Morning News Round-Up -- 5.14.10: Game One Weekend!

More political endorsements... this time from the Metro: Teresa Alvarado for Supervisor. It is a nice piece about Ms. Alvarado, but the harshest words are reserved (again) for Forrest Williams. This quote will play especially poorly in South County:

"...When he served on the council, Williams was an enthusiastic supporter of the plan to blanket the pristine valley [Coyote Valley] with homes. Trading the region’s environmental quality for short-term union jobs is unsound public policy..."

San Jose Unified is getting a new Superintendent -- Vincent Matthews, who has been the state appointed overseer of Oakland's public schools. Welcome to town Mr. Matthews...

While one public education institution ends its search for a new leader, one will start their search. San Jose State's President (of two years!) will leave San Jose State. John Whitmore was the 4th President in 7 years. The search begins... again... again... again... (Mission City Lantern has something to say about this...)

Finally on the education front, we get this headline announcing the Academic Performance Index results for the County: Test scores show most Santa Clara, San Mateo counties students reaching state goal... as if "most" is the goal. You can find your neighborhood school's listing here...

Senator Simitian may be joining many of his (NIMBY) neighbors and withdrawing support for High-Speed Rail... when the political winds change...

Tough times for Cupertino Crossroads (that place you pass on Stevens Creek all the time)... PetSmart closed, leaving the third major vacancy there (Mervyn's and The Learning Game). If you have a big box store waiting to open, perhaps Watch Dog could interest you in a Cupertino location?

Sunday is Game One of the Western Conference Finals... Go Sharks...

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

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

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

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

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

And from summer sports to fall ones...

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

On to things not related to sports...

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

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

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

Yesterday was Internal Affairs Sunday in the Merc...

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

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

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

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

Morning News Round-Up -- 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 -- 1.22.10: More pot for Spicoli?

Storm, storm, storm... but drought not over... power out because of storm... etc., etc., etc....

The 49ers are headed for the ballot in June. Their ballot initiative qualified and the Santa Clara City Council placed it on the ballot. Good things the football playoffs aren't distracting anyone in the 49ers' organization from their pending political efforts.

Let's hope this press clip doesn't land in San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed's morning reading... or Harry's... or Krutko's... Tesla got its $465 million for their facility in Palo Alto. Ouch.

The Merc Editorial Board gives props to the (likely to be passed) Sunshine enhancement in San Jose that will include texts and personal emails. But the Ed Board can't resist taking this shot first: "...San Jose's mayor and City Council have resisted sunshine reforms for police records..."

The State Supreme Court struck down limits on how much medical marijuana patients and

caregivers can have for medical purposes. A ruling that will make Jeff Spicoli's day, but make the Morgan Hill and San Jose City Councils extremely angry and anxious. You know what can help cure anger and anxiety?

This story will make the San Jose Police Officers' Association a little angry and anxious... a City Auditor's report found that some Police Department desk jobs could be done by civilians rather than sworn officers. The City Council will take up the Auditor's report on February 2nd. Protect San Jose will (probably) take up the issue before that.

Speaking of Auditors and Police... San Jose Inside reports that Chris Constantin is leaving town and heading to San Diego. After being named, then un-named, as the City of San Jose's "Independent" Police Auditor, his stock sank (unfairly) locally. Unfairly because it was some other highly-placed peoples' lack of judgement that got him canned before he could actually get hired. Constantin is headed to San Diego to be the City's Deputy City Auditor. Good bye and good luck.

Yesterday we wrote that Tom Campbell woke up happy in Almaden Valley because the Governor's race which he left got more expensive right after he moved up in the ballot to the Senate race. (We got several wise-ass emails noting that everyone in Almaden Valley is required to wake up happy, it is in the deeds to their homes...) But the truth is that Tom Campbell will wake up even happier today when he checks the news on his HP computer. That's because he is leading the Republican field according to a new poll... and he is the Number 1 Republican contender to take on Senator Barbara "I heart the Oakland A's" Boxer...

Those poll results are being spun by Fiorina's team apparently. Politicon Valley has their press statement where Fiorina spins these results as positive for her camp (she's a strong candidate in the Primary and General) and opens up lines of attack on Campbell (career politician and worked in Sacramento recently). The best comes at the end of Fiorina's press person's statement: "...we expect his number to fall fast -- just like Martha Coakley's in Massachusetts..." Yes, because Carly Fiorina will be the Tea Party Candidate in this race...

Speaking of the increasingly expensive Governor's race, Steve Poizner criticized Meg Whitman's latest influx of $20 million bucks. Poizner says that Whitman is trying to buy the Governor's race... He did not say, "It isn't fair, I was going to try the Governor's race just like I bought the Insurance Commissioners office." Pot, kettle, black, irony... lots of zeros...

Hey, here's some positive news (with a downside)... home prices are up and so are sales. That's great as an economic indicator, bad if you've been saving up... Which makes this story sort of bad timing... or good timing, depending on how you look at it. The City of Mountain View is about to offer City employees $100,000 loans to buy a house in Mountain View.

Light Rail to Los Gatos? Maybe.

And while we are on rails... If State Senator Joe Simitian hosts it, anti-High Speed Rail people will come... that was the scene last night in Palo Alto when hundreds showed up to have their voices heard, or at least have their heads counted...

