Morning News Round-Up -- 11.20.09: A Stimulating Trip to DC?

The Chronicle ran a story today about the only issue they know (or care) about in the South Bay -- the 49ers stadium. They cover the part of the story that Watch Dog hadn't heard about -- a piece of mail that went to voters in Santa Clara about the stadium deal. Let the campaign begin... if anyone has a copy of this piece of mail -- email it so Watch Dog can post.

Meanwhile, in the (future) land of the 49ers... Santa Clara’s Planning Commission started review of the 49ers stadium proposal this week. The report identifies a “worst case scenario” that includes traffic impacts and noise with a possible 40 large events per year. Let the NIMBY wars begin…

To the dismay of San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis, this story won't go away. San Jose officials will look at the San Jose Police Department's use of force... the newly cleaned up Ho beating/Tasing video is keeping this story very much alive. A lively debate is ensuing on San Jose Inside on this very topic. Spartan Daily Opinion author Kyle Szymanski asks everyone “not to rush to judgment in the case of Ho.” Everyone on the blogosphere has a strong opinion... unsurprisingly.

The Merc’s Editorial Board weighs in calling a review of cases that go start with arresting jaywalkers and end up in violence a good first step. Editors point out that the enhanced video of Phuong Ho’s arrest shows “the student is crying out for his glasses and not, say, cursing the officers.”

This is weird. The Mayor is in DC to lobby for more stimulus dollars... but while he is there, he bad-mouthed stimulus dollars in front of Vice President Biden's staff. He even came through with this weird quote:

"We love the money, we'll take the money; it's allowing us to do projects that are putting people to work and keeping people at work, and those are all good things. But in terms of stimulating the economy, I don't see it."

To clarify: The Mayor loves the money from the Federal government and it is creating jobs and it is keeping people working... but he thinks the impact has been minimal. Oh, and he wants more money...

Note to Mayor Reed: Perhaps creating jobs and keeping people working is the best way to keep the economy from tanking completely... because of this: the unemployment rate in Silicon Valley is 11.9 percent.

Firefighters fought a fire at a South San Jose gas station last night...

The perverted swim coach got a 14 year old girl pregnant... according to court documents. This story gets worse and worse.

Speaking of bad stories... a 13 year old girl was raped by two transient men Wednesday night in Christmas Hill Park in South County.

Mountain View City Councilmember Ronit Bryant was not impressed with “another blank wall” in downtown but still voted to ditch the Pacific Euro Hotel for a new downtown office building as long as it includes “a trellis or potted plants.”

Cupertino’s “pollutive” cement plant has foes presenting a 3 step plan to kick it to the curb. Los Altos resident Bill Almon says local politicians and regulators aren’t doing their jobs and presented the plan to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District board. Cupertino Councilmember Barry Chang agreed saying “the public health and safety is the key.”

San Jose city arborist Ralph Mize says there’s room for at least another 90,000 of natures air scrubbers (trees) on city streets. Residents cheer the good news but are not happy they will foot the bill for maintenance.

On a lighter note...

Christmas in the Park is taking shape in Downtown San Jose and so is the skating rink. Sharpen your skates...

and... Forget Disneyland, a recent poll found Mountain View to be the happiest place in the country. Actually, the 14th congressional district with Anna Eshoo at the helm but that includes Mountain View. Sunnyvale also lays claim to being the happiest place and issued a press release to prove it.

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.13.09: JasonJasonJason Edition...

San Jose’s Councilmembers Sam Liccardo, Rose Herrera, and Ash Kalra have banded together to propose a way of covering Police costs downtown while not causing bars and clubs to leave downtown. (Although, that might make the Police Chief a little happier if the clubs left downtown...) San Jose Downtown Association’s Deputy Director (and powerbroker) Blage Zelalich, said “We advocate a model that will keep downtown safe, but encourage a thriving and eclectic nightlife." The Police Chief didn't respond by saying, "We plan on arresting everyone downtown no matter what..."

