Morning News Round-Up -- 6.8.09: Watch Dog in the news...again

Well, well, well... Watch Dog actually made it into (another) Scott Herhold article in the Merc. This time because we were observant enough in the San Jose City Council discussion about a pay cut to point out that San Jose City Councilmember calling himself a "recent" immigrant may not have been completely accurate and for linking folks with some public finance information that shows that Chu is probably better off financially than many of his colleagues. Thanks for the hat tip Scott. (Herhold's column is all about the political spin coming out of San Jose City Hall. Aside from Chu's spin, Herhold points to DA Dolores Carr's spin about the highly-guarded 9-1-1 tapes, VTA's spin about a recent Civil Grand Jury report, and San Jose Pension Board member David Bacigalupi's insistence on taking junkets...)

In another late-Friday-afternoon press event, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed released a new budget proposal that protects most "core services" like police officers and police stations, fire fighters and fire stations, and parks and libraries. To do this, the Mayor is banking on increased property tax assessments (wishful thinking?), reserves, employee pay freezes, and presumably spending cuts elsewhere in the City budget. Watch Dog expects that this plan will get wide support on the Council. This plan seems reasonable, but what happens when the State steals even more money from San Jose?

One local government has declared a "fiscal emergency" in an attempt to thwart the State's raids...

The Merc's Internal Affairs recaps Video Gate (the POA/Anti-De-Bug video and its response). (Watch Dog did that already...)

But it seems the POA is freaked out by De-Bug...

Because an interesting outcome of Video Gate is that the POA launched its own blog, complete with a first post from POA Chief Bobby Lopez. But even more interesting that that is that Protect San Jose is a place where the POA are going to "defend themselves" against the 'attacks' they have been facing. Two folks that will be coming to POA's defense are Ed Rast and Kathleen Flynn. Kathleen Flynn? Is this the same 'Kathleen' of prolific blogging fame (check out some of Kathleen's greatest hits)?

In other Internal Affairs news, the political folks at the Merc. delve into the 2-faced-ness (if that's a word) of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's pitch to Santa Clara voters in the 49ers deal, a County car audit that was wrong, and San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio getting booed/heckled off-stage at an Organized Labor rally at City Hall. Councilmember Oliverio, what did you think was going to happen?

The Chronicle's version of Internal Affairs, Matier and Ross (actually, it is the other way around) also has a piece about Newsom and the 49ers. The 49ers had some serious concerns with the stadium deal in San Francisco, specifically the lack of highway access and Newsom's insistence that the stadium be LEED certified, have solar panels to power the stadium, and have showers for folks who bike-commute to the game... Watch Dog would have to agree about fans showering, but actually AT the game?

Also getting in on the Santa Clara/49ers action is the Chronicle's (most angry/spurned lover) sports columnist Ray Ratto... he has some advice for the City of Santa Clara.

And...

Willie Brown chimes in too, suggesting that if Mayor Newsom is really pissed about the 49ers move, he will funnel campaign cash to the Santa Clara-based opponents of the 49ers. Watch Dog thinks that probably won't help his chances of becoming Governor much.

Shifting gears to some crime/police stuff:

• A local swim coach is accused of molesting young girls for 30 years. A steady string of victims seem to be coming forward in this case...
• Palo Alto Police and San Mateo County Sheriffs are beefing up their patrols of Caltrain tracks, which have been the scene of two teen suicides and one attempted suicide in the past month alone.
• No doubt you heard about a 15-year-old girl who was "abducted" from over the weekend... well, she actually ran away.

And controversy is brewing in Los Gatos over spending, libraries, and a petition circulating around town. The Merc's Patty Fisher weighs in, so does Mission City Lantern... Watch Dog thinks this is small town politics at its best/worst...

A busy week around local governments this week as most agencies begin to wind down their work for June for a July break...

• The County Board of Supervisors will look at development recommendations at the County Fairgrounds. Again?
• The Cupertino Union School District will look at the 2009-2010 budget, which should be a lot easier now that they passed a parcel tax...
• The Los Gatos Union School District will hear an update on the State budget... that ought to be fun.
• Ah, and never a slow week in San Jose: The City Council will once again look decreasing their pay. (We'll see how Councilmember Chu votes... and the City Council will also look at approving concessions in some union contracts.
• But the real work in San Jose City Hall will be in the Elections Commission... they'll talk about independent expenditures and changing the limits of campaign contributions.

