Although I wrote two satirical pieces for publication today, one before the indictment that dealt with moonlighting, and one after, which dealt with the arrests, neither of them felt right on this sad but inevitable day for San Jose. Therefore, we will continue with this open thread throughout today and the weekend.
San Jose Inside
San Jose Inside (https://www.sanjoseinside.com)
This is not good for CC. Will RG resign? This is fun political action!!!!
Did they find any WMD’s???
holy mackeral…. as if there needs to be any MORE reason for Bozo to step down… and take his chimp with him…
He obviously had no support on the Council before this indictment.
I may have been wrong about Ron Gonzales and Joe Guerra (though I’ll still reserve judgement until a conviction), but others on this board owe Cindy Chavez a huge apology.
But I’m sure I count count on snow in hell before that happens.
Reposted:
I don’t know what the DA has for evidence, but I’m shocked that anyone was indicted.
I’ve been one of Ron’s biggest critics and while I viewed him as wrong-headed, on some policies and poorly advised on a political level (after Jude Barry left). I never considered him corrupt.
Does anybody know what the indictment says? Other than a vague conspiracy charge, I can’t imagine what else could be there.
Posted by Richard Robinson
Thursday, June 22 at 12:42 PM
DA does what City Council would not – if Gonzales was in any other top 20 US city nothing would have happened it would have been business as sleaze usual. All the City Council members should be ashamed of their low group ethics, professional politician
So, Cindy calls for Ron’s resignation. If only she had acted this fast when it would have meant something, her actions now might not be suspect. As a candidate desperate to salvage her campaign, she will even turn her back on her mentor. Had she done this long ago when many of us knew exactly what was going on, she might even have been seen as a leader. Now, she is just seen as a labor tool who had hoped to become mayor on the coat tails of her mentor. Too little, too late. Again.
Somebody, quick, check Gonzo’s freezer for cold cash!!
Watch Joe turn on Run and try to cut a deal with the DA. Cindy will be also hammenred. Other council members may get muddy as well.
I just read the Murky News online version of the statement from Cindy Chavez calling for a process to to select an interim mayor while Gonzo faces charges. She takes herself out of the running. Wow! Great politics—a kudo from me who doesn’t want to see her as mayor, but who recognizes a coup when he sees one.
My gut reaction—She either had advanced knowledge of the indictments via a leak,or she has advisors that so far eclipse Chuck Reed’s advisors that it would be comparable to her team as Brazil in the World Cup, and Chuck’s team as deaf mute paraplegics.
How could Chuck’s team be so far out of the loop? Was the indictment or its timing so surprising? Just asking, but extremely disappointed at Cindy’s PR coup over the person I would prefer to see as our next mayor.
Only two arrests?
Rich – (Repost) How about perjury, for starters?
Also, why should anyone apologize to Cindy? What does this have to do with her misdeeds?? Most people have been saying she will probably escape criminal indictment but that hardly leaves her without a stench. She may be lucky if she escapes, but there is nothing she can do that will distance her from every misdeed that has occurred while she has been on the Council. If an apology is due it is from Cindy to the citizens of San Jose for participating and allowing the tragedy of the past 7 years to unfold. As you say, we can count on snow in hell before that happens.
It’s about time! We hear he has stated that he has no plans to step down. What an idiot and certainly not a friend to businesses in San Jose.
We are hoping San Jose will now gain back some of it’s credibility as a good place to live and run a business.
#3…Rich, Rich, Rich
The first thing out of you mouth is damage cotrol. “He obviously had no support on the Council before the indictment. Gee didn’t Cindy vote to end the investigation. Wasn’t it Cindy who had to be taken to the hospitol after the vote. Didn’t her camp say she was stressed because she didn’t want to throw her longtime friend under the buss? I sure would call that support. You then have the “Balls” to say we owe Cindy a huge apology before as you later admit, you don’t even know what the charges are or what the report says. I’m sure you are celebrating that she didn’t get indicted yet, but isn’t it a little premature and aren’t you setting the bar a little low? Let’s all sit back, put our ropes or our party hats away and wait for the facts to come in. As for Cindy, the big question is, did she know anything about or take part in what went down?
8 – Not sure what you are talking about. Council watchers knew the indictments were expected anyday (the odds were they would be out yesterday.) Cindy, and any other councilmenber with an ounce of political acumen (I realize this does eliminate some of them) knew what to expect and didn’t need any leak.
How is this a coup for Cindy? Her longtime mentor whom she stood by until today finally gets what he deserved. Cindy went along with nearly every action he proposed, was very late in jumping on the “censure the Mayor” bandwagon, is on the ropes in the mayor’s race, and this is a coup for her? We look at the political fall-out from this disaster differently. This only hurts Cindy. She will have to explain, and explain again, and then some more why she supported this guy until had no choice but to abandon him.
Cindy’s lack of leadership during our darkest hour in San Jose will be her undoing and will cost her the Mayor’s office.
Hey Rich,
Saying that Cindy didn’t know about this deal is like saying that Barry Bonds didn’t know the cream and the clear were steroids.
Be realistic. She was Ronny’s right hand. Just because there’s paper trail linking her doesn’t mean she wasn’t in the know about what was going on.