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 -- 9.30.09: Take that, Arnold... love Harry

“Take that, Arnold,” is what Watch Dog assumes San Jose Redevelopment Director Harry Mavrogenes was saying when a Sacramento Superior Court Judge ruled the hand in the cookie jar had to go. At least for last year’s cookie raid. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed didn’t sound hopeful San Jose’s stolen cookies would return “once the state has the money…”

Santa Clara County launched a reverse 911 to let you know about life-threatening emergencies. Kirsten Hofmann with the Office of Emergency Services wants your cell because, like you know, “… land lines are so yesterday.”

We’re not making fun, really. Palo Alto’s new Police Chief Dennis Burns wants to turn his officers into a team of learners. Hopefully they will learn from Burns, not former Police Chief Johnson.

Dig deep, the Sea Scout’s need your extra coin to complete renovations to the Palo Alto Baylands EcoCenter. For more information or to donate to the project, call Environmental Volunteers at 650-961-0545.

Republican Gubernatorial wanna be Meg Whitman finally ‘fessed up as to why she waited until she was 46 (2002) to register to vote after telling Republican conventioneers she’d been registered since 1998. And, why she only voted occasionally after 2002. It was hard.

The Merc’s Patty Fisher asks questions which haunt friends of battered victims. Kathleen Kreneck with Next Door hopes you respond, they’re trying to keep the doors open after the Governor took all funding away from domestic violence programs.

Palo Alto State Senator Joe Simitian is heading to D.C. – no, he hasn’t landed that coveted appointment or a seat in Congress (yet). Simitian is meeting with the feds to talk dollars for education.

What mid-week news round-up would be complete without a few tragedies…

• (former) Boy Scout leader David Adler is now a convicted sex offender after kiddie porn was found on his computer when he returned from the Philippines and London.
• (former) Silicon Valley engineer Cecil Cox is heading to prison for running killing 2 women as they crossed Stevens Creek Boulevard. The eagle eyes of a librarian led to Cox’ arrest.
• 3 teenagers were stabbed following a “likely gang related” melee at Mountain Views Community Center where a birthday party was taking place.

Protect San Jose’s number's geek opens with a dispute of former California Employment Development Director Michael Bernicks opinion that economic recovery follows recession and concludes with San Jose must include the public in budget discussions.

Life is tough when you’re a kid. San Jose Insider/ Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo points out it’s even harder for kids in the LGBT community. DiSalvo argues for support and protection of LGBT youth and wonders how far we’ve come after attending the annual BAYMEC fundraiser.

Morning News Round-Up – 9.7.09: A Political Carr Crash…

The dish according to the Merc’s Internal Affairs…

• District Attorney Dolores Carr stuffed her pointy toes in her mouth – again. Seems the DA won't be opening up the Grand Jury for the police shooting of a mentally ill Vietnamese man.
  
• State Senator Joe Simitian wasn’t snubbed. The Senator said leaving his water-loving self out was merely sound political maneuvering.
  
• San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency will not be pouring drinks at the Caravan.
  
• Republican/gubernatorial wannabe Steve Poizner tied fellow Republican/gubernatorial wannabe Meg Whitman to the entertaining Mr. (Van) Jones Leaves Washington saga. On an (un)related note, no word if Jones will return to his old gig…

The Merc’s Scott Herhold dishes another Dolores Carr story. Hoping no one would notice, the District Attorney’s office released the news late Friday afternoon that she was tossing the murder of Vahid Hosseini into the lap of Attorney General Jerry Brown. This after Hosseini’s widow uncovered a big no-no, (husband) Carr created a major conflict of interest in this potential death penalty case...

These folks had to enjoy the long weekend filled with (crashing) Carr news…

Disastrous Economy + 8 Years Red Ink = San Jose City Council Oversight?

Not an A’s fan, U of Maryland economics professor Dennis Coates said the “novelty effect” of a new baseball stadium wouldn’t last. San Jose’s chief development officer, Paul Krutko, countered saying city costs would be so low it wouldn’t be San Jose’s problem.

Gavilan College is pissed. A little annexation, paving a golf course and dorms caused Gilroy planners to declare Gavilan a developer – not a governmental agency. This is a problem because developers have to fork over extra bucks for city services. Expect a redux next year…

In 2005 San Jose’s Ambassador’s Lounge was the site of a shooting spree that landed co-owner E-40 in hot water. Over the weekend a young man was shot in the garage while upstairs in the convention center E-40’s latest gig was in full swing. Police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez says SJPD is investigating “whether or not this was related to the show.”

Meanwhile, no one was shot at San Jose’s Tapestry Arts Festival.

The Merc’s Editorial Board takes a peek at the new lives of former Agnews Developmental Center residents. Verdict: the developmentally disabled can live in neighborhoods more cheaply and receive top care. The editors cheer on private investment in green tech as Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla builds a $1 Billion clean/green tech fund.

Silicon Valley Reads takes on a controversial read with Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.” Health Trust CEO Fred Ferrer helps and won’t be grabbing a double-double, extra fries on the way to the January kickoff. The Merc’s Sal Pizarro also dishes there’s wine and jewelry from State Senator Elaine Alquist and Assemblymember Jim Beall at Korks for Kids.

It’s a short week for government watch dogs…

• Santa Clara County’s Finance and Government Operations Committee does a double take on the county’s vehicle fleet following a critical audit.
  
• The Santa Clara County Juvenile Justice Systems Collaborative Case Systems and Processes Work Group (mouthful much?) tries to move kids from jail to court faster.
  
