The county projects a pathetically low turnout for tomorrow’s gubernatorial primary election—despite one unique effort. But based on the numbers I’m looking at, it’s going to be even worse in Santa Clara County than our Registrar of Voters (ROV) predicts, particularly here in San Jose. Over the past three gubernatorial primaries, the county has experienced steadily increasing voter turnout, rising from 34 percent in 2002 to 37 percent in 2006—the last open race for San Jose mayor.
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Driverless Cars Conquer South Bay City Streets
Google has directed its fleet of driverless cars from the freeway to the city to master the chaos.
Metro Picks up Santa Cruz, South County Newspapers
San Jose Inside's company parent, Metro, picked up some newspaper siblings this week when it acquired the Gilroy Dispatch, Morgan Hill Times, Hollister Free Lance and Good Times in Santa Cruz.
Rep. Eshoo Demands Answers about Superfund Clean-Up
A federal lawmaker wants regulators to re-think the way they clean up some of the most toxic waste sites in the nation.
City Hosts Another Mayoral Forum this Weekend
Voters in San Jose will get another chance to hear from mayoral candidates this weekend at a city-sponsored forum.
Jose Antonio Vargas Films for Immigration Reform
When Jose Antonio Vargas turned 16 years old, he did what almost every kid his age does. He applied for a driver’s permit. But when he went to the DMV, he got something unexpected: the truth about his immigration status.
When Pols Get Polled
The people behind a poll should be a critical factor in analyzing the results.
South Bay Business Owners Targeted by Serial ADA Lawsuits
A serial plaintiff named John Ho has sued scores of South Bay businesses, alleging that they violate the Americans with Disability Act. Ho and another local plaintiff, Cecil Shaw, appear to be using the well-intended ADA laws as a way to make hundreds of thousands of dollars from legal settlements.
Thou Shall Not Increase Traffic
The public has a short memory regarding scandals, but there are three transgressions voters will never forgive. One of them is intentionally increasing traffic.
Congressman Mike Honda’s Wake-up Call
Mike Honda—Silicon Valley’s globe-trotting, karaoke-singing, hard-partying congressman—has had a charmed career. Now, a well-funded challenger, Ro Khanna, asks whether being likeable is enough, or whether the public expects a lawmaker to work hard, write laws and fight to keep valley industries competitive.
Up in Smoke? Medical Marijuana, Pot Clubs Back in front of Rules Committee
After failed past attempts to regulate medical marijuana collectives in San Jose, the city should take up the issue again, says Councilman Don Rocha—just as a voter initiative to legalize the stuff cleared for signature gathering. Other items on the agenda for Wednesday’s Rules and Open Government Committee meeting include Councilman Xavier Campos asking for the city to sponsor a gun buyback event, Voice Mayor Madison Nguyen wanting some pension reform clarification and David Wall doing his best David Wall impersonation.
Major League Baseball Restrains Competition, Stanford Antitrust Expert Says
In a declaration supporting San Jose’s suit against Major League Baseball, Stanford University antitrust expert Roger Noll argues that preventing an Oakland A’s move inhibits competition and restrains trade. Judge Ronald Whyte will hear the case on October 4, 2013. A conservative jurist appointed to the federal bench in 1991 by President George H. W. […]
Rent-Seekers of California
With an A-Team of lobbyists and legislators on the offensive against net metering and the startup solar industry, it would seem to be a case of David vs. Goliath. The good news for those of us on the side of sustainability is that David, or Steve Blank, has a game plan for how solar companies can fight back, claim their share of the market, and secure our energy future.
The Redemption of Cindy Chavez
In what may turn out to be one of the most expensive races ever for a local county office, Cindy Chavez has captured the District 2 Supervisor seat held by her disgraced former ally, George Shirakawa, Jr. The victory places the largest county government in the global home of leading edge technology—from Teslas to Google Glass—firmly in the hands of an old-fashioned political machine; a classic one that delivers votes, wins elections, rewards its followers and dispenses benefits. Over the next two years, the board will vote on billions of dollars in employee compensation contracts—the county spends $3 billion a year on salaries, benefits and pensions—for the members of the unions who returned the former San Jose city official to public office.
Congressman Mike Honda’s Advisory Council Rallies STEM Education Advocates
I applaud Congressman Michael Honda’s recent convening of the STEM Advisory Council, which I attended last Friday at Applied Materials with 60-plus engineers, educators, policy makers and non-profit leaders. We must act now, as more and more firms in the U.S., like Applied Materials, require science, technology, engineering or math degrees to satisfy their employment mandates.
FPPC Talks Technology at Meeting in Santa Clara County Board Chambers
Discussion on technology dominated much of the Fair Political Practices Commission’s June 20 meeting in the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors chambers, as the state political watchdog discussed the role of monitoring campaigns, candidates and elected officials in between dealing with some technical difficulties in setting up its equipment.
