In a bid to move on from the scandal ignited by county Supervisor George Shirakawa abusing his taxpayer-funded credit card, the Board of Supervisors will discuss P-Card audits Tuesday morning instead of later this month. Also on the agenda for the first meeting of the year, the supervisors will discuss $15 million in bonds for YMCA, low-income childcare, a new farmers market, ridding the county of illegal pot and a commendation for outgoing San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore.
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Council to Talk Services, or Lack Thereof
This week’s City Council meeting will split into two sessions, but only a land use item will receive attention in the evening. The daytime session provides the meat of this week’s meeting, and an audit of city services and accomplishments will take top billing.
A More Conservative San Jose
This week’s inauguration of Republican Johnny Khamis to the San Jose City Council is a bittersweet moment for yours truly. On one hand, I’m disappointed to have worked on the losing end of the District 10 campaign last fall, and as a lifelong Democrat, I’m frustrated that my hometown’s leadership has shifted further to the right. On the other hand, we were already there, and at least this gives me something to write about.
Political Predictions a Tricky Game
Predicting the future of politics is a tricky proposition, as Nate Silver pointed out in his NY Times blog and book during the election season. But taking a closer look at local issues, there are a few predictions you can, or can’t, count on in the future.
Number of Missing Fire Response Time Reports ‘Significantly Higher’ than Expected
The San Jose Fire Department has a pretty good idea how long it takes firefighters to get to emergencies. Well, some emergencies. SJFD officials told San Jose Inside this week that thousands of emergency calls in recent years were mistakenly left out when calculating response times. In the 2011-12 fiscal year, there were 52,400 reported calls for emergency medical or fire services, according to current department statistics. But SJFD officials now acknowledge underreporting the numbers, and the total will be “significantly higher.”
‘Good Samaritan’ Law Should Save Lives
I was reminded of my first job out of college, dealing with people who had bad experiences with drugs, when I read about the new California “Good Samaritan Overdose Protection Law,” which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. This law very well could save lives.
Sports Complex Presents Fiscal Curveball
Near the end of last year, the City Council approved the exploration of building a sports complex in one of two places: Singleton Landfill or the county fairgrounds. There are some serious costs and benefits to both proposed sites, but one has an edge based on past council decisions to subsidize recreational offerings.
Teen Murder Rate Skyrockets in 2012
With fewer resources to combat crime, the San Jose Police Department reports that nearly a quarter of the 45 homicide victims in 2012 were 18 years old or younger.
How to Save the General Fund $10 MIllion
A housing report revealed last week at the oversight board meeting for the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency (SARA) shows that the city has $10 million in funds that have yet to be allocated. While some people would like to direct these funds to affordable housing, which isn’t taxable and doesn’t create revenue, a better plan would be to direct the $10 million toward RDA debt. If this occurs, the exact same amount can then go toward the general fund, which pays for police, libraries and other community services.
Council to Discuss IPA Pay, Nguyen Reappointment as Vice Mayor
In its last meeting of 2012, the City Council on Tuesday will discuss issues varying from lease agreements and property sales to pay increases for the independent police auditor and council/board appointments for 2013.
Time for San Jose to Grow Up
It is high time San Jose joined the big leagues and moved to a strong-mayor form of government. The recent response by City Manager Debra Figone to Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio’s public suggestion on who should be the police chief is simply another example of the bush-league government system that regulates elected officials to second-class status.
Shirakawa’s Lobbyist Friends, Political Allies Reimburse County for Meals
The list of people to reimburse the county for meals Supervisor George Shirakawa expensed to taxpayers has now grown to eight. Included in the updated list are Shirakawa’s lobbyist friends Tom Saggau, Dustin DeRollo and Joe Guerra, as well as San Jose Councilmember Xavier Campos.
Naughty or Nice, Every Politician Wants Something This Holiday Season
Folks at the North Pole have been inundated with holiday wish lists from local politicos. Following are some of the requests they have received.
Affordable Housing Study Session
The City Council had a study session last week devoted to affordable housing. The session covered how San Jose could build more affordable housing, even though it has already publicly funded and completed roughly 21,000 such units in years past and has 1,500 additional units currently in the pipeline. As a point of comparison, other cities have done little during the same time period.
POA President Fires Back at Critics
Jim Unland looked exhausted on election night. But that fatigue didn’t last long after the Mercury News reported over the weekend that an upstart member of the police union named Jon Baker was questioning Unland’s leadership of the Police Officers Association.
County Officials Knew of Shirakawa’s Spending, 2009 Audit Shows
An attorney with the county counsel’s office has provided San Jose Inside with a third, previously unreported audit of Supervisor George Shirakawa’s county charge card, also known as a P-Card. The audit shows that county officials were aware of Shirakawa’s free spending and disregard for county rules related to P-Cards as early as November 2009 — yet did nothing to stop the violations.
