Archive for January, 2010

Morning News Round-Up — 1.29.10: Coto vs Reed?

Friday, January 29th, 2010

For a Friday, there is some pretty big news…
Good morning San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis (and the SJPOA)… Assemblymembers Joe Coto and Paul Fong have something to tell you… they are asking the Joint Legislative Audit Committee launch an investigation into the SJPD to see if officers are trained properly and look into citizen complaints about use of force properly. But the intrigue doesn’t end there… Mayor Reed criticized Coto and Fong, saying: “I see Joe Coto and Paul Fong all the time, and I’m surprised they haven’t asked me about this.” Stay tuned… Remember when there was talk of Coto running against Mayor Reed this June? Hmmmm…
The Merc’s sport columnist Mark Purdy gives us an update about what the heck is happening with MLB in San Jose. The bottomline? MLB (and Bud Selig) are dragging their feet and San Jose needs to get on with it…
The City of San Jose, sensing a public sentiment shift under their own feet, is considering a new tax or fee to pay for tree maintenance... Which will make folks in the City who are uber-protective of their salary, benefits, and pensions pretty happy. You see, if there is a tax (or fee) for trees, then that money doesn’t have to come from the general fund — which means everyone’s salary, benefits, and pensions are safe… for now.
You probably remember Broom Closet Modelling at Wilcox High in Santa Clara… the janitor who was running at teen modelling agency. But before there was the broom closet, there was a teacher arrested at Wilcox High School on the first day of school for allegedly having sex with a student… and that may have been a pattern that perhaps the principal knew about. Well, we have some more information today, thanks to the Merc: the Principal at the school will not face criminal “failure to report” charges… Not that it means anything, but… the principal’s attorney is Steve Manchester, who seemingly endorsed the District Attorney when she ran the first time…
While we are talking about the DA’s office, there is an Op Ed in the Merc by former Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell who calls for a mutany in the DA’s office. She urges prosecutors to ignore their boss’s decree to boycott one judge… and she calls out Jeff Rosen on the issue too…
High-Speed Rail could be moving faster than planned (pun intended) with a new influx of Federal cash… $2.25 billion, with a “b”… NIMBYs with an “n” better get their act together…
The backyard hockey rink in Palo Alto at the home of Sun Microsystems Chairman Scott McNealy needs to go through Palo Alto’s planning process if he wants to keep it… What is weirder: Having a backyard hockey rink or Palo Alto’s planning process?

Posted in carr, chief davis, Chuck Reed, city of palo alto, coto, fong, hsr, jeff rosen, sjpoa, wilcox high | 1 Comment »

Morning News Round-Up — 1.29.10: AG Speier…

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Today’s Daily Journal “reports” that Congresswoman Jackie Speier is considering a run for Attorney General… which was reported earlier in the week by the Chronicle and stolen by Watch Dog immediately thereafter. Thank you for reading Watch Dog… The Journal also talks to folks who might seek to replace her…

Here are three things you almost never, ever see:
1. The Daily Journal Editorial Board is NOT supporting a parcel tax in the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District… (If it helps, Watch Dog will endorse the measure…)
2. South San Francisco approved a two-tier system for public employees. Could it spread like wildfire?
3. Wild boar… so delicious, so big, so ugly, so scary. There was one in Half Moon Bay that was shot and killed (and eaten?)…
High-Speed Rail is getting a jump-start with $2.25 billion (with a “b”) more money from the Feds… NIMBYs (with an “n”) better jump-start their efforts too…
Menlo Park is facing a little citizens’ revolt led by Lee Duboc… the pension reform issue could go before voters if all works out. And we thought all the political intrigue (and in-fighting) happened in Atherton…
Speaking of Atherton, the Town officially apologize for keeping a $230,000 sexual harassment settlement under wraps… they did it by fax, to the newspaper, and didn’t include anyone’s contact information for follow-up calls. Very Atherton…

Posted in atherton, duboc, hmb, hsr, mp, san mateo-foster city, speier, ssf | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 1.28.10: 420 on 330…

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

On March 30th (unfortunately not on April 20th) expect a really cool (and mellow) crowd at San Jose City Hall as the Council discusses what to do with medical marijuana dispensaries in the City. With a seeming wink to ‘friends’, John Woolfolk, the Merc reporter covering the story, uses the term “haze” in the first sentence. Here’s a wink right back…
Speaking of medical… this isn’t a good day at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (or the County Building, for that matter)… VMC was one of three Bay Area hospitals fined for “…safety violations that put patients at risk of serious injury or death…“

