I know that a lot of people with good reason would never want to take a lead from me about blogs, but the Mercury News writes about Greg Fontana’s excellent blog, http://www.justiceforjeffrey.blogspot.com.
Greg is the brother of Jeffrey Fontana, the police officer who was killed many years ago.
Please go visit it and send the Fontana family a note of support.
I have to give some credit to Metro. On the same day that the SF Chronicle ran this article on “dining deals” like the $20 hamburger and the $40 curry plate
Metro’s article on the same topic featured Dakao, one of the few survivors of the former downtown Vietnamese restaurant district that was mostly bulldozed to make way for the city hall, and a great place for affordable and tasty food.
Regarding San Jose’s budget crisis – worth considering is the U. S. Post Office’s plan to save money and NOT cut services as reported recently. “The agency will reduce management staff nationwide by 15 percent, with more than 1,400 processing, supervisor and management posts at 400 facilities being eliminated. The post office’s 80 districts across the country will be reduced by six – district offices handle administrative functions, and officials said the closing should not affect local mail delivery.”
San Jose on the other hand is planning to hand out raises and step increases while raising taxes and cutting services [1]. Mayor Reed really needs to show some leadership on the budget by declaring a moratorium on all wage and benefit increases for city employees until the city can balance its budget. Top city management should also agree to a pay cut to set the example.
While I do believe the Code Enforcement people in San Jose are working hard for the people, the broken houses profiled in the Mercury News remind me of Hoovervilles. They are Reedvilles, a testament to a lack of interest by Chuck Reed to work for any of the working class neighborhoods in our city.
Now we hear of troubling financial news within the San Jose Water Company as investment trading by those officials may have taken a turn for the worse.
Staffers close to Reed are concerned over his lack of interest in many troubling developments and continued desire to keep things within with closed meetings of one or two people.
“Do we have a Mayor?” one council aide told me. Do we?
I wonder how much this is going to cost we tax payers.
Top News
Major Research Initiative on Police Practices
March 18, 2009
San Jose today announced the initiation of a major research initiative with a leading group of independent social scientists that will look at Police Department policies, procedures, and practices. The Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity (CPLE) works to improve issues of equity in policing—particularly racial and gender equity—both within law enforcement agencies and between those agencies and the communities they serve.
For more information see: News Release, Council Memo, City Manager’s Info Memo or refer to the CPLE website
Yesterday’s Murky News “A” section had eight pages. The back page was the usual Fry’s ad (but at least that’s better than the obnoxious-voiced guy who does their radio ads). Of the remaining seven pages, 40% were ads. Where’s the beef?
Front page, top of the fold, Cassidy waxes poetic about Bill “pork paragiana” Carlsen’s new hot dog stand DT. FRONT PAGE, TOP OF THE FOLD????? Little wonder readership has plummeted.
A recent excursion into Quicksilver County Park supplied me with evidence that there really was a time when the State Legislature possessed the ability to demonstrate good judgement.
Eschscholzia californica, the California Poppy, is in abundance and is on full display now that spring has sprung. It’s brilliant, deep orange hue is evocative of our sunshine and of the gold that lured adventurers and fortune hunters to this part of the world over a century and a half ago. It was the perfect choice for the state flower and was recognized as such in 1903 by the State Legislature.
Rustling in the dry leaves under the brush and occassionally scurrying across the trail was another oldtime Legislature selection- the California Quail. What a great choice as state bird! Our representatives resisted choosing a large, showy raptor, or one of the seabirds, and recognized that Callipepla californica was the best choice, not only for it’s showy looks and gentle disposition but because it thrives best in that uniquely Californian oak woodlands environment.
Two excellent representatives of our State’s natural beauty and both reminders of the importance of doing our best to preserve their habitat. We don’t have to resign ourselves to a future of uncontrolled population growth and the sprawl and habitat destruction that goes along with it. It is our choice. We ARE perfectly justified in having immigration laws and in insisting that they be enforced.
Justice for Jeffey blog.
