Art, Antiques, and Yu-Gi-Oh Cards Found in Break Room

Just days after councilwoman Nora Campos’ chief of staff turned herself in to authorities in connection with the disappearance of a briefcase, FBI agents made a routine inspection of all city hall offices and found several million dollars worth of stolen booty.

Most of the time we can forget the madcap antics of our legislature in Sacramento and just do our work, live our lives, and take care of our families.  Yet it is imperative that we always remember the importance of the actions that they take in our Capitol; once in a while they are absolutely devastating in the damage that they do to us.  Such is the case in their recent actions regarding sex offenders in our midst.

After serving as Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, Leon Panetta taught a course at Santa Clara University, his alma mater, about the White House.  In early 1999, I met with Panetta to get his advice on how to organize an executive level political operation since I was running a mayor’s office.  He told me something I never quite fully understood then:  he never used e-mail.

So I decided that instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself,  maybe I should come up with ideas for San Jose to make it better.  It seems that it doesn’t matter if you are living in a married or single hell-of-your-own-making, we all generally want the same thing: a cool, hip city that gives us plenty to do and to be proud of. And let’s face it, just thinking about a cool idea would give me a leg up on most people at City Hall.

Move Seen as First Step in Winning Back City Hall

Following the successful city council vote in Oakland limiting the amount of dogs allowed in a household, the San Jose City Council sent a strong signal on Tuesday night when they voted unanimously to limit the number of elected officials that individual lobbyists could own.

Once again our neighbor to the north has an intriguing proposal by the mayor of San Francisco. Stealing a march on San Jose, the true epicenter of innovation, Gavin Newsom has positioned this new program as a way to offer universal and affordable broadband Internet access to the city’s residents and businesses.  Google has responded in a big way, promising free wireless Internet service. The Mountain View company has a pile of cash and is thirsting to make a big impact.  This is important because it is unique and ground breaking.

Observant San Jose Inside readers, of which there are legions, will have noticed that we link to a variety of other websites. (link)  For those of you who haven’t observed this, do not be ashamed.  Not even our duly elected leaders catch all the details all the time, like the fine print in garbage contracts or signs at press conferences.

Ok, well, yes, dammit!  I am single.  I am SINGLE.  It’s bad enough that I have to answer the question of “how is your love life?”  500 times at family functions.  Or that I always give the same answer, “Non-existent, thank you.”  I don’t tell you this so you can feel sorry for me, but I tell you this because I hope that I can bring you a little bit closer to the sheer hell that is being a single gal in the city, in our city.

Move Necessary to Offset Spike in Gas Prices Decimating City Budget

One of the lesser casualties of hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been the spike in fuel prices that have decimated municipal budgets due to city supplied cars and gas allowances, prompting the federal government to move in and implement President Bush’s plan for oil exploration in the Alviso Slough.

I know a few things about mistakes. I have made my share of them, sometimes before rather large audiences.  In the last two weeks I have noted two doozies that deserve to be nominated on this year’s list.

Welcome to banned book week.  To celebrate, I’m going to do something covert and read a Harry Potter book.  Yes, the popular book series is on the lists of 100 most frequently banned or challenged books. (link)

Turmoil on Immigration Forum

The off-again-on-again forum on immigration and enforcement at the Mexican Heritage Plaza is now on again.  That’s good.

Picking the best movies lines of all time is a challenge similar to picking your favorite quote from a San Jose mayor.  Well, okay, it’s not exactly like that.  Alright, it’s not like that at all. 

Councilman Wanders Aimlessly Around City Hall Plaza Encouraging Visitors to Kick His Ass

In a rare show of solidarity, and just moments after a heated debate over the mayor’s official grand jury response regarding Garbagegate, the council voted overwhelmingly to place a “Kick Me” sign on Councilman Forrest Williams for his refusal to abandon the Titanic of local government that is Mayor Gonzales’ administration.

The actions of the City Council are moving from mysterious to indecipherable.  A majority refused to send the Ron Gonzales-backed response on the garbage scandal to the Grand Jury; they opted to wait.  This is, of course, the Council who according to the Grand Jury report of early summer was “duped” by Gonzales while he made a side agreement with Norcal, the garbage service provider.  Cindy Chavez, Judy Chirco and Nancy Pyle joined the early critics Dave Cortese, Chuck Reed and Linda Lezotte in refusing to rubber stamp the document authored by Gonzales with the city’s Manager and Attorney. Also, the ethically tardy Ken Yeager has refused to sign on to the report while telling confidants that he is fearful of the Gonzales’ reaction to his late blossoming of concern on this issue.  Of such stuff is San Jose’s “Profiles in Courage” made.

Mayors can’t hide, especially when there’s a crisis.  New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin may not emerge from Katrina’s wake on a first name basis with America, ala Rudy.  But he did the best with what he had – mostly his mouth.