If there is one word to describe the theme of this year’s San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, it has to be “connectivity,” and not just because the festival has landed T-Mobile as its title sponsor. At this week’s press conference for the lead-up to the festival that takes place Sept. 20-27, the word “connection” and its derivatives were uttered multiple times by all three participants: festival CEO Marcela Davison Aviles, artistic director Linda Ronstadt and headline performer for the Sept. 25 concert, Joan Baez.

If it wasn’t for Ted Kennedy, I’d probably be unemployed now. You see, when I was in college I wanted to be a journalist. Unfortunately and tragically, that’s not a place these days for those looking for job security. Like a scene from Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, I can see my guardian angel pointing to a cubicle in some half-filled newsroom as the place I would have toiled if Kennedy had never lived.

“Recession cranks up pressure on white men.”  So reads the subhead of a front page piece that appeared in the Aug. 23 edition of the Mercury News. According to Bay Area News Group reporters Mike Swift and Josh Richman, there seems to be something brewing in our nation’s “troubled soul.”

“Many say the tempest over health care has its origin in the new administration’s breathtaking pace of change.” Who are these “many?” The article doesn’t really say.

I am endorsing former Franklin-McKinley Superintendent Larry Aceves for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. I will explain my reasons later.

Max Rafferty, Wilson Riles, Bill Honig and Delaine Eastin have all served as California’s Superintendents of Public Instruction. Jack O’Connell is in the last 15 months of his reign as the current office holder. All were influential leaders in my career as a teacher and principal.

Very few people ever get to be called “champion.” Few deserve the label. A champion is one who lifts up others. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who passed away on Aug.11, was a champion. Here are a few comments and passages from those who sang her praises at the various memorial services.

One of the most important responsibilities a councilmember has is working on constituent issues. So far, my office has managed 4,675 constituent issues, which I refer to as “cases.” I set up a web database that allows constituents to track our case work in real time online. In most cases we are successful in resolving the issue or concern. In other cases, constituents just want to share their comments on a particular matter.

Recently, I had a request that came from a constituent who is a professional in the commercial real estate industry and is a veteran at purchasing property.

This is SJI’s weekly open forum, where you set the agenda. What’s on your mind?

San Jose Inside is now equipped with a “tagging” feature that will make it easier to keep track of people and subjects. We have also upgraded the server software to allow for “threaded” or “nested” comments, making it possible to reply directly to a comment. As a result, it will no longer necessary to begin a post with “#7 Kathleen” or “#4 JMO” (a clever work-around invented by the SJI community).

BBC News North American Editor Justin Webb is returning to England after a seven year assignment in the United States.  Webb shared his feelings about America in an article posted on the BBC News website.  His thoughts paint a picture of America from the outside looking in, and convey a sense of respect and admiration for our country that is seldom heard.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has surprisingly reached my desk, in the form of $3.14 million of new revenue to the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE). These funds are one-time only and must be used within 18 months or be returned to the Federal government.

At last Wednesday’s Board meeting, I and my fellow SCCOE trustees were asked to approve a revision of the FY2009-10 budget to incorporate these new funds into our previously approved budget. I voted “aye” reluctantly, with an admonition to County Superintendent Weis and staff that every public dollar is spent wisely with strong accountability measures. It is also our obligation that we make certain that the ARRA funds help stimulate the local economy.

Anyone who’s watched an open meeting of City Council will have seen council members fiddle with their iPhones and Blackberries to check their latest emails or text messages. Councilmember Sam Liccardo now argues that those messages should be disclosed to the public as part of the city’s policy on open governance.

“Council meetings are open to the public for a reason,” Liccardo says, “and if we’re voting on a matter and outside groups are using private means to communicate with us about how we should or shouldn’t vote, the public ought to know what’s being said and who’s saying it.”

The 20th San Jose Jazz Festival was a shining success—for itself, and also for Downtown San Jose. The festival showcased straight-up jazz, Latin jazz, blues, and Brazilian music, at outdoor stages scattered throughout the Downtown. Many of the Downtown hotels were filled with visitors, which means money for the City of San Jose in the form of transit occupancy tax (TOT). Forty percent of this tax goes to the general fund, and the balance is split between the convention center, cultural facilities, cultural grants and arts groups.

As the sun came up revealing all the burned out people and campfires, Jefferson Airplane played Wooden Ships. A serape-skirted woman with long blond hair played the flute in the campsite next to ours. The sun rose and everyone collectively woke up. The Hog Farm was spread out on the knoll above us serving a breakfast of brown rice and vegetables. We were all exhausted but it wasn’t that different than any other camping trip we’d gone on. Just a whole lot more people and a lot better music.

Well we’re a day late and a dollar short. The weather’s too nice here in sunny San Jose to stay inside and post, so we recommend you get out and enjoy the sunshine. Take a walk, ride a bike, hike a mountain, visit a park or head to the beach. If there’s anything on your mind on any subject that you’d like to share with fellow San Joseans, though, please share it here.

Lost in the ongoing debate for a national health care system are questions of personal responsibility. If we as a nation accept and require that everyone should receive health care services, shouldn’t there be some minimal standards of responsibility to help the program along?

The son of a former tennis partner of mine called and left a frantic message on my phone last week. I called him back the next morning to find out what he wanted. Like so many others before him he was trying to get my relatively informed advice about where to put his child in school. He recently moved into the San Jose Unified District.

Of course, I understood the urgency in his voice. This is one of the most important decisions a parent can make. Most times the decision is made due to geographic boundaries solely, and the parents have little voice. He asked if I knew any tricks of the trade to get his son into a school that’s not in his immediate area.