Morning News Round-Up --- 6.22.09: Something sporting this way comes....

The Gilroy father-son towing team facing 169 charges of fraud, perjury, attempted grand theft and other charges got some good news from the Judge. Santa Clara County Commissioner Gregory Saldivar, who ruled in Vincent Cardinalli’s favor on numerous small claims cases and was their Commissioner of choice, won’t be on the witness stand.

San Jose firefighters are fighting back after a burning grand jury report. Union President Randy Sekany shot back at the grand jury saying the report didn’t consider all the facts.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold offers his column to a “lout” who “was no rapist.” Former DeAnza baseball player Chris Skinner’s dad asked Herhold to hear his son’s side of the story. Although the source of vomit found on the rape survivor, Skinner was passed out on the bed while the rest of the team gang-raped the underage/overly drunk girl.

The thought of a naked Hangar One pissed off the Restoration Advisory Board (and local elected officials) and they weren’t afraid of letting the Navy know. NASA and the Navy continue to point fingers and squabble amongst themselves.

In a dizzying discussion of political wonkiness, the Merc outlines Baseball San Jose’s ballot timeline options. The best news for San Jose, hints the A’s will foot the election bill… (of course, it was the Mayor doing the hinting…)

On tap around the Valley for Government watchers…

• San Jose councilmembers consider coughing up nearly $30,000 to find a new Independent Police Auditor. There is no truth to the rumor the job description says “must be willing to succumb to pressure.” Finding a practice field for the San Jose/Lew Wolff Earthquakes is also up.
• Big time sporting is also on the table for Santa Clara councilmembers as they review a slew of 49’ers related items, including ballot measure timetables…
• Fremont Unified School District Trustees learn more on a one-year teacher agreement and hear the public voice on budget woes.
  
• Budget hearings and decisions are also up for the Campbell Union High School District along with district energy ideas.

Does (soon-to-be-termed-out) Assemblymember Joe “Mr. Insurance” Coto want to trade his San Jose – Sacramento commute for an Eastside-Downtown one? The Merc’s Internal Affairs thinks a showdown with Mayor Chuck Reed is shaping up… The cynical among us (IA included) would say Coto hopes to keep his name in the news while waiting....

The Merc’s Internal Affairs was surprised to learn San Jose Councilmember Pete Constant spends his council meetings updating Facebook, emailing the media and texting. While colleagues quizzed city staff, Constant let the Merc know keeping up with the internet during meetings tired him out but his training as a cop “eating donuts and drinking coffee” while on the job helped. Also in IA’s sights, poking fun at supervisorial wannabe Teresa Alvarado for campaigning during the 10th anniversary celebration of the non-profit Latina Coalition.

Parents in Los Gatos Union School District want to ditch unhealthy school food and are raising the specter of Ketchupgate to make their point.

Cupertino will be the site of a summit on elder abuse this week. Organized by the Santa Clara Department of Aging and Adult Services organizer Margriet DeLange hopes to educate clergy and caregivers on signals and support services.

San Jose Inside has a new insider, Laura Fishman who updates on the (un) exciting Sheriff’s race next year. Two (former) Deputy Sheriff’s Association leaders launched campaigns to take Sheriff Laurie Smith out of office. Promising to put the fun back in dysfunctional, Joe Charvez attacks Jose Salcido while Inside readers attack Fishman, candidates and each other.

Mission City Lantern is on a roll reposting James Rowen’s Mercury News stadium comments (San Jose as a “ghetto town”) and accusing the Merc of stealing James’ “Reed ‘Montgomery Burns’” gag.

San Jose Revealed never made it back to the keyboard, can texting super-hero Pete Constant can save the day…

While waiting for Revealed to return Watch Dog checked out Police Officers Association Bobby Lopez’ promise to end video-gate… For our breathless readers, video-gate remains up on YouTube and ProtectSanJose.

Silicon Valley Geekster Steve “Twinkle Toes” Wozniak played second fiddle to hundreds of sunglass wearing duckies off for a swim at Los Gatos’ Vasona Lake.

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.30.09: What if Lew Wolff shared his microphone with Tom Campbell?

