San Jose Police were called to the headquarters of the San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday afternoon after an independent distribution firm discovered its news racks — along with those of other local publications — in a metal recycling dumpster behind the daily’s plant. News outlets whose news racks were found in the garbage container included Metro, the Palo Alto Daily Post, the Mountain View Voice, Good Times, La Oferta, the San Francisco Chronicle and other publications.

In honor of Independence Day, we want readers to break free from their cyber shackles and light something on fire that seconds later shoots in the air and explodes without hurting anyone or setting fire to other things. We’ll be back Thursday. Until then, here’s a guide of local festivities for the 4th of July, including the San Jose Giants shooting off some fireworks, Santana Row hosting a barbecue and Camera 3 theater showing a campy movie. Get some.

We tried to do a Q&A with Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone back in late March. That didn’t happen, but it wasn’t Stone’s fault—there weren’t enough questions at the time. But here we are, three months later, and we’ve got the tax man’s answers to a couple submitted questions, relayed in a telephone conversation, as well as his thoughts on the fight between the county and Redevelopment Agencies, the odds the Oakland A’s will relocate to San Jose and how he views the local housing market five years after the subprime mortgage crisis.

The last City Council meeting of the fiscal year Tuesday will feature a loaded agenda. Last week, the council unanimously approved next year’s budget, moved past its stalemate on lower benefits for new employees to approve a second tier, and paved the way for paid time off for many city contractors. Here are some of the critical items up for the last meeting of 2011-12.

Robert Braunstein and Johnny Khamis will face off against each other for San Jose’s District 10 council seat in November. Khamis pulled an upset over Edesa Bitbadal and won the second spot to run off against frontrunner Robert Braunstein. Bitbadal was a City Hall insider who had been endorsed by former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and City Councilmember Ash Kalra. Braunstein, a television sports personality, had the support of former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery and has aligned himself with Mayor Chuck Reed’s pension reform programs.

Incumbent Kansen Chu won 54 percent of the vote in District 4. Despite a strong challenger in Tam Truong, Chu’s victory means he won’t have to go to a November runoff.

For some, today will be the end of a campaign. For others, today’s election will merely serve as a prelude to a bigger battle. Five City Council seats—the even numbered districts—are up for grabs. We won’t waste time breaking down each of the candidates; you already know where everyone stands. This is an opportunity to play soothsayer on which candidates will wake up Wednesday morning with a smile, knowing their political future still shines bright.

Mayor Chuck Reed’s efforts to curb city employee retirement benefits will be his legacy, and despite some reservations with his clumsy bedside manner as well as Measure B’s wording on disability qualifiers for public safety officials, the “pension modification” measure should be approved by voters. Measure B is the best bet to start restoring vital city services that have been cut.

District 4 incumbent Kansen Chu has been a mostly ineffective member of the City Council. It’s time to give someone else a chance.

Robert Braunstein would bring real-world experience to the San Jose City Council District 10 seat, which we think is important because that provides a reality check to an ingrown political culture. City Hall needs an outsider’s perspective to pry loose from the current malaise.

Update: The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to send a minimum wage proposal to voters after it failed to be adopted by San Jose City Council Tuesday night. The motion to immediately adopt a higher minimum wage than surrounding cities failed on an 8-3 vote. The proposal will raise the minimum hourly wage in San Jose from $8 to $10, if passed by voters.

The surprise hit was launched recently, with mailers attacking Herrera’s ethics, character and integrity. Problem is, the accusations all relate to two decade-old personal and business matters that have nothing to do with her record and performance as a public officeholder. Voters elected Herrera with knowledge of her failed and tangled business affairs, so that’s water under the bridge.

San Jose-bred Pierluigi Oliverio works tirelessly for his constituents and is fully immersed in his district’s business. While sometimes too idealistic for his own good, his independence and intelligence make him a strong asset on the dais. Willing to speak his mind even when it has a political cost is rare in local politics, where compromise and backscratching can sometimes lead to lowest common denominator policy making.

U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren led the effort to create the Department of Corrections when she was a county supervisor in 1988. The move took the jails away from a sheriff who didn’t manage his budget well and saved the county millions by replacing expensive sworn sheriff’s deputies with correctional officers. Two years ago, the County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to return to greater oversight by the office of Sheriff Laurie Smith. She’s better at managing a budget and the move eliminated redundant management overhead. An influx in inmates created greater security threats as well, requiring trained law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, the cost-saving measure—estimated at $5 million already by County Executive Jeff Smith—might not have been legal, according to a lawsuit filed by San Jose attorney James McManis. A “yes” vote on Measure A is the equivalent of approving something everyone already agreed is a good idea.