Another Scott Herhold column about District Attorney Dolores Carr appears in today’s paper about her boycott of a judge. He ends with: “...with her usual tone-deaf style, she’s made herself look spiteful…” Look spiteful? (On a separate note, could DA. Carr please send a different photo to the Merc’s online folks?)
There is a multi-billion upgrade about to happen with the San Jose Wastewater Treatment Plant (where your poop goes)… this could mean a big piece of land that is now a buffer between the plant and the Bay (where the wastewater eventually goes) could become something different — which is what today’s story is about. Hidden in the story, but well-known at City Hall, is that there will be multi-year rate increases to pay for it all. And there is really no better time for a rate increase than right now…
Some local aviation stories for your reading pleasure:
  • A man was arrested for shining a green laser at a Sheriff’s helicopter several times… of course, the Sheriff’s could easily track him down because they were in a helicopter and he was in a Honda…
  • Remember that “plane crash” over the weekend in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Well, it turns out it was a hoax. What kind of jerk?…
  • More Hangar One drama… the Navy wants to tear off the ‘skin’ and leave a big metal structure out there at Moffett Field. Nobody locally wants that to happen and Congresswoman Eshoo is looking for ideas as to what the community would want to do with the structure before anyone asks Congress to fund restoration…
In Palo Alto, they are tackling the big issues: like cracking down on door-to-door magazine sales people… in other words, keep your middle schooler away from my house.
This is weird: A man with a knife robbed a Goodwill in Palo Alto… robbing a Goodwill? Really?
We hate to constantly re-report about crime in Gilroy, but when a gang-related drive-by shooting happens in downtown Gilroy… the Police did make an arrest.
While we are down in South County, the rain has had one positive effect: reservoir levels are up…

Posted in 420, Anna Eshoo, carr, city of palo alto, girloy, moffett, sheriffs, wastewater | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 1.28.10: Everest/Sequoia… a new way forward?

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Watch Dog hasn’t written aboutg Everest Charter School (or the Sequoia Union High School) in a while… but there’s news today: the Sequoia Union Board heard a plan to house Everest (temporarily) on Woodside High’s campus next year. It sounds like the Board sprung the idea on the Everest folks, but everyone is considering the idea… let’s all try to get along, ok?
The much maligned (by PP Examiner and Sue Lempert) Charter Review Committee at the County is discussing (and perhaps recommending changes to) some big issues: redrawing Supervisorial boundaries, new campaign finance rules, and creating qualifications for certain electeds (that would be a huge change)… among others.
This is going to go over well on the political and policy fronts at the County Building: the County Manager wrote this in a letter to the Deputy Sheriff’s Union: “…apparently [the union] fails to understand the gravity of the economic situation all around us…” Tell us how you really think Mr. Boesch…
Hey, we all know that garbage rates are going up (at least if you read Watch Dog), but did you know your water rates are going up too? At least the economy is trucking along this won’t hit people that hard…
We thought Larry Ellison was a smart businessman, but then we read this headline in the Oakland Tribune: Oracle’s Larry Ellison says he’s trying to buy the Golden State Warriors. Why?
Remember when communities used to have enough money to do the basic stuff of local government? We don’t either… San Bruno faces a $1.3 million budget gap. So… everyone go play some more poker at Artichoke Joe’s.
More funny stuff in Atherton… the Town Communications Committee may become open to the public! That’s sounds like a reasonable idea. Of course, nothing in Atherton is as it seems. We are certain there are factions on all sides of this seemingly innocuous issue…

Posted in atherton, boesch, charter review, everest, larry ellison, san bruno, sequoia union, woodside high | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 1.27.10: Joe Friday Wednesday…

