole classroom sick,” according to Health Trust spokesperson Nicole Kohleriter at Saturdays free Flea Market health clinic. With 400 volunteers the Health Trust poked and prodded the thousands showing up for free medical care this weekend.

Also thinking healthcare… The Merc’s Scott Herhold took pity on Congressman Mike Honda for never having tasted the delights of a Gilroy Garlic Milkshake. Herhold, without claiming culinary expertise, mailed a shake to D.C. for the Congressman’s enjoyment – or not. All Watch Dog can say is we’re glad Herhold doesn’t experiment in the kitchen on our behalf…

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro offers an invitation to “golf with a shotgun” benefitting the San Jose Police Foundation, rent a shotgun for $175, or bring your own, to shoot clay pigeons out of the sky. Also in Pizarro news… A Bert George wine tasting treat, boot camp for event organizers and Santa Clara University’s Professor Francisco Jimenez is honored by the Governor of Jalisco.

On to the week in government…

• San Jose’s Elections Commission looks at changing city campaign finance and lobbying laws as well as forbidding anonymous complaints.
• The Los Altos School District considers parcel-tax renewal and talks about funding retiree health benefits.
• In Mountain View the Mountain View – Los Altos School District talks tests with SAT/ACT results.
• Fiscal manager reclassification is on tap for the Los Gatos Union School District.
• The tiny, one school district, Luther Burbank, considers a response to grand jury reports spanking the district and approving a contract with preschool teachers.
• Budget reductions and pre-school programs are on the minds of the Palo Alto Unified School District Trustees.
• Mountain View – Whisman considers approving site plans for Crittenden Middle and Bubb Elementary schools.
• Trustees in San Jose’s East Side Union High School District listen to the public on proposed audit committee guidelines.

Protect San Jose’s Open Forum Friday is on tap with complaints of speeders in Willow Glen and PAL salaries…

Morning News Round-Up – 9.28.09: Back in the news...

The Valley Transit Authority has gotten an earful about slow light rail from riders and Mr. Roadshow. They aim to do something about it but some of the Valley’s biggest transit supporters are less than excited about light rail 2.0. Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Carl Guardino votes for the “less expensive” alternative of “bus rapid transit.”

Also interested in putting happy wheels on the road… San Jose gets federal stimulus dollars to repave 19 of their 2,300 road miles. According to San Jose Transportation deputy director Hans Larsen the $15 million drop in the bucket is appreciated but hardly covers San Jose’s $283 million backlog.

Local Deputy Dogs are pissed off over a county report saying they pay too much for e-booking bad guys. Federal law enforcement pays nothing for computerized booking while poor Los Altos Hills paid nearly $11,000 for one booking in 2007. The answer, of course, is sending law enforcement officers driving to county offices to file reports. Or, LAH arrests more people.

Rosemary Stasek was a catholic and a staunch supporter of women’s rights. “A society is really built up on how it treats women,” according to Stasek and a big part of the reason she landed in Afghanistan. The Merc’s Patty Fisher shares details on the remarkable Silicon Valley woman who left home for less green pastures.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs did a mighty-lot of sleuthing last week…

• The case of District Attorney Dolores Carr & spouse (ethical) screw-up ranked a letter from attorney/friend B. Robert Allard (apparently) to the prosecutor’s chief opponent asking to let bygones be bygones.
  
• Round 2 – the Government Attorney’s Association was asked to investigate a vote of no-confidence against their big dog, District Attorney Dolores Carr. The mystery is who asked...
  
• Sunnyvale, according to IA, needed “schooling in the California Public Records Act” before dishing on home loans to 6 Sunnyvalian employees including nearly $900,000 to City Manager Gary Luebbers.
  
• (former)Hewlett Packard Tech giant/senatorial wannabe Carly Fiorina takes a ribbing from the Merc’s Internal Affairs the Huffington Post as well as a host of bloggers for the “Worst Political Website Ever.”
  