Watch Dog has said it before, but Lew Wolff is a microphone magnet. So much so that his statements from last week about wanting to move to San Jose just keeping getting covered. As a review, Wolff came out with his stongest stance yet on the status of the A's plans:

"...We are really saying that we'd love to stay in Northern California, and go to San Jose..."

Now to a local guy that has trouble finding a microphone to speak into...Tom Campbell. Did you know he is running for Governor? The Chronicle threw Campbell a bone and covered his long-shot effort to become the next Governor. Campbell's pitch? He knows the budget really, really well. In normal times, we'd advice Campbell to get a different political message, but extraordinary times may call for an extraordinarily boring messages...and Campbell's understanding of the State's complex budget is extraordinary (and dry)...

San Jose’s firefighters have offered to give themselves a wage freeze for the next year. City Manager Debra Figone should have been happy to hear about it but was pissed off the firefighters went around her to make the offer directly to the Mayor and City Council. (Former Vice Mayor) Chamber CEO Pat Dando didn’t seem to care who heard the offer and called it a “...bold step in saving the city a great deal of money this year...” (a million bucks that is)

Residents in San Jose’s Gardner neighborhood in Willow Glen say High Speed Rail is ok, just don’t take their homes to make it happen. It wouldn’t be the first time transportation took over the neighborhood. In the early 1900’s the railroads secretly bought land to build the Southern Pacific line.

The Merc’s Charlie McCollum seeks answers to America’s burning question: How does Steve Wozniak manage to keep on dancing (with the stars)? As everyone in Silicon Valley knows: geeks rule. In this case, the computers are humming with Woz love. With a broken foot, torn hamstring, and questionable dancing skills, the Woz still has fans (voteWoz.com). Gary ‘Mr. Roadshow’ Richards continues his love for our dancing Teletubbie as well.

The Merc’s Editorial Board adds their support to Congressman Mike Honda’s efforts to open Mount Umunhum to the public. The challenge is cleaning up the old Air Force Base and radio station...oh, and the $11 million required to do it. If Honda has his way the Midpeninsula Open Space District will have a new jewel. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said there’s an incredible vista and it would be a nice place to hike.

The Santa Clara County Office of Education hosted their annual History Day Competition, appropriately held at San Jose’s History Park. Students created, and defended, projects on everyone from famed United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta to Oprah Winfrey.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs expresses love for San Jose’s HP Pavilion after attending a Streisand concert and reading a study released from Sports Economics which says thousands of jobs have been created and millions pumped into the local economy. The lovefest is to support a theory that local sports officials are hoping to steal the Sacramento Kings. It doesn’t hurt San Jose's MLB ambitions either…Also in IA, their own list of Quick Notes this weekend…

• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to ditch his Tesla...probably because the Governor read the Tesla Chronicles on Watch Dog...
• While the classes for East Side Union High School will be taking more students, and teachers no extra pay, the teachers in Palo Alto are getting a 5% raise...proving that it’s good to be in a town where property taxes keep on giving.
• Jude Barry apparently ditched John Garamendi’s Gubernatorial race because the Lt. Governor can’t raise any money. The rumors are not true that Barry was too busy writing Watch Dog to run Garamendi's race...
  

Santa Clara is reeling from the apparent murder-suicide of 6 people, including 3 children, over the weekend. Very little information has been released about this incident.

A former Marine reservist, distraught about losing his business, threatened to kill himself in his San Jose home. Members of the San Jose Police Department surrounded the house, barricaded the neighborhood, and readied themselves for a patient siege. Turns out the guy snuck away and later called the cops from a payphone to give them permission to enter the home.

San Jose Revealed voices loud support for making San Jose’s Fire Station One a historic landmark. Apparently the best reason for giving it landmark status is to prevent former Mayor Tom McEnery from having his way with it. Others in the community also hope for landmark status and want to restore the structure and convert it to a museum.

On tap around the Valley for your elected officials:

• Palo Alto Unified School District talks about growing elementary schools, changing school boundaries, and the aforementioned staff raises. Get ready for some wild discussions -- school boundaries are a big deal in Palo Alto...
• Santa Clara County’s Committee on School District Organization meets to talk about moving property from Saratoga's Union School District to the Los Gatos Union School District...again, heads up when discussing school boundaries in fancy towns...
• The San Jose City Council Salary Setting Commission considers a freeze on the Mayor and Council salaries...
• Mountain View’s City Council talks about financial goals – like staying afloat in difficult times...perhaps Tom Campbell could give a Power Point Presentation on budgeting...
  