Finally, a big day for Cisco Systems. Today, San Jose's Cisco Systems will join the Dow Jones industrial average. You go John!

Goodnight Drunk Task Force...

Well, we said it would be six months until San Jose's Public Intoxication Task Force (the Drunk Task Force) set up by Mayor Reed and Councilmember Campos came to some conclusion... We didn't expect this to be the conclusion, however.

Seven members of the Task Force symbolically resigned on the eve of their final meeting. Expressing frustration with the constraints placed on their investigation, seven members joined forces to walk out. The latest blow up in the Drunk Task Force drama got Watch Dog to look back to see how events unfolded…

10.08: The Merc broke the news, San Jose arrests a disproportionate number of Latinos in San Jose.

11.08: San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed joined forces with Councilmember Nora Campos to form the Public Intoxication Task Force. Councilmember Sam Liccardo, channeling the President-elect, expressed the opinion that task forces were “…the place where good ideas go to die…”

1.09: San Jose Drunk Task Force member/De-Bug Silicon Valley’s Raj Jayadev said perhaps the Task Force was where good ideas went to die. Jayadev then expressed the hope that it was within the Task Force’s power to make it work…

3.09: The honeymoon for the Reed/Campos Drunk Task Force was officially over. Reed, Chief Rob Davis, and City Manager Debra Figone ignored and replaced the Task Force with the Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity. Task Force member/ACLU leader Skyler Porras called the move an “end run” around the Task Force. Watch Dog predicted a big blow up…

4.09: Following weeks of bickering the Task Force flashed a (figurative) finger to their bosses saying they didn’t like the way they were being treated…

5.09: The San Jose City Council officially tossed their Drunk Task Force baby under a bus approving the Consortium.

And here we are, the Drunk Task Force, the brain child of Mayor Reed and Councilmember Campos is left with only three members: Rod Schisler (Hunters Video Bar), Jorge Wong (Asian Americans for Community Involvement), and Kathy Cordova (Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley).

Farewell, Rev. Jeff Moore (NAACP), Raul Colunga (La Raza Roundtable), Alfredo Morales (La Raza Lawyers Association), Pete Carrillo (Silicon Valley Latino Democratic Club), Raj Jayadev (Silicon Valley DeBug), Walter Wilson (African-American Community Services Agency), and Skyler Porras (ACLU).

Watch Dog hates to say I told you so… but...

Herhold: "...Chuck Reed's Achilles heel — his flawed political instincts..."

The Merc's Scott Herhold chimes in where San Jose Revealed left off. He calls for the new "Independent" Police Auditor to step down.

Herhold references the press release that Mayor Chuck Reed put out about the pick of Chris Constantin's, and the omission of the important fact that Constantin's brother is a sworn San Jose Police Officer. Watch Dog has to wonder if Herhold saw the link the press release on today's Morning News Round-Up...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.3.09: Supervisors staying (sports) relevant...

In case you missed it…Watch Dog posted breaking news yesterday, Planning Commissioner/Shirakawa Staffer Xavier Campos is facing a formidable challenger if he hopes to take his sisters seat on the San Jose Council dais next year…Oh yeah, and if you read Watch Dog regularly, you would have seen the hints dropped a while ago.

Gilroy Dispatch reporter Chris Bone is hot on the trail of a very complex story involving millions of dollars, shady deals, and violence. Local developer Chris Cote has interests in South Africa, a development in Gilroy, owes millions to the bank and workers, was beaten nearly to death last year, and fears the assailant will return. There’s a lawsuit against school trustee Denise Apuzzo, destroyed bloodstained documents, and Superior Court Judge Socrates Manoukian. Bone does his best to lay out the timeline and the story.

Next week, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will act on a proposal requesting MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to clear up the San Jose/Giants pesky territorial rights problem and help the A’s find their way to San Jose. (This is the third story in a month about Supervisors trying to stay relevant in the South Bay sports landscape...49ers/Raiders at the fairgrounds were the first two...)