The Merc’s Scott Herhold takes his readers on a sentimental journey through the tale of two weddings (no funerals) and a peek into his daughter’s wedding of the future. Along the way Herhold offers his thought that the legalization of gay marriage will happen, it’s only a matter of time…

Homeless pooches are the beneficiaries of the Humane Society’s annual Walk N’ Wag this weekend while pampered pooches can hang at Pooch in Sunnyvale for only $100 a night according to the Merc’s Sal Pizarro.

The Merc’s Editorial Board calls on Senator Dianne Feinstein to fight for the $4 million Congressman Mike Honda wants to clean up Mt Umunhum. Calling the sum a “pittance in the context of billions in military spending” the Merc hopes Feinstein will “make this project a bright light in an otherwise dark hour of investment in public facilities.”

San Jose Insider/Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio argues against a “plastic bag bureaucracy” and suggests instead banishment of the single-use poopy diaper. Also Inside, Jack Van Zandt had a rockin’ good time with Joan Baez kicking off the Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival.

Protect San Jose’s Mary Klotzbach shares the wrenching story of her son’s death at the wheel of a drunk driver and the costs associated with drunk driving.

Normally a 49ers booster, Mission City Lantern sends props to the Vikings for their “marvelous” win. Really, James?

If watching your local elected officials is your thing, here’s the hap’s for this week…

• San Jose’s Community and Economic Development Committee talks outsourcing, no, they’re not sending street paving to India.
  
• San Jose’s City Council reviews a contract for the Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity (nearly a year after the fiasco that go this ball rolling), considers letting anyone buy low income housing and hopes to make it easier on city landmarks.
  
• The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and San Jose City Council meet together to talk flu pandemic and census. Apparently, none of the other Silicon Valley cities plan on having pandemics.
  
• The Mountain View-Whisman School District considers proposals on school size, boundaries, transportation, enrollment priorities and independent study. And, as if that weren’t enough fun, Trustees talk salaries.

Morning News Round-Up – 9.22.09:

You remember this story, former San Jose Police Officer/Santa Clara County District Attorney investigator Sandra Woodall smashed her car into parked cars and injured a teenager. Collegial courtesy (allegedly) caused San Jose Police Officers Will Manion and Patrick D’Arrigo to look the other way after Woodall's visit to the neighborhood bar for a post-rehab celebratory drink (allegedly) impaired her driving. San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis let the other shoe drop this week, he wants to fire Manion and D’Arrigo.

California hopes to snag $1.28 billion in federal funds to bundle with Prop 1A funds for Caltrain expansion and moving High-speed rail at high speed to Northern CA.

It’s a little anti-climatic - the Palo Alto City Council approved a change over to (formerly interim) Police Chief Dennis Burns who hopes to “lead the organization in a fair and ethical way.” A slap at former boss/predecessor Lynne Johnson?

De Anza community college is at the “…bottom of a funnel” according to spokesperson/former Merc reporter Becky Bartindale so they shut the doors on more than 8,000 students hoping to beef up their accounting, chemistry and writing skills.

The Merc’s Editorial Board offers San Jose the chance to step out from the crowd and become a leader – ditch the bag. Likening the demise of the plastic bag to getting cigarettes out of restaurants, Merc Editors offer it could be increasingly painful to keep the bag (along with (possible) federal sanctions).

Earthquakes/A’s owner Lew Wolff isn’t caught by surprise often so when Soccer Silicon Valley President Don Gagliardi rattled off SSV’s good deeds even Wolff was impressed according to the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. State Senator Joe Simitian and San Jose Councilmember Nora Campos will be in San Jose to discuss State reform with Joint Ventures Silicon Valley and the American Leadership Forum.

San Jose Insider/San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio was not happy with his colleagues last week when they ignored his request to kill a “Shared Room Occupancy” proposal in his neighborhood. Watch Dog is hopeful Oliverio meant “Single Room Occupancy” in his collegial spanking.

Mission City Lantern slaps a favorite, Jamie McLeod, and celebrates a win by the San Francisco/(future Santa Clara?) 49ers.

Protect San Jose's Tuesday numbers guy, Ed Rast, wasn't up and running by post time, the Friday forum landed two comments over the weekend.