Morning News Rond-Up – 3.13.09: It's another (Pink Slip) Friday the 13th...

San Jose’s Elections Commission had some fun this week. First, dealing with their irritation over an anonymous complaint against former Mayor/lobbyist Tom McEnery. Next, deciding the fine to be levied against the political arm of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, COMPAC, for a violation of the city’s limit on independent campaign contributions. The COMPAC challenge has the added wrinkle that once a fine is decided the city will land in court, according the COMPAC chair/Lawyer/former Planning Commissioner Jay Ross who calls the rules unconstitutional.

And so it begins slowly, the grim economy offers residents a painful choice – convenience being green or saving money. South county wanted to make it easier to be green, right up to the point where it would cost more. Green Waste Recovery, apparently unable to accommodate new customers at a lower rate may lose South county to their less green competitor. Morgan Hill Times’ editorial board suggests you let Supervisor Don Gage know how you feel. Watch Dog loves garbage, especially when the story is the same…

With the help of congressman Jerry McNerney, Morgan Hill’s Llagas Creek will receive $287,000 to protect homes, businesses and native habitat. Mayor Steve Tate applauded McNerny’s help in footing the $130 million bill, with help from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Army Corps of Engineers and the city.

Speaking of the water district…

Apparently reversing themselves the Santa Clara Valley Water District directors say they are now open to letting the voters decide whether or not to impose term limits on them. The latest tactic is to remind voters that putting the question on the ballot will cost from $1 to $4 million dollars. District directors were taken to task by the Merc’s Scott Herhold in 2007 for their liberal definition of “meeting,” one which allows Director Richard Santos to attend softball games and travel extensively. Sig “Methusala” Sanchez has no objection to voter imposed term limits – of course, he thinks people still vote by chiseling on rock.

It’s good to be one of the top dogs in city government, even in bad times. Gilroy’s Human Resources Director LeeAnn McPhillips got a pay bump to over $171,000 – while she was in the process of dishing out pink slips to 40 city employees. City Manager Tom Haglund handed out nearly $100,000 in special raises to 23 employees, including 5 who were laid off. Sounds like the city manager’s actions could lead to heavier scrutiny by the council – never a welcome addition to a bureaucrat’s day.

Gilroy’s economy czar, otherwise known as Larry Cope CEO for the Economic Development Corp, heads to Washington, D.C. next week to channel the Presidents stimulus dollars towards Gilroy before leaving for his new gig as Tuolumne County’s economy czar. The Visitor’s Bureau chief/Count Board of Education Trustee Jane Howard, is hosting a lunch with partners to talk it over while Mayor Al Pinheiro, councilmember Bob Dhillon and South Valley National Bank VP Kurt Michielssen will meet with EDC’s board in April to discuss its future.

Santa Clara County teachers will receive pink slips at a record pace this week. Decimated retirement accounts keep possible retirees from leaving, and has some retirees asking to return to work. Because the economy and drastic funding cuts by the state require slashing budgets, more than 1,000 Silicon Valley teachers will lose their jobs – most of them young teachers. East Side Union High School District and Oak Grove School District both report a record drop in retirees.

The Merc’s Editorial Board calls on school districts to make their Teach for America fellows feel welcome and supported. TFA has 100 teachers in the Alum Rock and San Jose Unified school districts, including Silicon Valley Educational Foundation’s Teacher of the Year, Scott Wolf. Alum Rock is called out for not making these young idealists feel welcome.


The San Jose Catholic Diocese hopes to build a new school on land they purchased in Morgan Hill, the land is currently zoned for agricultural use so there’s this little challenge of rezoning but with the Catholic Church asking to ditch the zoning…

(As predicted, Revealeds reaction ...) SanJoseRevealed offers to take over the task of writing the Merc’s headlines saying the Merc’s current headlines don’t reflect story content, they need new staff and, best of all, swearing is funny. Tell that to the thousands of parents chasing their children with bars of soap…

SanJoseInside looks at the post-election challenges facing the California High-Speed Rail Authority as they begin the public meetings required for rollout. With visions of the Berlin Wall jumping to mind neighborhoods are freaking out over the thought of a rail system merging with the existing Cal Train line, some are suing others are demanding tunnels. Our sister blog, Watch Dog San Mateo, reports the High-Speed Rail Authority is strapped for on cash …

And, just to prove Silicon Valley does have a lighter side even in the worst of times…
The Merc’s Joe Rodriguez took time out to visit one of San Jose’s artists – body painter Celeste Oda who won last years masters face-painting award at the annual Face and Body Art International Convention. Rodriguez channeled his inner animal in allowing Oda to turn him into a Jaguar for a day.


