Cupertino is a very small city that borders San Jose on the western edge of its larger neighbor. It is an elite community that prides itself on its excellent schools, ethnic diversity and its agrarian heritage. Its biggest claim to fame remains that it is the corporate headquarters to the wealthiest company in the world, Apple.

Oakland A’s co-owner Lew Wolff wants to get a stadium built in San Jose, and he’s ready to purchase land in an effort to force MLB Commissioner Bud Selig’s hand in deciding if the team can relocate. On Tuesday, the City Council is meeting in closed session to discuss the sale of six properties to Wolff. A deal with Wolff would only make up half of the 14 acres needed for the stadium’s construction.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is out to protect the public from the “evil” purveyors of cannabis in his city. This is a losing battle. The majority of the people know prohibition is a failure. Reed’s attempt to shut down these healthcare advocates who provide medicine to their patients through an onerous and unworkable regulation scheme is about to see a huge backlash from the public.  A referendum is currently on the street that will challenge both the leader and his professed solution.

At the Rules Committee last week, we voted 4-0 not to pursue an audit of the incubator program that was started in 1994. Instead, we decided to stay with the current work plan that includes an audit of the Environmental Services Department. The fact is there was a shared belief by the entire San Jose City Council past and present, up until recently, that incubators were a worthwhile investment.

San Jose’s incubator program will not be audited as Councilmember Sam Liccardo was hoping, meaning questions about how millions of dollars were spent, or misspent, will likely go unanswered. The Rules and Open Government Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to dismiss Liccardo’s request that city staff look into the business start-up programs that were funded by the Redevelopment Agency and continue to be managed by San Jose State University’s Research Foundation.

Almost three years since a special committee was formed by Major League Baseball to figure out the best place for the Oakland A’s to play, San Jose continues to wait for a report to be released on whether or not the team should relocate here. But that could change in the coming weeks.

Tuesday’s City Council meeting wasn’t the final nail in the coffin for San Jose’s thriving medical marijuana industry. But the council’s decision to implement a land use and regulatory program starting Oct. 27 will be a major step toward a cap of 10 collectives within city limits. Collective supporters are now working to gather signatures to put together a referendum that would repeal the ordinances.

San Jose’s city council established guidelines Tuesday for the city’s medical marijuana regulatory program. As expected, the council stuck to many of its earlier ideas—a cap of 10 collectives, on-site cultivation of cannabis only and strict zoning regulations—and will move toward finalizing its decision at a Sept. 27 session. The city’s program would then go into effect a month later.

The hot topic at Tuesday’s City Council meeting will be medical marijuana, and a soon-to-be administered regulatory program that has critics on all sides. While the Planning Commission has recommended a more lax approach to the council’s direction, the city’s administration appears unwilling to budge.

Hewlett Packard CEO Leo Apotheker’s move to exit the consumer computer business could bring more bad news for San Jose’s budget. The Palo Alto computing colossus currently pays San Jose and the arena’s management firm $3.25 million annually to hang its sign at the HP Pavilion’s entrance. Of that amount, $1.25 million goes directly into the city’s general fund. But with the agreement set to expire at the end of 2015, and HP’s plan to spin off its line of PCs—like the “Pavilion” models—the Shark Tank’s proper name seems unlikely to stick.

This week, as scripted by federal law, most of us enjoyed a national holiday lobbied for by the labor movement in the late 19th century. The intention of labor leaders was to create a commemorative day where the average American worker was recognized for their contributions to the nation and its people. But too many Labor Day celebrations on Monday were without the flourish and pomp paid to labor that I grew up with many decades ago.

In an effort to keep readers better informed about and involved with community issues, San Jose Inside is unveiling several new features in the coming weeks. Our Q&A series allows readers to become reporters and ask questions. If you’ve ever wondered why a certain question wasn’t posed, this will be your opportunity to step forward and ask. This week, Santa Clara Valley Water District CEO Beau Goldie has agreed to answer your questions.

The local bail bond industry has taken aim at a county program that lets people get out of jail for free.  A group calling itself California Coalition for Pretrial Accountability is now building a war chest and “intends to lobby key decision makers” to eliminate the “Own Recognizance Release Program” (ORP) and other pre-trial services.

Rising costs and complaints have cast a cloud over one of the city’s favorite events, Music in the Park. The San Jose Downtown Association will decide this fall if this should be the 23rd and final year of the free summer concert series.

The City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday to determine if the city should conduct an audit of the San Jose Redevelopment Agency’s incubator programs. As San Jose Inside first reported, a study buried for two years shows the RDA spent more than $30 million on start-up companies that often provided a poor return on investment.

Faced with its 11th straight year of a budget shortfall, the city of San Jose is considering selling off and/or converting land used by public golf courses to prevent further cuts to libraries and community centers come next summer. Mayor Chuck Reed and other city officials will be holding the first of several community meetings at 6pm Wednesday at the Mayfair Community Center.