Apologize to Ms. Chavez? She said the initial grand jury report read like a “British tabloid.” If she had taken the problem seriously from the beginning, the city of San Jose might have avoided this huge embarrassment.
THE STORY OF RONNIE AND JOE
You’ve read the story of Bonnie and Clyde
Of how they lived and died.
If you’re still in need for something to read
Here’s the story of Ronnie and Joe.
Now Ronnie and Joe are the City Hall gang,
I’m sure you all have read
how they lie and cheat
And those who squeal are usually found limping and broke.
There’s lots of untruths to those write-ups
They’re not so ruthless as that.
Their nature is raw, and yes they hate all the law, stool pigeons, spotters, and rats.
They call them cold-blooded cheaters.
They say they are heartless and mean.
But I say this with pride, I once knew Ronnie
when he was honest and upright and clean.
But the sherriffs came around and took them down and locked them up in a cell.
‘Till he said to me, “I’ll never be free
but you can be sure I’ll meet a few of them in hell.”
From heartbreak some people have suffered
From weariness some people have cried,
but all in all, our troubles are small
‘Till we get like Ronnie and Joe.
A newsboy once said to his buddy
“I wish old Ronnie would get sprung and run.
We need the news sales during these hard
times and would love to make some monye even if only a dime.”
From Alviso to East San Jose to Almaden,
they are known as the Great Duo of
San Jose, where the women are kind and men are men and they won’t stool on Ronnie and Joe.
Someday Ronnie and Joe we’ll go down together
and they’ll bury them side by side.
It will be the end for Ronnie and Joe.
To a few it’ll be grief, to the law a relief.
for a trip down memory lane….
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/05.07.98/cover/gonzales1-9818.html
one noteworthy paragraph is this:
…“This is his home turf—he’s a Democrat among other Democrats—but Gonzales’ cool, measured delivery and squishy message don’t inspire any spontaneous applause, except from campaign staffer Guisselle Nunez, who is sitting in the audience. (Napoli, by contrast, gets a big cheer practically every time she concludes her comments.) But despite his uninspiring performances in debates, Gonzales is considered by most pundits to be the frontrunner. “It’s his to lose,” says Terry Christensen, a political science professor at San Jose State University.”
Looks like the charges are serious: count #2 PC165 is a bribery charge.
The penalty “…punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three or four years.”
See http://www.mercurynews.com/multimedia/mercurynews/archive/norcal/gonzales_bench_warrant_062206.pdf
The arrest warrant, available on the Mercury News website, states there are violations of
PC 182(a)(4) (which refers to: conspiring to cheat or defraud, or obtain money by false pretenses)
PC 165 (which refers to offering or receiving a bribe as a councilmember)
PC 182(a)(1): (which refers to conspiracy to commit a crime)
GC 6201: (which refers to destruction or falsification of records) and
PC 424 (a)(1): (which refers to illegal appropriation of money)
Plz dont check my email too. dum gran jury.
Here is the indictment.
http://www.mercurynews.com/multimedia/mercurynews/archive/norcal/norcal_gonzales_indictment_062206.pdf
There is no new relevant information. The crux of the case will come down how the evidence is presented and disputed.
Suffice to say, the defense has yet to be heard.
PS As for spinners, decency requires that the Cindy bashers, who have sought, hoped and prognosticated she would be implicated owe her an apology. As noted years ago, this was a Ron and Joe operation—regardless of how it turns out in a courtroom. End of story.
Any insights on who may be appointed mayor if Ron steps down or is removed from office. I hear Reed is recomending it be Linda Lezotte.
Also any insight on who may run for D6 seat in November? Mulcahy ? Someone else
What will this mean for organized labor? The South Bay Labor Council has already called for Gonzales to resign – but is it too little, too late?
This Council that was put in place by organized labor has presided over the worst scandals in San Jose history (other than the annexation of Alviso). Amy and Paedra have a lot to answer for.
Did Pandori get indicted?
45 – I can’t speak for the CA, but like all departments under Gonzo, the attorney’s office was micromanaged. Legal advice that differed with the mayor’s opinion was not welcome and was generally ignored. Pressure from the mayor often resulted in decisions (both legal and otherwise) that went counter to the opinion of the professional staff but the mayor and his council colleagues prevailed. It also didn’t help that the former city manager found the attorney’s office an obstacle to work around rather than one that should be listened to. Not justifying it but like most folks at the top under this mayor, if you wanted to keep your job you followed the party line. Now, with a new city manager who actually manages the city and a politically dead mayor, better things are ahead for San Jose if the voters don’t screw it up again.
The Mayor should resign.
Though the Mayor may have a good defense against this indictment, it doesn’t matter. The accumulation of missteps, denials, and complete lack of credibility call for him to go.
If this were just in the context of Norcal, the Mayor could claim that he is innocent until proven guilty.
However, his credibility crisis started with his affair, was exacerbated by Cisco and NorCal is simply the final blow.
To think this man came from the Sunnyvale City Council that included Larry Stone and Dianne McKenna and that Sunnyvale was lauded for its good government initiatives.
Gonzales came in with such promise; BART to San Jose, Downtown Redevelopment, Cisco in Coyote, support of neighborhoods, libraries and affordable housing.
His reign began in good times and his approval rating were once in the 80s. This chapter is truly a shame.