Morning News Round-Up – 9.17.09: This website is too busy to show the webpage…

The Merc’s site is very popular today. Before the site got hit (an attack or just really popular?) we pulled a few tidbits from the Merc’s headlines. Hope this is not a sign of things to come...

Most of the gubernatorial hopefuls hit Silicon Valley for an (un)cheery discussion of California’s gloomy state of affairs along with their pitch to be the next leader.

“Our job here is not to go on strike,” according to Service Employees International Union representative Brian Ward as negotiations with the city of Palo Alto stretched long into the night. Councilmember Pat Burt called allegations of “hiding” money “silly” and said they were “red herrings” that were distracting negotiations.

Plastic bags are on their way out the door in Palo Alto. While most of the environmentally conscious town’s markets gave up the bits of flotsam before being asked a few will end use tomorrow. The American Chemistry Council could be heard grumbling as they toted off with their reusable bag filled with goodies from Piazza’s.

Gilroy’s City Council is sending police and planning staff to investigate the joys of medical marijuana.

Gilroy schools received an uneven report card. All but two schools were inside the 700 range. Mount Madonna and (former) charter school El Portal Leadership Academy stumbled along in the 500’s. El Portal is best remembered as the site of stolen teacher funds as the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) “borrowed” money…

Here’s some (un)cheerful news to read at breakfast – if you’re stuck on the railroad tracks with a train hurtling towards you, jump out and run in the direction of the train at an angle. This after Santa Clara County employee Chuck Issacson was killed when his car was pinned between cars.

Mission City Lantern offers up a new name for the lobbyist firm of Saggau and DeRollo, bada bing… And, pokes fun at Watch Dog for a tardy post, thanks for the kind words in spite of the late posting, James.

Protect San Jose’s Beat Cop offers that annoying helicopter hovering over your home should be heard as the swooping of the hawk looking for prey, while keeping you safe from rodents.

Morning News Round-Up – 9.15.09: What do plastic, bail bonds and Wet have in common...

Good News – Silicon Valley schools rank high in California. Bad News – Silicon Valley Latino and African American students do worse than state averages.

Vincent Cardinalli, Sr. thought he’d found the ideal way to scam money until the law caught up and handed him 157 felony counts. Always thinking creatively, Cardinalli instead sued one of the witnesses for $4.5 million, and won judgment. If only the Godfather thought of it first...

Candidates for Palo Alto City Council are unhappy interviews to take over the Police Chief gig happened behind closed doors.

San Jose’s Coyote Creek has the dubious distinction of landing on Save the Bay’s Top 10 “Bay Trash Hot Spots.” Plastic bags floating down Coyote Creek to join the 1 Million that land in the Bay each year garnered the creek this (depressing) honorific.

Gubernatorial hopefuls come calling in Silicon Valley looking for some love.

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro shares the news that San Jose Downtown Associations Scott Knies is getting canned by the city. Don’t worry about Knies, it just means the city won’t be paying Knies $160,000 (on top of the $69,000 from the association). Instead, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency will add $100,000 to the Downtown Association coffers.

Sunnyvale Mayor Anthony Spitaleri is pissed he (and Sunnyvale) have landed in a payment dispute between the Sunnyvale Mixed Use LLC and the folks (formerly) doing the build.

San Jose celebrates going solar at 6 city facilities, a $500,000 lands in the form of solar panels.

Oops, the Morgan Hill Unified School District discriminated against special education student Jessica Perez forcing her to stay in school longer and miss graduating with friends. At least, that’s what the State and Perez say.

Those fun loving folks on the Gilroy City Council may have goofed when they voted behind closed doors on raises for the city manager and clerk. Secrecy be damned, numbers for your review in the Gilroy Dispatch. You gotta wonder, who advises these guys…

Sports, sherry and dark chocolate sustained Wimbledon player/wild woman Dorothy Crichton who passed away at the age of 104 in Palo Alto.

PoliticonValley sends kudos to County Supervisor Ken Yeager for landing the State Senate confirmation to the California Air Resources Board.

