Morning News Round-Up -- 5.21.10: "NUMMI A's" no more...

Go Sharks! (Please win... pretty please?)

Well, we guess the Oakland A's won't be going to the former NUMMI plant after all... that's because Tesla and Toyota will move in to build electric cars. Of course, Tesla track record of sticking to its word is someone less-than-desirable, just ask San Jose, but we wish Fremont, Tesla, and Toyota well. (Here is a full run-down of the Tesla Chronicles...)

As a reminder, Watch Dog predicted the NUMMI/A's effort last August...

"...Fremont’s Nummi plant is packing the bags and heading to Texas leaving nearly 5,000 newly unemployed in its wake. Perhaps a Fremont ballpark can actually happen now?...

Maybe now Bud Selig can make a decision?...

The Mercury News Editorial Board continued to look at their ballots... and today they have made the 18th floor a very exciting place to be. They endorsed Don Rocha for San Jose City Council District 9 to replace Vice Mayor Judy Chirco. They say he has "...the potential to continue in the tradition of Chirco..." They also give some ink to Jim Cogan (too close to public safety unions) and Larry Pegram (too close to Jerry Falwell)...

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce put out a reward for clues leading to catching the culprits behind the hit pieces sent against Magdalena Carrasco... ironically, the place to call with your tip is Crime Stoppers -- whose President is the aforementioned Jim Cogan, running for City Council in a different District. Hypothetically, what if someone called with a tip that identified a Cogan supporter as the culprit? Just asking... (Mission City Lantern is on the fake-mailer case too...)

While we're in District 5, ProtectSanJose.com brought us a message from Xavier Campos...

A San Josean will head to the Senate... no, not Tom Campbell (yet)... but County Superior Court Judge Edward Davila has been tapped for the federal bench by the Obama administration...

This will be bad news piled on top of bad news... property assessments are down... way down... boooooooo...

Dear Gilroy Unified Voters... thank you for passing the school bond in 2008... we are over budget... so Christopher High School will have portables instead of a great new facility... will you trust again with your vote and your cash? Love, the Gilroy Unified School District.

Sunnyvale may lose its seat on VTA, and Sunnyvale Councilmember Chris Moylan is pissed about it: "...Based on population, the one city other than San Jose that should have a permanent seat on the board is Sunnyvale..." No word on dweeb.org yet on the issue...

Some folks in Silicon Valley will be voting on June 8th and June 22nd... the 22nd being the date that the Special Election to replace Senator-turned-Lt. Gov Abel Maldonado's seat will be voted on... and if no one gets 50 percent plus, a run-off will happen on August 17th. Expect an influx of Sam Blakeslee and John Laird visits in the coming weeks...

The Lame (Duck) Governor was at Google yesterday... no doubt in an effort to shift attention from Google's bad European news this week...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.8.10: When the Saints...

If you didn't check Watch Dog after you read the Morning News Round-Up on Friday, you missed late-breaking stuff about Mayor Ron Dellums being "in the know" about when Major League Baseball would hear back from the Task Force looking into the Oakland A's Bay Area stadium options... We posted it after we read the East Bay Express, then San Jose Inside did.

This is interesting, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and City Manager Deb Figone are on a different page when it comes to changing the make up of the pension boards in the City of San Jose. It is interesting because Reed and Figone are often on the same page when it comes to such things... Figone wants all the folks on the board to be independent, financial experts appointed by the City Council -- Reed has cut a deal that isn't as strong, but will still get more experts, but fewer Council appointments, on the pension boards. Pension board/ taxpayer watch dogs seem displeased...

Perhaps a winning lotto ticket could help make up some of San Jose's pension losses... a $20 million ticket was sold at 7-11 on Bascom Avenue. Check your numbers: 19, 29, 36, 41, 20...

Dolores Carr in the news... again. This time, the judge that she has instructed her prosecutors to boycott has a key case in front of her right now and isn't letting the case go. Sorry District Attorney Carr...

Also in the news is the SJPD, well, one detective in particular. This will affect Dolores Carr's office too. A detective in the Sexual Assaults Investigations Unit may face charges for allegedly filing false police reports that led to some cases being dismissed, although is seems that no one was falsely charged because the shoddy police work. Of course, after the fact of this coming to light, Police Chief Rob Davis is looking into auditing detectives more closely... sound familiar?

Speaking of internal government controversies, here's another one: Silicon Valley Power, the utility that provides electricity to Santa Clara, was forced by Cal-OSHA to shut down one of the City's three power plants. The story also highlights some other internal issues going on at Silicon Valley Power... No word yet if Mission City Lantern can trace this closure back to the anti-49ers crowd, but we'll wait and see.

In an unrelated story, 5 folks died at a Connecticut power plant after a big explosion.

When we think about the 49ers stadium plans in Santa Clara, we've generally only been talking about Santa Clara. But the Sunnyvale City Council wanted some 49er love as well -- and Lisa Lang of the 49ers gave them some. Perhaps San Jose is interested in the economic/ traffic impact of the 49er's stadium?

Scott Herhold at the Merc is doing some reporting this week, apparently. He fills us in on a story developing in the County Building where Assessor Larry Stone is actively trying to stop former Sunnyvale Councilmember John Howe's appointment to an Assessment Appeals Board at the County. Supervisor George Shirakawa has nominated John Howe and Larry Stone thinks that Howe is not only unqualified, but wrote a nasty letter to tell everyone about it. Herhold got wind of the story and wrote about is as a reporter, not a columnist, this weekend...

Herhold also wrote a column this weekend, continuing a push for openness from the San Jose Police Department, specifically about 911 tapes. Herhold notes that the entire Toyota accelerator recall stems, in large part, from a released 911 tape. Oh, and the Police Chief Rob Davis was out of town when Herhold called for a quote. Perhaps he is looking for a place to retire too, because Herhold also noted that Davis "...is widely believed to be a short-timer..."