I was once quoted in Metro that Ron Gonzales had been left a Ferrari by Susan Hammer and that all he had to do was not wreck the car.
The car has been totalled because he was reckless behind the wheel. It is a shame.
All members of the council NEED to resign before they too are indicted. We should also conduct a new Mayoral primary. Cindy for sure can’t be considered for Mayor and as much as Chuck claims he’s not connected, I just smell a rat. Norcal is just the tip of an iceberg of building for eight years. Cisco should also result in indictments…
Can someone help me here? This morning on a regional radio station Chuck claimed he voted against suspending the investigation into Norcal. My recollection is he was the council member who introduced the resolution. Can someone produce what really occurred? If like I understand he did introduce the resolution, he too has to be involved in the Norcal scam, hence the need for a new Mayoral primary.
If he is as “clean” as he claimed then he is the obvious choice for Mayor. Patriotic tie or not…
Rich, do you have a license to drive a vehicle? If so, when are you usually on the road. I want to avoid traffic then. Perception of reality is greatly needed to drive at all…
Grunt,
This wont mean a thing for Labor if Cindy wins. Think about it they got Gregory elected and when he faultered (to put it nicely), They simply moved on to the next pawn. The only way labor is hurt come November is Reed as mayor, an independent non pawn in D6, Liccardo in D3 and then come another special election Chuck gets someone in D4 who isnt a labor pawn. Only then will labor really take a hit. Oh by the way it is Phaedra
I think Cindy’s being the world’s biggest phony waiting till the indictments and then calling for Ron to resign [as if she could say anything else]. Where was Cindy on all those votes when she was blindly following her mentor to the detriment of the city? Where was Cindy 6 months ago when Chuck called on Ron to resign?
Rich:
This proves unequivocally that you are a complete and utter dolt. Hammer left this city a mess (oh, as a point of clarification and in the interest of full disclosure, YOU worked for Hammer).
Why don’t you go lobby for some developer to build over green space.
Thanks downtown resident. I thought I would get tripped up in spelling by the vowels, but missed a consonant instead.
It will be a shame if Cindy wins, however I do think Labor has overstretched this time and I think Cindy is in for a fight. Organized Labor has been operating under the radar screen for quite a while, but they are a little too obvious as operatives these days.
Time shall tell.
#22: It was good to see the Merc article. The scary part of the story was the following sentence:
“Ron is the most focused elected official I know,” says Santa Clara Couny Assessor Larry Stone, a longtime friend and political confidant. “He is the kind of person who will do whatever it takes to be successful. If you told Ron that he had to empty all the trash cans in the office every night in order to win, he would do it.”
Well, Ronnie-boy went way past his own office and tried to take care of the trash problem on a City-wide basis. He truly wanted to win at any cost.
Rich – Better late than never. I guess. Glad you have finally seen the light that many of us saw years ago.Too bad you waited until he was down and out to join the chorus for his ouster.
Dexter – I believe you are confusing two different investigations. Chuck made the motion to end the Cisco investigation. He was on the losing side of wanting to continue the NorCal investigation. With so many investigations at City Hall it is difficult to keep them all straight.
Richard… regarding an appology:
Loyalty and integrity are laudable characteristics; but at times challenge one’s character, if not head-on and clear-cut, at least in appearance. And just as you reserve judgment on the Mayor, I will reserve judgment on Cindy.
As much as I want to believe that she is a good person trying to do the right thing and unfairly painted by this mess, I can not help but ask:
a) If Cindy Chavez has a long time working and political relationship with Ron…
b) and has worked for and represented ‘labor’ interests for many years…
c) and as a result cultivated the political support of that constituency…
d) and ‘labor’ (garbage workers) were a major if not primary beneficiary of that $11mil.
e) would it not be possible if not highly probable that Cindy was kept in the loop during Ron and Joe’s negotiations with the garbage company?
f) and IF so, would this to some extent make her culpable to some degree in concealing the secret negotiations ?
She may not have known about or had anything to do with this, but she was awfully quite during the $11mil vote and while this mess was being unwrapped.
There are felonies, misdemeanors, unethical behavior, lapses of ethical behavior and then unfortunate circumstances. Clearly the Mayor and Joe have to deal with the first three and the members of the CC have to deal with latter.
Hopefully you are right about Cindy.
David D. Willow Glen
Mayor Gonzales’ indictment is the current topic on KGO right now.
Ronn Owens wants to know why Gonzales did not deny the bribery charge when asked if he took a bribe fron Norcal in a KGO interview earlier this morning.
Tom McEnery in Ireland was interviewed by Owens at the start of the show. He was very critical of the council and other insiders.
I think some of you owe Inside the Hall a big fat apology. Where are you Inside, I miss you.
It’s not almost over…..we need the public to respond in November to save a once grand organization.
Maybe now someone will get around to demanding that the Norcal contract be rescinded and the company pay back the windfall.
I have heard:
Jim Spence (he already has signs up)
Mulcahy
Clark Williams
Merylee Shelton
Probably more to come…………………
Isn’t it ironic that on the same day Norm Mineta resigns from the Bush administration Ron Gonzales is refusing to resign as Mayor?
It seems that we can’t keep the good ones and can’t get rid of the bad ones!
