The Incredible Shrinking State of the City

Feb 01, 2006, by Tom McEnery Comments (39)

The mayor’s annual State of the City speech just seems to get smaller and smaller. Where will it stop? When I moved from the old Parkside Hall to the new Fairmont in 1989—for what I hoped was a new, new State-of-the-City era—I thought it was going to be a great day; and it was, for a bit. After the Unity Breakfast, as we used to call it, the fire marshal—in a fit of pique—cited the event for overcrowding; not quite the ending I had hoped for. (The citation inspired a few negative articles and cartoons, including one depicting a dog with my head on it urinating on a fire hydrant labeled “FIRE CODE.”) 

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Single Gal and Engagement Parties

Jan 31, 2006, by Single Gal Comments (19)

This weekend I had the distinct pleasure of celebrating not one, but two engagements over appetizers and wine.  There was lots of talk of weddings and babies, but—best of all—the parties were great for seeing old friends and reminiscing, which is right up the Single Gal’s alley.  I spent the earlier part of the evening in a gorgeous house in Willow Glen with civilized people and cosmos, while the second half of the evening was spent in a cute condo in Los Gatos having nice glasses of wine. (Don’t worry—Single Gal wasn’t over her legal limit when driving.)

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Beer Making in San Jose - Part One

Jan 30, 2006, by Leonard McKay Comments (11)

Old Joe’s Steam Beer— “It’s pure that’s sure!”  Have you ever heard of this beer or this slogan?

Joe Hartman was a 49er who came to California in 1852 from Germany to make his fortune finding gold nuggets. That didn’t work out as only one in five of the gold seekers ever made expenses.  So Joe came to San Jose and, in 1853, started the Eagle Brewery in a shack on South Market Street.  Joe made steam beer—a brewing process that takes only a month rather than the four months that lager beer requires.  Joe had a good delivery system; if a saloon needed a keg of beer, Joe put the keg in his wheelbarrow and delivered it himself.  But his personal delivery service didn’t last long as there was tremendous demand for his product and the brewery expanded rapidly. 

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Supervisor Kniss Cited For Freaking

Jan 27, 2006, by John McEnery IV Comments (12)

Must Spend Weekend in Detention

During a charity fundraiser at Palo Alto High School on Saturday night, Supervisor Liz Kniss took to the dance floor with her husband and starting “freaking” to the horror of school officials and anyone within sight of the spectacle.

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Sharks Can Reach the Promised Land

Jan 26, 2006, by Randy Hahn Comments (20)

Just before the hockey season started in September, I appeared on a televised “NHL Preview” show and boldly predicted that the Ottawa Senators would meet the San Jose Sharks in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. Now that we’re a little past the halfway point of the schedule, lets see how I’m doing. 

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The Right Decision

Jan 25, 2006, by Tom McEnery Comments (22)

The city council has an opportunity to make the right decision and appoint Les White interim city manager. He is a man of integrity and competence, and he has served the city well in the past.  Although their options may be limited, choosing White would be a smart and very popular move by the council. 

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