Internal Affairs in the Merc let Sheriff Laurie Smith know why she should be careful whom she writes letters of recommendation for... her opponent in her re-election bid is using a Smith-written recommendation as a campaign promotional piece. Oops.

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.5.10: No hospitals, no eminent domain, no affordable housing...

You may remember Greg Zlotnick, he was on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board but was then gifted/given a high-paying job with the District in 2007 by then CEO-Stan Williams without the Board's approval. Well, Zlotnick has been fired... job-eliminated, actually, by the new CEO.

The County's Public Safety and Justice Committee voted not to arm Juvenile Probation Officers this week. Bringing up the obvious question, the County has a Safety and Justice Committee? Even the Merc had to throw in a little jab at the Committee: "...At a high-intensity gathering of the normally sparsely attended public safety and justice committee..."

Most people clamour to have a hospital in their town -- think about downtown San Jose... but Campbell is saying no to a certain type of "boutique hospital" that would only serve rich people. The vote was 4 to 1 against changing zoning rules that would have allowed the hospital to move forward.

A long time ago, there was a big deal about the Saratoga Cemetary Board and their plans for some eminent domain findings. That really raised the profile of the group just above "anonymous" to "almost anonymous" in the public's eye. But they are back in the news again arguing about what the minutes of their meetings say, who drafts them, and if they are biased in any way. There are some nasty accusations made relative to this story, which makes it all the more interesting. Enjoy.

Cupertino voted against a plan to build 18-20 new affordable housing units in their City. The plan was actually brought forward by the Rotary Club of Cupertino. We guess the Rotary Club of Cupertino doesn't have the same pull as the Rotary Club of Cupertino...

The Sunnyvale City Council figured out its priorities for the coming year... and marijuana is on the list. Thank goodness, we could use some. It is Friday after all... wait dude, they are actually going to crack down on it. Damn...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.21.10: Nazis, Tornadoes, and Parcel Taxes, OH MY!

It is no secret that Reverend Jethroe Moore II, the head of the Silicon Valley branch of the NAACP, has been vocal about his displeasure with the San Jose Police Officers' Association overall. It came to the forefront recently when Moore pulled the NAACP's support for the Freedom Train ride on Martin Luther King Day because the POA were sponsors. Well, it turns out Moore's colorful quotes about the POA may have been a little too colorful during a KCBS interview. He likened the POA's support of the Freedom Train to Nazis supporting Jewish causes. San Jose Inside nails the story. Watch Dog predicts that the NAACP Board may be trying to get Rick Callendar back soon... but for the sake of colorful future quotes, we hope Moore stays put.

It was (another) $20 million week for Meg Whitman... Can you just imagine the campaign

strategists sitting around plotting how to approach Ms. Whitman about plopping more money into the campaign? It must be sort of like siblings strategizing how to ask their parents for more money:

Campaign Staff/Kid 1: "Um Meg... can we get another $20 million?"

Whitman/Parent: "What did you do with the last $20 million I gave you?"

Campaign Staff/Kid 2: "Kid 1 spent it all on sports talk radio..."

Whitman/Parent: "Ok, here's $20 million more, but don't spend it all in one place.

Expect Poizner's staff/kids to be asking for a bigger allowance some as well... Meanwhile, in

Almaden Valley, Tom Campbell woke up today very pleased with his decision.

Those days of Councilmembers in San Jose furiously texting away in advance of their vote on important issues may be behind us. The Council is due to consider (and probably approve) some legislation that makes those texts more public -- and therefore less frequent. Rumors that both the South Bay Labor Council and the Chamber of Commerce leaders will be learning (and teaching the Council) sign language are apparently not true.

Santa Clara County's Superior Court Judge Lucy Koh is being nominated

for a Federal Judgeship in California's Northern District Court by President Obama. Senator Barbara Boxer recommended Ko. If confirmed, Ko will be the first Korean-American Federal Court judge in the country. Of course, the Senate just got a little less blue-state friendly...

Sunnyvale Town Center, the major project that is stalled "indefinitely" is still the center-piece of Sunnyvale's 5 year development plans... perhaps 5 years the economic double whammy (downtown Sunnyvale overall and the Recession) might be over... might...

While we are in Sunnyvale... (recently) former Mayor Tony Spitaleri spoke at a public protest of the sale of the preschool at the Congregational Community Church and it may have jeopardized the sale of the building, which kind of sucks. And that's why the Church is raising ethical questions about Spitaleri's actions. Intrigue in Sunnyvale...

And one more nugget from Sunnyvale... the City will be considering (again, again) publicly funding City Council campaigns. Just what the general fund of Sunnyvale needs, another line item...

We know the weather has been wacky the past few days -- hail,

thunder, lightening, wind -- but did you know that Dorothy Gale almost visited South County at around 2:30 p.m. yesterday?

While we are in South County... Politicon Valley gets in on the "make fun of misspellings" game as they watch Peter Arellano's "campaing" website go live...

In education news, the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District may ask voters for a parcel tax at some point soon. We often mention parcel taxes that School Districts are putting forward, but this would be the first Community College District is in the State to go for one. Which will certainly piss off the School Districts located in the Community College District. Why? Because voters generally won't support too many property taxes on the same ballot. Our guess is that there are a dozen or more School Districts in the same geography as Foothill-DeAnza, and some (or all) are thinking about going for a parcel tax or renewing one already in place...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.7.10: Good morning Ms. Carr...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To the blogs...

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

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

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

Morning News Round-Up – 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 -- 12.18.09: The Carlyle Group Amusement Park?

