Every once in a while it is critical to step back from the sound and fury of the day to day happenings and take stock of who we are and where we live. I have read a great deal this week, but mostly fiction and, of course, Sanjoseinside. Pass the straight line because the two are definitely different.

I will participate in a Commonwealth Club panel discussion tonight about the blogosphere.  I need your help.  Anyone with an intelligent comment to today’s blog, gets a free ticket to the discussion.  My blogging colleagues at San Jose Inside are not eligible. The “intelligent comment” standard would eliminate each one of us anyway.

Spring Training Trip Finally Off the Front Page

The news that San Jose had lost out on the $3 billion stem-cell research center came with a nonchalant shrug from the mayor who said, “At least you’re not talking about that damn Cactus League trip again.”

We really should not be disappointed in what our City Council does anymore on the ethics issue.  But Ken Yeager does continue to discourage me.

If you really want to know about the history of something, you can look it up.  But most people don’t.  That’s why having people around who provide institutional memory is critical, especially for the paper of record in our town – The Mercury News.

Noise Problem Solved They Declare

Angry airport neighbors, up all night listening to America West planes land, were awakened early this morning by a knock on their door from FAA agents delivering the popular Apple iPod MP3 player and an apology.

While on the subject of City Hall and its relative architectural merit, it might be nice to reflect on the exposition of history –  how we show it in San Jose. 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I’ll be way over the limit for what’s considered good blog length (250-300 words) with this posting.  But since I spent the last three days in bed with a fever, this is the best I can do for this week—probably just as well since pictures are better than words when it comes to architectural discussions. 

George Bernard Shaw once was asked if he liked the bagpipes. Shaw, hesitated for a moment and then responded that the bagpipes were a horribly difficult instrument to play – it’s a pity that it’s not totally impossible! You might think that discussing the ethics of San Jose City Hall is not just difficult to discuss – but, well, it’s nearly impossible. Let’s look at recent history.

Running of the Supervisors to Replace Defunct Car Race

Organizers of this summer’s downtown San Jose Grand Prix have alienated a supportive San Jose community by canceling the much-anticipated Champ Car race, citing “inflated gas prices.”  A stunned city council has wasted no time though in replacing the race with a unique event combining Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls and the county’s wellness program.

Easter time is always a wonderful season to think about the future and develop new solutions for old problems.  It is also a time to make resolutions and redouble our efforts to do better – a time of rededication and renewal.

When you work at a high level in City Hall you get offered lots of freebies:  game tickets, use of vacation homes, and discounts on expensive birthday gift items.  If you accept something, you have to declare it on an official report.  Then it looks like a bribe, intended or not.  Or you could simply take it and hope that the DA’s office never finds out.  This is a risky move.  (See councilman, former:  Gregory, Terry).  That’s why my personal rule was to politely decline or pay for gifts.  I was good about doing this during my two year’s in the mayor’s office—with one exception.

Calls Vossbrink “Shitty Proofreader” in Staff Meeting Meltdown

The Gonzales era, which in the past few months has been rocked by ethics challenges, scandals, firings, and misspellings and bad grammar, suffered yet another setback after the Mayor threw a major “hissy fit” during a routine staff meeting, reported a source close to city hall.

“Every time I try to get out they pull me back in.”  So said Al Pacino playing the aging Michael Corleone while chewing all the scenery he could reach in Godfather Part III.

Move over, Al.

I was excited when I heard that Mayor Ron Gonzales was headed to Spring Training to make his case to Major League Baseball this weekend that San Jose is a major league city.  Then, I went to his website and … gulp … saw the photos.

Some Attendees Literally Bored To Death

In an effort to save hundreds of South Bay lives, the County Supervisors voted unanimously to spend $569,000 to install safety padding in the Supervisors’ Chambers.