• Those fun loving Elections Commissioners in San Jose noodle over ditching anonymous complaints. (Whistleblowers watch out)
  
• San Jose’s City Council talks parks and recreation.

Mission City Lantern’s James Rowen is sharing a cuppa with Santa Clara Councilmember Jamie McLeod. Legislators for (and against) State Senator Elaine Alquist’s 49er/SB43 are called out. Party poopers Tom Ammiano and Fiona Ma said no.

San Jose Insider Eric Johnson tried to kick off Rants and Raves over the long weekend, as of Monday there were no takers. Ouch. Insider/San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio spanks General Plan colleagues and invites you to “the scariest film” at Sundance. No, not this…

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.

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.12.09

The San Jose Police Department still remembers the controversy when officers shot a Vietnamese woman with a vegetable peeler (albeit a gigantic and sharp vegetable peeler) in 2003. The weekend shooting of Daniel Pham, described as mentally ill by family members, will ensure the San Jose Police Department another controversy to deal with. Under investigation by San Jose Police Department's homicide and internal affairs units, the District Attorneys office is keeping a close eye.

(Our friends at Watch Dog San Mateo would like us also to consider this police versus mentally ill man incident yesterday that did not end in death...)

Not to make jokes...but...

Campbell’s Psycho Donut Shop was the scene of a donut protest with “stigma free” and psycho donuts at war. Head psycho Jordan Zweigoron told protestors that his donuts had no deeper meeting, sometimes a donut is just a donut. Rumors Psycho Donuts is hosting Campbell’s upcoming Mental Health workshop are untrue.

The Merc’s Editorial Board is calling on San Jose City employees to give up raises to save jobs. Mayor Chuck Reed says the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor are taking pay cuts. Let’s see, $282,000 minus 3.75%...

San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio is hitting the budget circuit and using his bully pulpit at San Jose Inside to inform/inflame the masses. Watch Dog can see it now, angry citizens storming City Hall demanding the return of the Mounted Unit and disbanding the Mariachi Festival with Oliverio hot in pursuit.

El Rancho San Benito, the City that never was. Developers had hoped to turn 5,700 acres of cattle ranch into a city of 20,000 at the Southern edge of Santa Clara County. The economy and housing crisis caused Arizona based DMB Associates to pull the plug. Sierra Club’s Melissa Hippard said she was pleased, that it was a “leapfrog development” with the worst kind of sprawl. Sprawl in Southern Santa Clara County, say it ain't so... (Gilroy...)

A Palo Alto Jane Doe was 17 when she was attacked, beaten, dragged face down on the sidewalk and raped last year. Doe survived the attack and is now trying to survive the trial of Todd Burpee without looking her attacker in the face. Deputy District Attorney James Leonard plans to convict on physical evidence.

A grumpy Rod Diridon admitted he’s blamed a handful of folks from the toney towns on the Peninsula for trying to block his $40 billion High Speed Rail baby. Diridon urged NIMBY’s to listen for facts not made up stories about the HSR/Berlin Wall. There is one Palo Alto NIMBY who is actually calling for the HSR Authority to give up the management of this project to CalTrain...

While we are on CalTrain, budget cuts may force weekend service to be eliminated and will certainly cause fares to go up...

Palo Alto Congresswoman Anna Eshoo didn’t include her hometown among her requests for federal stimulus broadband dollars but is encouraging the them to apply for money intended for “unserved or underserved communities.” Eshoo also encouraged PA Councilmembers to take a step back on their vision of the Great Wall of Rail.

From Palo Alto to Sunnyvale, those federal stimulus dollars are calling. Sunnyvale developer Peter Pau, Sand Hill Property, even has eyes on the pot of gold. He has his hand out saying “this is the kind of stimulus you can put your hands on.” Pau needs $450 million in loans, with banks and local partners unwilling to cough it up he’s hoping the feds step in. Mark Watch Dog's words, if federal stimulus dollars go to funding a mall in Silicon Valley, it won't be pretty...

Gilroy City Staff will see Pink Slip Friday unless the unions make some big concessions. The City Council didn’t like the previous union plan of furloughs and work without pay but union representative Tina Acree will be returning with the same proposal. Mayor Al Pinheiro says it’s not a “dictatorship” but it does look like each side is stuck in their corner.

Morgan Hill teachers will meet at the Cellars to hear the terms of a proposed contract with the Morgan Hill Unified School District. Negotiations started last September, included picketing teachers, so it’s nice to hear they’ll raise a glass of the local juice as the acrimony fades.

State Senator Joe Simitian will be hosting the first web Town Hall. Simitian, whose district runs from San Carlos to Capitola, hopes the technology will allow more folks to participate. Send him email questions in advance or poke him during the Town Hall.

Dennis Rockstroh, the Action Line guy for the Merc, is hot on the trail of the garbage man/tree killer. San Jose Urban Forest Manager Ralph Mize and City Arborist Dorothy Abeyta will give the tree abuser what for. Also in Action Line, thieves are posing as PG&E reps, legitimate PG&E employees will have identification.

Another one bites the dust… The Los Gatos Weekender was unable to find enough advertisers for the Merc to keep it going. The West Valley Resident also got the axe from Silicon Valley Community Newspapers. The demise of the Weekender got more coverage from Metro/San Jose Inside’s Fly who serves up a rumor that the Sunnyvale Sun and Cupertino Courier will eat it this week.

Twenty years ago Marvin Maple, the story goes, kidnapped his grandchildren from his daughter. Landing in San Jose, the family lived quietly until an unsolved crime TV show pointed at them. Maple appears in a Tennessee court today.