County Supervisor Don Gage is cheering for an alternate route for California’s High Speed Rail – down the middle of U.S. 101. Union Pacific spokesperson Zoe Richmond chimes in saying, “we get skittish when there’s talk about putting our trains next to trains that are light, fast and carry passengers.”

Local public pools have to dump out the water in their pools in order to install a device to prevent little folks from getting trapped in public pools. Although the law took effect in 2007, folks have chosen a drought year to start dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. Susan Siravo with the Santa Clara Valley Water District calls the dumping “significant.” Dan Anderson, with Campbell’s Scuba Pool Repair, says they can do the work without dumping the water.

Silicon Valley is again seeing a star heading to D.C.. The Obama Administration has tapped Foothill-DeAnza Chancellor Martha Kanter for Undersecretary of Education. The Merc’s Editorial Board cheers the selection and calls community colleges the neglected middle child of American education.

The California Department of Education has called nine area schools exemplary with the “distinguished school” award. Here are the Distinguished Schools, by city:

• San Jose: KIPP Heartwood Academy, Sierramont Middle, Joaquin Miller Middle, Lincoln High, and Union Middle
• Cupertino: Homestead High
• Gilroy: Gilroy High (Watch Dog guesses that reviewers visiting Gilroy High who were treated to a food fight didn't allow that to influence their decision...)
• Los Altos: Egan Junior High
• Saratoga: Saratoga High

Props to the Gilroy High School Chamber Singers – they knocked it out of the park for their Carnegie Hall debut. Check out the video – and the standing ovation. Practice, practice, practice...

The Merc’s Editorial Board lends support to Morgan Hill’s Measure A suggesting the measure will help create a walkable community with the added benefit of allowing young people and empty nesters an ownership opportunity.

While we’re in Morgan Hill…

There’s a battle brewing in Morgan Hill over the Chamber of Commerce’s desire to move the popular Friday Night Music Series. Business owners complain moving the event to a closed location will seriously decrease their foot traffic. Downtown merchant/Chamber member Patty Curtis has started a petition to stop the move. Chamber President Chris Giusiana said the $1,500 cost to hold the event downtown was a challenge while the new cost for using the amphitheatre is unknown.

Also in Morgan Hill…

The City’s Parks and Recreation Committee will host a public workshop on the increasing costs for sports fields. Count on increased heart rates at the meeting, but not because there’s any exercise on tap.

Operation Prom Dress is in full swing. Send your new or gently used prom dresses. Councilmember Madison Nguyen is collecting them at City Hall, with other collection boxes at the Cambrian Branch Library and the Mayfair Community Center.

It’s a frat party unlike any other. Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers from the late ‘50’s are saying farewell to brother Bob Saunders who’s been given 3 months to live. From around the state and country old frat boys and their sorority sisters descended upon San Jose for the last hurrah. Thanks to the Merc’s Joe Rodriguez we have an inside seat.

Urban blight junkie/Metro/San Jose Insider Gary Singh joined marchers along the Cesar E. Chavez walkway last week and shares his discovery of San Jose’s “hidden gems” along the route.

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.10.09: Watch Dog in the News...

Watch Dog Silicon Valley is mentioned/criticized in the Mercury News by columnist Scott Herhold today. The way the Merc. is going however, more people may read this recap of Herhold's piece than the actual paper version...we will have more (much more) to say about this soon. (San Jose Revealed, also criticized, responded this morning...)

And while we are in a self-praise mode, the COWs (Citizens Of Woodside) love Watch Dog too...

An Atherton resident threw her hat in the ring for Governor...in case you missed it yesterday, Watch Dog wrote about it here and here.