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

We never came back for a post yesterday, apologies to everyone… we’ll include some stories from yesterday, just in case you missed them…
The story about the toddler who lost his life because of a tree that crashed into the parked truck in San Jose took an interesting turn into yesterday’s paper. Of course this is a huge tragedy, but yesterday’s story shed light onto the City of San Jose’s budget cuts over the past few years that has meant trees in front of houses (but in the public right-of-way) are now homeowners’ responsibility… expect neighbors to show up at the next round of budget discussions talking about trees. Trees, police officers (and pensions), firefighers (and pensions), public employees (and pensions), library hours, parks, community centers — the budget discussions will not be particularly fun this year.
And…
There is already a response from the City about trees in today’s paper in the form of an “aggressive public awareness campaign“…
And…
The Merc Editorial Board chimes in and says San Jose’s tree law make sense… which is perhaps the last popular position of the day.
Sheriff Laurie Smith is in a much better re-election position than the other County law enforcement officer (DA Dolores Carr) this year, but that doesn’t mean she is getting a free re-election pass… there are three folks lining up to challenge Smith. The Merc singles out one candidate, retired SJPD Captain Richard Calderon, as a candidate that “…has issues of his own…” (Rich Robinson, clip that sentence from the story for your “op research” file…)
And if it is Wednesday (or any day, for that matter), Dolores Carr will be in the paper. Today she is there defending her boycott of a local judge. Using a double negative (sort of) she wrote to the Merc via email and said that boycotting a judge is “not unheard of“… Maybe, there are some legal experts in the story that have a different opinion. Until tomorrow’s story about Dolores Carr…
San Jose’s Club Wet is back open… but the Police Chief’s ability to close down clubs in the future is about to be curbed by the City Council. Stemming from a lawsuit Club Wet brought against the City last year, the City (and club owners) have reworked the ordinance, started talking to each other, and apparently the clubs aren’t the brawl-magnets they once were… for now. Anyway, club owners and the City (but perhaps not the Police Chief) seem happier than they were late last fall. That doesn’t mean Watch Dog will be rolling into Club Wet anytime soon, but maybe…
Mayor Reed and Councilmembers Sam Liccardo and Rose Herrera proposed a job-spurring package this week to be heard in a few weeks that would encourage businesses to stay and grow or relocate to San Jose. Watch Dog doesn’t know if it will help, but it probably can’t hurt… Liccardo wrote about it this week on San Jose Inside.
Santa Clara County is the new Belmont? If a measure gets traction to ban smoking in apartment buildings, the County will join Belmont… it is one of the ideas Board of Supervisors President Ken Yeager is proposing. He also gave his State of the County yesterday and it was nice to see all of you there… it was perhaps the most political crowd ever at a State of the County with all the candidates and glad-handing. Is the County Building sexy again?
The 49er’s vote in June in Santa Clara is even closer than it was. The Santa Clara Council voted on a procedural measure to move it forward. But the quote in this Merc story is a gem, from Councilmember Jamie Matthews: “Ultimately, the people will decide, and they are smarter than all of us…” …Especially smarter than the Santa Clara City Council… just kidding. Perhaps the “no on stadium” folks can use that quote against Matthews in a Gavin-esque manner…

Protect San Jose gives us the (Just the) “Facts About Cannabis Use“… which was not written by Sgt. Joe Friday (or Chief Davis), but it might as well have been… Damn hippies!
Monday’s gun-point gas station robbery in north Gilroy was caught on tape… Don’t expect this video to appear on one of those late-night “America’s Scariest Videos” anytime soon. The whole thing went down in a pretty orderly and mellow way actually. They were probably stealing money for pot…

Posted in 49ers, carr, davis, dr. smith, gilroy, herrera, Ken Yeager, liccardo, protect, reed, santa clara county, wet | 1 Comment »

Morning News Round-Up — 1.27.10: A local mad-dash, scramble, free-for-all?

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

We never came back for a post yesterday, apologies to everyone…
Oh my… Matier & Ross in the Chronicle have this tidbit: Congresswoman Jackie Speier is thinking about a run for Attorney General of California this year. Imagine the local ramifications of that? It would be a mad-dash, scramble, free-for-all. Hill? Yee? Ruskin? Watch Dog? Gavin Newsom?
This isn’t getting top billing in any of the papers or on Watch Dog, but it is perhaps the most important story of the day, at least for the long-term. South San Francisco is considering a two-tier retirement system for public employees. Is this the shot heard round the (local government) world?
The County may have found the most popular thing to tax you on… the hospital. And if they are going to tax you, they better identify some cuts first — which they did and they described them as “bold”… good timing.
The Belmont/San Carlos war of words (and dollars) about who is to pay what for the Fire Protection District continued with some action. Belmont rejected San Carlos’ plan. San Carlos thinks Belmont should pay more, Belmont doesn’t agree. The fun squabble continues… In response to San Carlos’ unhappiness, Belmont Councilwoman Coralin Feierbach said these fighting words: “If San Carlos wants to go somewhere else, they can…. We subsidized them for 20 years.” She did not say: “And I will meet them on any street corner and kick their scrawny little San Carlos asses too…”
The Daily Journal’s Jon Mays rocks. He outs the DMB Saltworks developers for political tactics trying to embarass the Menlo Park City Council’s decision to oppose the DMB development. Mays ends with this: “…By engaging in subterfuge and ripping reputations, the argument for the development loses its focus…”
Speaking of the salt flats. The Redwood City Council will accept a report that says that the development of 12,000 homes and their impact won’t have any “insurmountable issues” related to traffic or water or other stuff.
Cliffside engineering? Federal funds to rebuild? Disaster area? If it is raining, we are talking about Pacifica…
The Skyline College shooting suspect was convicted yesterday of possessing a gun in public as part of a plea deal. 3 years probation and he can’t go to campus again… perhaps the dude is getting his application ready for CSM?

