San Jose Inside

The county’s four remaining supervisors voted Tuesday to hold a million dollar special election on June 4 to fill the seat of soon-to-be-jailbird George Shirakawa Jr. If only there was an app for that. Considering the job pays six figures, provides a CalPERS pension, comes with all kinds of perks—assuming you don’t exceed a $3,000-a-year local meal allowance with your P-Card (really?!)—and could last 12 years if all three terms are completed, there should be no shortage of entrants.

Tonight a third petition to build a second Discovery Charter School in San Jose goes back before county education officials. Other items on the county Board of Education agenda include a report on the $2 million cuts from the federal sequestration, a study on foster youth in schools and an update on Superintendent Xavier De La Torre paying back his home loan from the county.

Political theater, like a good novel or legend, needs strong central characters. Last Friday, we saw the district attorney ride in like Sir Lancelot, with Queen Guinevere by his side, to mete out a quick and final blow to the morally depraved Saxon,  in this case George Shirakawa, Jr.

If it were only that simple. The triumph of Good over Evil story line quickly morphed into a human tragedy as the county supervisor fell on his sword, resigned his position, agreed to plead guilty and attributed his betrayal of public trust to a gambling addiction.

The city’s poised to deny for the second time a Public Records Act (PRA) request from a journalist who wants to glimpse the behind-the-scenes workings of Casino M8trix. Other items on the Rules and Open Government Committee agenda fro Wednesday include a dispute within the Vietnamese community and a passionate letter from our favorite city critic.

In a Facebook post this morning, educator and former school board member Patricia Martinez-Roach declared her candidacy for the District 2 Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors seat vacated by George Shirakawa’s resignation on Friday. Supervisors have yet to decide whether to fill the vacancy by election or appointment.

Integrity is the single most important ethos the public has a right to expect from anyone who participates in the political arena. Beyond party and philosophy, it is the one essential element of governance that each of us must insist upon when doing the people’s business.

West San Carlos (WSC), with its cool vibe and eclectic mix of businesses, is not only a destination in-and-of itself, but it also plays a pivotal role linking downtown San Jose and Santana Row. This area also happens to fall within both the city and county jurisdictions. This dual jurisdiction has historically thwarted development, and has made consistent code enforcement difficult. But with recent annexations, there now exists the opportunity for positive private economic development to happen on WSC.

UPDATE: The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously (4-0) to call for a special election on June 4. A second reading of the matter will take place at next week’s BOS meeting.

County supervisors seem poised to call a special election Tuesday rather than appoint someone to fill the seat of George Shirakawa, who resigned from his supervisor post Friday just hours after being charged with five felonies and seven misdemeanors relating to his misuse of campaign and public funds.

Cops who make a buck on the side directing traffic or working uniformed security gigs will remain exempt from business taxes if the City Council on Tuesday updates the tax code. Other items on the council agenda include a critical audit of the Office of Economic development, tax proposals to repair San Jose’s roads and a staffing grant for the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen said at a press conference this afternoon that George Shirakawa has agreed to plead guilty to all 12 felony and misdemeanor charges, and that his resignation as county supervisor was in response to the discussions between his office and Shirakawa’s attorney. The prosecutor will seek jail time of up to one year. “Jail. I don’t mean picking up trash or weekend work,” Rosen clarified.

Supervisor George Shirakawa, who was charged today with five felony counts related to his misuse of public funds, has resigned.

Santa Clara County Supervisor George Shirakawa will face felony charges for actions committed while in public office. The five-month investigation by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office was triggered by reports in Metro and San Jose Inside that Shirakawa had used campaign funds and public monies for personal use, including payments to family members, casino trips, alcohol purchases and expensive meals. The investigation culminated Friday with the elected official being charged with four felony counts of perjury, one felony count of misappropriation of public funds and six misdemeanors for failure to file campaign forms.

I often hear it said that San Jose lacks culture. I’d like to say that the speaker is invariably not from around these parts. But more often than not, I hear it from San Joseans. It’s reached the point where I’m not surprised anymore. In fact, I have a speech polished and ready to go for these very occasions. When you’re wearing an Arts Commissioner badge, it never hurts to be prepared. Thankfully, some news arrived at last week’s monthly commission meeting that will add some heft to my argument.

The titans of Silicon Valley need some personal public relation advisors. Marissa Mayer, Tim Cook, Meg Whitman, Scott McNealy and many others fail to grasp the most basic PR concepts. They don’t have to look far for good role models. David Packard, Bill Hewlett, Steve Jobs and Gordon Moore were masters at molding their public image.

The 567-acre Coyote Highlands project goes before the County Planning Commission at its 1:30 p.m. meeting today. The proposed subdivision would add 25 homes to an area that is considered historically significant and environmentally sensitive, prone to such natural hazards as earthquakes and landslides. The properties contain watersheds and wetlands, and the new homes will be able to be seen from the valley floor.