Yep, those were the furious fingers of San Jose Revealed we heard yesterday. Revealed let loose with analogies to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars with Chuck Reed playing Darth Vader to Nora Campos’ Luke Skywalker.

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.23.09: Never a dull day in the DA's office...or at San Jose City Hall

Life at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office gets better and better. Last year, Prosecutor Marc Buller accused a Valley Medical Center nurse of lying about the existence of medical exam videotapes. This year, District Attorney Dolores Carr said she would release the tapes which could put sexual predators back on the street (from trials as long as 17 years ago). The hubbub isn’t over yet. Carr accuses VMC’s Dr. David Kerns of causing the problem for not "… consulting the District Attorney's Office," while defense attorney Lawrence Gibbs says the DA’s office still has a legal problem because they knew the tapes existed. In legal terms, it looks as if the circumstantial evidence is mounting...this time, against the Prosecutors...

Questions are swirling, legal action is in the works, and Councilmembers are snapping at each other...but it looks like the San Pedro Urban Market (a.k.a. The McEnery Plan) will move forward this week. Former Mayor/registered lobbyist Tom McEnery hopes to open a public market in 2010 with $6 million in grants and loans from San Jose. Councilmember Nora Campos has launched a new (potential Brown Act violation) salvo saying she received a voicemail message from her colleague Sam Liccardo who hoped she would set aside partisan politics during the plan's initial consideration...Interesting how Campos didn't bring this up when her opposition to the plan failed to kill it. Perhaps she hopes it will now?

Armageddon is how the California Transit Association describes the outcome from the (long-delayed) budget resolution in Sacramento. VTA alone is facing cuts of $50 million. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission does not see any BART to San Jose dollars coming from their pockets, so local hopes are pinned on Federal stimulus dollars.

San Jose’s (one-school) Luther Burbank School District received a mild slap when a long-awaited second audit was released a year after it was ordered. Fernando Elizondo, the District's Interim Superintendent said, "We need to eliminate the sloppiness and tighten down the ship." You'd think keeping track of money and running a tight ship would be easier when a District only has one school...but perhaps not...

Fremont residents squawked loudly about the "Fremont" A's. So loudly, in fact, that the plan seems close to dead. The neighborhood grumpiness (and NUMMI's grumpiness) is causing Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff to rethink his plans to move to Fremont. San Jose A's?

Joint Venture: Silicon Valley announced the formation of the Silicon Valley Climate Prosperity Council on Friday with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed at the helm. The Merc’s Editorial Board celebrates Silicon Valley’s new color saying, “A green agenda crossing city lines and promoted by private and public sector leaders can put Silicon Valley in a better position to recover.”

The Merc.'s Mr. Roadshow/Gary Richards let readers cut loose on angry man Grant Paulson who grumpily attacks Senator Joe Simitian’s cell phone law via a well-viewed billboard on 101. Our sister blog, Watch Dog San Mateo has more on the East Palo Alto billboard.

Speaking of Watch Dog San Mateo...

Ah, lifestyles of the rich and famous…the Merc’s Patty Fisher fills us in…Sun Microsystems Scott McNeely sheepishly admitted he hadn’t bothered getting permission before building his private, blimp-like ice rink in the hillsides above Palo Alto. It looks like Ms. Fisher reads Watch Dog San Mateo, because they wrote a (really funny) piece about the ice rink last week...

The Merc.'s Internal Affairs caught Mount Pleasant School District Superintendent George Perez hopping mad. Perez cut loose about the recently approved budget saying, "It's a crime and a sin what they are doing to public education.”

Hunger striker/freedom fighter Ly Tong has turned up in Orange County splattering red paint on a photo exhibit. He really sounds like a swell guy.

On tap for local elected officials this week:

• San Jose’s City Council will consider ordering nightclub owners to help pay for the Police and try to make downtown more inviting.
• Sunnyvale’s City Council will revise the ethics code for elected and appointed officials, taking away a Board Chair’s ability to punish said officials and making sure Councilmembers know they have to listen to public speakers. Really?
• Mountain View’s City Council will hear a midyear budget report on Tuesday. That should be fun...
• Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Subcommittee on Children, Seniors, and Families will talk about the changing child welfare system Thursday. The passage of the State budget should be helpful to that cause...except it isn't...
  
• Fremont Union High School District Trustees will hear a budget update and consider setting a cap on enrollment on Tuesday.
  
• San Jose Unified School District will attempt to figure out who to fire to make next years budget.

San Jose Inside's Editor voices support for beleaguered San Jose Councilmember Madison Nguyen and calls for a no vote on the recall. Inside points out Nguyen’s mistake was one of judgment...like she misjudged that this Little Saigon thing would be a big deal, she misjudged that her opponents would rally at City Hall for months, she misjudged that her opponents would get enough signatures to recall her...let's hope she doesn't misjudge the campaign her opponents are running...

Watch Dog note to Los Gatos Observer: How about some news? Or at (the very least) some more frequent Tweets...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.19.09: "Your Cell Phone Law Sucks" Edition...

San Jose/Santa Maria State Senator Abel Maldonado got his wish while others called it "blackmail, extortion, and skulduggery." This morning, the State Senate approved the budget along with Maldonado’s proposed Constitutional Amendments for an open primary system and banning legislative pay increases during deficit years. Legislative leaders refused to cut their pay altogether when the budget is late. Maldonado said, “I'd like to have seen somebody else vote for this budget. And it would have been easy for me to cast a 'no' vote." San Jose State Senator Elaine Alquist said, "I'm a realist and I understood we needed a two-thirds vote. I did what I had to do."