Posted in belmont-san carlos, dmb, feierbach, jon mays, pacifica, redwood city, san mateo county, Skyline College shooting, speier, ssf | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up Technical Difficulties…

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

We are having some technical difficulties this morning…
We may be back online later, or perhaps not.
Sorry 18th floor readers, you”ll have to actually read the newspaper today. It is that thingy that they sell in those boxes outside…

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up Technical Difficulties…

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

We are having some technical difficulties this morning…

We may be back online later, or perhaps not.
Sorry Watch Dog readers, you”ll have to actually read the news today… it is that thingy they sell in those weird boxes outside.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 1.25.10: Santa Clara First Monday…

Monday, January 25th, 2010

We’ll do Santa Clara first today…
The Chronicle, one of the Bay Area’s newspapers not in bankruptcy proceedings (yet), loves to chime in on South Bay sports stuff. Above all, the paper is uber-protective of the 49ers. So it is no suprise that the Chroncle’s spin on a letter sent from the National Football League to the City of San Francisco about the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is a positive one. The NFL told San Francisco that four really major things need to be done in order for the NFL to even consider allowing the 49ers to be in Hunters Point (assuming the Santa Clara thing falls through): a bridge over Yosemite Slough (which environmentalist are going to sue over), a new interchange off of 101 (which likely has a massive pricetag), adequate parking near the stadium (which the Board of Supervisors will never allow), and public transit infrastructure improvements (there is no public transit anywhere near this part of Hunters Point). A less “hometown” paper could write that the letter from the NFL to San Francisco could be construed as a letter siding with the 49ers and their quest to be Santa Clara-bound…
The City of Santa Clara is about to be served with a federal lawsuit by union carpenters saying that the City violated the union’s free speech when it made them take down their banner outside a Citation Homes office. The sign wasn’t so nice, but that isn’t the point — the City is claiming that the union violated the sign ordinance. This could get even more interesting… stay tuned.
It is good that the Merc is dedicating dozens of column inches (and a reporter) to what the rides will be named next season at Great America. For your information, Nickelodeonrides are out, Peanuts rides are in… with that information in your brain, go have a productive day.
Here’s another San Francisco-related story that will have people in Silicon Valley scratching their heads… SFO is going to offer free Wi-Fi. Et tu SJC?
Could the DA Dolores Carr please go one week without doing something that lands her in the news? Well, obviously not. This time, she is instructing the prosecutors in her office to boycott a sitting judge and to not bring cases before him. Ironic, since Dolores Carr was once a judge. This item has yet to appear on Jeff Rosen’s “The Case Against Dolores Carr…”
The Merc’s Internal Affairs puts their hands on a letter that Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilmember/ Assembly Candidate Nora Campos sent to the good folks trying to figure out what to do with the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Essentially, the letter says that the City wants to stop subsidizing the place — or at least subsidize it less — or at the very least have a game plan to get the Mexican Heritage Plaza towards self-sustainability. (IA can’t resist reminding everyone that Reed and Campos “…rarely agree on anything…”)
Watch Dog apparently missed this Dolores Carr story a few weeks back — but lucky for us, Watch Dog readers on on the case. (Thanks for the email…) You remember that Dolores Carr’s office is looking into potentially illegal financial practices and misappropriation of funds by MACSA in running a Gilroy-based Charter School… well, the DA’s office is conveniently waiting until June to decide about whether or not to bring charges. It isn’t just Watch Dog wondering if this is politically motivated procrastination on the part of Dolores Carr… the Gilroy Dispatch does too. Here is why it might be political: Carr would like to get a certain group’s endorsement for her re-election campaign in June… this certain group has a favorite candidate running for City Council in June who used to be in charge of operations at MACSA… if she buries the charges until then, perhaps this favorite City Council candidate rides into office, Carr gets the endorsement, and everyone wins, except voters, of course.
Pat Dando at the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce penned an opinion piece for the Merc talking about reforming the City’s pension boards… an idea that Watch Dog can’t remember her ever talking about during her decade or so on the City Council when she could have actually done something about it…
Speaking of Pat Dando… sort of:
Last week’s Supreme Court ruling about campaign finance got the Merc Editors writing. They would like to see a disclaimer on corporate ads similar to the Presidential disclaimers, saying something like: “I’m John Smith, CEO of Big Oil, and I approved this message.” Can you imagine that on the local level? A piece of mail from the Chamber’s Political Action Committee calling Cindy Chavez the devil-incarnate with a little photo of Pat Dando on the back saying, “I’m Pat Dando, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, and I approved this message…” that would be interesting.
San Jose Inside continues in its quest to be the only local publication (print or online) to be covering the bankruptcy of the Merc’s parent company. Late last week the rolled out Lou Alexander, the Advertising Manager for the Merc for 20 years to comment…
Remember the grand plans for North San Jose — sort of another tax-generating downtown with high density housing close to jobs and transit options… well, things are moving at a different pace than anticipated, but Target is coming.
The economy has been tough for most, but good for Safeway. In addition to their new downtown San Jose addresss, they are eyeing the old (bankrupt) Mervyn’s on W. Hamilton in Campbell.
There was a small-plane crash somewhere in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Saturday… but a search hadn’t turned up survivors, or the plane, as of Sunday morning.
In the circular world of the local blogosphere, Mission City Lantern comments on our comments about a story on the blog over at the Santa Clara Weekly. And for your information James, we do read the Weekly blog, it just isn’t always that good… no offense. The last time we wrote something from the Weekly’s blog, the publisher was defending the Broom Closet Modelling Agency…
There was another suicide on the train tracks in Palo Alto over the weekend.
The Palo Alto High School Principal Jackie McEvoy will be retiring at the end of the school year. According to the news account in the Palo Alto Weekly, McEvoy is retiring for “personal reasons” which alway sounds fishy (or eggy) to Watch Dog… if you don’t get the eggy reference, read the story.
There was an old-fashion liquor store robbery at gun point in north Gilroy on Saturday night… In an unrelated crime story in Gilroy, a dude jumped into a patrol car, started driving in reverse, and hit a police officer. Officers shot the man (after using pepper spray, batons, and a Taser…) Sounds like a busy weekend at the Gilroy PD…