Today brought a classic Cindy move: She waited until Gonzo has fingerprint ink on his thumbs to FINALLY decide he ought to resign.
This is the same leader who waited until gang bangers were shooting each other outside night clubs in her district before “taking the lead” in stopping downtown violence.
Or when she waited until her districts only supermarket was already closing to claim her leadership role in finding a downtown store.
I would hate to think how San Jose would fare in a major crisis or natural disaster with this indecisive political opportunist at the helm.
Cindy Chavez is simply not leadership material.
CAN WE START UPGRADING AND EXPANDING LIGHT RAIL NOW. IT WILL BE A BART-LIKE SYSTEM BUT WITH LIGHT RAIL.
THANK GOD MEASURE A 2006 FAILED AND SAME W GONZALES AND GARDINO.
GET RID OF PHAEDRE., GARDINO, GONZALES, CINDY AND BART, AND SAN JOSE WILL RISE FROM THE ASHES.
I’m still here. In fact, I’ll be here a lot longer than Gonzo and Guerra. Not much more need be said—the indictments speak for themselves. But, what about those who have involvement in the NorCal scandal that might not reach the level of criminal indictment? What about the former city manager? What about the Teamsters Union? What about other councilmembers? All those who had a part in this tragic episode owe all of us an apology. What do you think the chances are that we will ever get it? Probably about the same as seeing our garbage fees reduced.
From the beginning, when this Norcal deal went down, it smelled bad. Granting a contractor a private audience with the Mayor for what amounted to a change order on a contract, and then have the Mayor and his henchman broker the deal without staff involvement was absolutely unprecidented.
All Capital Improvement Program project managers in DPW, ESD, DOT now thought their own contractors could do likewise, since the Mayor was now acting as a “consultant” for contractors.
As I said in earlier posts long ago, Why would he get involved in this way, by circumventing a process that was already in place to address change orders? The felony bribery charge appears to be the reason.
And now we all want to know, just what was the accounting of the $11.25M? No account has ever been provided. Norcal and Mayor have said it was for labor increases. So show us the calcs. .
Reality Check,
We hope you don’t pull your candidate out of the race. We’d like to see Chavez spend every last dime of Norcal’s campaign contribution as she goes down in flames.
Norm Mineta a good one?
The man so politically correct he mandates frisking of boy scouts and old ladies in wheelchairs?
It’s only fitting that our dump of an airport be named after him.
Addition by subtraction x 2.
#‘s 35 & 36 – you mention getting rid of SVLG’s Guardino as well. I find it interesting that Carl’s top assistant and right hand man, Kirk Everett, is coincidently (maybe, maybe not) married to Mayor Bonzo’s chief of staff, Rebecca Dishtotsky (sp?). I’m not saying that Carl, Kirk or Rebecca have anything to do with NorCal, but it is an interesting connection that I have never seen mentioned on this website.
Phaedra and the Labor Council arent going anywhere anytime soon. They are and still will be the most influental and powerful political force in San Jose politics. What is their joke they dont lobby councilmembers they get them elected. The only way to reduce their rubber stamp on SJ policy is to vote against the pawns they attempt to put into office (I wont mention any names in order to not degrade any present or future council candidates)
D6 Race,
thanks for the insight. So the POA wil certainly back Spence. Yeager most likely would back Williams and the chamber would endorse Mulcahy. Who will labor throw their machine behind?
Right on #12 & #44. Seems impossible, but RR is coming across as blatantly naive. How can that possible be?
#58,I thought the timing of Mineta’s resignation was interesting. Let’s recall the summer of 2001: San Jose is not meeting the EPA requirments to bring Bart to San Jose; Gonzo proposes to name the airport after Mineta; proposal passes the Airport Commission; City Council approves; and gee, suddenly we have Bart coming to San Jose. So, our air quality improved that quickly??
Yeah, and then let’s remember Ron’s campaign ads—“I’m the mayor that brought Bart to SJ”—paid for by the builders.
My fondest hope would have been for him to resign after his stroke. Pat Dando was vice-mayor at that time.
I thought CC had e-mails that showed she was privy to the sequence of Gonzo’s backroom deals.
And, finally Council should appoing TMc as interim mayor, he’s had the experience and brought up the whole ethics question in the first place at Rotary, I believe.
Anyone know where Nancy Pyle or Nora Campos stand on all of this?
Just another day in San Jose Politics. No wonder our taxes and fees are sky high. It seems all the greedy turn to san jose politicians for hand outs…and what do you think …NORCAL had no idea it was breaking the law? come on, they are still operating business as usual with a big fat hike. I wonder what their actual Rate of Return is on the investment so far. AND Norcal is owned by an ESOP 100% and you should see their PROFITS.
Who is married to Ron’s Chief of Staff, and what is their relationship to Carl Guardino, the champion of advancement through no effort at all?
Honest Question,
Nancy and Nora probably arent sure where they stand on this issue. I mean Phaedra might not have had the opportunity to tell them what to say yet. Although maybe NC and NP are just going back to their former positions of being completely mute. I mean you cant prove your ignorance if you say nothing
I just read on dailykos that when rove turned state’s evidence against cheney he also implicated guerra and gonazles, which accounts for the timing of the indictment. Expect cheney and gonzales to stand trial together.