Protect San Jose’s Ed Rast is one pissed off number cruncher. Rast is (apparently) mad that some non-profits receive city funds.

(also pissed off) San Jose Insider/Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio is mad affordable housing projects don’t pay into the city’s park fees. Oliverio and Rast should get together for a mad fest. Also Inside, Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo wants kids to have the same teacher for more than one year.

Morning News Round-Up – 9.4.09: For your holiday weekend pleasure...

Depending on who you believe the A’s finding their way to San Jose could be a (financial) field of dreams or field of schemes. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is showing his dreamy side hollering “Play Ball!” San Jose Inside reiterates…

Congressmember Anna Eshoo welcomed both sides of the healthcare debate declaring she understood the passions constituents felt. Eshoo shared there are three elements of the legislation she helped write and none were about destroying the system.

Mountain View’s (retired diplomat) David Straub keeps hanging with the cool kids. Straub was part of President Bill Clinton’s dramatic rescue of journalists held captive in North Korea.

John Masakazu Tashiro, a purchasing specialist for Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, had a really sweet gig – until someone figured out those 81,000 index dividers were like the Emperor’s new clothes. A million bucks later, Tashiro finds himself on the wrong side of pissed off, high powered attorneys.

State Senator Elaine Alquist is doing the happy dance. In the midst of the financial crisis while State legislators are snarling their way through each day – the 49er bill made it to the top of the pile and got its positive Assembly vote.

Campbell is a cool place to hang and the mother-daughter team of Lorraine Laden and Crystal Mangiameli are hoping to keep the doors open on Pleasures of the Heart for years to come. Even Mayor Jane Kennedy wants to keep them saying “I don’t see where they’re a problem… I don’t want to see them go away.” Don’t tell (carpetbagger)/Congressional wannabe/porn king Larry Pegram, pleasure makes him blush.

Speaking of libraries… The economic crisis has people flocking to Santa Clara County libraries to use the internet. So many that library internet surfing is more like playing in the kiddie pool than hitting Mavericks. Help is on the way, librarians’ hope, with tech tweaking courtesy of the Joint Powers Authority.

Maybe Google can lend a hand to the librarians dilemma as part of the WiFi upgrades they have up their sleeves for Mountain View. Improved surfing for the 19,000 users is on the mind of Google tech Karl Garcia.

Two more murderous souls were busted for the death last month of Kristina Harris Perkins at San Jose’s Alum Rock Lightrail station. Behind bars are Eddie Manuel Rivera and Gregory Alan Lopez, investigators still won’t dish details on why Perkins was attacked.

San Jose’s San Tomas Convalescent Hospital is big trouble. The State Department of Health slapped them with a “AA” citation for the death of Hannah Lesser after a tv and dresser fell on top of her.

It’s Open Forum Friday at Protect San Jose. Send your juiciest tips and Labor Day tricks on over…

Mission City Lantern (doesn’t) talk about Bill Gissler because he’s “irrelevant” and “could have been great, except he was not very good.”

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.14.09: The announcement Raj has been waiting for...

Usually we cover blogs at the end of the Round-Up, but today we moved one blog up: Protect San Jose. Today, Bobby Lopez, the head of San Jose Police Officers Association, let us know that he will be leaving his union post at the end of this year. We will miss his quotability... but Raj probably won't.

While we are on the topic... San Jose Police are dealing with the City’s 19th murder – a 46 year old sex offender was stabbed to death on The Alameda. As they deal with the 19th murder, the 13th murder makes news: gang member Ray Murillo was busted for San Jose’s – he’s accused of shooting an 18 year old at a house party.

Speaking of crime (sort of)... It’s bad enough the Department of Justice is investigating Palo Alto's Utility Department for falsification of their employee qualification tests… Now a breakdown in communications caused a breakdown in gas service for customers – for the second time this year.

Speaking of crime (really)... Gilroy Police Sgt. Chad Gallacinao was worried the early spike in gang activity signaled a tough year ahead. So far, the summer has been quiet as gang activity has dropped dramatically. (Oddly?) The drop in activity coincides with the bust of Nortenos and Surenos on trial for Larry Martinez.

and

California Youth Soccer Hall of Famer Thomas Anderson faces an additional molestation charge after a second child came forward.

