Morning News Round-Up -- 5.4.10: Buy your Corona today...

The County of Santa Clara has a big, gigantic $200,000,000+ deficit that they need to bridge. How? Like everyone else does: use reserves, cut jobs, "streamline services," and banning toys at fast food joints... But leave it up to a realist (non-politician) to shed some light on things. Patricia Gardner of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits adds, "...it is great that [County Executive] Smith is preserving so much of our servcies at a time when our community is having so much hardship...[but] we need to be mindful that this budget does not take into account any of the state cuts..." May revise next week... hold on to your hats...

The folks in South County are not too pleased (apparently) with the new redistricting lines drawn by the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board... that's because one of the two seats puts Gilroy with Palo Alto... can't we all just get along? Or at least get it right?

Joe Rodriguez in the Merc tries to get back into the political realm and breaks down the similarities between the San Jose City Council re-election races of Pete Constant in District 1 and Sam Liccardo in District 3. Two popular incumbents, also-rans running against them, etc., etc.

A San Jose Police Officer that is due to be laid off saved the life of a cyclist this week. Chief Davis jumped at the chance to praise the officer after getting bashed by Protect San Jose last week...

This is weird, and seems a little out of line. Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio writes an open letter to San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis on San Jose Inside pushing for the promotion of Captain Gary Kirby... Watch Dog has to wonder whose water PO is carrying with this....

Another tough day for the South Bay Labor Council in the Mercury News. This time from the Editorial page regarding the San Jose (barely) International Airport and recommendations from the Airport head honcho that should be re-looked at to cut costs at the airport to make it even a little bit competitive with SFO and OAK. They include: "...contracting out services and paying living wages..." That will be a fun Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday...

While we are on it... we bring you this from the Chronicle: "San Francisco and its largest union have reached a long-delayed tentative agreement on a giveback plan, helping the city trim its projected $483 million budget deficit."

While we are on SFGate.com...

The Chronicle gets in on the action, obviously. The newspaper is so worried that they will lose the 49ers and that their beloved Giants will somehow get hurt if a team moves 30 miles further away, that they are now writing Editorials criticizing the A's for cracking down on their banner policy in the stadium. (We'd LOVE to see someone try to put up a banner anywhere in SBC, errr AT&T Park...) Actually, the Editorial isn't that bad and tells the Oakland City Attorney to back the f... up.

You have got to love California. In November, we will have a ballot measure, funded by oil companies, that looks to make AB 32 (the big anti-global warming bill) obsolete and a ballot measure to make recreational pot legal. Ironically, you will need to smoke pot to make all the November election commercials bearable...

This will make some people really happy... and some people not so much... metering lights in San Jose on 280. Thank you Mr. Roadshow for the heads up.

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.24.09: Threatened Garbage Strike + Reelection = Mayoral Trouble?

Federal mediators are on their way to San Jose in the hopes of stopping a Teamsters strike against GreenTeam garbage haulers. South Bay Labor Council leader/ former Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez says while she doubts “…anybody wants to strike...” it’s not a threat to take lightly. Something interesting about this story: This is the exact same issue that got Mayor Ron Gonzales into trouble. A threatened garbage strike coupled with fear about a looming reelection campaign. Yet Mayor Chuck Reed is not in this story. Perhaps that is the safest place to be Mayor Reed...

The latest guest at San Jose's texting party (no, not sexting) is environmentalist Ted Smith of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. Mr. Smith is going to court to get email, texts, and “other electronic communications.” Mr. Smith is pissed that the City refused his more congenial request earlier this year. While the Toxics Coalition is fighting City Hall on this front, they are likely supporting a City Hall effort on another because...

The San Jose City Council will think about San Jose’s contribution to the 19,000,000,000 plastic bags leaving California stores each year. American Chemistry Council and their lobbyist Manny Diaz are cheering on Councilmember/ proud anti-environmentalist Pete Constant who says he questions whether plastic bags should be ditched, after all they’re great for scooping poop. Fill in your own Constant poop joke here: ________.

Mr. Smith, make sure to get the emails, texts, and calendars surrounding the plastic bag issue as well... Watch Dog bets the meeting between Manny Diaz and Pete Constant was an interesting one.

Speaking of environmentalists... Larry Ames and Taisia McMahon are hoping to see you at the Planning Commission in support of the Three Creeks Trail. Worried about “trail-severing" development, Ames and McMahon shared their worries on the Merc’s Opinion page.

(so far) No one at San Jose’s Family Camp is sick but news of e-coli tainted water wells gotta be making campers nervous. Ironically, San Jose Inside reports their namesake city is behind only Virginia Beach, Virginia and Madison, Alabama for kid friendliness. Good thing Family Camp is in Yosemite…

Palo Alto is reeling after the suicide death of a 13 year old on Caltrain tracks where two other Gunn High School students died in the past several months. Former Palo Alto Mayor Victor Ojakian and Supervisor/former Palo Alo Mayor Liz Kniss are considering a committee to examine the issue.

Cupertino-ites have a few months to figure out their Council choices with 7 candidates and 3 seats open, the two incumbents are hopeful their names will float to the top. Busy times for Rich Robinson...

Swine Flu joins the back-to-school fun. Kids will learn the Dracula Cough, and hand-scrubbing while they sing Happy Birthday in an attempt to stem the tide.

