San Jose's nastiest political battle is no more. On Wednesday, the city reached a pension reform settlement agreement with its police union, ending a three-year court battle after voters passed Measure B in June 2012.

There’s one thing that everyone in city government agrees on—the deficit is growing. It now stands at $96.4 million, the worst it’s been since the dotcom bust, and there seems to be no end in sight as it inches ahead to the $100 million milestone.

Last night, the City Council voted 10-1 to share the burden more or less equally between three distinct sectors. Inevitably, the taxpayer is up there on the frontlines, with several new taxes proposed