We figured this was coming: the craziness, self-importance, and patronizing nature of San Francisco politics has entered the A's to San Jose fray. Earlier in the week, we learned that a group had formed in San Jose to opposed Major League Baseball downtown. It was widely suggested that the group was a front for the San Francisco Giants, and that has been confirmed. Now, the City Attorney in San Francisco has sent a letter to the Commissioner of MLB and threatened a lawsuit if MLB doesn't treat the San Francisco Giants like the spoiled brats they want to be treated as. "I've seen better reasoned temper tantrums than this. This saber-rattling reflects the delusional belief of San Francisco's moneyed interests and their attorney's that San Jose should play the role of a subservient minor-league suburb." Amen Councilmember Liccardo.

Meanwhile, up the street in Santa Clara...

The most anti-49er folks -- the ones that own Great America (Cedar Fair) -- sold to a private equity firm yesterday. Obviously, this adds a layer of complexity to their fight against the 49ers and the City of Santa Clara. Mayor Mahan doesn't know how this affects the 49ers' deal and the new owners of Great America, Apollo Global, weren't talking, uttering the phrase that makes PR folks cringe all over the world, "No comment... at this point, that's all I'm saying." Don't worry Santa Clara,

Apollo Global is a joint venture with The Carlyle Group and they are universally loved... except by these folks, and these folks, and these folks...

The Merc Editorial Board chimes in to say that whether next year's ballot measure is put on their by the City of Santa Clara or by the 49ers, as long as it is written honestly, voters will have their day at the ballot box...

"Don't take your guns to town, Bill, leave your guns at home..." Apparently Tony Fontano hadn't

heard those famous lyrics, but instead of taking his guns to town, he took them near a school down the block from his house, which is illegal in California. Mr. Fontano's brothers brought the "Open Carry Movement" to their extremely smart brother's attention and he wanted to showcase his beautiful .357 Magnum. Some interesting parts of the story: it seems Fontano asked a few police officers if it was ok to carry an unloaded weapon around on full-view (it is) and this quote where Fontano is describing the entire dust-up: "It's a nice looking gun to put in your showcase... So, this here thing has blown me away." Ironic to use the phrase "blown me away" when the police just nabbed you on school property with their guns drawn...

Amazing that Sarah Palin and the Open Carry Movement in San Jose news on two successive days... it cannot be a coincidence.

This is some well-planned Christmas news: the f_ _ _ing interchange at 280/17/880 will get an overhaul starting in 2011. This will make millions of commuters (and shoppers) very happy in 2013.

We love this headline in the Merc/BANG papers: San Mateo, Santa Clara counties hosting sobriety checkpoints. The term "hosting" makes is seem like a party where they will be serving cheese, crackers, and perhaps some delicious pate.

There was a candlelight vigil held in Gilroy for Sarah Botill who died on December 5th after a night of alcohol. This will rock Gilroy and Gilroy High for some time.

DRAMA in an unlikely place, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Board. There is apparently a great divide among Board members and the "election" of new officers sparked some serious controversy. The Saratoga News gives you a run-down if you are that interested in the details... We have to wonder if this is a Los Gatos versus Saratoga thing. Wouldn't that be great?

Giving a nod to paranoids everywhere, Sunnyvale will begin to monitor "emissions" from cell phone towers.

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.25.09: A Very Broccoli Thanksgiving...

Hitting the pages today news that State Senator Abel Maldonado has his fingers crossed for confirmation as Lt. Governor. The Merc’s Editorial Board chimes in their support for Maldonado calling it “progress for Californians.” And progress for broccoli too...

Now, the real question, which Watch Dog has been talking about even if no one else is: Is Pat Dando taking this extra long weekend to make a decisions about her future political career?

San Jose hasn’t been the “safest” big city since 2006 and now trails New York as 4th safest in the land. Mayor Chuck Reed remains committed to regaining the title as Assistant Police Chief Dan Katz reminds San Joseans “we’re the safest big city in California.”

And if San Jose is ever going to move up that silly list again, it may be with a new Police Chief. At least that's what some folks would like to see. With San Jose’s City Hall as a backdrop, “based on the questions… (we) ask that (Dolores Carr) convene an open grand jury…” asked Asian Law Alliance’s Richard Konda’s at a press conference with more than 15 other community groups. Police Chief Rob Davis asked Sgt. Ronnie Lopez to send an email saying his door was open and he was disappointed. Because nothing says "open door" like an email sent through a spokesperson through the media...

Convinced that continuing the conversation about police use of force is the best PR strategy... San Jose Police Officers Association Vice President George Beattie was “bothered” after re-reading the Merc’s use of force story. Beattie takes issue with the implication that force is common practice and that “minor infractions” are always safe.

Santa Clara Vice Mayor Jamie Matthews is keeping his inner-Yahoo under wraps (for now) to be “sensitive” to neighbor Sunnyvale. If Yahoo’s plans work out they’ll ditch Sunnyvale to be near the Silicon Valley 49ers – in Santa Clara.

Mountain View Police credit extra feet on the street from the Gang Suppression Team and a “zero tolerance” attitude towards underage drinking for a decrease in gang violence. That probably all helped... but also the fact that they are in Mountain View probably has something to do with it...

The Mountain View-Whisman School District yanked a discussion on special education teacher cuts before the meeting, at the request of the teachers union. Parents were pissed about a lack of “transparency” as cuts turned into part-time positions.

San Jose Insides Joseph DiSalvo sends his appreciation to teachers in schools as well as those in his life. Before heading off to enjoy his holiday repast DiSalvo closes by poking Inside readers “the division and the rancor of the discourse bordering on the personal on SJI is very distressing to me…” Perhaps he should have read the blog he posts on before agreeing to posting weekly. You think the personal stuff is bad now, DiSalvo should have read Inside during the 2006 Mayoral race...

