Family Health Fiasco: Kathleen King Wanted Better Push Polls for Measure A
May 22, 2013 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics Comments (3)
A flyer with pictures of elected officials who in 2012 supported Measure A, the 1/8th cent county sales tax increase that will collect $500 million over 10 years.
Push polls are a common occurrence in campaign season. They are designed to leave voters with a more positive or negative reaction to topics and/or individuals after answering questions. Political consultant Rich Robinson recently wrote a column on San Jose Inside about his distate for the leading questions, which are often asked without proper context, he argued. Based on email records obtained through a court order last week, it can be said that Kathleen King, executive director of the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, does not share this opinion about push polls.
Rules to Discuss Confidential Police Arbitration Records Request
May 22, 2013 by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Culture Comments (0)
A Menlo Park cop’s fling with a prostitute prompted one local reporter to investigate confidential police arbitration cases across the Bay Area, including those in San Jose. The city’s Rules and Open Government Committee seems ready to deny the reporter’s second request for records, according to the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting.
Family Health Fiasco: Board of Supes President Lets Organized Labor Write His Letters
May 22, 2013 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics Comments (2)
Board of Supervisors President Ken Yeager sent a letter to Mayor Chuck Reed and the San Jose City Council in February requesting for a continued partnership in supporting the Children’s Health Initiative. But the letter didn’t come from anyone in Yeager’s office.
Kathleen King expressed concern earlier this year to Working Partnerships USA policy director Bob Brownstein that the city of San Jose would stop funding the Children’s Health Initiative (CHI) after Measure A passed in the 2012 election. As executive director of the the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, King realized this would have an adverse effect on the foundation’s ability to continue operations. A plan was then set in motion to tap trusted elected officials.
Family Health Fiasco: Chavez Wanted to ‘Shame’ York, 49ers over Contribution
May 21, 2013 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics, Business, Culture Comments (5)
U.S. Congressman Mike Honda posted this picture with San francisco 49ers owner Jed York, far right, to his Facebook page Tuesday, after it was announced that the club will host the Super Bowl in 2016.
Local sports fans and businesses celebrated Tuesday’s announcement that the San Francisco 49ers will host Super Bowl 2016 at their new stadium in Santa Clara. But not everyone has always been a supporter of the club.
Evergreen Can Learn from San Jose Unified Deal with Teachers
May 21, 2013 by Joseph DiSalvo Politics, Culture Comments (0)
jRecalcitrant school boards and some teacher unions are at the core of a new education battle. A report in the Mercury News last week found that the Evergreen School District’s teachers have been “working to rule”—which means only doing what’s required according to contract, and nothing more—for several months. his type of posturing only hurts students. It also damages the perception of teachers, and will only encourage the continued growth of non-union charter schools. Courageous leaders on both sides have the power to prevent this type of action, or a threatened strike vote by teachers. In order to restore the trust, board members need to take action to form a settlement.
Family Health Fiasco, Part I: Foundation Funded Political Campaigns, Not Kids
May 21, 2013 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics, Business, Culture Comments (10)
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.
Judge Orders County to Release Health Foundation Documents
May 20, 2013 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Politics Comments (3)
Health Foundation attorney Ash Pirayou opens the door for Metro counsel Judy Alexander and County Counsel Donald Larkin. The courtroom has been blurred to comply with Superior Court photography rules.
Metro and San Jose Inside scored a legal victory Friday with Judge Carol Overton’s ruling that the County of Santa Clara must release documents on the political activities of the nonprofit Santa Clara Family Health Foundation. The documents, handed over to Metro on Friday, shed new light on how a recent ballot initiative was passed, and how the South Bay Labor Council interacts with local nonprofits to advance its agenda.
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.
Campaign Appeals for National Help
May 17, 2013 by Silicon Valley Newsroom Comments (8)
Former South Bay Labor Council head Amy B. Dean
Former South Bay Labor Council head Amy Dean has sent out a national appeal to labor supporters, asking for financial support for supervisor candidate Cindy Chavez, according to an email forwarded to San Jose Inside. Dean, who formed Working Partnerships USA and mentored Chavez before moving to Chicago, writes that “The people of Santa Clara County need Cindy to have their back,” and asks recipients to “like” Chavez’s Facebook page if they can’t donate money.
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