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.

The City Council will meet Tuesday to discuss a variety of topics relating to Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. Included in items to be discussed are: an advertising concession agreement with Clear Channel, Inc.; leasing space agreements with airlines; public transit for the airport; and development of land west of the airport.

Councilmember Sam Liccardo submitted a memo late Thursday calling for an audit of four incubator programs funded by the San Jose Redevelopment Agency. The request responds to a 2009 study—unseen by most city officials for two years—which finds that RDA spent more than $30 million on business-building incubator programs which, it says, showed very poor returns on investment.

Redevelopment agencies in California will have their day in court, and a decision on whether or not the 398 active entities will be allowed to continue operations will reportedly be made by January.