Heading into the long weekend a little good news…

• Christmas in the Park opens for the 30th time in San Jose on Friday...
• Sunnyvale’s eSilicon is ditching a redux of their 2008 luxe dinner at Santana Row for a pizza bash in their office and a $5,000 donation to Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety...
• If you want to join eSilicon in the giving spirit this year the Merc has a few ideas...

And we end this short work week with this great tid-bit... As we were searching for the above picture of Pat Dando, and interesting "Sponsored Link" came up. It seems someone in the San Jose Revealed world is still paying the bill to AdWords... Go ahead, do a search for Pat Dando in Google and see what pops up.

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.23.09: San Jose = Agrestic?

It seems someone at the Chronicle is finally paying attention to what happens south of SFO. Last week it was this story, this week it is Matier & Ross getting into the action talking about how a 2-team option is included in the 49er's Environmental Impact Report that was passed unanimously by the Santa Clara Planning Commission. (Thank you very friendly Mr./Ms. Anonymous...)

San Jose usually loves being unique, but this is not be one of those times. Sunday’s headline on the Merc “S.J. Strategy in mental disturbances questioned.” Those pesky paper-sellers chatted up police in New York and Memphis to learn how officers with mental health training are sent when mental illness is a factor in dispatch calls. San Jose Police Sgt. Teresa Jeglum says SJPD doesn’t “have the staffing for an automatic trigger.” Probably not the best choice of words Sgt. Jeglum when responding to a story about a Police shooting...

Keeping up with San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis, the Merc’s Scott Herhold suggests there’s a growing rift between Mayor Reed and Davis due to “pratfalls” (the shooting of Daniel Pham), “personnel” and “politics.” Herhold pokes at Davis for keeping even his SJPD start date a state secret. With a little sleuthing, Herhold learns Davis can officially ditch San Jose with a pension over $200,000 October 24, 2010. For those of you who like to keep count, October 24th is 11 months from tomorrow... and from what our folks on the 18th floor tell us, that is going to be a loooooong 11 months for the Chief.

Let the mud fly. Silicon Valley’s GOP gubernatorial wannabe’s are getting their YouTube experience early as they slap each other around in an early war of the words. According to the Merc’s Internal Affairs a recent Merc story drew claws from the teams of Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman. At least these two will be prepared for the childish games in Sacramento should either of them beat Jerry Brown...

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed hopes to freeze Redevelopment Agency spending, slicing Redevelopment chief Harry Mavrogenes budget of $132 million. Reed also supports alternatives to dishing the $58 million owed to the County, like handing over the keys to the former City Hall, saying “their obligations are subordinate…” County Executive Jeff Smith is unlikely to go along “the fact they are overleveraged… is a problem we didn’t create.”

While Gilroy tries to shut down their defiant pot shop, San Jose gears up to write the rules to set out the “Open 4(20) Business” sign. Despite Mayor Chuck Reed’s reminder, pot shops are not (yet) legal in San Jose -- even if San Jose sometimes looks like Agrestic.

The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez visited an East San Jose neighborhood in search of answers. Why were trick-or-treating children attacked by Sureno gang members who were barely old enough to drive?

Judge Edward Lee loves his new “Soviet-bloc-style” courthouse in Morgan Hill, in spite of the smell of sewage, a flooded parking lot, a messed up sound system, an unusable jury room, and a door that won’t close. Lee admits there are “minor quirks” staff “has put up with” but is confident the County can fix problems not covered under warranty. This is the story that keeps on giving...

The week kicks off with the obligatory Carr/Rosen moment-by-moment campaign reporting. This week's update: the two work on different floors in the County building... Thank you Internal Affairs for that critical bit of information. Internal Affairs could also barely contain themselves after learning Palo Alto marketing firm Global Fluency wasn’t as fluent on the local media. It seems the Merc received a pitch to cover the (apparently) unknown berg of San Jose. Mayor Reed’s spokesperson Michelle McGurk sniffed “a pitch like this to the local paper is not something I consider a priority.” Unless it is part of her own job...

Local government buffs will want to know…

• San Jose’s Envision 2040 Task Force meets to work out San Jose’s master plan.
• The Mountain View – Los Altos High School District talks employee contracts.
• Santa Clara Unified School District considers class-size reduction and converting the old Agnews Hospital to school grounds.
• Sunnyvale’s City Council talks parkland.

This is funny...

A Watch Dog friend who reads pbump.net religiously sent us this update from Phillip Bump (via Twitter):

In a cab, headed to JFK, for a flight to San Jose. Probably for secret plots to undermine the old guard! Who knows!

Expect well-written, funny, and effective political steps to be taken soon from Canoas Garden... watch out Mayor Reed...

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.17.09: Tom Campbell for Governor (of Almaden)

Former Silicon Valley Congressman Tom Campbell tops a San Jose State University poll of Silicon Valley Republicans. That's good news for Campbell, but bad news for Whitman and Poizner. (It is good news for Almaden Valley too... imagine a Governor from Almaden?)

Team San Jose’s Dan Fenton is confident an expansion and face-lift at San Jose’s 20 year old Convention Center will help conventioneers find their way to San Jose, again. Matt DiNapoli and cousin Michael Mulcahey agree and don’t think the scaled down version is a problem. University of Texas public administration professor Heywood Sanders snorts when he hears Fenton argue San Jose has something special, saying San Francisco says “effectively the same thing.”

Who says your vote doesn’t count? The Orchard School District saw Trustee incumbent Ken Riley edged out by Bambi Ann Fleming by 2 votes. With less than 15% of registered voters showing up, the squeaker brought to mind other recent close races. Remember Gilroy’s School Board race last year decided by 6 votes and San Jose Councilmember Ash Kalra forced into a runoff with a candidate who beat out the 3rd place finisher by 12 votes.

The teens who killed Michael Russell have been outed, their MySpace pages scoured and friends chatted up by the press. In the week since Russell’s death the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office has decided to try the 15 and 16 year olds as adults.