Wasn’t Dando Vice Mayor during both Norcal garbage deal and when garbage fees were increased and acted as Mayor after Gonzales’s stroke?
Hard to believe Dando didn’t know what was going on about Norcal. Did Grand Jury talk to her?
The arrogance of Gonzales is just appalling. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything better from him. As for Chavez, I find it hard to believe that she knew nothing about this prior. The idea of issuing her an “apology” at this point is WAY premature. Let’s see if Gonzales sings like a canary at the proceedings.
Hey, anyone check the arrest warrant on the mercury’s website? 5’8 and 200 lbs is what they list him. That is more embarassing than the indictments!
Plenty of goofiness in today’s Merc – excerpts from the Ronn Owens show, the Mayor speaking to a gang task force, etc.
Can you imagine if the Gonz is sentenced to break rocks at Milpitas prison – and then BART is built after all?
I did – wrote a song about it – goes like this.
I hear that BART a comin’
It’s runnin’ ‘round the bend,
And I ain’t had a mooncake,
Since, I don’t know when,
I’m stuck in Milpitas Prison,
And Joe just keeps mumblin’ on,
But that BART keeps a-runnin’,
On down towards Bay 101.
#63
Gonzo’s Chief of Staff, Rebecca Dishotsky, is married to Kirk Everett, who is the director of Government Relations, Tax Policy and Membership for SVLG. (I believe) Kirk was originally hired as an evecutive assistant or intern for Carl and they eventually created a few committees for him to be in charge of – as they added more issues to “champion” and moved further and further away from David Packard’s original vision of how to improvequality of life in the valley. Carl has now failed to push through a county wide parcel tax for education and the recent Measure A. I’m sure his own board of directors is none too pleased with his recent track record of failures and rumors are that there will be change in the near future. Don’t worry abuot him though, he can always join his wife’s politial consulting company.
#39
“We would like to see Chavez spend every last dime of Norcals campaign contribution…”
Hey , don’t forget that Norcal’s money is the tax payers of San Jose’s money. Wouldn’t it be better if she just gave it back to us?
What I have never been able to figure out, and what still remains unclear is exactly what Ron is supposed to have gotten out of this whole “Bribery” thing. Money, sex, preferred tee times?
The indictment doesn’t say what he recieved. Doesn’t bribery require a quid pro quo (‘tit for a tat’ for those of you in Rio Linda – as Rush is prone to say)?
It doesn’t look good for Ron, and he has been a major disappointment as Mayor to say the least, but as for “bribery”, I will reserve judgement for a just little while longer.
Congratulations to Chuck for calling to rescind the garbage agreement. It’s about time someone realized this.
Is it correct that the D.A.‘s job is to enforce state law and not federal law? I have heard that it is a federal offence for a municipality to influence which union workforce is to perform the duties in a contract. If that is so, is that why the D.A. is not charging anybody with a federal offence. Could that mean that there may be more charges up the road by the feds? Could these charges include others? As you can see I am not a lawyer but would like to know if what I have heard is correct.
And Mineta steps down as Transportation Secretary the same day….anyone think that he’ll return to the Mayor’s Office in the interim role????!!!
#62. Pyle today called for Gonzos resignation. Campos apparently has not yet got the memo from Phaedra.
#51 Rich
You say Susan Hammer left us Ferrari? She made her share of bad deals. I.E. the deal with the Fairmont that cost us an extra $11,000,000 to move the Montgomery Hotel. She also supported Gonzo and now is trying to stick us with his clone Cindy. Isn’t it a little more like she gave us a Pinto, with a half tank of gas, and then recommends we put a couple of drivers with D.U.I.s behind the wheel.
Voter #55 – Thanks! If any member of the city council moved or voted to not have or suspend any investigation into city goings on in the last 8 years, in my opinion NEEDs to resign. Talk about a Culture of Corruption – how can Chuck justify ending the investigation into the Cisco deal and still think voters are going to think he’s clean? That’s as arrogant as Gonzo and Cindy…
There needs to be an across the board recall and TRY to elect someone who may not be on the take.
Democracy gets the government it deserves…
71—There sure is a Federal connect here. It is a Federal offense to tamper/influence the choice of labor unions. Don’t know if it has been looked into yet but it certainly should be.
What I don’t understand is why Gonzales and Guerra had such a Hugh Jardon for the Teamsters vs. the Longshoreman? Does anyone know why they would favor one Labor Union over another?
#70 Could the bribery charge be Ron Gonzales asking Norcal to switch the union to the Teamsters in return for the additional $11 million payment?
#72 – If that happens don’t be surprised when Lockheed gets the contract for managing Christmas in the park.
Who will be the interim mayor? It shouldn’t be anybody who supported the NorCal gift of public funds. Sorry, Ken, that leaves you out of the running.
Overzealous District Attorney + Poor Judgement by Mayor + over-regulated system + poor interpretation of Supreme Court Decision = Political Circus.
This could create a backlash for the Mayor.
If this is the theory for the indictment, without more evidence than we’ve seen, Alan Ruby will take it apart.
If Finklestein is right, every politician in America and every citizen of the Unitied States is guilty of bribery.
What a waste of resources. We need a new DA and a new Mayor.
