Business
Family Health Fiasco, Part I: Foundation Funded Political Campaigns, Not Kids
May 21, 2013 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics, Business, Culture Comments (11)
Email records show that Kathleen King, executive director of the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, has focused her agency’s efforts on coordinating political campaigns with county supervisor candidate Cindy Chavez at the expense of helping poor children.
A public agency created the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation more than a decade ago to fund the county’s groundbreaking children’s health care initiative, one that would guarantee that every child who needed a doctor’s attention would be seen. For the past three years, however, low income kids’ health insurance premiums have taken a backseat to personal ambition as Health Foundation officers ran for office, funded their $200k annual compensation packages and diverted money to pay for political consultants, mailings, public opinion polls, phone banks and ballot initiatives. All this transpired behind a shroud of secrecy that was lifted last week by Judge Carol Overton, who rejected SCFHF’s hard-fought legal battle to keep its activities out of the public’s view. Documents obtained as a result of last Friday’s superior court ruling show clearly that the Health Foundation repeatedly broke state laws by using a public agency’s funds and property to operate political campaigns in close coordination with local labor leaders.
Council Set to Raise Pot Club Taxes
May 20, 2013 by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Business, Culture Comments (8)
San Jose’s City Council could increase its tax on all gross receipts for medical marijuana collectives within the city limits to 10 percent.
The City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to pursue a tax hike on medical marijuana collectives, bumping up fees to the maximum amount allowed under the voter-approved pot club tax Measure U. Also on the council agenda for Tuesday: an update on measure B litigation and a new incentives agreement for Team San Jose.
County Supervisors to Discuss Environment, Electric Car Chargers
May 20, 2013 by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Business, Culture Comments (8)
The county could soon be in the electric car charger market. (Photo by motorblog, via Flickr)
Santa Clara County has a lot of electric cars, but not enough chargers. The Board of Supervisors may start shaping some sort of public policy to make way for more chargers to encourage people to buy electric vehicles. Coming up with legit zoning rules could be a big push in that direction, according to a memo by Supervisor Ken Yeager on Tuesday’s meeting agenda. Other items on Tuesday’s agenda include county-provided transportation for low-income workers and meals for the elderly.
Supreme Court Ruling Spurs San Jose Pot Club Ordinance
May 17, 2013 by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Business, Culture Comments (5)
The San Jose City Council could soon form its own ordinance on regulating medical marijuana collectives.
Enforcement may soon get a lot stricter for San Jose cannabis retailers. Emboldened by the California Supreme Court’s recent ruling on City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center, that reinforced municipal rights to ban medical marijuana collectives, city officials are looking at ways to crack down on local storefronts and delivery services.
Santa Clara Family Health Foundation Fights Public Records Request
May 15, 2013 by The Fly Politics, Business, The Fly Comments (5)
Santa Clara Family Health Foundation CEO Kathleen King, left, has an attorney challenging a pubic records request into her nonprofit’s internal communications.
The Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, a local nonprofit that helped bump up the county’s sales tax last fall, doesn’t want the public to know about its secret political activities. And now it’s lawyering up to quash Metro/San Jose Inside’s public records act requests.
Rules Committee to Discuss Enterprise Zones, Willow Glen Trestle
May 14, 2013 by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Business, Culture Comments (9)
The fate of the Willow Glen trestle has been a hot topic amongst neighborhood activists. (Photo courtesy of http://wgbackfence.net)
Since their advent in the mid-80s, enterprise zones have sparked economic development. But, in some cases, these geographic areas that provide companies a litany of tax breaks have also granted corporations a chance to game the system. Two competing bills in the state legislature could either eliminate these zones or modify their scope. On Wednesday, San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee will consider taking a stance on the bills, as well as discuss the future of the Willow Glen trestle.
Former Police Chief Chris Moore Lands New Public Safety Gig
May 10, 2013 by Alicia Moore Politics, Business Comments (7)
Chris Moore left his post as police chief of the San Jose Police Department in January. On Friday, his new employer, Rivada Networks, announced that Moore has joined its board of directors.
Former San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore has a new job as senior vice president for Rivada Networks, a company that designs broadband public safety communications for state and local government agencies. Moore retired from SJPD in January after serving the city of San Jose for more than 27 years. It was assumed Moore wouldn’t stay unemployed for long, but his new digs have an interesting backstory.
Sacramento Lobbyists Distort Casino Oversight Narrative in Three-Pronged Attack
May 8, 2013 by Josh Koehn Politics, Business, Media Comments (0)
This is a cropped portion of a mailer recently sent to San Jose residents by a political action committee that has ties to a Sacramento lobbyist firm.
A Sacramento lobbying firm appears to be playing a game of snooker when it comes to misleading San Jose residents about crime and casinos. The “Consumer Alliance for a Strong Economy” has been scaring residents into believing the city wants to deregulate card club oversight through robocalls, provocative mailers and even a Mercury News op-ed.
Supreme Court Decision a Minor Setback in Medical Marijuana Legalization Push
May 8, 2013 by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Business, Culture Comments (18)
The California Supreme Court decided Monday to uphold a ruling that allows cities to ban medical marijuana collectives. (Image by Kara Brown)
Monday’s state Supreme Court ruling that cities can choose to ban medical marijuana dispensaries counts as a setback—assuming setbacks can be measured by nothing lost, nothing gained. According to local medical marijuana collective operators and advocates, the court’s unanimous decision did little more than uphold the status quo, after the city of Riverside’s decision in 2009 to declare a moratorium and shutter 56 dispensaries. The ruling now upholds bans in about 200 other California cities, including local municipalities such as Palo Alto and Gilroy. But the same industry experts who dismiss the court’s decision as inconsequential also see a silver lining.
Resolution on Citizens United Case Goes to San Jose City Council
May 6, 2013 by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Business, Culture Comments (15)
Lawmakers across the country are signing resolutions in opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case. (Photo by ithnmsrtkn, via Flickr)
As lawmakers around the county urge Congress to create a constitutional amendment to overturn the controversial Citizens United decision, the City Council on Tuesday may vote in favor of supporting a resolution to overturn the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case. Other items on Tuesday’s agenda include lawsuit settlements, a new contract for Microsoft software and state taxes.
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