(Former) Sunnyvale resident/Scout Leader/Mormon youth leader William Knox was called out as molester by his 3 step-sons. The Mormon Church is identified in lawsuits for ignoring the boy's pleas for help. If only there was another established church that had experience dealing with stuff like this...

It’s the high life in Gilroy as MediLeaf keeps the doors open. Councilmember/attorney Perry Woodward worries a legal battle over legitimacy could cost the City as much as $600,000. Mayor Al Pinheiro is pissed saying it’s about obeying a Council vote. Supervisorial wannabe/MediLeaf-friend Peter Arellano and colleagues Perry Woodward and Craig Gartman made history by boycotting a closed session discussion discussing possible litigation. Is everyone stoned in Gilroy?

Gilroy’s City Council is ready to renegotiate with firefighters. Councilmember Cat Tucker argues the union request for 4 firefighters to an engine is unreasonable, “we’re a small town. We can’t afford to have 4 (firefighters) on an engine.” Meanwhile, folks near the Sunrise fire station better ready their own hoses, Sunrise is open 3 days until the end of the year.

The blinding light on Palo Alto’s California Avenue will start to diminish this year. Following the unexpected removal of 63 trees, and the ensuing meetings with pissed off residents, a mix of 6 tree species was unanimously approved by the City Council. The California Avenue Area Development Association had hoped for selection of a single species for aesthetic purposes. Isn't it often about aesthetics in Palo Alto?

If you’re a South Bay cyclist, life is pretty good. San Jose’s City Council is prepared to double the number of bike lanes. The Valley Transportation Authority is ready to have loaner bikes waiting at the train. Thousands of bike lockers are on the way and multiple bike bridges, underpasses, and trail extensions opened this year. Bike commuter/ San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo says “obviously, we’re no Copenhagen…. but, that’s extraordinary progress…”

“...all children, irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity or religion...” should have access to success, according to San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo, hopeful his readers agree. That's really going out on a limb Trustee DiSalvo...

San Jose Police Officer Association President/Protect San Jose’s Bobby Lopez wants everyone to listen to the recently released 911 tapes from the shooting of Daniel Pham. Lopez argues the Merc didn’t do much fact checking before posting their story.

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 -- 11.4.09: Champagne Hangover Edition...

So many campaign parties, so little time... And the winners (and losers) are:

• Barely 42 votes separated Palo Alto Mayor Larry Klein from newcomer/(former) Palo Alto School Board Trustee Gail Price. Klein should be wondering what happened. Klein and Price are joined by Karen Holman, Nancy Shepherd and Gregory Scharff on the (nearly) all new Palo Alto City Council.
• Sunnyvale’s Mayor Tony Spitialeri held on to his seat as did Chris Moylan, they’ll be joined by newcomer Jim Griffith who coasted to victory over Penny Kelly.
• Cupertino bounced incumbent City Councilmember Marty Miller to elect newcomer/(former) Cupertino Union School District Trustee Barry Chang along with incumbents Orrin Mahoney and Mark Santoro.
• Cupertino School District Trustees Gary McCue, Ben Liao, and Anjali Kausar are retaining their seats. With little opposition, these Trustees coasted to easy victory.
• Los Altos School District Trustee Mark Goines and newcomers Tammy Logan and Doug Smith will be dealing with the only-in-Los Altos-type school challenges.
• Orchard School District Trustees Alan Fong and Bambi Fleming will be retaining their seats. Although in Bambi’s case, she was pummeled by newcomer Mark Newton and barely beat out fellow incumbent Ken Riley. This race might not be over.
• It was grim news for new tax requests in Santa Clara County: Palo Alto’s hoped-for business tax went down in flames along with parcel tax requests from Santa Clara Unified School District and Fremont Union High School. Cupertinites happily voted not to increase taxes but push utility taxes into the kitty.

And while the election is the story of the day, the story of the month/year is San Jose's growing issue with the Police...

San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed (now) says he’s “...going to be on the side of full disclosure…” for release of 911 tapes and must now “...convince at least 2 members…” of the Rules Committee to join him today. In spite of repeated requests from Daniel Pham’s father for release of the 911 tapes, Police Chief Rob Davis worries about violating the family’s privacy... (Or perhaps he is erecting the Blue Wall...)

The Merc’s Scott Herhold challenges Chief Davis not to manipulate Pham’s family into providing the answer the Chief is hoping for and urges readers to join him at City Hall today…

Perhaps Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio has a way to ease the brewing tension... PO thinks a little weed might be just the ticket. Oliverio hopes to pick up where Santa Cruz leaves off and bring two new (medical) marijuana clubs to the City’s empty industrial sites.

Following the closure of San Jose’s downtown hospital in 2004, a flurry of activity took place (not) to get the nation's 10th largest city a replacement. San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo inherited the controversy and now reports a new site may be identified “...within weeks...”

Three teenagers were busted by San Jose Police following the gang-related Halloween stabbing of 12 and 13 year olds. Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said “...it was a tireless effort by [police] … following leads.”

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 -- 10.8.09: A Governor from San Jose?

District Attorney Dolores Carr received (mostly) good news when Judge Andrea Brown said defense attorneys in the child molestation videotape scandal couldn’t prove conspiracy. Defense attorney Al Lopez is keeping his fingers crossed the Judge will overturn his client’s conviction. Perhaps next week there will be a day without Dolores Carr in the news... there is still that pesky ethics issue and the "make the Grand Jury public" issue from yesterday...

Turns out gubernatorial wannabe Meg Whitman was registered to vote earlier than the Sacramento Bee (and others reported). After hours snooping through old paper records and microfiche Registrar of Voters offices in Ohio, San Mateo, and Santa Clara County dug up dusty registration records. More interesting now is, during the tough economic climate when County officials are slashing budgets, who pays for the tedious snooping to help the gubernatorial candidate? The Merc’s Scott Herhold weighs in on the drama musing – is this really the most important question in the Governors race? Probably not, but it is fun...

