Down Highway 85, at the Summit Steakhouse, Teresa Alvarado’s roughly 50 guests had swamped the bar area and practically cleaned out steam trays of what looked like enchiladas.

Alvarado herself stood at the center of a crowd of people in the middle of the dimly lit room. “It’s going really good,” said Alvarado, as someone handed her a seltzer water. “We’ve done our best.”

We made it to the Gordon Biersch brewing facility on Taylor Street, where we parked alongside some beer pallets and wended our way through a labyrinth of bottling machinery to Sheriff Laurie Smith’s rooftop shindig.

The atmosphere was festive and the food top flight, so we washed down some penne and salad with a sturdy ale. San Jose Councilman Oliverio arrived seconds behind us and revealed that he was locked in a tight race for one of six seats on the Democratic Central Committee.

As 8pm rolled around at O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub on San Pedro Square, where the Sam Liccardo’s victory party was taking place, Tim Hennessey, Liccardo’s Republican opponent, walked by the crowded pub. The former Johnny V’s bouncer-turned-candidate approached Kyra Kazantzis, a local lawyer and Liccardo campaign volunteer, as she was strolling into the party.

“He asked me, ‘Is that Sam Liccardo’s party?’” she said. When she responded yes, “He said, ‘I’m Sam’s running mate, Tim Hennessey.’” He then bid adieu and walked away in his immaculate suit.

It is the City of San Jose’s process that City Manager Debra Figone puts forth a budget proposal in May. Then, after that is released, councilmembers make their budget proposals to Mayor Chuck Reed.

When the Councilmembers make written suggestions of their “budget wants,” they also need to include what funding source within the city will be affected (some written suggestions from councilmembers are done in collaboration with labor unions).

Then, the Mayor takes into consideration the City Manager’s budget proposal and the Councilmember’s suggestions, and comes up with a final budget. 

Of course, a mayor could put together their own budget without this input, but it is customary that the mayor takes other perspectives into consideration. 

“Values Fade In Face Of Budget Cuts.” So read the title of a recent column by the Mercury News’ Patty Fisher. “What do we value?” she asked, soon after Governor Schwarzenegger’s office released its revised budget outline replete with cuts to social programs.

“With a $19 billion gap to close, obviously the governor had tough choices to make.  But there was a pattern to his choices. He chose to eliminate welfare altogether and cut childcare for low-income families, in-home supportive services, Medi-Cal and mental health. Programs established to help the neediest among us: the poor, the sick, the elderly.”

At last April’s State Democratic convention in Los Angeles, the head of the powerful South Bay Labor Council, Cindy Chavez, called a face-to-face meeting with state Assemblymember Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles and labor leader Maria Elena Durazo. Chavez wanted to discuss de Leon’s fundraising activity for a San Jose City Council campaign.

De Leon had contributed $250 and helped bring in campaign funding for Magdalena Carrasco, his ex-wife, who was running against the SBLC-backed candidate for the District 5 council seat, Xavier Campos.

In an unannounced but unsurprising appearance before the Hall of Justice in San Jose today, Deputy District Attorney Jeff Rosen stood with Lauren Chief Elk to denounce what they said was a bad decision by the DA’s office not to test evidence recovered in the 2007 De Anza rape case.

Chief Elk was one of three female soccer players who reportedly pulled an intoxicated 17-year-old “Jane Doe” from a room at a party attended by members of the De Anza College baseball team, where she was allegedly being gang raped. They were joined today by other rape victims.

As you may know, I created a budget web survey which I shared with you on May 10. The survey was open to everyone and closed yesterday afternoon. More than 1,000 people participated with more than 400 written comments. Thank you for participating

Yes on Measure J: Bring the Super Bowl, etc., to Santa Clara. Yes on all the school bond measures, with one caveat. Yes on Measure K: A safe and sane sin tax.

Yes on Prop 13: a common-sense tax break for homeowners’ earthquake retrofits. No on Prop 14: a half-baked reform that does away with party primaries. Yes on Prop 15: a step toward publicly funded elections; No on Prop 16: constitutionally mandated monopoly for PG&E. No on Prop 17: a good deal for insurance companies, but not for many Californians.

It looks like the irrepressible Robert Cortese has picked a pet issue to back this election season: repealing San Jose’s fireworks ban. Two Tuesdays ago, the magnificently-coiffed karaoke king of San Jose-turned District 9 council candidate turned up at the San Jose City Council meeting. Sensing an infringement on every pyrotechnically inclined, red-blooded American’s right to handle gunpowder while partying, he pleaded for the council to change its ban on explosives. By the looks of his Facebook page, he’s also trying to drum up a grassroots effort to bring fireworks back to the city.

The 2009-2010 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury today released a 33-page report titled Cities Must Rein in Unsustainable Employee Costs that says, “Employee costs are escalating in the cities of Santa Clara County, revenues are not keeping pace with these increases and cities are cutting services.” The Grand Jury looked at rising wages, health insurance, pensions, and vacation, holiday, and sick leave and made recommendations to control costs.

Welcome to the City of Santa Clara where “Yes” means No, and “No” means yes.  That is, when it comes to the Measure J Campaign, the drive to build a football stadium for the 49ers. A posting on the website, Save Santa Clara.com, indicated that supporters of Measure J had gone to the trouble of registering several different domain names that might have been useful to the opposition.  Apparently, it’s true.

With the June election right around the corner, it seems overwhelming to be thinking about November’s election. Not so for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, who just this morning approved a measure for the November ballot designed to save the county’s Healthy Kids insurance program.

“That passes unanimously, and the campaign has begun,” said President Ken Yeager after the votes came in.

The measure will require two-thirds voter approval to pass a $29 parcel tax.

Dear President Obama,

I have read that you will be in San Francisco today to stump for Senator Barbara Boxer’s re-election at an evening reception at the Fairmont. In addition, on Wednesday you are touring Solyndra, a solar panel manufacturing facility in Fremont. I hope while you are here you somehow see this letter. As a 34 year public school educator and a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Education (elected on Nov. 4, 2008, like you), I am writing to you about the importace of including art and music education in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.