Dan Pulcrano
It’s Time to Sue Major League Baseball
Apr 18, 2013, by Dan Pulcrano Politics Comments (13)
The owners of the Baltimore Terrapins, pictured here, sued Major League Baseball for violating the Clayton Antitrust Act and won, but the Supreme Court overturned the ruling, saying baseball games were “purely state affairs.”
It’s nothing short of bizarre that our national pastime, which ostensibly embodies the all-American values of competition and fair play, remains the only business exempt from U.S. monopoly laws. That a single recreational activity deserves such special treatment—absent any economic reason except greed or convenience—should offend our sense of decency. Who gave a Kremlin in Milwaukee the power to decide whether San Jose could build a stadium with its own money for a baseball team?
Chavez Paid 2012 Political Campaign Staff With Santa Clara County Funds
Apr 10, 2013, by Dan Pulcrano Comments (26)
The county gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Working Partnerships USA, including more than $200,000 to expand anti-smoking ordinances and encourage union workers to take walks, eat vegetables and drink fruit juice. Much of the money went to pay salaries of union-allied political activists like Cindy Chavez and Ben Field, who were buying campaign volunteers pizza, pupusas and Subway sandwiches.
Is Ro Khanna the Valley’s Next Big Thing?
Mar 13, 2013, by Dan Pulcrano Comments (33)
Ro Khanna is profiled in this week’s issue of Metro Silicon Valley.
Is Ro Khanna the Next Big Thing in valley politics? The 36-year-old Yale-educated Wilson Sonsini lawyer now sits on one of the Bay Area’s largest political war chests. Khanna won’t say definitively whether he’ll run for Mike Honda’s congressional seat — only that he’s “considering where I can best serve and make an impact.” He doesn’t discourage speculation either and keeps a busy schedule meeting with people who could help him with a run. Khanna admits his interest in Honda’s seat is “not a secret,”
Peter Carter’s Legacy
Mar 09, 2013, by Dan Pulcrano Comments (1)
San Jose skyline by Peter S. Carter
This amazing composite skyline photograph of San Jose was created by Peter S. Carter, who died Wednesday night at the age of 70. A memorial service will be held for him at Santa Clara University’s Mission Church on April 6 at 11am. Peter was a founding investor of the media group that operates San Jose Inside. Carter’s work lives on in the header that comes up every time a sanjoseinside.com URL is displayed—more than 1 million times over the past 14 months.
Peter S. Carter, 1943-2013
Mar 07, 2013, by Dan Pulcrano Comments (7)
Peter S. Carter (February 20, 1943-March 7, 2013)
Influential local photographer and advertising executive Peter S. Carter died last night after a fall on the stairs of his Victorian home. A gifted strategist, he advised valley political and business leaders and operated a successful advertising agency for many years, reinventing himself as a photographer of social events as the industry changed.
George, Cindy & The Machine
Mar 06, 2013, by Dan Pulcrano Comments (11)
George Shirakawa, left, and his #1 backer, Cindy Chavez.
A political actor cannot go on a two-decade graft spree without an army of enablers. What we have here is a sophisticated political machine that pumps money through multiple sectors to support its own—and a coalition of economically interconnected special interests. The Machine tolerates and may even prefer personal weaknesses in a public office holder if the votes are reliable. This time, one individual got caught. Who else knew of, supported or benefited from his activities?
Environmentalists Retreat on Coyote Highlands Hillside Carve-up Plan
Feb 28, 2013, by Dan Pulcrano Politics Comments (0)
Coyote Highlands. Source: Google Maps
As communities around California tighten guidelines for ridgeline construction, local environmentalists appear ready to roll over for a large hillside development in unincorporated San Martin, south of San Jose. Not only are the tree huggers and bird lovers unwilling to mount an effort stop the hillside carve-up, a letter this morning suggests they are ready to throw in the towel if just four home sites are dropped from the subdivision plan. The 567-acre Coyote Highlands project goes before the County Planning Commission at its 1:30 p.m. meeting today. The proposed subdivision would add 25 homes to an area that is considered historically significant and environmentally sensitive, prone to such natural hazards as earthquakes and landslides. The properties contain watersheds and wetlands, and the new homes will be able to be seen from the valley floor. There’s been almost no public discussion of the Coyote Highlands plan by San Martin developer Collier Buffington.
Columnist Leigh Weimers Dies
Aug 30, 2012, by Dan Pulcrano Comments (8)
We’re sad to announce that Leigh Weimers has passed away at the age of 76. Warm and easygoing, Leigh was a much beloved figure in San Jose who wrote a column for the San Jose Mercury News for 47 years. Leigh went into the hospital a month ago for congestive heart failure and was scheduled for heart surgery this week.
Graniterock Sunday-punched
Aug 20, 2012, by Dan Pulcrano Politics, Business, Culture Comments (2)
Aromas plant operator Frank Gonzalez
Members of Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 showed up at 4pm Sunday to close the cement and asphalt plant at Graniterock’s A.R. Wilson Quarry. Aggregate Division Manager Jack Leemaster looked none too happy with the surprise when he drove up in a white pickup truck 45 minutes later. “My understanding is they had a pretty good sized order going out tonight,” said one plant worker, resting his placard’s pine stick on his shoulder. “Three hundred tons for night paving.” Twelve hours later, things would get worse for Graniterock. Before Monday crews punched in to start their weeks, picketers descended upon the company’s recycling plant at Monterey Highway and Capitol Expressway, at the sand and gravel facility in Hollister and at Graniterock operations in San Jose’s Berryessa district, Redwood City and South San Francisco.
Evidence Disappears in Mercury News Rack Theft Case
Aug 07, 2012, by Dan Pulcrano Business, Culture Comments (5)
This composite photo of two pictures taken Wednesday show two new Metro news racks in a San Jose Mercury News dumpster. The Mercury News now can’t produce the one on the right.
A key piece of evidence has disappeared in the Mercury News rack theft caper. At least one news rack in the Mercury’s possession vanished as the San Jose Police Department prepared to commence a criminal investigation into the daily’s dumping of its competitors’ racks. Mercury News executives offered no explanation for the disappearance—only that they had “triple checked” the yard.
About the Author
Dan Pulcrano founded Metro Newspapers 25 years ago, and serves as its executive editor. He is the founder and CEO of Boulevards New Media, Inc..
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