San Jose Inside

Remember state Sen. Joe Simitian’s annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest? Well, here’s a new law, signed last Friday, that oughta been on that list. Thanks to Assembly Bill 2078 it will now be illegal for a police officer to have sex with detainees.

As a councilmember, I interact with many different people on a regular basis and have a chance to observe the different stages of life. One day I might meet a newly engaged couple and, behold, they are married with kids who attend the local elementary school. Or it could be a young family and the next thing I know I am shaking their son or daughter’s hand at a high school graduation ceremony.

Silicon Valley is home to tech behemoths such as Google, Adobe, Facebook, and HP. Being one of the biggest business hubs in the world, Silicon Valley has also become a fundraising battleground for President Obama and his likely opponent in November, Mitt Romney.

The public officials arguing against High Speed Rail was disappointing. They utilized the false premises of opponents, yet they knew the real consequences of not approving the first phase of the project. Their pandering to curry political favor with the NIMBY crowd was unseemly.  Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and the project is moving forward.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that it will not re-file a misdemeanor assault charge against William Lynch. Last week a jury acquitted Lynch of felony assault and hung on a misdemeanor charge. Lynch attacked Father Jerold Lindner in 2010, decades after the priest molested Lynch as a child. The DA’s office says it is “evaluating the obstacles to filing a perjury charge against Lindner,” who testified at the trial that he never molested Lynch.

InnVision and Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley recently announced that they are merging with similar organizations from other parts of the Bay Area. It is great to see nonprofits with similar missions merging to form stronger entities. Both had executives who were willing to look at the big picture, ensuring their respective nonprofits were able to continue serving the community. It makes sense for more nonprofits to seek opportunities to combine forces, especially when the CEO is leaving the organization.

July is the political offseason in San Jose, but a shake-up recently occurred in the re-election staff of Councilmember Rose Herrera. Eric Crane will no longer serve as her campaign manager heading into the November runoff for the District 8 seat against surprise challenger Jimmy Nguyen.

The verdict is in for the William Lynch Trial, and unsurprisingly it was “not guilty” on all felony counts. The jury did hang 8-4 for “guilty” on a misdemeanor battery charge. While the case is over for now, two interesting actions could be taken. One would involve the victim in the trial—Jerold Lindner, a priest accused of molesting Lynch and his brother as boys—being charged with perjury.

I recently attended funerals for individuals who were older than 90 and 100 years old. As usually done at funerals, family and friends shared stories about the deceased. One theme that emerged at both funerals was that older generation are more frugal. Shaped by the depression, they spent less than they made and had no expectations for assistance. At the funeral people repeatedly quoted the refrain, “Live beneath your means.”

Edesa Bitbadal says she has not decided if she will ask for a recount of the primary results for San Jose’s District 10 City Council seat. However, Bitbadal, a San Jose planning commissioner, did say several community leaders in Almaden have contacted her to do so and she will weigh her options this weekend. The deadline is Tuesday.

UPDATE: When will Casino M8trix open? Maybe as soon as July 20. City officials say they are cautiously optimistic Police Chief Chris Moore will grant the casino its necessary permits at a hearing July 19, because the card room owners have relented and agreed to open the first floor only while continuing negotiations on how top floor gaming will be managed. But casino owner Eric Swallow says the city never contacted him about such an arrangement.

A U.S. patent office will open in San Jose. This is the result of diverse political interests uniting in a shared goal. It is a victory for San Jose and the region, and it will help Silicon Valley businesses, which are the heart of our nation’s economic engine. But considering California accounts for 25 percent of all new patents—with half of those coming from Silicon Valley—why wouldn’t San Jose be chosen? Let’s do the political math.

In honor of Independence Day, we want readers to break free from their cyber shackles and light something on fire that seconds later shoots in the air and explodes without hurting anyone or setting fire to other things. We’ll be back Thursday. Until then, here’s a guide of local festivities for the 4th of July, including the San Jose Giants shooting off some fireworks, Santana Row hosting a barbecue and Camera 3 theater showing a campy movie. Get some.

Rural/Metro took over Santa Clara County’s ambulance contract last July, and by most accounts the company has done a good job. The company submitted a low bid to replace American Medical Response, and county Supervisors George Shirakawa, Mike Wasserman and Dave Cortese championed Rural/Metro as a low-cost yet responsible replacement. Aside from a rough transition in the first month on the job, response times have been above the required threshold in most cases. However, what isn’t found in the monthly reports that Rural/Metro is required to submit to the county is the number of patient records the company lost in its first two months on the job.

U.S. Reps Zoe Lofgren and Mike Honda, as well as a myriad of political and civic leaders, must be congratulated on securing the regional site for one of four patent offices in the country. This is a huge win for Silicon Valley. However, the accomplishment will be less meaningful if we don’t create a public education system that represents the ideals of the area and ranks first in the nation.