He may not be a world class ballroom dancer but the Woz has YouTube fans flocking to see his impression of a “Teletubby going mad in a gay pride parade.”

Morning News Round-Up – 3.10.09: Mr. Carr Goes to DC. Et tu Mission City Lantern?

In case you missed the news (that means you Merc. reporters) -- check out the Tesla update from yesterday.

Developers John Vidovich and Gary Gillmor have a big carrot: 1,700 acres of open space. In exchange, the City of Gilroy would annex 285 acres to be used for housing, parks, and a bigger golf course. The obscure Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) are the folks that can make this deal happen. An alternate on that Commission, Supervisor/lobbyist George Shirakawa, Jr. received $4,500 from Vidovich last year during his campaign, preventing him from voting on the proposal. But, LAFCO Commissioner/Supervisor Don Gage hasn’t received any money from the developers since 2005 – making former State Republican party official Vidovich happy. Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro says it’s too early to speculate, a previous proposal failed due to Gilroy’s financial straits two years ago. Watch Dog can only assume Gilroy's financial picture looks worse today than two years ago...

The Merc’s Editorial Board asks East Side Union High School District parents to get pissed about the loss of teachers and librarians, not simply sports. East Side Union has a high dropout rate, which is unlikely to be corrected without teachers or library access. The Merc also wants Trustees to prioritize what to restore if the Obama stimulus dollars for education comes through and encourages Trustees to look at education first. Supervisor/former football star/former Trustee George Shirakawa, Jr. hasn’t weighed in (publicly) on the Sports vs. Education drama. (unelected) Trustee Eddie Garcia is no doubt struggling with the options.

Looks like the Bay Area Mayoral collaboration helped…Silicon Valley could receive as much as $7.7 billion in earmarks for projects ranging from flood control to juvenile justice. San Jose Congressman Mike Honda has been busily working to bring $87 million to the area saying the requests will spur job growth and economic development. Of course, one person's earmarks are another person's pork. In this case, some of San Jose's earmarks/pork have caught the attention of Senator John McCain...

Every 5 years cities are required to update their housing plans. It’s never easy as NIMBY’s decry adding housing. This year, Saratoga’s Planning Commission and City Council will consider more than a dozen recommended changes designed to allow mixed-use and increased housing for extremely low-income families. Planning Commissioner Joyce Hlava said existing ordinances make some of the proposals very difficult. No doubt that some of the neighbors make new housing proposals difficult too...

Palo Alto (rotating) Mayor/environmentalist Peter Drekmeier raised a few eyebrows with his State of the City speech yesterday when he said everything from a carbon tax to a sewage-to-energy composting should be looked at.

The Merc’s Scott Herhold seems pissed the Santa Clara Water District Trustees have managed (again) to drop consideration of term limits. Herhold sends props to Board Members Patrick Kwok, Richard Santos, and Rosemary Kamei for supporting Assemblymember Joe Coto’s recent reforms. Herhold identifies the Boards longest serving member, Sig Sanchez, 88, as Methusaleh.

Morgan Hill Councilmember Larry Carr, in D.C. on business for San Jose State University, carved out a little time to lobby for the funding needed to finish a flood control project started in the 1950s. Morgan Hill’s Recreation Director, Steve Rymer, joined Carr to meet with Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and the Army Corps of Engineers. (Watch Dog expects a Mission City Lantern critique of Carr's trip to DC sometime soon...)

Former Christian prep school softball coach Abigail Holloway was arrested in Colorado following revelations that she’d had a 3 year affair with a student. The former King’s Academy student went to a college counselor as she struggled with the aftermath.

