San Jose Inside

The Police Officers Association did not pass a vote of no confidence Tuesday regarding the performance of San Jose Police Department Chief Chris Moore. That doesn’t mean everything is fine and dandy, according to a news release sent out by the police union. “The fact that the POA did not pass a vote of no confidence at this time should not be misinterpreted as a vote of confidence in the Chief or the politicians at City Hall,” said the police union news release.

A key piece of evidence has disappeared in the Mercury News rack theft caper. At least one news rack in the Mercury’s possession vanished as the San Jose Police Department prepared to commence a criminal investigation into the daily’s dumping of its competitors’ racks. Mercury News executives offered no explanation for the disappearance—only that they had “triple checked” the yard.

The first City Council meeting of the 2012-13 fiscal year Tuesday will feature votes on approving language for three major ballot initiatives for November: a sales and use tax increase, a proposal to raise the city’s minimum wage, and an increase in the number of card tables at the city’s two casinos.

Scott Knies seems to have adopted the strategy that less is more when it comes to unseating Joe Judge in the November election for a seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board. In a letter sent last week to supporters of his candidacy, Knies, the executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association, wrote that he has withdrawn from the race and will throw his support behind David Ginsborg, a deputy to County Assessor Larry Stone.

Santana Row will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. It has provided a new destination for Bay Area residents as well as additional tax revenue for San Jose. On Tuesday, the City Council will consider approving a large office building at Santana Row instead of housing. This new 240,000 square foot office building will provide an attractive option to companies locating in San Jose.

There are two kinds of thieves: ones who own up to their actions when caught and those who make up facts to justify their thievery. The Mercury News executive team has chosen to go the route of lying thieves. Luckily, no one is really fooled, and the ethical character of the group running the Bay Area’s daily newspapers is now on display for all to see. The emperor has no clothes.

As morale continues to sink and police officers resign or retire from the San Jose Police Department in record numbers, the Police Officers Association‘s board of directors could call for a vote of no confidence in Police Chief Chris Moore. City Manager Debra Figone sent an email in support of Moore on Thursday to the City Council, Mayor Chuck Reed, Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell, City Attorney Rich Doyle and two members Figone’s staff, David Vossbrink and Ed Shikada.

San Jose Police were called to the headquarters of the San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday afternoon after an independent distribution firm discovered its news racks — along with those of other local publications — in a metal recycling dumpster behind the daily’s plant. News outlets whose news racks were found in the garbage container included Metro, the Palo Alto Daily Post, the Mountain View Voice, Good Times, La Oferta, the San Francisco Chronicle and other publications.

Edesa Bitbadal finished third in the District 10 San Jose City Council primary, just 90 votes short of second place and a spot in the November runoff. That race will feature Johnny Khamis and Robert Braunstein. But a look at how Bitbadal spent money, and how those who opposed her spent their money, paints an interesting picture.

Councilmember Rose Herrera not only raised the most money of any candidate for the San Jose City Council primary in June; she also spent more than any other candidate raised in the five districts. Nonetheless, she’ll still face Jimmy Nguyen in the November runoff.

San Jose is about to have the dubious distinction of having the first store in the Bay Area. If we’re lucky, it will close down within a month. Whether the food is any good is not the question. At some point conscience must control a person’s pocketbook.

The South Bay Labor Council held a kickoff party Tuesday night promoting the November ballot initiative to raise the city’s minimum wage to $10. While many expect the coming months of debate to be framed in 99 vs. 1 percent terms—labor groups and low-wage workers battling lobbying heavyweights like the California Restaurant Association (word is the lobbyist group has already kicked in millions to defeat a similar federal ballot measure)—it seems some incongruous characters in Silicon Valley are working toward a compromise.

Semi-annual campaign disclosure documents show that San Jose Councilmember Kansen Chu spent a total of $123,786.19 for his District 4 primary race against San Jose police detective Tam Truong. Chu won the race with more than 54 percent of the vote. But a closer look at Chu’s expenditures show the councilmember had an unusual amount of dining entires in the final weeks of his campaign.

And we’re back! The Rules Committee gets to business Wednesday after a six-week layoff, and among the items on the docket are the city clerk’s library initiative gaffe, a push for less transparency regarding election swag, a review of public officials’ calendars and a City Hall gadfly offering his services to lead a department.

At the upcoming Aug. 7 City Council meeting, the discussion will focus on how to prioritize city spending IF revenues increase. So, in the example below, if revenues increase by $10 million—either by revenue growth or tax increase—this is how I think it should be spent by percentage.