I know that a lot of people with good reason would never want to take a lead from me about blogs, but the Mercury News writes about Greg Fontana’s excellent blog, http://www.justiceforjeffrey.blogspot.com.
Greg is the brother of Jeffrey Fontana, the police officer who was killed many years ago.
Please go visit it and send the Fontana family a note of support.
Thanks
I have to give some credit to Metro. On the same day that the SF Chronicle ran this article on “dining deals” like the $20 hamburger and the $40 curry plate
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/19/DDTJ16CSN2.DTL&type=food
Metro’s article on the same topic featured Dakao, one of the few survivors of the former downtown Vietnamese restaurant district that was mostly bulldozed to make way for the city hall, and a great place for affordable and tasty food.
Regarding San Jose’s budget crisis – worth considering is the U. S. Post Office’s plan to save money and NOT cut services as reported recently. “The agency will reduce management staff nationwide by 15 percent, with more than 1,400 processing, supervisor and management posts at 400 facilities being eliminated. The post office’s 80 districts across the country will be reduced by six – district offices handle administrative functions, and officials said the closing should not affect local mail delivery.”
#3,
San Jose on the other hand is planning to hand out raises and step increases while raising taxes and cutting services [1]. Mayor Reed really needs to show some leadership on the budget by declaring a moratorium on all wage and benefit increases for city employees until the city can balance its budget. Top city management should also agree to a pay cut to set the example.
[1] http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_11962394?nclick_check=1
While I do believe the Code Enforcement people in San Jose are working hard for the people, the broken houses profiled in the Mercury News remind me of Hoovervilles. They are Reedvilles, a testament to a lack of interest by Chuck Reed to work for any of the working class neighborhoods in our city.
Now we hear of troubling financial news within the San Jose Water Company as investment trading by those officials may have taken a turn for the worse.
Staffers close to Reed are concerned over his lack of interest in many troubling developments and continued desire to keep things within with closed meetings of one or two people.
“Do we have a Mayor?” one council aide told me. Do we?
I wonder how much this is going to cost we tax payers.
Top News
Major Research Initiative on Police Practices
March 18, 2009
San Jose today announced the initiation of a major research initiative with a leading group of independent social scientists that will look at Police Department policies, procedures, and practices. The Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity (CPLE) works to improve issues of equity in policing—particularly racial and gender equity—both within law enforcement agencies and between those agencies and the communities they serve.
For more information see: News Release, Council Memo, City Manager’s Info Memo or refer to the CPLE website
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.asp
Yesterday’s Murky News “A” section had eight pages. The back page was the usual Fry’s ad (but at least that’s better than the obnoxious-voiced guy who does their radio ads). Of the remaining seven pages, 40% were ads. Where’s the beef?
Front page, top of the fold, Cassidy waxes poetic about Bill “pork paragiana” Carlsen’s new hot dog stand DT. FRONT PAGE, TOP OF THE FOLD????? Little wonder readership has plummeted.
A recent excursion into Quicksilver County Park supplied me with evidence that there really was a time when the State Legislature possessed the ability to demonstrate good judgement.
Eschscholzia californica, the California Poppy, is in abundance and is on full display now that spring has sprung. It’s brilliant, deep orange hue is evocative of our sunshine and of the gold that lured adventurers and fortune hunters to this part of the world over a century and a half ago. It was the perfect choice for the state flower and was recognized as such in 1903 by the State Legislature.
Rustling in the dry leaves under the brush and occassionally scurrying across the trail was another oldtime Legislature selection- the California Quail. What a great choice as state bird! Our representatives resisted choosing a large, showy raptor, or one of the seabirds, and recognized that Callipepla californica was the best choice, not only for it’s showy looks and gentle disposition but because it thrives best in that uniquely Californian oak woodlands environment.
Two excellent representatives of our State’s natural beauty and both reminders of the importance of doing our best to preserve their habitat. We don’t have to resign ourselves to a future of uncontrolled population growth and the sprawl and habitat destruction that goes along with it. It is our choice. We ARE perfectly justified in having immigration laws and in insisting that they be enforced.