Speaking of the Governor's race... there is a new poll out. Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman score big -- no surprises there. But the big surprise is that Tom Campbell seems tied at the top with Whitman on the Republican side with Steve Poizner falling bad. Perhaps the next Governor will be from San Jose?

Santa Clara County has been ordered to pay $500,000 to a watchdog group for “stiffing the public on records requests.” Acting County Counsel Miguel Marquez expressed doubt that the half-million dollar settlement would hurt during these tough times “I don’t think $500,000 in and of itself is going to impact programs.” Really?

Mountain View’s City Council tinkers “around the edges” on finding places for new housing according to consultant Simon Alejandrino. Tops on the list, ditch those old “soft story” apartment buildings to find another 2,000 homes. Councilmember Ronit Bryant hopes for more mixed use while colleague Laura Macias is looking for affordability.

The Merc’s Editorial Board weighs in on local elections:

According to the Ed Board -- Sunnyvale residents should say yes to Mayor Tony Spitaleri, Councilmember Chris Moylan, and newcomer Jim Griffith.

and...

The Merc recommends a yes vote on parcel taxes for Fremont Union High School’s Measure G and Santa Clara Unified’s Measure C.

Looking at next year’s elections – Los Gatos Union School District ponders a bond measure to raise (around) $24 million for a new Lexington School along with other school projects.

The Mountain View–Whisman School District is heading for big changes. Trustee Ellen Wheeler says sticking to home schools might not be best for students “we know that low-income Hispanic and low-income African-American students” do better when they go to a “different school.”

Morgan Hill Police haven’t found the shooter for last week's gang related killing of Juan Arellano and Morgan Hill is rocking from the violence. Police are holding a community meeting to talk turkey on gang violence.

Not wanting to be left out of the gang action... Gilroy Police are dealing with (suspected) gang violence that landed a hearing and speech impaired man in the hospital.

Pissed off Gilroy developers asked the City Council to talk dancing. They are complaining that a police officer is a real party pooper and won’t let club customers dance the night away. Developer Gary Walton called dancing one of the “oldest forms of human expression.” The straw breaking this camel’s back was the (non) dance at Gilroy’s Gaslight Theatre where police busted vandals and broke up fights. Sounds like Club Wet...

San Jose Insider Jessica Fromm chats with candidates in next years County Supervisor race to succeed Don Gage pointing to Rosemary Kamei and Teresa Alvarado as the candidates to watch. Perhaps these candidates should start talking gang intervention in Gilroy and Morgan Hill...

Protect San Jose’s numbers geek, Ed Rast, launches a multi-part series hoping to get you to give San Jose’s City Hall an earful about budget priorities.

Morning News Round-Up -- 10.2.09: Get your Malibu elsewhere...

The tables are turned for San Jose's U.S. District Judge James Ware. A little, tiny bank is suing him over boat payments he (alleged) didn't make -- which is an interesting story. But the more interesting story is about Judge Ware's more controversial history... we recommend you read this story to the end.

Barely a day goes by without a City of Palo Alto/ union story. Today's version is about 7 mid-level police managers that want to form their own bargaining unit. 7? Really?

One of the Silicon Valley's hotbeds of NIMBYism, Saratoga, is in the midst of what could be a prolonged, and loud, battle about the development of Saratoga Village Center. Have fun with that Saratoga Planning Commissioners and City Councilmembers.

Watch Dog San Mateo has reintroduced its Recession Repercussion theme... well, Watch Dog Silicon Valley can add this to the growing list: Sunnyvale Chevrolet is shutting down. It looks like you'll have to buy your Malibu elsewhere...

A Sunnyvale custodian at local schools pleaded no contest to child porn charges. He must be getting excellent legal advice?

Morgan Hill Unified is interviewing 6 folks for the open Superintendent gig. We would guess that the guy in the previous story is not one of the 6...

And while we are in South County... The City of Gilroy's budget is 'balanced', but City unions are displeased...

Still in South County... here's a headline the folks down there probably don't like seeing (courtesy of the Dispatch): Woman Shoots At Another Woman From Car in Gilroy... Those outlets really piss people off, apparently.

Contrast that, to this: Earlier in the week, Milpitas had its first homicide in two years... Gilroy is jealous.

In other "crime in safe cities" news, a guy was arrested on Wednesday in Mountain View for an (alleged) hate crime...
Have a good weekend loyal Watch Doggers, and remember: (Fight) Club Wet is closed... so you'll have to find somewhere else to brawl this weekend...

Morning News Round-Up -- 9.25.09: Who's in for Club Wet this weekend?

The Merc’s Editorial Board sends props to San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis for firing officers involved in a drunk driving coverup and their own Sean Webby for watch-dogging the news of imminent firings. This won't be received well (we guess) from the good folks at Protect San Jose.

As (self-imposed) furlough days go…. Palo Alto workers were all in purple as they marched outside City Hall to protest contract cuts. The Merc’s (union member) Patty Fisher is sympathetic though she shares the words of Pamela Polos wondering about the wisdom of striking these days "Instead of demonstrating for their own benefits, I wish they were out there marching for national health care reform." You and the Palo Alto City Council Patty...

Sunnyvale recycling workers received an unexpected surprise among the grimy cardboard and soda cans - $100 bills rained from the ceiling. If you think the mystery money is yours, call the Sunnyvale Public Works Department.

"Warehousing kids does not teach them what family is all about," said foster youth advocate/former warehouse resident Hemal Sharifzada. And so, Santa Clara County prepares to close the 132-bed children's “warehouse” and move abused and neglected kids to “wrap around” care facilities.

