UPDATE: 3:45 Apparently, City Attorney Rick Doyle screwed up when he advised the council on attorney-client privileges. A few hours after the council’s rules committee decided against waiving the release of documents regarding San Pedro Square, Doyle had a conversation with Councilwoman Campos, who had asked for all documents guarded under the attorney-client provision to be released. In that conversation, he told Campos that the council was in fact allowed to review all those documents, because, well they are the client, according to Campos staffers. She was contently reviewing those documents Thursday afternoon.
It was somewhat ironic that Councilwoman Nora Campos couldn’t make it to the Rules Committee meeting Wednesday because she was stuck in a meeting regarding the proposed San Pedro Urban Square Market. Ironic because while Campos was talking with the Elections Commission, her colleagues were refusing to help her in her lonely effort to defeat that plan.
No-No-Nora had submitted a request that the council force City Attorney Rick Doyle to hand over any and all documents and transcripts of conversations with Mayor Chuck Reed regarding the San Pedro Square project. Those documents and conversations are protected by client-attorney privileges. Campos wanted them released because of an anonymous lawsuit claiming that Tom McEnery dodged the city’s lobbying rules and failed to report some meetings between himself and the mayor regarding his plan for the Market.
The Rules Committee took a pass.
Doyle was rather blunt in his opinion about Campos’ request: “This provision has existed for 500 years to encourage candid conversations without concern [that] those communications with be public,” Doyle told the council members. At the very most, he said, he is willing to release logs of the meetings that took place without the content of the conversations. The council committee agreed, voting unanimously to release an index of logs and that’s that.
Campos says she isn’t letting this go.
“Mayor Reed promised open and transparent government and today’s actions further demonstrate a developing pattern of the mayor’s unwillingness to live up to those promises,” she said, apparently unmoved by the idea of honoring a half-millennia-old legal tradition.
Gosh, Nora sure makes me proud of our City Government. Pleeeeeeeze tell me that she’ll be termed out soon.
Chuck Reed is not the client of the City Attorney.
It is the City of San Jose that is the client of the City Attorney. There is no privilege of attorney-client relationship whatsoever between Chuck and the City Attorney of San Jose.
Nora Campos is right on this one. And not only that, she is fighting for transparency that Chuck promised in the election.
Genson did not immediately respond to a phone message left Saturday requesting comment on the committee’s decision.
Fitzgerald said any testimony from Jarrett, Emanuel, Jackson or Larsen “would overlap with the subject matter of the pending criminal investigation.”
Larsen has been reported to be the Tribune financial adviser to whom Blagojevich instructed aides to talk about firing editorial writers in exchange for a grant to help sell Wrigley Field, home of the Tribune-owned Chicago Cubs.
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sanju
dating-dating
Richard Nixon asked John Dean to run the Watergate cover-up because, like Rick Doyle, Dean cared more about doing his boss’ dirty work and then claim attorney client privilege. Guess what? I think McEnery SHOULD NOT be subject to an ethics complaint. I do not think Tom did anything wrong, nor do I support the idea of a committee receiving an anonymous complaint. People have the right to face their accusers.
But Rick Doyle has shamed the legal profession. He is a misanthropic henchman of closed government, a toady with a briefcase, and an attorney that cares about being pursuing his own agenda than serving the city. Doyle is the one responsible for the Gonzalez fiasco, and now, because Doyle is a person who manufactures his own version of legal principles, he is ill serving Reed, who has been ill serving himself since his days hunting rats in Kansas (Reed and Putin are both victims of too much rat meat ingestion).
Ethics is not about silly game playing. Tonight in Santa Clara, we see a collection of political montebanks and dweeble headed fools attempt to interfere with the city’s ethics program because they are just silly, stupid adult children with too much time on their hands, and too much sharing of the sangria punch! McEnery has the right to seek redevelopment funds, and there should be any time wasted on this matter. But, Reed promised, transperancy, and all we get is a whimiscal attempt of Doyle to shut the public out of government.
Nora wouldn’t know if she’s right or not. Obviously, someone else is pulling the strings on this one.
I would let her fight with the Rules Committee until she is blue in the face . . . then voluntarily mail a copy of the transcripts to her home after she says ‘Please’.
There might be a lesson in there somewhere.
Hey! You Go Girl!
#4 Downtowner and #5 Dale Warner are right on, about this city issue.
This is one issue, I am watching with a lot of interest. I’m interested in what Blanca thinks now that she’s termed out.