#70. Rick – My understanding of the indictment (and I could be a bit off here) is the “bribe” was a quid pro quo deal in which Gonzales “received” Norcal’s agreement to become a Teamster shop in exchange for the use of his (Gonzo’s) official position to persuade the council to grant Norcal additional money. In this situation the “bribe” was not something of direct value to Gonzos bank account, but political capital. Remember at the time, October of 2000, Gonzo still had a political future.
Since the Mayor won’t resign as he has said the citizens of San Jose elected him, why doesn’t the Council motion to put an “immediate removal from office” vote on the Nov. Ballot? They have already put the District 6 race on the ballot.
This way, Ron Gonzales can clearly see how the citizens feel about him staying in office. Let the people speak – and let him hear it. Honestly, with council’s summer recess, what harm could be done with him holding his position. He has no power. The budget won’t be passed. It’s just a couple of months, what’s the big deal?
Wouldnt it almost be better if Ron was convicted on State and not Federal charges? maybe Im mistaken but arent Federal penitentaries often ones like Camp Cupcake? If Gonzo is convicted of State Crimes would he go to one of our friendly state hotels like Quentin or Folsom? Either ways it a hell of a fall from grace, but Im sure the latter would be worse than the former
Another update on this story, this time from truthout.com. Evidently gonzo’s bribe was in the form of union discounts to haliburton on the iraqi conflict assignments, thus increasing the worth of gonzo’s haliburton shares. Also democratic underground hinting that gonzo’s national guard record may be released on 60 minutes episode later this month.
And here I thought we might make it through the day without a spin from Rich. It’s always someone elses’s fault. “An overzealous District Attorney”—that remains to be seen. Obviously, the Grand Jury doesn’t agree with you. “Poor judgement by the Mayor”—pretty strong stuff coming from you, Rich. You probably think the only poor judgement he made was not being smart enough to not get caught. What will it take for you realize this guy had badly damaged the city through both legal and illegal acts. His time is over.
Cynic: a person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Perhaps you should walk in another person’s shoes before you criticize so confidently.
Consider a recyling sorter who spends day after day, picking thru tons of San Jose’s stinking recycled waste for minimum wage. Then you can decide whether another $1 per hour (approx. what the NORCAL contract is worth) is such an outrageous scandal. Who really benefitted from the $11 million-over-4-year contract? The mayor? Or the laborers sort trash.
Perhaps there is another explanation for the contract increase: it’s called Social Justice.
Thankfully, the US court system presumes a defendant’s innocence until the state/people can prove guilt. Unlike many other countries where a defendant must prove their innocence.
To the many of you who have convicted, drawn and quartered Ron Gonzales and Joe Guerra, let the state present its case, allow the defense to rebut and let the jury decide. Then you can crow, or be prepared to eat endless servings of humble pie.
Ron & Joe will do a deal with DA rather than go to trial As unpopular as they are, it would be dumb to take a chance on jail time or a felony conviction. If Ron wants a trial, then Joe will testify against him
TKL—You are missing the point. It doesn’t matter who benefitted from the money, the fact is it was a gift of public money (yours and mine.) It was a private deal instead of a public deal and the lame city council was too dense to put a stop to it.
Social justice is fine when it is done in daylight with truth and facts. This was not the case in this situation. There is no justification for what was done.
Social justice is a fine goal.
If Ron and Joe had made that case when the deal was cut in 2000, then others could have supported it. Post deal being cut, $11 million is a big deal.
Richard,
Your comments in support of Cindy are honorable and hopefully justified. She’s worked hard to do what she believes is best for San Jose and all it’s residents.
Unfortunately she’s having to live in a world of ‘the unanswered question’;
“What did she know… and when?” And of all the members of the CC, who else would this apply to more. It’s unfortunate, but that’s where she finds herself.
In her defense and an effort to restore compassion to the public discourse someone may have said, “Do unto others…”, suggesting greater consideration and less spin. Good point.
But what does “Do unto others…” mean to those in public service… or those who hold the publics trust? How does that effect relationships, behavior and expectations such as:
City staffers to City Manager?
City manager to Mayor?
City manager to Mayor’s staff?
City Council to Mayor?
Public official to loyal supporter(s)?
Public official to lobbyist and special interest?
Public official to party base?
Public official to the public interest?
For Democracy to work, those who hold the Public Trust have to trust the Public.
In previous administrations this was understood and taken for granted.
Under this administration with all its good intentions, support and expectations, ‘Do unto others..’ has taken on a whole new meaning. And if hard questions are being asked and people are wondering who knew what when… it’s perfectly understandable.
Dear San Jose:
I don’t understand people saying that yesterday was a “sad” day for San Jose. It was one of the greatest days in recent history for our city. The bully and his sidekick finally got knocked down!
If Gonzo shows up to work on Tuesday, why doesn’t the council just walk out before the meeting gets started? Gonzales is not in a position to dictate the terms of his surrender.
His arrogance is astounding!
Let us commit ourselves to never again allow our city to fall in the hands of players such as these again!
Looks like we have our city back!!!!!!
Pete Campbell
#87 Its not about “social justice”. If a contract needs to be amended, it goes through the established change order or contract amendment process. A political hack does not assume the role of “consultant” and try to make a contractor “whole” again.