Former Mountain View Mayor Rosemary Stasek passed away in Afghanistan where she was working with the women of Afghanistan with A Little Help in Kabul. Sad story. We like Rosemary a lot...

More sad economic news comes from the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. Silicon Valley FACES ditched their fundraiser.

Swine flu fears have caused the (official) demise of Stanford’s kissing frenzy, Full Moon. How else are shy first-year students supposed to get any action then?

San Jose MetBlogger Matt Bruensteiner celebrates the demise of the plastic bag and sends San Jose’s City Council kudos.

Mission City Lantern executes a little time traveling fable drawing in the Mission City’s neighbor to the South.

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo looks for an Education Governor and tosses his support behind new Dad/ Gubernatorial wanna be Gavin Newsom. We are certain that this should put Newsom over the top...

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.13.09: Get well, get well soon...

Silicon Valley’s FACES is breathing a deep sigh of relief after the Supervisors voted to ignore the District Attorney’s “aggressive bid” to snag victims support services. The DA pulled out all the stops with elected officials, law enforcement, and retired judges lobbying the Supervisors. As if the DA didn't have enough on her plate... Will she ever get a win?

You want to be a student at San Jose State University? Figure out how to pass those pesky pre-college math and English classes the first time or on your own. Remedial course Professor Stefan Frazier says many didn’t get a quality high school education and need that extra boost. Maybe... but that boost won't be in downtown San Jose.

Timothy Richardson and Robert Hendricks thought they had a brilliant plan, kidnap women and sell them as sex slaves. The Santa Clara Police and FBI charged them with “human trafficking” and busted the icky entrepreneurs. Santa Clara Police Chief Stephen Lodge is on the lookout for other victims.

Looks like those Los Altos retirees will be facing a lawsuit from grumpy NIMBYs unhappy at the thought of more seniors in their midst.

There’s a battle brewing at BMW of Mountain View. Union members are crying foul while it looks like Auto Nation is trying to force the union out.

Pinnacles National Monument as a National Park? Santa Cruz Congressman Sam Farr is pushing for the increased support and visibility…

A quick look at November races around Silicon Valley…

• Palo Alto’s wild west free-for-all has a lucky 13 candidates joining incumbent Larry Klein to duke it out for 5 open seats.
• With 3 open seats on the Cupertino City Council, Cupertino Planning Commissioner Marty Miller hopes to beat out Darcy Paul, Mahesh Nihalani, Daniel Nguyen, and Barry Chang to join incumbents Orrin Mahoney and Mark Santoro. The incumbents hope they’ll be there as well.
• Each of Sunnyvale’s 3 open seats has two candidates. Incumbents Mayor Anthony Spitaleri and Christopher Moylan face opposition while newcomers Jim Griffith and Penny Kelly duke it out.
• Los Altos School District incumbent Mark Goines is joined by John Radford and Doug Smith in his bid for one of 3 open seats. At press time it was unclear if Stephanie Lau-Chen made the filing deadline.
• Other school district boards on the November’s ballot include Cupertino Union, Patterson Unified, Orchard, and Sunnyvale.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold turns his softie side to send a plea for San Jose’s iconic Andy’s Pet Store. Today they are offering professional doggie manicures. Andy’s is facing tough times and Herhold hopes you’ll join the firebreathing, rabbit training owner Lissa Shoun in saving the joint.

The Santa Clara/San Francisco 49ers served 1,000 happy fans piles of pasta and handed much needed checks to City Year Silicon Valley, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, and the Santa Clara Police Athletic League.

Looks like San Jose Revealed’s hiatus could be permanent, or maybe they forgot to pay the rent.

Takin' to the Streets on San Jose Inside’s The Fly.

Protect San Jose keeps reading Watch Dog: Yesterday’s anonymous blogger turns out to be Ed Rast. Police Officer Association President Bobby Lopez fills us in on confusing numbers from City Manager Debra Figone and blogger/Councilmember Pete Constant is still pissed off about (fired) Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard’s San Jose condo.

And on that note, we'd like to wish Pete Constant a speedy recovery from surgery today. (A Watch Dog tipster filled us in...)

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.10.09: A day without Dolores Carr...

A day without Dolores Carr news is like a San Jose day without (politically damaged and ethically challenged) sunshine...

Gilroy Councilmember Craig Gartman’s wrangling with opponents over Gilroy’s Memorial Day Parade financial records has landed him in the sights of District Attorney Dolores Carr.

The District Attorney hoped to take the nearly $2 million contract away from FACES to create a “more efficient” victim support agency. It looks like the Supervisors don’t agree with Carr’s “baffling” argument... this year.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold says that even though the District Attorney’s “series of blunders” has “wounded” her, it’s doubtful a serious opponent will challenge her re-election. That doesn't stop Herhold from dishing about who might be on the anti-Carr list: Deputy DA/former Mayoral candidate David Pandori, Deputy DA/former La Raza President Chris Arriola, San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo, and Deputy DA Jeff Rosen.

To other news...

It looks like there may be 10 contestants for Palo Alto’s 5 City Council seats. Sole incumbent Larry Klein no doubt hopes he’ll be heard through the fray. Further south, Mark Santoro, elected to replace Patrick Kwok in 2008, isn’t waiting until his term is up in 2009 and has tossed his hat in the ring for one of Cupertino’s open seats.

Ted Scarlett lost in his bid to replace Forest Williams as a San Jose Councilmember, then he fouled up on campaign disclosures. More than a year later he faces fines for poor reporting…

Santa Clara County’s juvenile “boot camp” is now a homey ranch that Barry Krisberg, President of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, hopes will no longer be a “conveyor belt to prison.”

