City auditors have found a new way to save money, but it’s bound to upset the Police and Firefighters unions. They’ve concluded that if the officers leave their police cars (and fire cars) in the municipal parking lot at night, it could save the city $630,000. The cost saving involves 90 police vehicles, from sedans to motorcycles, but also two cars driven by the deputy firefighter chiefs and one driven by an SJFD press information officer.
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Santa Teresa High School is cutting back on its homecoming prom, due to budget cuts. he school, which has about 2,700 students, does not have the money to pay more than twelve teachers to chaperone the event, and school policy prevents parents from chaperoning. As a result, only 500 students will be able to attend their homecoming prom.
City Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio is coming under fire by the Police and Firefighters unions for removing a “No on V” election sign. Oliverio says that it was on public property, but the unions claim that it was private property. Meanwhile, the unions are offering a $10,000 bounty to anyone who provides information leading to the prosecution and conviction of people who have stolen or vandalized their signs.
After winning a championship with her club team when she was in the eighth grade, Stanford soccer star Christen Press had an epiphany. “That’s when I realized I didn’t have any limits to what I can dream.”
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has decided that there are no grounds for charges against the SJPD officer, who faked the arrest of a 15-year-old boy who he believed had sex with his teenage stepdaughter. They said that the officer was acting within his rights to investigate crimes, particularly when the crime involves minors.
One of the biggest challenges facing the 49ers’ new stadium in Santa Clara could be a boon to local businesses. The six-story parking garage across the street can only take 1,800 cars, so the NFL is hard at work negotiating with local businesses and institutions to accept the overflow parking.
The SJPD officially opened, and then shut, the new, $92 million South Side police substation due to budgetary constraints. Officials explain that keeping the building closed will save the city $2.5 million dollars. They also point out that with the current budget cuts, there are actually fewer policemen in San Jose now than there were when the building was approved.
Fans of the Sharks sitting in the luxury suites of the HP Pavilion, will be advertising Citrix, a Fort Lauderdale-based high-tech company. The idea is to make these executives who occupy the suites aware of the services that Citrix offers. It is the first time that the HP Pavilion has signed a sponsorship agreement of this kind with any company.
49er CEO Jed York says that the stadium in Santa Clara may only be finished in 2015. Construction is contingent on a loan from the NFL, and that loan is contingent on the NFL reaching a collective bargaining agreement with the unions. The delay, he adds, would not put public funding for the $937 million project at risk
Palo Alto’s Public Works Director Glenn Roberts retired, it was announced yesterday, but neither he nor the city are explaining what lay behind the sudden decision, except that it was a “personnel matter.” City Council approved the controversial employee’s severance package behind closed doors, due to “significant exposure to litigation.”