Apple’s Steve Wozniack is hoping to prove “nerds can dance.” His first night out on Dancing with the Stars was a disaster however, with Judge Bruno Tonioli saying the Woz looked like “a Teletubby going mad in a gay pride parade...” Woz took it in stride saying it was almost a compliment.

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.9.09: A quarter, a dime, and four pennies...

San Jose is gearing up for a contentious battle with downtown nightclub owners. The City wants club owners to help pay for Police services in downtown, at roughly 39 cents/patron. Club owners, unsurprisingly, are complaining the request is “nonsensical” in the words of Dave Powell, owner of three downtown establishments. Councilmember Sam Liccardo believes a compromise is achievable and says, "We'd like to see a model which is more consistent with community Policing as it's understood: an officer walking the street engaging people in a friendly manner."

The Merc’s Editorial Board also weighs in and lets us know that part of the problem is a stubborn Police Chief Rob Davis and says the current proposal doesn’t address the problem – pointing to Austin, Texas as a good model and calling for smaller clubs. You can see the proposed charges to your favorite drinking hole on page 17 here.

Watch Dog will get back to this story, but the City of San Jose is considering a ban on plastic bags. That is mildly interesting. Plastic's lobbyist is wildly interesting. It seems Manny Diaz (finally) saw The Graduate:



The Merc's Internal Affairs has been prowling through local Legislator compliance and fundraising filings… Among the news:

• New Assemblymember Paul Fong has started to campaign for re-election – less than 3 months in office. (Is he scared this guy is going to run against him again?)
  
• Assemblymember Ira Ruskin is running to replace termed out Senator Joe Simitian. (Watch Dog San Mateo has some insights into who wants to replace Ruskin...)
  
• Assemblymember Joe Coto wants termed out Senator Elaine Alquist's seat. (Perhaps this guy can give Coto some (bad) advice...)

Alum Rock Board of Trustees is back in the news…They yanked the golden parachute away from resigned/fired Superintendent Norma Martinez, with an entertaining side effect – the former Super is now Super again. Board President Gustavo Gonzalez said the golden parachute was worth more than a half-million dollars, but facing pissed off teachers and community members the Board decided to reverse themselves. Is this the most disfunctional School District in the City, the State, or the World? Your call...

The Merc’s Editorial Board echoes support for the preservation of regional open space – adding that the smartest green initiative is open land. In a report from the Bay Area Open Space Council, Association of Bay Area Governments, and The Greenbelt Alliance, the recommendation is for parks to be available within 10 minutes of every home in the Valley of Heart’s Delight.

Calling it a “win-win-win” San Jose’s Department of Transportation head Jim Helmer, is excited San Jose is getting rid of the yellow streetlights and replacing them with LED lights that cut energy costs, are easily programmed, and won’t alter colors or confuse drivers. If the Mayor gets the Federal dollars he hopes for the project, it will be completed sooner – if not, look for 2022 as the date when the last of the lights are converted.

Bruce Davis, head of Arts Council Silicon Valley, is happy with the new President and says, "The President is a smart guy. He gets it. …he sees [the arts] as part of the whole economy and the whole cultural aspect of the United States' identity in the world. It's important to him." Although the proposed arts funding is less than one-tenth of 1% of the stimulus package, Lisa Mallette with San Jose’s City Lights Company says “There’s no way to go but up.” With an estimated 700% return for every dollar invested in the arts it sounds like everyone should be buying their own puppies playing poker painting.

On tap around the Valley this week…

• The Board of Supervisors will hear from Acting County Executive Gary Graves on the budget (looks grim) and year-end projections for the general fund (looks grimmer).
• In addition to having someone else pay for Police, the San Jose City Council will look at changing funding to the arts and letting parking scofflaws pay more for the privilege of breaking the rules.
• In Sunnyvale they’re talking about signs.
• Mountain View’s City Council reviews a youth program.
• The Santa Clara Water District will hear from staff about the water supply (looks grim) and what to do if the drought continues (looks grimmer).
• Alum Rock is back in session still talking lawyers – will they hire Trustee Esau Herrera’s old firm?
• The Los Altos School District will review proposed reductions and hear about a parent survey.
• Campbell is talking employee contracts.
• Cupertino’s School District will consider a parcel tax, good luck with that. During the Great Recession?

Apple’s Other Steve (Wozniak) will show off his twinkle toes in this season’s Dancing with the Stars.