The bad news keeps on coming for the Palo Alto Utilities Department. Earlier this week Federal officials from the Department of Transportation raided their headquarters and took out 7 boxes of stuff looking for forged documents? fraudulent hiring practices? who knows...Whatever it was in those boxes, the Feds are certainly looking for items above and beyond an internal investigation that happened last year.

San Jose Revealed asked readers to identify San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Pat Dando’s policy wins and today updates us on the results – according to Revealed it’s not a happy track record. Which mirrors what the Metro wrote weeks ago... Revealed and the Metro, friends at last...

Largely because of the taxes it brings in, every city would seemingly like to have a (bland) upscale Santana Row-like development in their community. But Mountain View won’t be getting their own Santana Row if developer Fred Thoits has anything to say about it. According to Thoits (talking about Mountain View's wishes), "If [Santana Row] is their vision we just can board up the stores and look at vacant property with no revenue and no sales tax." He sounds angry.

The Los Altos School District Board voted against placing a parcel tax on a upcoming ballot. Survey consultant (pollster) Connell Lindh warned the District would need to raise funds and that the spring and winter breaks would cause two weeks of lost campaign time. The proposed $168/parcel was deemed too risky to ask of District voters. The move means the District will be cutting programs and services and will likely be laying off employees. I guess the recession is even hitting Los Altos...

Local businesses stand to benefit from D.C.’s stimulus package with a push towards green technology and internet infrastructure. Cisco’s Director of Technology, Jeff Campbell, said "It was all about physical infrastructure in the past...” Julie Blunden with San Jose’s SunPower added the infusion of funding will help expand manufacturing and accelerate growth.

From the Fed's stimulus deal to the State's budget deal:

Silicon Valley Leadership Group (cycling) CEO Carl Guardino is delighted with the tax breaks offered to the high tech industry in the State deal and said, "This potentially is a huge win..." (If $.12/gallon tax increase is a huge win, we'd hate to see a huge loss...) But the word "potentially" in Guardino's quote may prove important. The deal isn't done yet and Jon Coupal, the anti-tax guru from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said, "I'll believe it when I see it...I would be stunned to see Republican votes sufficient to pass this thing."

Hope you weren’t in need of an emergency room Thursday. Valley Medical Center, one of Santa Clara County’s three trauma centers and the busiest in the Valley, was closed most of Thursday after an unidentified young man arrived bringing with him a noxious odor. Regional and O’Connor (and patients) apparently bore the brunt of the closure. VMC is open today.

Deputy DA Ben Fields gets to keep his job while he tries to clear his name from the charges that he made stuff up while prosecuting cases. Good thing he gets to keep his day job, since the County’s legal top dog, Ann Ravel has “…declined to support [Field's defense attorney Allen Ruby’s] request for additional funds...” Ruby, having already received $50,000, asked for an additional $250,000 in (non-existent) County funds to appeal the charges.

Santa Clara Police Officers approached a man reportedly planning on shooting a cyclist. When he ignored Officers and pointed his gun at them -- the Officers shot him. Names have been withheld for both the Officers and the other guy who is in the hospital in critical condition. SCPD wants you to call the Santa Clara Police Department Investigations Division with information, 408-615-4800.

The Morgan Hill Unified School District is in a state of “near fiscal disaster.” This year, they will avoid mid-year lay-offs. Next year lay-offs are a given. Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini is looking to her higher power for help and says, "We are just praying that the State gives us flexibility…We are trying to survive." There is a 100% chance that prayer will not be answered...

Gilroy is losing a 6 decade business and 26 jobs when Gilroy Pontiac Buick GMC closes its doors. Neighboring auto dealers all said “we’re fine” when asked if they were also getting ready to shutter the doors. What about the $13+ billion GMC received in bailout money? “…didn't trickle down to us. It stayed up there somewhere, but I don't know where it went. They forgot about the little people..." according to Joe Lopez, former Pontiac General Manager.