In the first five months of the fiscal year, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s on-call and overtime pay for doctors took a staggering leap, going from an average of less than $20,000 a month in 2011-12 to $967,000 this fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors will discuss the $1 billion health agency’s drastic uptick in costs—4,835-percent increase in per-month, on-call wages— as well as other issues at Tuesday’s meeting.

Metro Silicon Valley’s issue this week looks at possible candidates to succeed Mayor Chuck Reed when he terms out in less than two years. One possible candidate for San Jose mayor in 2014 is Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith.—Editor

Sheriff Laurie Smith always tells me she has the best job in the world, so why would she ever run for mayor of San Jose? It is hard to argue with logic like that—which is one reason she would make a great mayor. Smith, who lives in San Jose, is the most popular public figure in county government for good reason.