Morgan Hill’s pedestrian-(un)friendly Third Street Promenade is mired in construction leaving pedestrians confused (and wounded) and businesses crying foul.

Now something significantly more shopper-friendly… Local Farmers Markets taking home over $100,000 weekly? According to the math in the Mountain View Voice it’s possible. That’s some kinda lettuce… (Watch Dog thinks the Voice might be a little jealous...)

Mountain View – Los Altos High School District Trustees are debating a “green bond” that could save the District over $400,000 annually. Superintendent Barry Groves looks forward to a committee working out details that could lead to a June 2010 vote.

Former Olympic Wrestler/New Gilroy High School Principal Marco Sanchez is busily making friends and hiring teachers. Superintendent Deborah Flores is delighted indicating he’s confirmed her first impressions. Could one Gilroy school be facing renewal?

California Highway Patrol’s Cristina Tagle suggested Gary “Mr. Roadshow” Richards readers leave their “emotions at home” in anticipation of Monday’s BART strike.

Mary Ann Cook reports through Mainstreet Los Gatos that library supporters have a new friend in the petition battle – the recumbent bicycle-riding activist. Also, Los Gatos’ own Dave Schaub will head out on a solo trip dubbed 49 in 9 for Ronald McDonald House -- that's 49 states and 9,000 miles. He will definately need a delicious Fred's steak after that...

San Jose Insider Pete Campbell joins the great American healthcare debate suggesting insurance for all should come with rules like: fat people can’t eat out or go to bars, no one gets more than 2 drinks, and tobacco is outlawed.

Mission City Lantern engages in a thinly veiled tale of San Jose politics and people.

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.12.09: Ditch Twitter and cell-phones...

It's National Vinyl Record day...

San Jose’s City Council seems to have wrapped up the 2006 election, at least the finances part. In spite of dire warnings from their beloved City Attorney Rick Doyle and Mayor Chuck Reed who said “…we’ll be giving a gift to lawyers… and we’ll lose,” the Council retains its “soft money” cap…

Foothill-De Anza Trustee/Incumbents Pearl Cheng and Bruce Swenson got a walk on the election this year. You have till Monday if you want to duke it out to replace Hal Plotkin.

3 Meetings + Pilgrims Haven + 104,503 square feet = 37 new retirees in Los Altos Hills

San Jose’s Biblioteca Latinoamericana replaced the alleyway where Lavonna McLaughlin was murdered 15 years ago. Yesterday Deputy District Attorney Jeff Rosen painted a picture of the era as the trial for her accused killer started quietly in a Santa Clara County courtroom.

Firefighters halted a wildfire that started at Recology Pacheco Pass before it hit the methane pipes. Parent company, Norcal Waste Systems, breathed a sigh of relief but now worries over how the fire started.

Gary “Mr. Roadshow” Richards received an inbox full of email from grumpy backseat drivers. Easy people, the police asked for the warning about Cell-Phone Tuesday. You may now return to dangerous driving.

The Merc’s Sal Pizarro dishes… the yummy stuff is on order from local restaurateurs for Sunnyvale’s Saturday Jazz (green and line free, nice), Second Harvest Food Bank welcomes new CEO Kathryn Jackson, Spamalot lovers can whet their appetites at the Starlight presentation of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” last, but not least Happy Birthday Jack Aberle of San Jose State University’s Biz Admin.

Speaking of big birthdays… Los Gatos’ Betsy and David Fullagar’s 2007 birthday safari and growing friendship with Alweet Hlungwani set them on a journey that resulted this year in a library for the Makuleke tribe of South Africa.

Tweet this… That painful roller coaster ride is shut down for 2 months while engineers scratch their heads and the Twitverse keeps yakking. Stuck upside down for hours, Dominic Angel told his friends “gravity is not our friend right now.”