Time to take a good look at the “Trilogy of the Dark Side”! We got all year to enjoy the Sunlight! San Jose’s version of Star Wars, caught up in a 500 year old time warp. Nice try Rick! Princess Nora, Dale C-3PO, Queen Breha Blanca, Tom Mc-Dooko, Chuck Vadar, Rick Ackbar,
Keep the lights on Nora. This could bring you a bright future! Turn over every rock and watch your back. Keep your Light Saber ready! The clone wars have begun!
May the Force Be with You
R2 D2 / City Hall
R2 D2
Waste of time move on.
Please spend time instead on helping the Kirk Community center or finding ways to pave roads for less money.
Let’s get some transparency about who footed the legal bills of Eric Hernandez and the secret complaint against Tom McEnery, about who is funding the blogs that post home addresses of district attorneys, about how Working Partnerships uses the money it collects from foundations to fund political activity. Notice also that nonprofits are exempt from lobbying laws. There seems to be a double standard at work here.
Has anyone heard any updates about that kid Hernandez since his arrest on assault charges on another city employee? Is Labor backing his legal bill AGAIN??
we will never know.
Totally irrevelant to the fact that Nora Campos is entitled to the documents she requested. If you all want to join me in my basic attitude that San Jose Revealed should do a lot more revealing than criticizing, that is fine. But it has nothing to do with Nora Campos. I will spend all day long criticizing any committee that has an executive committee that acts like a 21st Politburo, but that does not excuse the lies and the damn lies coming out of Chuck Reed and his little brown doggy, Rick Doyle.
McEnery is a businessman who sought redevelopment money and I think anyone that wants to question that ought to have some guts and put their name to the accusations. As I mentioned previously, in Santa Clara, we are going to witness a collection of namby pamby, self appointed citizen dingbats complain that a process which their beau idol, Jamie McLeod voted to set up, was wrong, and McLeod will attempt to slim and slam away from it.
My point is that I do not care about Tom McEnery’s financial dealings, but I do care about the fact that Nora Campos has a right, like every member of the public, including San Jose Revealed, TO BE AWARE OF THE DOCUMENTS INVOLVED IN THE MANNER. It is not the right of a small minded man, with a small minded view, and a small minded attitude about the public right to know, Time to shine some light on the governmental dealings of San Jose!
I’m glad she is questioning our council and mayor. I agree, the mayor ran on a platform of open government, he used that in order to win, well I think its time to put your money where your mouth is at and show the people what they want. Do not stop. If you do then it sends a message that its ok to cover up.
sent via Palm.
Is open and transparent government coming to McEneryvile?
Not as long as Dean Monroe, Tom’s Chief of Staff, former Chief of Staff advisor to Chuck and now Chief of Staff for redevelopment who is giving Tom more $$Millions for downtown McEneryville
Just because Nora is taking up banner of open government for political purposes does not mean that people asking questions or people recommended or giving $$millions are clean
Snow White And 10 Council members
Hi Ho Hi Ho , Its Off To Work We Go!!
We did dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
In our City the whole day through
To dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
Its what we like to do
It aint no trick
To get find tricks that click
If ya dig dig dig
With a subpoena or public records request
In the city (Echo: In the city)
LOUDER: IN THE CITY(echo: IN THE CITY)
Where millions in tax subsidies
LONG: Shhhiiinnnneee (shine)
We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
From early mornin’ til’ night
We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
Up everything in sight
We take our time
Then find some more
There’s thousands to be found sometime
And We dont know what we dig them for
We dig dig diga dig dig
Adapted from Snow White and 7 Dwarfs
Ok, that did it!!!
One anonymous blog is attacking another one, who has been attacked by another one, and they all want each other to register their names and flush it all out in the open. Gee, Kathleen Flynn and the rest of us had that view months ago. Now we have The Alameda Banner going off on the way meetings are run and is published by someone who was last alive and kicking when Lincoln was President.
Joy, oh joy!
#13 More Millions,
Good Work! In tracking Dean /Admiral Prett’s rise to power.
He was great at kissing up. McDooku always had a plan for him.
This is looking like we could be entertained for the next year. The force awaits, Obi-Wan Honda Kenobi! and
Sam Li Skywalker.
May the force be with you Yodama The clone wars have begun!
R2 D2 / City Hall
Perhaps this will help shed light on Mr. McEnery’s theories about who pulls the strings in Nora’s office…
http://watchdogsiliconvalley.blogspot.com/2008/12/blogosphere-of-influence.html