Negotiating a deal once it already went throught the bid/award process is gives bidders #2 and #3 a reason to protest….which strangely did not happen. Labor involvement from the other side too?
And the DA’s opinion of the bribery that occurred was the offering to make Norcal whole only highlights the stupidity of the situation. Most would view taking a substantial amount of money of being a typical bribe..for self enrichment. But our Mayor asks Norcal to use a higher-priced union instead. That’s the bribe?! He took a bullet for labor?? Geesh!
All this Monday morning quarterbacking is great.
NorCal was $26 million lower than their competitors. The Mayor fixed a problem instead of going out to bid. We all know he didn’t follow the process, was censured, has apologized and has now been indicted.
If he had rebid the contract it would have taken lots of time and the $26 million savings was history. Having seen all the other bids already, nobody was going to bid lower, in fact, we know NorCal would have made their bid $11 million more—don’t we?
We could have insisted on enforcing the contract, then paying the $11 million or more it would have cost to settle a garbage strike, not to mention the smell.
While all you good government types are complaining about process, it is the system that is bleeding you dry. We have put so many brakes on public officials worrying about “corruption” that we are paying for it through the nose in the bureaucracy.
There are always going to be some bad apples, bad laws cannot prevent evil deeds and greed—nor do they solve the problem.
Putting everyone in jail is not the answer. When a person does commit a real crime—by all means put them in jail and make an example out of them.
But this indictment makes a mockery of combatting real corruption—which, by the way, is limitless at the Federal level.
Alas we can all talk about what a bad Mayor Ron is and how awful Joe treated us, but in the final analysis—this much ado about nothing.
But it will be fodder for the partisans, haters, and cynics. Is it any wonder only 14% of the voters turned out to vote?
Does anybody believe this indictment will turn voters into a motivated angry mob who will turn up in November?
. . .I didn’t think so.
David,
Which Public are you talking about, the 14% that voted or the 86% who did not?
Endless questions to politicians. Ask them to jump through hoops, show you tricks, entertain you to your satisfaction. When they are elected, you simply complain they are not entertaining enough or you don’t like their tricks anymore.
You want them to answer questions like, when did you stop beating your wife? Or what did you know and when did you know it?
Knowing any answer is unsatisfactory and simply causes one of two follow-ups: Are you stupid or complicit?
The angry mob is never satisfied.
How’s this scenario:
The DAs office said today the case would not go to trial for at least 6 months. Gonzo has another 6 months left on his term.
Even if the City Council strips him of all of his power Mayor Norcal could still hold the title of Mayor and finish his term which is probably all this egomaniac is after. In his mind he would have “won.”
After that he would be free to make a pre-trial deal and avoid prison. In GonzoWorld it’s the equivalent of a Win/Win situation.
There is a special counsel meeting being held Wednesday June 28 at 1:30. At that meeting they will decide if they formally ask for the Mayor’s resignation, and if he won’t how they go about either stripping his powers or removing him.
#87 TKL
Your type of the “Ends justify the Means” logic and Liberal-Guilt tunnel vision continues to amaze me. #89 has it right. Get rid of your 60’s social justice mantra!
Your kind will attack the Federal Government for secret “back room deals” for Haliburton or any perceived Bushie crony but sees nothing wrong with labor doing the same thing with the GonChavez administration on the local level.
Justice does not need any modifiers! Hopefully, we see it when Ronnie, Joe, and Cindy get sentenced.
Rich – As usual you just keep spinning. It doesn’t take a long, drawn-out response to your comments. Very simply, all we want are honest and ethical people doing the public’s business. Gonzales and Guerra are neither. It doesn’t matter why they did it—or if they got the best “deal” or not (they didn’t unless you are a Teamster) they lied, they abused their power, they were arrogant about it (Ron still is) and they destroyed the public trust. I realize, to you, this is no big deal. That is unfortunate. For someone who seems fairly bright you miss the point by such a wide margin that it is hard to believe.
Apparently you don’t feel any charges should have been brought. I guess you feel an insincere apology fixes everything. I don’t and so far my view is prevailing. The sooner the mayor and those who assisted him go the better.
hey rich ,if anyone owes apology its you for acting dumbfounded that cindy can do no wrong , if shes your idol ,good for you but shes just as dirty as her boss ………..she’s not even good at acting
#37 – What about the city attorney?
What a difference six years make!
On 7-30-2000, Noam Levey wrote for the Mercury News an article about the 10 most influential people in Silicon Valley. The following cites excerpts from that article:
Gov. Gray Davis had come to San Jose to announce that Gonzales’ pet project a $4 billion BART extention to San Jose should receive a huge share of the state transportation funding……
the mayor was presiding over a party at which the rest of the political elite were merely guests….
Leading a city with a high-tech economy that is the envy of the world, the mayor of San Jose has never commanded so much attention. And rarely has the city had a leader as eager to wield influence to get what he wants…“Ron Gonzales is like an express train … If you are with him, you are in for a ride. If you are against him you better get off the tracks.” Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty….
But Gonzales’ fondness for executive decision-making and impatience with dissent have also angered many since he took office 18 months ago….