The Philip Bump/Revealed saga is a source of never ending fun for Mission City Lantern. An advisor to New York Public Advocate candidate Eric Gioia, Bump is getting a little West Coast love on the East Coast blogs.

Fan of students/San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education’s Joseph DiSalvo has a few suggestions for parents checking out the neighborhood school.

Protect San Jose has joined the ranks of the anonymous blogger for a mildly comprehensible rundown on why San Jose should ditch CQ Press rankings, as the FBI did in 2004. According to CQ, they’re patiently waiting for the FBI to figure out what to use.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.30.09: ESUHSD (again) and Blogwars (still)

The East Side Union School District uncovered the problem behind (alleged) racial discrimination, financial irregularities, and the sidelining of athletics. The culprit (apparently) was Superintendent Bob Nunez, who is now sidelined himself. Trustee Lan Nguyen had a few choice words for the rest of the Board (taking a page out of Watch Dog's book) “We as a Board have inadequate oversight of our fiscal issues…” The Merc. Editorial Board weighed in on the Nunez forced/ paid holiday saying high time the Board hired an auditor.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed declared the “Legloland” of solar panels on his rooftop good, especially since it cost him (initially) $1,500 for enough juice to keep the air-conditioning going.

During an economic meltdown, it’s good to be the top dog. The El Camino Hospital Board of Directors handed out raises of (nearly) 5% to the top dozen administrators. CEO Ken Graham will now bring home more than $600,000. In an (un)related note, you may have noticed that a national discussion is happening on healthcare...

Federal stimulus dollars continue to find their way to Silicon Valley. This time the Santa Clara Valley Water District helps to bring in $44 million for bridges, recycling and flood protection. Good thing the money was allocated before someone in the Federal government read Herhold's piece earlier this week...

Saratoga’s Planning Commission is making dreams come true (according to the Merc.): Rosalba Sokhanvari will open a Spanish Language immersion school in the heart of the Village while Muhammad Hussain gets his dream home.

With roughly $7 million set aside for economic uncertainty or rainy days, Los Gatos officials aren’t worried about the Guvernator’s (possibly) illegal money grab. Mayor Mike Wasserman says the Guvernator and Legislature are grabbing because “they screwed up” and “what they’re doin' is not right.” Neighboring Saratoga is “ecstatic” the Gov is taking only $660,000.

Los Altos City Council hears (for a second time) Pilgrim’s Haven request for expansion. Facing well orchestrated NIMBY opposition, Mayor Megan Satterlee said “every piece of information provided is reviewed and considered.” This includes the mega dose of anti-Haven lawn signs along Los Altos Avenue.

“Hunger doesn’t take a vacation,” and Community Services Agency Associate Director Maureen Wadiak issues a call for support. The need is up 14% while available food is down 17%.

Animal cruelty hits a new low with a bunny killer on the loose in San Jose. Seriously, a monster is killing bunnies living near San Jose’s Easterbrook School. Dr. Lily Lee and PAWS are working with the School District to address the growing bunny population while the Moreland Woods bunny killer is being hunted. (For those who read Watch Dog San Mateo, animal cruelty is usually relegated to the County to the north... We also learned this morning that Phillip Bump is also doing his part to fight animal cruelty -- more on that later.)

San Jose’s blogwars made the big time -- an actual newspaper. Not once but twice. Scott Herhold assesses the likelihood of Phillip Bump as the author of San Jose Revealed. Like a (literary) forensic examiner, Herhold studies language and cadence. We will wait to see how the next episode of CSI: San Jose handles the evidence.

Herhold's piece got the blogosphere buzzing...

• Phillip Bump thanked Scott Herhold for the web-traffic...
• In an (un?)related update, San Jose Revealed remains on hiatus waiting for San Jose’s City Council to return.
• San Jose Metblogger Matt Bruensteiner regurgitates the Mission City Lantern Reveals Revealed story. We have our own San Jose-centric echo-chamber happening here...
• Mission City Lantern can't help himself from posting regularly (hourly?) about the blogwar and opens his blog up to some of the suspects to clear their good names... (James is very busy - the Stadium EIR was released in Santa Clara.)

