Tag: Dave Cortese

County Supervisor Joe Simitian Opposes Open Calendars, Continues Fundraising

May 29, 2013, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (9)

Joe Simitian has continued to raise tens of thousands of dollars through his officeholder account since winning back a county supervisor seat last year.

Joe Simitian takes exception with the notion that he isn’t transparent. On Tuesday, the recidivist county supervisor waxed pedantic, crashing the Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting to argue that the county could get sunburned by a new policy of publishing county officials’ calendars. But could this all have something to do with Simitian’s perpetual fundraising?

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Vietnamese Group Takes Issue with Mercury News Report, Madison Nguyen Quote

May 10, 2013, by Josh Koehn Politics, Culture, Media Comments (2)

San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen was surprised to learn a local Vietnamese group had a problem with a comment she made to the local daily newspaper.

An assortment of local politicians and community members gathered in the City Hall rotunda late last month to pay their respects at the 38th “Black April,” a ceremony to honor and remember the Vietnamese diaspora and fall of Saigon. By most respects, it was a solemn occasion that showed respect and solidarity. And then the Mercury News had to go and ruin everything.

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Supervisor Ken Yeager Snubs Mayor Chuck Reed over Marriage Equality

Apr 25, 2013, by Josh Koehn Politics, Culture Comments (16)

County Board of Supervisors President Ken Yeager declined to meet with his former council colleague, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, due to the latter’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

Ever since Chuck Reed was elected mayor of San Jose in 2006, he has held quarterly meetings with the president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The goal of these meetings is to allow city and county officials to discuss legal disputes without lawyers present. But that all changed last week, when current Board president Ken Yeager snubbed Reed’s request for a meeting.

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Guadalupe Trail is a Giant Step Forward

Apr 25, 2013, by James P. Reber Politics, Business, Culture Comments (8)

This landmark marks the newly established Guadalupe River Trail, which now connects downtown to North San Jose.

Last Saturday, a modest group of runners, bicyclists and community leaders gathered on a trail near San Jose’s airport for a quietly auspicious occasion—the completion of the Guadalupe River Trail from San Jose to Alviso.

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Constant, Campos Defend McDonald’s

Apr 15, 2013, by Jennifer Wadsworth Politics, Business, Culture Comments (11)

Some residents in San Jose’s District 1 say the addition of a McDonald’s could hurt the neighborhood. (Photo by NNECAPA, via Flickr)

McDonald’s doesn’t make you fat or cause ridiculous amounts of traffic, Pete Constant want people to know. Constant and fellow councilman Xavier Campos signed a memo Friday arguing that a proposed McDonald’s in Constant’s district should be approved on appeal.

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County Investigates Finance Officials; Supervisors Watch Smith’s Response

Apr 08, 2013, by Josh Koehn Politics, Culture Comments (4)

County CFO Vinod Sharma, left, and Controller-Treasurer Irene Lui face close scrutiny after they reportedly ignored audits while former county Supervisor George Shirakawa misused public funds.

County Executive Jeff Smith admitted Friday that significant “culture problems” exist within the county and an internal investigation has been launched into finance officials who may have covered up their role in facilitating crimes committed by former county Supervisor George Shirakawa Jr. Meanwhile, Supervisor Dave Cortese told San Jose Inside that the Board is keeping close tabs on Smith’s “response and accountability.”

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