San Jose mayors have been accumulating power for decades, aided by city council term limits and a political tradition that encourages council members to focus on their districts and leave the mayor to set the policy agenda for the whole city…….More than few local political leaders have marveled at Gonzales’ ability to resurrect what many said was a dead idea. It is no accident.
“Ron is the most focused elected official I know,” says Santa Clara Couny Assessor Larry Stone, a longtime friend and political confidant. “He is the kind of person who will do whatever it takes to be successful. If you told Ron that he had to empty all the trash cans in the office every night in order to win, he would do it.”…..“he’s at the top of his game right now,” says former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon, a onetime rival from Gonzales’ days on the county board and now a supporter. “He will do some spectacular things.”
But Gonzales’ “game”could also prove to be the seed of failure….Gonzales never talked to most of his council colleagues about the plan, never talked to the county board of supervisors and never consulted major interest groups such as labor. Within weeks of his inauguration, he stripped legendary Redevelopment Agency director Frank Tayor of his discretionary budget and made it clear his unchecked reign over redevelopment in San Jose was over. Taylor soon announced his retirement.
More recently, Gonzales took aim at the city’s planning commission, leading a campaign to overhaul the historically independent panel and replace nearly half its members with his appointees. Many saw the mayor’s move as an attempt to undermine an institution that threatened one of Gonzales’ treasured goals: the development of two new corporate campuses for Cisco Systems, ….. Few, even among Gonzales’ enemies want to see the mayor of San Jose fail. But many in the community are warning that Gonzales’ penchant for power politics may imperil even his most cherished projects.
“He has a vision, and I admire that vision,” says former San Jose planning commissioner James Zetterquist, who resigned in protest over the mayor’s attempts to overhaul the panel. “But this is not a dictatorship.”
Rich:
Please stop sucking up to Jude. Jude failed miserably with Westley. Ask anyone and you’ll find Jude was not ready for the major leagues.
In any event, Ron would be in the same predicament if Jude had not been fired.
Anyone in this country is innocent until proven guilty, and Gonzales and Guerra deserve the same consideration. However, Ron did a lot of damage over the last few years to the process of open government. As an Italian American, I do not appreciate Guerra making the comment, “I am just an Old World Italian.” He has no right to claim some ethnic wxcuse. There were plenty of Italian Americans who support open government, and plenty of them served in city government.
This is a sad day for San Jose, but it has made a sad one due to the attitude of most public officials these days, that they know best, and they have some aristocratic right to govern as they choose. In Santa Clara, we have one member of the council who makes his own lists of people to be appointed to commissions, and he loves to tell people what a great guy Ron is. Well, of course, they have the sam patrician attitude toward government.
…don’t forget about the Cisco mess… methinks that this indictment may open some investigatory floodgates…
And tell me that no other council members could smell that dead rat behind the desk ,they all have a part in this…..
It was nice to see Carl Mosher painted in a positive light by the Grand Jury. He’s a dedicated and honest public servant whose reputation was unfairly tarnished by the Mercury News.
Borgsdorf and his Deputy City Managers are another story…they’ve gotten off way too easy!
Richard, re: Mon. morn. quarterbacking…
<The Mayor fixed a problem>
If NorCal was $26mil low which $11+mil would fix, why couldn’t the Mayor have followed a process to do the City’s business in the light of day allowing honest staffers and CC to sort it out and work the problem. Is this Mayor that much brighter and more competent than the collective body of staff and council?
< good government types are complaining about process, it is the system that is bleeding you dry.>
Richard, I do not believe that was the case under Susan Hammer and Les White, or other administrations. They understood the responsibility and the law, and did not look for the easy quick fix and personal control.
<always going to be some bad apples,>
Yes. I agree. But do good people have to hitch their wagon to them and follow them off the road in the name of loyalty or “the greater good”? If you are on the right team doing good work, I would think it all the more important that the team keep the wagon on the road and headed in the right direction. Easier said than done, I agree. But when it’s the Publics Trust, it’s even more important to step up and face tough issues head on in the light of day.
I did not say that. I did not imply that. And you know that.
< this indictment makes a mockery of combating real corruption>
No. It’s part of the process… the same process that men and women have given their lives for over the last 200 plus years.
< (corruption) which, by the way, is limitless at the Federal level.>
Could not agree more; and all the more reason to keep it as far out of San Jose as possible.
<Alas we can all talk about what a bad Mayor Ron is and how awful Joe treated us, but in the final analysis—this much ado about nothing.>
Richard… I do not believe that. I think you are disappointed, hurt, upset and angry that people you supported, believed in and championed values you cherish have let you down. That’s understandable. And you are not the only one that feels betrayed.
<But it will be fodder for the partisans, haters, and cynics. Is it any wonder only 14% of the voters turned out to vote?>
Partisans, haters and cynics are part of the mix… they go with the territory… they make the challenge of leadership, integrity, competence and courage even more critical to making government work and making it work within the law.
<Does anybody believe this indictment will turn voters into a motivated angry mob who will turn up in November?>
That’s not the question Richard. Voters will do what they feel they have or want to do. It’s not about the indictment. It’s about what the people of San Jose want and expect of their leaders and City. And no matter what the turnout, November will answer that question.
Now… speaking of armchair quarterbacking; if early on in the process of this NorCal deal the Mayor had asked you to guide him though this process, what would have been your counsel to him?