Speaking of Sacramento...

"Senator Joe Simitian: Your cell phone law sucks." That's not Watch Dog saying that, that is a billboard on 101 in East Palo Alto, thanks a wasteful-spending angry man named Grant Paulson...

San Jose Revealed said something we never thought we’d hear: they agree with San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio. Mayor Chuck Reed has given City Manager Debra Figone free rein in developing the strategy for this daunting task. Revealed doesn’t agree with this approach and Oliverio is struggling with it as well. Revealed and Oliverio agreeing...can hell freezing over be far behind?

San Jose Inside’s Pete Campbell was also keeping an eye on San Jose’s budget workshop. Campbell’s take was a little different: he proposes outsourcing economic development to the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce and giving the Office of Cultural Affairs funding to private donors, corporations, and “other groups.” Campbell also proposes handing the Housing Department over to the County. That's pretty radical stuff...incredibly unlikely, but radical...

Also on San Jose Inside: Metro's Fly asks some questions about Labor leader Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins' sabbatical and what that means for former Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez. From 'working on the transition' for several months to being on 'sabbatical'...Really? Watch Dog predicts more news on this front...

Be careful what you wish for...young, “scrappy” lawyers with Legal Advocates for Children and Youth will take representation of Santa Clara County’s foster youth away from the District Attorney’s office in the coming months. The new lawyers earn a fraction of prosecutors $188,000 salary and plan to spend oodles of time working with each child. They want a case load of 175 children per lawyer, well below the State standard of 188 and a fraction of the sometimes over 400 per lawyer seen at the DA’s office. Get ready to work your ass off Legal Advocates...

Speaking of the DA's office...

The Merc.’s Scott Herhold takes a day off, instead letting readers that are annoyed at him for his support of troubled District Attorney Ben Fields (and other things) fill his column. Herhold pokes fun at readers comments along the way...careful Scott, those readers are fewer and farther between than they used to be...

Santa Clara County’s Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team made a field trip to San Francisco to raid ‘the Castle’ and arrest 4 people for dealing meth. Meth users in the “more affluent residential areas” of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties can look for their dealer in jail. David Hendrickson, an investigator with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office who headed the task force said the investigation started with informants in San Mateo County.

In front of a packed house, the Los Altos City Council selected plans for their new Civic Plaza. Dominant in the drawings are trees – lots and lots of trees.

It was standing room only at the Los Altos School District meeting when the discussion was cutting $3.4 million from programs. Randy Kenyon, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services, said “…programs mean people...” Board member Mark Goines said he wants to review cuts totaling $5 million, to prepare for years of deficits the District faces down the line. The Board meets March 2nd to make its final decisions.

Parts of Stevens Creek will be moved, others restored as it flows through Cupertino. (The actual Creek not the street.) Ralph Qualls (of San Jose fame), Cupertino's Director of Public Works is planning for a 4th of July re-opening. Cupertino spent more than 20 years cobbling together the land along the corridor.

Like the rest of America, Sunnyvale is slashing expenses. With a $12 million shortfall this year and a $9 million deficit the loser in this economic crisis is likely to be the Morse Park near Tasman. Developer fees cover construction but the more than $100,000 in projected annual maintenance is more than Sunnyvale can bear. Morse Park Neighborhood Association Chair Adam Berkan said that by not building the park "they've actually hurt a neighborhood." City Manager Gary Luebbers said, "Things are tough right now, and I don't see the park in the mix this year."

Perhaps this will help...

Sunnyvale joined San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed in asking for federal dollars. Asking for $64.5 million to support 15 projects, City spokesman John Pilger said, "there's a significant trickle-down within private industry if we have a major construction job like the rehabilitation of a bridge." Adam Berkan is looking for some of the trickling to flow towards Morse Park.

Maybe she was trying to be efficient, or maybe she just really, really wanted her Starbucks fix. Whatever the reason, an unnamed woman drove her gold Jaguar through the window of Gilroy’s Starbucks. Sgt. Jim Gillio said no alcohol (perhaps caffeine?) was involved and, "It was pretty shocking but these types of things happen now and again."

A week ago, the Gilroy Pontiac Buick GMC left 26 people without jobs as they shuttered their doors. This week, it’s Gilroy Ford Lincoln Mercury leaving town, with 31 people getting cut. City Administrator Tom Haglund met with owner Don Malinoff and General Manager Joe Lopez Tuesday to see if the city could dig up extra cash for the dealership, but Lopez said Wednesday that it was not likely any arrangement would be reached. As tough as it is to have folks lose their jobs...this must be a huge sales tax hit to Gilroy. That's why the Gilroy Economic Development Director didn't say, "Pretty please come to the outlets..."

Morning News Round-Up – 1.26.09: A York/Davis Monday...

District Attorney Dolores Carr can't get a break...apparently a prosecutor kept secret evidence that would have helped Army Vet/PTSD Sgt. Binkley’s defense. Oddly, the news dropped online midnight Saturday that two of Carr’s people filed conflicting reports. Carr’s recent troubles include two attorney’s in trouble for withholding evidence and a general slap for holding back interviews with survivors of sexual assault – putting all those cases in jeopardy. Somewhere, Karen Sinunu is smirking...