The Merc’s Internal Affairs had some fun last week rounding up these juicy bits…

• Someone at San Jose City Hall reads Watch Dog… Deputy Finance Director Walter Rossmann announced fired Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard’s underwater condo is up for rent.
• San Jose City Council’s do-over vote for a library landed winners and losers, apparently. Managing to straddle the fence Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilmember Rose Herrera with a little success and a little flop.
• District Attorney Dolores Carr reports hubby John’s only problem was security consultant for Vahid Hosseini’s family. Meanwhile, Judge Kenneth Shapero ordered Carr’s office to handover hundreds of page of paperwork to the defense. This story isn't going away... for proof, see the top three stories of today's Round-Up.
• Those fun-filled Jerry Springer Town Hall meetings taking place across the nation as Congressmembers return home won’t be seen in Silicon Valley. Congressmembers Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren are holding telephone Town Halls and Eshoo will be at a high-speed rail meeting.

The Merc Editorial Board has joined the Tooth Fairy in support of fluoridating San Jose’s water. Senator Dianne Feinstein is also the focus of an Editorial Board commentary as they ask her to help Congressmembers Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren turn Mount Um into the Mount Tam of the South.

Happy Hollow Park wasn’t so happy Sunday night when a kid was shot, he’s in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

San Jose Insider Pete Campbell treads into dangerous territory comparing San Jose’s much beloved Cesar Chavez to (Pete Constant's friends) the Minutemen of Southern California.

For your governmental readership enjoyment…

• Sunnyvale City Council talks gas shutoff – for appliances, seriously.
• San Jose City Council considers adding sunshine to campaign finance and hears from the (neutered) Independent Police Auditor.
• San Jose’s Elections Commission ponders anonymous complaints, instant runoff voting, and (the above-mentioned) Ted Scarlett’s pesky filing problems.
• Santa Clara’s Parks and Recreation Commission review’s inventory and amenities at Brachler Park.
• The Mountain View-Los Altos School District looks at a school bond next June.
• The Los Gatos Union School District retreats to review goals and strategize.
• Beleagured/tiny Luther Burbank School District considers (again) their response to grand jury reports and ponders the budget.
• Santa Clara County Office of Education Trustees look at adding Federal Stimulus bucks to the budget.
• Alum Rock Union School District looks at after school programs along with speech and language.
• The Campbell Union School District considers studying a general obligation bond and gets an update to the State budget.

Morning News Round-Up – 8.7.09: And you thought you had problems...

Watch Dog breathing a deep sigh of relief... The folks at Customer Service were servicing today.

Now back to the rug for a well deserved belly rub and a nap...

Yep, those modified Caltrain horns were awfully loud, think chainsaw. Caltrain CEO Michael Scanton was joined by Deputy CEO Chuck Harvey in doing the defensive dance explaining why they piss off residents, at least for a while. Board Chair/Supervisor/(future) Gilroy Mayor Don Gage joined the defense.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed hits the big time today with CNBC chatting about Silicon Valley leading the way out of recession...

Parents with Padres Unidos have defined the necessary criteria for their next School District Superintendent: Latino, but, “not just any Latino.” Board President Don Moody said “their hearts are in the right place… I respect their opinions…” offering he plans on thinking about the children’s needs.

Mental Health advocate Robin Salak hopes her threats to Psycho Donuts will get those crazy names off the charts saying darkly “If [owner Jordan Zweigoron] doesn’t do what we want …” Meanwhile, psycho Kipp Berdiansky turned in his straight jacket leaving psycho Jordan Zweigoron holding the bag and the blog.

If you’re angling for that Honorific today is the deadline to get your papers filed for City Council and school district races in November. So far Sunnyvale’s incumbents (and the open seat) heard some chatter but no one wants to run, yet…

Speaking of elections…

Foothill-DeAnza Trustee hopefuls are now online after the League of Women Voters suggested it would be helpful. You have until August 17 to join Joan Barram and Richard Bernhardt on the list…

San Jose brothers Kulbir and Amritpal Dhaliwal are back in the news, busted in San Mateo for lying and drunk driving. Sweet kids…

San Jose Parks Manager Matt Cano hopes the city’s new Greenprint will balance promises with delivery. San Jose wants to hear from you before raising the cost of those golf lessons.

The sparkly new courthouse in Morgan Hill will join the ranks of the furloughed, along with all other courthouses across the State. So, if you have jury duty, you can now join your doctor on the links every 3rd Wednesday…

Morgan Hill’s Redevelopment Agency will be fixing the 101/Tennant interchange, without benefit of Federal Stimulus bucks.

Farmer Andy Mariani says of his stone fruit (no, not stoned fruit) orchard it would all “be houses sooner or later… In the meantime, we’re just trying to survive.” As the pressure to pave over agricultural lands grows. Richard Barberi added “people who live in town love their farmer’s markets… But that’s all gone if farming’s not allow to happen in this valley.”

A big Watch Dog Woof to all the local seniors kicking butt at the Olympics…

Santa Clara County Tax Assessor/Jazzman Larry Stone ditched his sax to pay for grad school but not his love of music. Stone leads the way for tonight’s kick off of the annual At&T San Jose Jazz Festival in downtown San Jose according to the Merc’s Sal Pizarro. San Jose Metblogger Matt Bruensteiner is also all over the weekends musical offerings.

The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez takes us inside the life of East San Jose’s Father Son team of Rudy Contreras Sr & Jr. Senior headed deep into gang territory before turning his life around, Junior just returned from war.

Stanford law professor John Barton was hit while riding his bicycle last month. The University announced the respected teacher died as a result of his injuries. No word on the driver who killed him… Condolences.

San Jose Inside cares the San Jose Mineta International Airport was named 2008 Airport of the Year by the Air Line Pilots Association… And that was before the new terminal started to open.

Mission City Lantern bids a (not so) fond farewell to San Jose Revealed, complete with poem. James also shares the sad news of one very confused porpoise who made his way from the Bay up San Tomas Aquino Creek before dying of injuries suffered in transit.