Semi-annual campaign disclosure documents show that San Jose Councilmember Kansen Chu spent a total of $123,786.19 for his District 4 primary race against San Jose police detective Tam Truong. Chu won the race with more than 54 percent of the vote. But a closer look at Chu’s expenditures show the councilmember had an unusual amount of dining entires in the final weeks of his campaign.

And we’re back! The Rules Committee gets to business Wednesday after a six-week layoff, and among the items on the docket are the city clerk’s library initiative gaffe, a push for less transparency regarding election swag, a review of public officials’ calendars and a City Hall gadfly offering his services to lead a department.

The San Jose Police Officers Association, with help from the Victim Assistance Fund, started a foundation this week to help support three children who witnessed the double homicide of their parents. Marybel Jimenez, 27, and Pedro Jimenez, 28, were killed earlier this week at their North Seventh Street home. Neighbors heard the shots and came running to find the three children, ages 8, 7 and 4. Members of the public wishing to make a donation may do so online at the POA’s website.

It was such an honor to be named a White House Champion of Change on July 12 for my work with homeless children and youth. After working with runaway and homeless youth for 40 years, 29 years of which have been in Santa Clara County, it is great to have such recognition. I’m now working on ways to use this honor to further the work in our area to end youth and family homelessness by 2020.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors took the month of July off from work as usual, but some discreet construction has been occurring behind closed doors. As part of a $900,000 project approved in closed session in October 2011, a panic room is being installed in the Board chambers.

On Monday, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced that more than 60 people in Santa Clara County have been sentenced to too harsh of sentences under the Three Strikes law, and his office intends to scale back punishments or even free some of these individuals.

August is on the horizon, which means the local political landscape is about to heat up. Campaigns will kick back into gear, ballot initiatives will pit voters against their more indulgent neighbors, and a couple of the more intriguing local elected officials will call it quits.

I don’t necessarily agree that an individual city could ever build enough housing for the homeless or extremely low income housing, as more individuals would come. However, there may be a more cost-effective solution for a portion of the homeless population that could also help reunite families.

UPDATE: San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore conducted a public hearing Monday morning at CityHall, but no immediate approval was given to Casino M8trix’s permit request. The casino will be allowed to open once it meets the conditions set forth by administrator Richard Teng, of the SJPD Division of Gaming Control. Casino operators were given the opportunity to speak at the hearing but declined.

Richard Teng, the San Jose Police Department’s administrator for the Division of Gaming Control, gave a new glimpse into the fight between Casino M8trix and the police Friday, when he sent out a memo recommending that Casino M8trix be allowed to open its doors if eight recommendations are met. Police Chief Chris Moore will hold a permit hearing at 10am Monday at City Hall to consider Teng’s report and decide if Casino M8trix can open.

Dave Hodges operates A2C2 medical marijuana collective in San Jose. He wrote this column for San Jose Inside.—Editor

Harborside collectives in San Jose and Oakland were recently ordered to shut down by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag. Many have called Harborside a model for other medical marijuana collectives. To help everyone better understand what the complex California law states, I want to provide some direct quotes and key information.

U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag’s war on medical marijuana is a violation of current federal Department of Justice policy, an embarrassment to the President of the United States and is, literally, threatening the health and safety of our community. She should be removed from her post, immediately.

Thomas Kinkade, the “Painter of Light,” resided in his mansion in Monte Sereno until his untimely death at the age of 54 due to an accidental overdose of alcohol and valium on Good Friday, April 6, 2012. His estranged wife of 30 years, Nanette Kinkade, and their four children would normally be the rightful heirs to Mr. Kinkade’s estimated $66 million fortune. But Mrs. Kinkade filed for divorce two years before he died, and, for the last 18 months of his life, Mr. Kinkade was in a relationship with a young woman, Amy Pinto-Walsh.

It could be an expensive road ahead for Bay Area drivers—literally. Transportation planners are throwing around the idea to make the Bay Area the first place in the country to tax drivers for every mile they travel, with an average bill of up to $1,300 per year. The scheme would require installing GPS-like trackers on everyone’s car to keep track of how far they travel, which sounds a little fishy on its own.

Remember state Sen. Joe Simitian’s annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest? Well, here’s a new law, signed last Friday, that oughta been on that list. Thanks to Assembly Bill 2078 it will now be illegal for a police officer to have sex with detainees.

As a councilmember, I interact with many different people on a regular basis and have a chance to observe the different stages of life. One day I might meet a newly engaged couple and, behold, they are married with kids who attend the local elementary school. Or it could be a young family and the next thing I know I am shaking their son or daughter’s hand at a high school graduation ceremony.

Silicon Valley is home to tech behemoths such as Google, Adobe, Facebook, and HP. Being one of the biggest business hubs in the world, Silicon Valley has also become a fundraising battleground for President Obama and his likely opponent in November, Mitt Romney.