San Jose’s airport will see Mayor Chuck Reed racing through tonight as he catches a red-eye to D.C. in order to meet up with Mayors Antonio Villaragosa (LA) and Jerry Sanders (San Diego). The three will lobby Congress for sending some of those stimulus dollars California's way. Reed hates to travel and says, "…this is my nightmare version of it," but "it's an important trip, or else I wouldn't be doing it." Pressing his Green Vision, Reed will ask for money for clean tech and green jobs, perhaps still hoping/praying to get Tesla into San Jose. As a reminder, you should probably check out this piece that ran in the Metro about the Mayor's D.C. plans. Judging from the timing, it looks like Reed is being dragged to D.C. as opposed to pulling others with him...Reed's original plans were to trek to D.C. in late February/early March...

In the final dramatic change to the County’s dependency courts, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s will no longer represent children. That job now belongs to LACY – Legal Advocates for Children and Youth. The Merc. published a series “Broken Families, Broken Courts” which put the juvenile court system under the spotlight. Judge Katherine Lucero said, “We were very, very impressed with LACY, and it was a unanimous decision. We felt that LACY had a very whole-child approach." That quote would suggest that the DA's office did not...

The Saratoga City Council talked for 30 minutes before approving a fence ordinance that their Planning Commission spent 16 months to hammer out during numerous community meetings. While Councilmember Kathleen King expressed frustration at the time involved she said, “…I can see how much time they put into this ordinance.” Councilmember Jill Hunter said she was nervous about approving the ordinance because fences are so contentious in her neighborhood and expressed surprise that only two community members appeared at the Council meeting to discuss the proposal. Perhaps community members were adding in a few last minute inches and feet on their fences...

What does former Los Gatos Councilmember Steve Glickman have against libraries? While on Council he repeatedly attempted to prevent the Council from moving forward according to Mayor Mike Wasserman who says, "I'm really disappointed. We've had so many public meetings — probably a dozen — and we've had surveys done, and in every case support for the library was high." Now Glickman is hoping to put a ballot measure that would limit Los Gatos’ ability to spend money on capital projects. Weird, since he supported this capital project...

Gilroy held the first public meeting on a Sunshine Ordinace and no one showed up, or almost no one. Councilmember Perry Woodward, who won his seat campaigning against secrecy was there along with Mayor Al Pinheiro. Their colleague, Councilmember Peter Arellano, was stuck in New Mexico. City Administrator Tom Haglund said, "We're working through implementing the ordinance consistent with all of its provisions and we'll continue to do that..." No one from the public was in attendance and the meeting ended 15 minutes after it began. Perhaps the sunshine was keeping people from Sunshine...

The entertaining line of the year may go to Morgan Hill Times reporter Natalie Everett who wrote, “Asking the city's Business Assistance and Housing Services Department how successful they are at attracting and retaining businesses in the current economy is like asking a tugboat captain how he fares in the high seas during a storm.” Department Director Garrett Toy laid out what they don’t control – demographics, population, developers, and property owners before saying the department is only a small factor. Toy accounts for their success in bringing (and keeping) business with an aggressive marketing and retention program combined with tweaking things in their control.

Sally Lieber gets good press in the Mountain View Voice with a very friendly story about the former Councilmember/former Assemblymember/former Speaker Pro Tem’s improbable rise to power. Councilmember Mike Kasperzak said, "Sally and I disagree politically on some things, But I would never accuse Sally of taking the safe way out." Hey Mike, Lieber not running for Supervisor seemed like the 'safe way out.'

Google is making good on its goal to push the green agenda. The Google PowerMeter will help residents watch their household energy usage. The goal is to create the “Prius effect” with homeowners striving to push consumption down once they see it in realtime. The software works with the smart meters being rolled out by PG&E. Googler Michael Terrell, an energy program manager has it at his house, he says, "I'm driving my friends crazy. I'm really into the data,” as he yanks incandescent bulbs that prove to be energy hogs.

Trying to buck the trend of the anonymous, chain coffeehouse, and the dreary economy, Frank and Carole Rast reconfigured her parents aging and unused gas station into a hopping Japantown meeting spot, Roy’s Station Coffee & Teas. Roy Murotsone’s family bought the gas station after being released from WWII internment camps in Arizona. The family ran the gas station and attached diner. Opened yesterday, the updated neighborhood roost saw San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo and attorney Daniel Mayfield enjoying coffee while 5 year-old Madeline Gorman celebrated her birthday.

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...