And in non-blogwars related blog news, Attorney General Jerry Brown gets in on Protect San Jose's (vast) readership. Ironically, he is bashing fake charities. We say ironic, because the words "Attorney General Jerry Brown" and "charities" appeared on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday... and it was not that flattering. Brown on Protect San Jose is interesting for a variety of reasons...

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.28.09: Political Impact

Today, we have several stories that may have long-term, political impacts...

There is another weird, but fascinating, turn in the DA Dolores Carr story. Remember, she recused herself from a murder prosecution because her husband was on contract with the victim's family for their civil trial. Now, a judge hearing motions in the case, Judge Joyce Allegro, is also backing away from the case as she, the DA, and the DA's husband are buddies. The most immediate implication of these shenanigans are that the DA may actually get the case taken away from her office and kicked to the State Attorney General... Oops.

Feeling the (not so good kind of) love from the Civil Grand Jury, East Side Union High School (unelected/ twice-appointed) Trustee Eddie Garcia has a whole bunch of questions for Superintendent Bob Nunez's vacation time pay (and probably why the Superintendent asks for reimbursements for coffee)... Watch Dog has to ask: Where was the oversight from Garcia (and his boss) during this spending-spree? Could it be for this exact reason that voters did not vote for an "incumbent" in this District.

The Merc's Scott Herhold rips into his least-favorite government agency today -- the Santa Clara Valley Water District. In the process, he provides a political Profile in Courage-scenario for Water District Board Member (Supervisorial wanna-be) Rosemary Kamei.

Palo Alto's College Terrace Centre took an important step forward yesterday when the City Council approved a requested zoning change for the site. Two "public benefits" that the neighbors were looking for were a JJ&F subsidy and affordable housing. The neighbors are likely to get both -- but also get more office space than they probably wanted.

And if neighbors are super-pissed (or super-happy) with the City Council in Palo Alto, they can let them know in November because Palo Alto's ever-growing list of folks that want to serve on the City Council is ever-growing still. Gregory Scharff (lawyer), Nancy Shepherd ("school activist"), and Brian Steen (land-use consultant) are all throwing their hats in the ring. They join Planning Commissioner Karen Holman, Gail Price, realtor Dan Dykwel, realtor Leon Leong, business-dude Tim Gray, and man-about-town Victor Frost. Oh yeah, current Councilmember Larry Klein is also running. They are all vying for five seats.

One issue these Palo Alto Council wanna-be's won't have to deal with is a big-mouth Police Chief. (In case you forgot why this is an issue in Palo Alto...) The three new Police Chief finalists have been announced: Interim Chief Dennis Burns, Fairfield Police Chief Kenton Rainey, and San Carlos Police Chief Gregory Rothaus.

Young folks in Mountain View are advocating on their own behalf to put a youth center into The Rock Church. Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga said discussions on how to use the City-owned church should start in the Fall. (The Rock Church: Is that where Black Sabbath plays?)

The Gilroy Dispatch just noticed the Civil Grand Jury report leaping in to discover Gilroy Unified Superintendent Deborah Flores is paid below most other Superintendent and doesn't get the $48,000 housing allowance that Saratoga Union dishes out.

Onto blogs...

• Blogwars continue (in the comment sections) regarding the (possible) revealing of Revealed by Inside. Revealed responded with a shot of its own... Mission City Lantern is still in the Revealed revealed game... but has plenty of free time to write a bunch of other stuff too... like the first chapter of a novel. In an interesting twist, Phil Bump recalls his conversation with Mr. Lantern/ James Rowen. In Bump's words, he "...fed the troll..." (Bump had Rowen's phone number? Weird.)
  
• Protect San Jose is stangely silent on the biggest public safety issue of the day -- the DA stepping aside in the prosecution of a high-profile murder because of her husband's (a former San Jose Police Officer) financial relationship with the victim's family. Instead, they open their blog up to Denelle Fedor for her Mounted Unit opinions... (If Fedor speaking up for the Mounted Unit sounds familiar, it's because she published a very, very similar piece in the Merc. in May...)