Posted in 49ers, cesar chavez, city of palo alto, city of santa clara, DOLORES CARR, gilroy, jeff rosen, Mission City, pat dando | 2 Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 1.25.10: Enhancement Edition…

Monday, January 25th, 2010

It is still raining… the Chronicle has a piece about how spectators are lining up to watch the Esplanade apartments fall into the Pacific in Pacifica… weird.
Ahh, good old “revenue enhancements” will be discussed this week at the Board of Supervisors. That is the well-known euphemism for tax hikes and the County will consider a bunch of options in advance of the June election. Of course, that puts Supervisor Rich Gordon on the spot — if he approves putting a tax hike on the ballot, he’ll be saying yes to higher taxes at the same time that he is running for higher office, which doesn’t always work out that well for candidates…
Here is something we like to see… an anti-NIMBY/ pro-High Speed Rail group growing called Californians for High-Speed Rail. Watch Dog is a member — well, in spirit if not financially.
The State of the City (of San Bruno) and the State of the (Hill Assembly) District were delivered on Friday. Times are tough… but when the going gets tough, everyone should blame Sacramento.
The State of San Carlos Crime is up (about 25 percent), which will be reported to the City Council this week by the Police Chief. Of course, the timing is good for the police department to report that crime is up as the City Council looks to cut budgets. Here’s a prediction, the San Carlos Police Department won’t get cut in the face of “rising crime”…
The State of Crime in Hillsborough is up too… Several cars were vandalized. We love the advice from the Police in Hillsborough: “Police are advising residents to park their vehicles in a garage or out of plain view whenever possible, and to remove all valuables from parked vehicles.” That makes sense, especially because of this: “Police are also reminding residents that parking on any street in Hillsborough between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. is illegal without a permit.” Yeah, so if your car is parked on the street it is either likely to be vandalized or towed…
The State of Pot in Redwood City is on hold… and will likely remain that way for a while… Sorry dude.
That State of Solar is thriving at San Mateo Union High School District… at a price tag of $31.5 million…
Brian Bothun, a former editor of the Palo Alto Daily News and former reporter for the Daily Post pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of pornography on Friday. Mighty. Fallen.
NIMBYs in San Mateo are holding up Serra High School’s plans to put in a new pool based on noise concerns from coming from swimming activities. What type of noise? Student athletes having fun? How many of those Serra neighbors moved into their homes when Serra already had an outdoor pool?
Thank you Citizens of Woodside for providing a run down of the COWncil meeting a few weeks back. Good stuff.

Posted in 420, bothun, city of san carlos, cows, hillsborough, jerry hill, pacifica, rich gordon, san mateo, san mateo union, serra | No Comments »

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