San Jose’s City Council will return to session Tuesday and discuss banning polystyrene food containers in the future, development of the west side of San Jose’s airport, construction of a new street for the BART line coming to Berryessa and terminating the mayor and council’s CalPERS contract.

San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore insists he has no plans to retire. To prove the point, Moore supplied San Jose Inside with the total number of sick leave hours he has accumulated during his career with SJPD. According to Moore, the total as of Wednesday is 1,752.4 hours. The chief estimates that if he were to retire, the city would have to buy out his sick leave at a cost of $165,000-170,000, or “somewhere in that ballpark.”

The San Jose Police Department’s ink-stained nemesis has gone native and joined the apparatus that puts people behind bars rather than hold the system accountable. That’s right, reporter Sean Webby is leaving the Mercury News to become a media coordinator for District Attorney Jeff Rosen.

I watched football this past weekend with the intent of writing my weekly SJI column on the lessons the NFL divisional playoffs can give us about improving public education. Fortunately, I was up close and personal for the historic victory at “The Stick,” watching the 49ers beat the Saints on Saturday with my son, Zack, as a gift for his 30th birthday.

Last week I attended a disturbing meeting. Not a City Council meeting or a committee meeting but rather a meeting with law enforcement on child pornography. I did not know what to expect. The Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (SVICAC) is responsible for investigating cases of web-facilitated child pornography and cases of child sexual exploitation or abuse that results from contact over the Internet. There is a small team that works in this capacity that presented at the meeting. A San Jose Police Department officer gave a very informative presentation, and the seriousness of the content was striking.

UPDATE: San Jose Inside has selected reader questions and sent them to DA Jeff Rosen. Thanks to all who participated.
This week, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen has agreed to answer questions from San Jose Inside readers. He is the fifth public official to participate in this series. Questions are selected from online posts to this site.

The 2012 election season is in full swing, but that isn’t stopping some members of the media from looking two years down the line at San Jose’s 2014 mayoral race. A recent Mercury News article details the complex and sometimes turbulent relationship between Mayor Chuck Reed and Dave Cortese, San Jose’s former vice mayor and a current county supervisor. The best part of the story comes near the end, when both men diagnose each other’s political swagger.

High-speed rail looks like it’s on the fast track to nowhere as more people speak out against the project, while the BART system received some excellent news earlier this week. The Federal Transit Administration sent word earlier this week to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority that $900 million in federal funding has been recommended for approval. Construction crews could break ground as soon as this spring on a 10-mile extension that would take trains into the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose.

President Obama, here’s some free advice on how you can be re-elected. We have created 50 State Strategy, a Federal Super Political Action Committee designed to recapture the many people your advisors have lost over the past four year because of their lousy advice.

People within the San Jose Police Department are keeping close tabs on Chris Moore, as an important milestone approaches for the police chief. At the end of January, 12 months will have passed since Moore was officially named the San Jose’s top cop by City Manager Debra Figone. The year mark means that Moore’s retirement pay and sick-time buyout can be cashed out at the highest possible levels when he decides to call it quits. According to police spokesman Jason Dwyer, that won’t be any time soon and definitely not this year.

Some residents in San Jose were surprised to receive a holiday card last month from Steve Kline, who is running for a City Council seat in District 6 against incumbent Pierluigi Oliverio. Kline says the card was nothing more than him and his husband wishing a happy holidays to a few of their close friends and neighbors. How many friends and neighbors? Oh, Kline’s ballpark figure is about ... 1,000.

In my life, I have been inspired by bold and courageous individuals who worked tirelessly to give of themselves for the greater good of all people, especially those who are most needy. This region seems to have more than its fair share. Last week, I was proud to be present as a guest during State Assemblyman Jim Beall’s public hearing to develop an action plan for the state to better nurture the needs of foster youth.

“Scared Straight”, the popular 1978 documentary by Arnold Shapiro, has been brought to television as “Beyond Scared Straight.” I avoided watching the new reality television series because all the research shows the scare tactics of taking kids to jail for a day does not work. I was hoping that after one season the show would die and just go away. Unfortunately, it is back for a new season. 

Kansen Chu had a productive holiday season, mainly, the council member says, because he didn’t take a vacation. Fundraising for the District 4 City Council race later this year, Chu says he raised $45,000 for his campaign in the final two weeks of the year.

As you may have heard, last month the California Supreme Court terminated all Redevelopment Agencies (RDA) in California. As a result, they will be dissolved by Feb. 1, 2012. The first step is for each RDA to form a “Successor Agency.” This agency will enforce any and all obligations and agreements that are currently in place.

Considered the strongest challenger to Joe Simitian in the upcoming race for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors, Mt. View Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga sent a letter to her supporters Thursday announcing she will bow out of the race and throw her support behind the current state senator. That leaves former Saratoga Mayor Kathleen King as Simitian’s lone competition.