By the time San Jose (barely) managed to get the signs up, San Francisco’s Little Saigon celebrated its five year anniversary with the installation of lions representing peace, happiness, and safety. (Ironically, none of those things seem to be present in San Jose's Little Saigon...) This year, SF's Little Saigon expects to bring 20,000 visitors to San Francisco to celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. “We deliberately brought the Vietnamese community into the mainstream rather than appeal to them with anti-communist rhetoric, as the leaders did in San Jose,'' said Vu-Duc Vuong, who once ran San Francisco's Southeast Asian Community Center.

Tanking retail sales will hit local cities hard. San Jose already had a $4.6 million sales tax revenue shortfall before the economy really went into the toilet. Santa Clara budgeted for $43.4 million and received nearly $2 million less. Translation: roughly $200 million less dollars were spent locally. "We are concerned obviously," said Santa Clara Deputy City Manager Carol McCarthy. "Like anyone else, we're out there, we're brainstorming and getting information." I'm not sure brainstorming is going to help the economy, but I guess it couldn't hurt.

Palo Alto may do something about their need for cash. They are looking to businesses to cover the City's budget shortfalls. Specifically, they want to impose a tax businesses via a Business License Tax (BLT). While most cities have a BLT (on rye?) PA doesn't. The difference is that Palo Alto is thinking about a gross-receipts tax opposed to a simple, annual fee that many/most cities have. Why a gross-receipts tax? More money for Palo Alto, of course. (This was part of Watch Dog San Mateo's Recession Repercussions theme today...)

Closing its doors and pissing off customers at the same time, nice going Circuit City. Circuit City is shutting down nationwide, locally in San Mateo, San Jose, and Sunnyvale. In their haste to shove merchandise out the doors they forgot to lower prices. According to customers they actually jacked up prices then shaved a little. Good news is, they expect to be hiring before closing doors permanently in March. Add to the big box closings, Home Depot is closing Yardbirds, Expo, and Design Center stores, in an announcement made Sunday night.

State Senator Joe Simitian stood in front of 200 anxious educators and parents Saturday morning who worry about the Governator’s plan to stop funding schools. Franklin-McKinley Deputy Superintendent Tim McClary said, "We have contracts we have to honor. PG&E is not going to give us electricity if we don't pay the bill.'' Simitian suggested residents “…need to let Republicans know that they think new revenue has to be part of the solution.'' Nobody responded..."isn't that what we elected you to do, Joe?..."

Mountain View’s Housing Element update is on the table for community discussion tonight. The League of Women Voters is hosting a talk with retired planner Don Weden – under discussion are how housing element updates affect climate change. No word if NIMBY-ism will be addressed.

Car as deadly weapon strikes again, for the third and fourth times this year. Exchange student Santosh Kumar Racherla was hit and killed while crossing El Camino Real. Mountain View’s Man Lai Leung was hit after a truck plowed through a fence, across a lawn, hitting several cars and finally stiking Leung while he was unloading groceries.

Thirty years ago a few looney tree huggers had a crazy dream – hiking trails to link the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific. Since then, the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District has been buying land and is poised to purchase the last four pieces of the puzzle. The Merc’s Patty Fisher doesn’t expect her aging knees to be in working order when it happens, but does write it all up. (Watch Dog San Mateo has been covering this too...)

Is Santa Clara in line to be home of trans-bay football teams? The NFL is hoping to make it so. The owners of the NY teams who share a stadium (currently in New Jersey) said in these dire economic times it makes sense for the Raiders and Niners to join forces. No word if Santa Clara Councilmember Jamie McLeod is more amenable to a two team proposition. This would mean 20 home games each year in Santa Clara -- that's a lot more traffic (presumably)...

Cupertino Union School District will interview candidates to fill the empty seat created when Pearl Cheng who was tapped to replace newly elected Assemblymember Paul Fong on the Foothill-DeAnza Board. Watch Dog would like to fill you in on the candidates background, but Cupertino lists only their names: Larry Curb, Daniel Halabe, Anjali Kauser, Jack Yang, Joyce Yee, Katherine Yu, and Ione Yuen. There is no truth to the rumor that Supervisor George Shirakawa is trying to get Eddie Garcia appointed in Cupertino...

In addition to the Cupertino appointment, here's what's happening around other elected bodies in Silicon Valley this week:

• The Santa Clara Board of Supervisors and Mountain View Councilmembers will noodle how best to ask for federal dollars...other than beg?
  
• Sunnyvale’s Council will listen to neighbors unhappy with construction and consider creating standards for construction management..sounds like a good plan...
• In San Jose, the topics include moving City jobs to private firms, a bailout for the County’s largest homeless shelter provider, the Convention Center, and elimination of 52 jobs..that should be a doozy...
• The always exciting Alum Rock Union School District will discuss the status on the new Superintendent search and “challenges related to Pala Middle School.” For those who missed it, the challenge is how to swap Pala with East Side’s Adult Ed Independence High.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs had a field day Sunday. So much (old) news so little space.

• Recently (re)elected Alum Rock Trustee/attorney Esau Herrera wants to dump the lawyers and hire the firm he used to work for. Herrera also wants the lawsuit against fellow Trustee/former District employee Dolores Marquez dropped and says, "I think it's a waste of legal fees to carry on what apparently was a personal grudge."
• Former Mayor/blogger/lobbyist Tom McEnery is being eased out of his pet blog San Jose InsideMetro's Dan Pulcrano. (San Jose Revealed reminds us they pointed out the slow removal of McEnery months ago.)
• Santa Clara County Tax Assessor Larry Stone (booo) couldn’t get into inaugural ceremonies even with a VIP ticket. But Willie Brown did, and he didn't even have his ticket...

