By Watch Dog Silicon Valley
San Jose’s Councilmembers Sam Liccardo, Rose Herrera, and Ash Kalra have banded together to propose a way of covering Police costs downtown while not causing bars and clubs to leave downtown. (Although, that might make the Police Chief a little happier if the clubs left downtown…) San Jose Downtown Association’s Deputy Director (and powerbroker) Blage Zelalich, said “We advocate a model that will keep downtown safe, but encourage a thriving and eclectic nightlife.” The Police Chief didn’t respond by saying, “We plan on arresting everyone downtown no matter what…”
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Hope you weren’t in need of an emergency room Thursday. Valley Medical Center, one of Santa Clara County’s three trauma centers and the busiest in the Valley, was closed most of Thursday after an unidentified young man arrived bringing with him a noxious odor. Regional and O’Connor (and patients) apparently bore the brunt of the closure. VMC is re-opened today.
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Local businesses stand to benefit from D.C.’s stimulus package with a push towards green technology and internet infrastructure. Cisco’s Director of Technology, Jeff Campbell, said “It was all about physical infrastructure in the past…” Julie Blunden with San Jose’s SunPower added the infusion of funding will help expand manufacturing and accelerate growth.
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Silicon Valley Leadership Group (cycling) CEO Carl Guardino is delighted with the tax breaks offered to the high tech industry in the State budget deal and said, “This potentially is a huge win…” (If $.12/gallon tax increase is a huge win, we’d hate to see a huge loss…) But the word “potentially” in Guardino’s quote may prove important. The deal isn’t done yet and Jon Coupal, the anti-tax guru from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said, “I’ll believe it when I see it…I would be stunned to see Republican votes sufficient to pass this thing.”
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For today’s full report, go to Watch Dog Silicon Valley.
Leave it to Carl to be delighted about a tax increase. He seems to champion any and all increases, even in the face of record unemployment rates, foreclosures, loss of medical insurance coverage, salary and wage cuts, etc. Carl says, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Don’t ever think that Carl is on the side of the average worker here in our fair valley.