The Merc’s Patty Fisher is happily chowing down on her daily coco kook as she celebrates peace in the (Psycho) Donut wars. Fisher closes by saying (cynically) “…without all that free publicity, where would Psycho Donuts be today?...” Certainly not in Patty Fisher's column...

Former Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard’s San Jose pied-à-terre caused the Merc’s Scott Herhold to dust off his calculator and call those pesky IRS tax guys. Herhold chuckles as he reports Attard may owe as much as $6,000 in pillow taxes.

Having had one too many cheap drinks at the “dingy, punky, (puky?)” Caravan Lounge the Merc’s Internal Affairs bemoans its loss as San Jose makes way for a parking garage. Mission City Lantern chimes in on this story as well. James, you know the old adage: don't pick a fight with folks who buy ink by the barrel.

Protect San Jose dished its “Open Forum Friday” with a few (long/ oddly constructed) bits about cost over-runs, police practices, and statistical gurus.

Looking for your own government reform? Check these out…

• Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors finalize decisions on Jeffery Smith as County Executive. (Let's hope Supervisor Shirakawa remembered to check with Smith's previous employers...)
  
• San Jose talks plastic bags (Monday), Pension Trustees (Tuesday), and Pensions (Wednesday).
  
• The Mountain View-Los Altos School District gets the good/bad news about test results.
• Palo Alto Unified School District ponders the State’s budget thievery.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.29.09: Swine Flu Day 2

The national panic begins and Silicon Valley is not immune. San Jose’s Branham High School has one student out with the Swine flu. Campbell Union High School District website let's us know that Branham will be closed for a week, other updates on the Swine flu can be read on Twitter on @swineflunews...

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed starts to repair the damage after his Independent Police Auditor (IPA) mea culpa. He pronounced the initial process bad. Next time, he suggests, all candidates get reviewed by all Councilmembers. You may recall, the last time around Reed, along with Councilmembers Nora Campos and Pete Constant, selected the final four IPA candidates and the final two. The stress is making even the normally bland Reed a little snarky “My councilmembers usually have pretty good ears,” in reference to the brewing battle with Campos over who knew and when about the brotherly conflict.

At yesterday’s San Jose City Council meeting $4.8 million was approved for removing the toxic sludge in Watson Park and downtown club owners will share the cost of policing downtown on weekends. (These two things are unrelated, by the way... although, former Mayor Tom McEnery probably feels like the sludge and downtown club owners are pretty closely related.)

Los Altos School District hired four new Principals with none of the drama seen last year when parents and Trustees battled over the selection of Terri Stromfeld. Joining the Los Altos ranks are Wade Spenader, Kimberly Attell, Erin Green, and Amy Rettberg.

The Merc is celebrating as staff writer Karen de Sa takes home the Silver Gavel from the American Bar Association for her series on juvenile dependency courts – the same series that landed the District Attorney’s office in hot water. Merc Editor David J. Butler said the award “underscores the commitment of the Merc’s staff to continue its tradition of producing world-class journalism.”

It’s good to be green. When Silicon Valley gets there Watch Dog will let you know. Santa Clara County received an ‘F’ from the American Lung Association on the 10th annual “State of the Air” report card. Joining Silicon Valley were 37 other counties mostly in Southern California and the Central Valley.

What does Palo Alto have against plastic? Chemical lover Manny Diaz screwed up again as Palo Alto’s City Council joined the growing ranks of cities banning polystyrene, those foam boxes you call a doggie bag. Palo Alto estimates the foam box ban will affect only 30% of local restaurants, everyone else having moved away from the chemical killers before now.

The Koi donated to San Jose by Sister City Okayama are dying of herpes, no kidding. Mona Favorite-Hill, spokesperson for San Jose Parks, said chances are someone wanted their own herpes ridden fish to roam free among their Japanese cousins.

A teenager in Palo Alto kept a lot more than fireworks at home. The PA Police found explosive components when they went home with the kid.

Watch Dog enjoyed the celebration at Morgan Hill’s two year old dog park. Councilmember Marilyn Librers said it was paws up for the work done by MHDOG.

Morgan Hill revenues are down. With the crashing economy and no one hitting the stores it comes as no surprise sales and property taxes are in the toilet.

According to venture capitalist Peter Thiel, it’s the fairer sex that f’d up the world once they started voting. Yep, ladies, according to the Facebook backer/former Paypal CEO “the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women … have rendered the notion of "capitalist democracy" into an oxymoron.” Thiel also shares his opinion that the only ones not on drugs are idiots.

Watch Dog had to list this, blogger Will Wilson works with his pooch Dora the boxer on political blogging, among other things. San Jose’s recent adventure into porn filters caught Dora’s keen eye.

San Jose Insider/County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo worries about a brain drain from public schools as Charter Schools take off in popularity.

San Jose Revealed is hopping a plane to LA and leaves us with this question: Is the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce the leading voice in business in the Valley? Revealed’s snarky afterthought indicates the Chamber might be the leading party organizer.

In a related (?) story...

This note from the South Bay Labor Council, Steve Preminger, Director of Working Partnerships and Chair of the local Democratic Party, was honored by the Dalai Lama as one of the worlds “Unsung Heroes” for 2009.