Bellarmine boy does good. Tony West is heading to D.C. for the Obama administration. San Jose Inside sends props to litigator/Obama’s CA finance co-chair/super lawyer Tony West for landing a plum job with the Department of Justice. Check back around noon for a West update -- including what it says about the shifting political fortunes of Silicon Valley big shots.

San Jose Revealed is almost embarrassed to say they told us about the Arts Council Silicon Valley pursuit for a Poet Laureate for Santa Clara County weeks ago. Sadly, that “news” now is front page fodder for the ailing Merc. Revealed also wants to remind the Merc. that there are actual local stories and includes among them humiliated San Jose Councilmember Terry Gregory (and others) accepting gifts, the current Madision Nguyen recall fiasco, and McEnery lobbying. Watch Dog would like to add to this list Shirakawa/Garcia cronyism...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.23.09: The NUMMI A's?

There is an update today on the Councilmember Madison Nguyen recall election. The story focused primarily on Nguyen and her efforts to stay in office -- raising lots of money, walking precincts, making phone calls, putting up signs, etc., etc., etc. One thing worries Watch Dog: she has underestimated the pro-Recall folks a number of times during this long nightmare. She underestimated how strongly people felt about Little Saigon initially. She didn't think the Little Saigon folks would get enough signatures on the ballot for a recall. In a recent Metro article, she admitted as much, saying, "I never thought it would get to this point..." In today's story, she may be making the same mistake saying, "I don't see anyone walking precincts for the other side...I don't see signs." Please, please, please Madison -- don't think that no signs and no precinct walkers on the other side mean you are going to skate through this. The Recall Madison folks have raised over $100,000. That is a huge sum of money and they are waiting to spend it...

Meanwhile, San Jose Revealed takes a shot at the folks who are building Vietnam Town and provide some context to those developers and Madison's recall...

The airport is building a cool new facility...but that's just about the only good news coming out the place. Airlines are cutting back...and apparently the airport wants to join in the fun by cutting staff. That means that when the new place opens up, there may be no planes and dirty bathrooms...

A serial bank robber struck in Saratoga on Inauguration Day. The robber is suspected of robbing 8 other banks in the Bay Area...he is described as a white guy, 5'9" to 6', 200 pounds, with gray hair -- which narrows down the search to just about every dude in Saratoga...

Oh no. Fremont's NUMMI manufacturing plant will stop giving tours in February. The actual manufacturing at NUMMI has already slowed down...but could the halting of public tours signal the beginning of the end for NUMMI? And if that is the case, are the A's licking their chops at that enormous piece of land?

State Senator Joe Simitian thinks the State budget crisis might be close to an end...according to his interview with the Palo Alto Weekly...don't bet on it...have you ever known the folks in Sacramento to do something on a timeline that is predictable?

We know that the Community Hospital of Los Gatos is closing in April as Tenet hastily leaves town. What we didn't know, until now, is when the new folks, El Camino Hospital of Mountain View, were going to re-open. It looks like it may be a while, perhaps until Fall, to get things up and running again.

Pete Campbell at San Jose Inside has a closer look at the Convention Center expansion idea. His best line about the expansion plans: "...the City of San Jose places itself in the tenuous position of placing a big, three-layered bet that the economy will recover, trade and convention shows will continue at healthy pace, and the bookings lost during 2009-2012 will return to San Jose..."

The Morgan Hill City Council will meet this weekend to discuss 2009 goals and review 2008 accomplishments. They will also meet in a joint session with the Gilroy City Council. If you think this sounds like garlic-infused fun, they head out Saturday morning to the El Toro Room at the Community and Cultural Center on Monterey Road. Please be sure to bring your own ideas and your own ephedrine, because Watch Dog will not share...

Morning News Round-Up – 12.31.08: It's a wrap, were you there?

The end of the year is a good time to check out how well our elected officials are serving us, or whether they show up. For some of them showing up means getting paid, for the rest of us showing up, well, it’s why we elected them. Let’s get the ball rolling for a number of elected officials. Watch Dog wants to know, how do your elected officials stack up?

• County Supervisors were around 92% of the time with Supervisor Ken Yeager turning in the worst attendance having missed 3 meetings


• VTA boardmember (San Jose councilmember) Forest Williams had perfect attendance while Santa Clara councilmember Dominic Caserta had the worst record (for those not out on maternity leave) missing 4 meetings


• Water District directors managed 95% attendance, Director Joe Judge missing 5 meetings


• Morgan Hill council managed a 95% attendance record with 36 opportunities to meet, Councilman Mark Grzan missed 5 times


• Gilroy city council has an overall attendance record of 95%, Dion Bracco and Cat Tucker missed two meetings each


• Gilroy school trustees also has an overall 95% attendance record, Trustees Jaime Rosso and Javier Aguirre missed two meetings each


• Morgan Hill school trustees managed only 88% with trustees Bart Fisher, Shelle Thomas and newly elected board president Don Moody each missing 4 of 22 meetings

San Jose PD is in the news again today, if it’s true that any press is good press then Chief Rob Davis is a happy guy. Watch Dog bets Davis isn’t buying, after all it was press letting us know SJPD officers do let friends drive drunk.

