Sometimes, it’s hard to tell one week from the next, even when there’s an election, a new city hall and $438,000 goes missing. Let’s take a look at a slice of some news stories for this week.
Proposed budget cuts to affect library and community centers… By Michele Leung
Garden tools are popular with thieves cruising in Willow Glen…By Alicia Upano
According to DeCinzo, though, missing garden equipment might lead to a good side effect.
Middle school secretary allegedly embezzles $483,000… By Michele Leung
Farm-fresh produce to be found in Rose Garden… By Mary Gottschalk
By now, I’m sure everyone’s read the electoral news of the week. If you’re still waiting with bated breath to find out who made the District 7 runoff election, Rodney Foo did a good job laying out the results.
In Metro, The Fly covers the non-newsworthiness of anything about the reporters’ tour of the new city hall. Ho hum…
As appears to be standard practice on SJI, not mentioned was another good column by Pete Campbell on how the City of San Jose has had to defer street maintenance due to its ongoing “budget crisis”
http://www.laoferta.com/news.php?nid=507&PHPSESSID=1ecadcaeab4153b830a1bd3cfd9ca5e6
I seriously have to question whether or not Pete Campbell’s excellent watchdog columns would have been featured here if he wrote for the Merc/SVCN/Metro and not a Hispanic newspaper covering San Jose. It is my hope that the “Inside” in San Jose Inside is not based on the target race of the media served…
I seriously have to question your so easily and casually tossing the racist bomb – but that seems to come easily for tolerant, sensitive types.
I read Campbell’s “excellent watchdog column” and counted four exclamation points !!!! Either he is very excitable or he needs a good editor.
Eugene, are you seriously accusing the folks at SJ Inside of racism ? Come on…play fair.
all right then, to play fair…
From today’s Merc (and this should come as no surprise to anyone), Mayor Gonzales endorses Yet Another Sales Tax for transit – specifically to finish bringing BART to San Jose.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/?lid=loclmore
Something to think about: according to VTA’s current 06/07 fiscal year budget, every county resident already pays a total of 1.25% in sales taxes for transit and highways in the county. As with any California sales tax or bond measure, it gets my default NO vote.
As for my previous comments: I wish to know why Pete Campbell’s pieces are not included in the weekly roundup. I prefer not to accuse anyone of racism where possible. However, as a reader who insists on being informed, it disturbs me to see some watchdogs of San Jose be excluded simply because they do not write for popular papers such as the Merc and the SVCN family of papers. This is especially true if such papers serve the “new mainstream” that currently is the Hispanic community. Such strategies end up short-changing readers of viewpoints they would not get from other sources.
With that in mind, what can we as readers do to ensure Pete Campbell – or any other
independent San Jose watchdog columnist – is included in SJI?
—eugene
Certainly we should all seek out many sources from which to gather our information. Pete is probably not the best example to use since he probably does not appear here because his stuff just isn’t very good. Good journalism should be embraced by all, including SJInside.
As for the Gonzo Tax, what a suprise. BART has been his pet project and he will do whatever he can to get the trains rolling, even if it means another campaign for “traffic relief now.” Apparently now means another 10 years minimum. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on you. Or as W would say, “…won’t get fooled again.”