In a bid to move on from the scandal ignited by county Supervisor George Shirakawa abusing his taxpayer-funded credit card, the Board of Supervisors will discuss P-Card audits Tuesday morning instead of later this month. Also on the agenda for the first meeting of the year, the supervisors will discuss $15 million in bonds for YMCA, low-income childcare, a new farmers market, ridding the county of illegal pot and a commendation for outgoing San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore.

Larry Esquivel will take over the role of San Jose’s chief of police starting later this week. City Manager Debra Figone sent out a memo late Monday afternoon announcing the decision.

With fewer resources to combat crime, the San Jose Police Department reports that nearly a quarter of the 45 homicide victims in 2012 were 18 years old or younger.

In its last meeting of 2012, the City Council on Tuesday will discuss issues varying from lease agreements and property sales to pay increases for the independent police auditor and council/board appointments for 2013.

The list of people to reimburse the county for meals Supervisor George Shirakawa expensed to taxpayers has now grown to eight. Included in the updated list are Shirakawa’s lobbyist friends Tom Saggau, Dustin DeRollo and Joe Guerra, as well as San Jose Councilmember Xavier Campos.

A culture war is being waged between some San Jose police officers and Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell. Judge Cordell has taken issue with a T-shirt that was designed for officers in an elite tactical unit that is equipped with assault rifles. Cordell, who called the shirt’s design “a thug logo,” features the acronym SJPD, a human skull with two assault rifles crossed in the background and the motto “Usus Ferocitas,” which in Latin can translate to several meanings.

Tonight marks the start of another series of community meetings designed to garner input about a prospective Police Chief. But what if the best choice is already right here at home?

An attorney with the county counsel’s office has provided San Jose Inside with a third, previously unreported audit of Supervisor George Shirakawa’s county charge card, also known as a P-Card. The audit shows that county officials were aware of Shirakawa’s free spending and disregard for county rules related to P-Cards as early as November 2009 — yet did nothing to stop the violations.

The Mercury News reported over the weekend that Andrea Flores Shelton, county Supervisor George Shirakawa’s deputy chief of staff, is changing positions to become a coordinator for the county Public Health Department. The newspaper said that Shelton insisted her “departure has nothing to do with Shirakawa’s more recently publicized troubles,” which we can only assume is a euphemism for the fraudulent expense reports Shirakawa has filed, wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars on lavish dinners, alcohol for friends, golf trips, casinos, and … the list continues.

Metro reported this week that Supervisor George Shirakawa—the top elected official in the county—has been submitting fraudulent expense reports. He has spent thousands of dollars on lavish dinners, alcohol and luxury hotel rooms and rental cars with a county credit card. Amazingly, he avoided detection despite two audits of his county credit card purchases. Many of the people Shirakawa treated to meals were unaware that taxpayers were picking up the tab, and have since sent checks reimbursing the county. This group includes San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore.

A changing of the guard took place this week at San Jose’s City Hall—literally. San Jose police officer Ted Trujillo was sent back to patrol after overseeing City Hall security the last eight years. His duties included watching the backs of Mayor Chuck Reed for six years and former Mayor Ron Gonzales for two, in addition to making sure any threats to the civic concrete jungle were addressed. To send Trujillo out in style, a virtual who’s who of city officials gathered at Mosaic Restaurant and Lounge last week.

San Jose police officers have been working around the clock to combat an uptick in crime as the numbers of officers diminish. But one officer worked enough that the hours just didn’t seem to add up. Officer Jeffery Enslen, 45, was booked for one count of felony grand theft Thursday.

Police Chief Chris Moore is on the mend after having hip replacement surgery this week. Moore, who announced last month that he will retire at the end of January 2013, said in a telephone interview Friday that he expects to be back on the job by Oct. 22. He added that he has no plans to file for disability when he does retire.

In closed session Tuesday morning, the City Council will discuss the work of Judge LaDoris Cordell, San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor since April 2010. The discussion between the mayor and 10-member council will focus on whether or not to grant Cordell a 4-year term.

San Jose Inside’s Josh Koehn sat down with City Manager Debra Figone for a rare extended interview in late August. The following is an excerpted transcript of their discussion, which touched on Measure B, Figone’s relationship with the mayor and council, her thoughts on the performance of Police Chief Chris Moore, crime in San Jose and when she plans to retire. It should be noted that this interview took place before Moore’s announcement that he will retire from his position at the end of January 2013—Editor

A public safety hearing will be held at 7pm Tuesday evening, after the City Council meeting. At the meeting, soon-to-retire Police Chief Chris Moore is expected to deliver his report on crime in San Jose this year, trends compared to past years and, in particular, how the San Jose Police Department has responded since nine homicides occurred in August.