First, the ugly, Officer Julio Morales was arrested on charges of sexual battery and false imprisonment after touching a woman and driving her around. The former SWAT team member is on leave and SJPD wants hear from you, call (408) 277-4102 with information.

On to the good news, San Jose gangs killed two fewer this year with gang violence dropping by 16%. Mayor Chuck Reed and his off, and on Gang Prevention Task Force buddy Councilmember Nora Campos are bound to be happy with the news. The cost for this decrease is a little over $5 million, no word as to what might be the cost of ignoring the problem. In Los Angeles, with nearly 200% more murders, cost of gang violence is $2 Billion annually.

Sunnyvale Police are in the spotlight as well. In 2007 Jose Francisco Canas was killed after officers rammed his car and shot him while his wife and children watched. Sunnyvale PD said Canas was involved in a gang murder, his family said he was on the way to work. The family filed a lawsuit earlier this year in Santa Clara courts withdrawing it when Sunnyvale complained it was vague. This week the family refilled in federal courts with Greg Fox, attorney for Sunnyvale, saying "They argue that he was not involved in gang activity — we respectfully disagree."

The Merc Editorial Board weighs in on San Jose’s employee pension board fiasco, Watch Dog readers know it was revealed this week the pension fund suffered a $1 Billion loss this year. Mayor Chuck Reed is reportedly going to ask to replace the council representatives with financial advisors. San Diego (the only other city with councilmembers on their pension board) had it’s pension so badly bungled both the city manager and mayor resigned. And... c’mon back, more Watch Dog news to follow…

The Metro’s Fly gets their year end review posted early, and twice. Among the Watch Dog faves drunk Latino disaster, Little Saigon, Forest Williams musical, disappearing sunshine, and of course, Pete Constant at the painful end of a whip. Watch Dog note to Fly: the News does get worse – there were 82 homeless who died last year – 55 died on the street.

Watch Dog tipsters, let’s be careful out there … Watch Dog loves getting the buzz and doesn’t want to hear you got a texting ticket – as of tomorrow, no texting while driving. Thank you Senator Joe Simitian for getting those other drivers to stop the swerving. The Merc’s Bruce Newman wants to know – do you want to continue driving while under the influence of text?

Don’t look to your city for help during the holidays. The Merc reported last night that Saratoga would be closed until January 4, re-opening Monday January 5. The Saratoga website reports they actually closed December 23rd. Curious, the Dog snooped to discover extended closings include Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, San Jose, and Sunnyvale.

In a bit of year end cheer, not like the dog-beating, kitty-stomping stories reported by Watch Dog San Mateo.
Watch Dog salutes the efforts of a unknown pooch who, earlier this year, attempted to rescue a dog from freeway traffic. Watch Dog learned about the doggie hero from the Merc’s Linda Goldston who closes the year on a high note.

Watch Dog stands corrected...

Last week, Watch Dogs around the Bay Area ran a piece about State Senator Simitian's "There Oughta Be a Law" contest and how Legislators in the North Bay, East Bay, and throughout California have ripped the good Senator off.

Well, Watch Dog stands corrected...

Debra Gravert, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Jared Huffman, who was accused by Watch Dog of stealing the idea from Simitian, responded to Watch Dog to set us straight. Here is her response -- unedited and reprinted with permission....

FYI – Actually, former-Assemblymember Richard Floyd started the “There Oughta Be a Law….or Not” Contest back in the early 90’s when I worked for him and I have brought the idea with me to every boss I’ve worked for since.

Thank you Debra for reading Watch Dog and setting us straight. Watch Dog still has concerns about the spelling of "oughta" however...

This Week Around Watch Dogs...

An eventful week on Bay Area Watch Dogs -- San Mateo, Silicon Valley, East Bay, North Bay.

• Watch Dog unearthed the fact that Legislators around the Bay rip off San Mateo/Santa Clara County State Senator Joe Simitian...and we believe there oughta be a law against ripping him off that bad...
• A school district in Marin debates naming a school after President-elect Barack Obama -- as opposed to using the current name Dr. Martin Luther King Academy. (Un)Surprisingly, there are some folks that aren't that psyched about the possible name change.
• The Tesla Chronicles continue as Tesla gets nothing (so far) from the Big Three bailout. Apparently Tesla's 100 cars that have rolled off the lot don't qualify as "big." Watch Dog Silicon Valley predicts Tesla will not make it to their San Jose plant set to open in 2010...make that 2011...or never...
  
• Not to seem self important, but Watch Dog San Mateo called out Palo Alto Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson for his blog...or lack thereof. You see, Mr. Thorwaldson has a blog, but has only posted 8 times in 2 years. That's why Watch Dog San Mateo asked if this was a real blog or an afterthought for the Editor. Watch Dog predicted that after the public shaming, Thorwaldson would post within in a week...well, it took less than 24 hours for Thorwaldson to post. Watch Dog success...
• The garbage saga continued in San Mateo County, and this time it may be serious. The Civil Grand Jury is taking a look at one of Watch Dog's favorite topics in San Mateo...trash..
• Watch Dog Silicon Valley uncovered the (blogo)sphere of influence between a local blog, San Jose Revealed, and San Jose City Councilmember Nora Campos. The blog recommended a strategy at the beginning of the day that Campos implemented at the end of the day. Watch Dog was there to point it out...

Thanks for visiting your local Watch Dog -- and come back again next week...