Some people said it was only a matter of time until Anthony Batts would leave his post as Oakland’s chief of police following his public and unsuccessful bid to become the head of the San Jose Police Department. Those people were right. Earlier this week, Batts offered the city of Oakland his resignation.
Read More 27Debra Figone
Pot Club Program Set to Start in October
By
![](https://www.sanjoseinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pot460-140x90.jpg)
Tuesday’s City Council meeting wasn’t the final nail in the coffin for San Jose’s thriving medical marijuana industry. But the council’s decision to implement a land use and regulatory program starting Oct. 27 will be a major step toward a cap of 10 collectives within city limits. Collective supporters are now working to gather signatures to put together a referendum that would repeal the ordinances.
Read More 7A Slightly Stronger Mayor
By
The current form of government in San Jose is a city manager form of government. I have encountered many residents who find this confusing. Many residents believe that the mayor is the boss, which is not the case in San Jose. I am proposing an incremental step where the city manager form of government stays intact but allows the mayor to be granted new authority.
Read More 49City’s Pot Club Program to be Finalized
By
The hot topic at Tuesday’s City Council meeting will be medical marijuana, and a soon-to-be administered regulatory program that has critics on all sides. While the Planning Commission has recommended a more lax approach to the council’s direction, the city’s administration appears unwilling to budge.
Read More 9Council to Hold Hearings on Rates, Districts
By
Council to Hold $24M Bond Hearing
By
Pension Reform Crisis, Continued
By
Until a few days ago, the city of San Jose and its employee unions appeared to be a lot friendlier than they were at the beginning of the month—when City Manager Debra Figone and police union president George Beattie were squabbling about why the city punted on a federal grant. But this week, as the pension-reform plan inches forward, the unions are back to voicing outrage.
Read More 23COPS Grant: Setting the Record Straight
By
Editor’s Note: Police union president George Beattie wrote an op-ed blaming city officials for police layoffs. City Manager Debra Figone responded by sending a memo to the mayor and city council detailing why layoffs occurred and San Jose passed on a federal police grant that would have saved jobs. Beattie has now provided San Jose Inside with a response to Figone’s memo.
Read More 86Beattie and Figone Trade Words
By
![](https://www.sanjoseinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/POA-140x90.jpg)
Campaigning against Measures V&W last November, police union leader George Beattie issued numerous thinly-veiled warnings: If San Jose voters allowed the city to renegotiate contracts with cops and firefighters, he said, people might die. That strategy failed—V&W passed with an almost 80 percent majority—but Beattie is sticking to his guns.
Read More 28Figone Fires Back at Police Union President
By
![](https://www.sanjoseinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sjpd-140x90.jpg)
City manager Debra Figone didn’t let the police get the last word of the fiscal year regarding contentious labor negotiations and first layoffs of officers for the first time in the city’s history. On Thursday, she sent a memo to the mayor and city council countering an op-ed written by Police Officers Association president George Beattie, which blamed city officials for the layoffs of 70 officers.
Read More 60Pay Cuts Set Up Potential Strikes
By
The gloves have officially come off in labor negotiations between the city and public employee unions, and whispers of potential strikes are being heard in certain City Hall corners. On Tuesday, the City Council imposed 10 percent cuts in total compensation for four unions by an 8-3 vote. The cuts in pay and benefits will affect more than half of the city of San Jose’s employees.
Read More 69Figone to Uncle Sam: ‘No Thanks’
By
It’s not that Debra Figone doesn’t trust the city council to spend money—it’s just that she doesn’t trust the city council to spend money wisely. Rather than let the council decide whether San Jose should accept a federal grant that could have saved 53 police officer jobs—and potentially put the city on the hook for millions it doesn’t have—the city manager chose to protect the council from itself.
Read More 38Figone Passes on Full Police Grant
By
City Manager Debra Figone passed on applying for a grant that would have saved the jobs of more than a few dozen San Jose police officers but included some significant costs. Members of the Police Officers Association were surprised by the move, and they weren’t the only ones. It seems Figone did not consult the City Council on her decision to pass on applying for the largest possible grant.
Read More 97Nancy Pyle Pushes for Tax Change
By
As city staff studies a number of proposals on how to fix San Jose’s budget crisis, one idea in particular is likely to have some local business owners up in arms. Councilmember Nancy Pyle submitted a memo at Tuesday’s council meeting that recommends modifying the business tax for establishments that offer services. These businesses are taxed by the number of employees they have rather than sales.
Read More 26Rocha: Fiscal Reforms Invite Lawsuits
By
Mayor Chuck Reed’s fiscal reforms, which would declare a fiscal emergency that allows the city charter to be changed in an effort to slash soaring public employee pension costs, will be discussed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. While it seems likely Reed will get the necessary votes to begin the process—he already has the support of Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and councilmembers Rose Herrera and Sam Liccardo—Councilmember Donald Rocha is suggesting the city stop, take a deep breath and consider the possible litigation that could ensue.
Read More 100Pot Tax Nets City $290K
By
In its first month of collecting taxes on medical marijuana being sold inside city limits, San Jose took in almost $290,000. And it appears more money is still on the table. Less than three-quarters (73) of San Jose’s 100-plus collectives paid the business tax in March, according to city figures.
Read More 10