Considering Santa Cruz’s reputation as a crunchy, hippie haven and the dozens of wineries in the area, one might think that there would be more organic wineries that see the virtue of farming grapes without chemicals. But that is not the case. Vine Hill Winery is only one of three in the area to go through the laborious process of obtaining organic certification.
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At its weekly meeting on Tuesday, City Council rejected a regional broadband system, based on Motorola. That company had received a $51 million grant from the U.S. Commerce Department to initiate and install the system throughout the Bay Area. City Council argued that the San Francisco-based Urban Area Security Initiative failed to follow standard government contracting procedures, which led to Motorola being favored over other service providers.
Inmates at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas have made 400 wooden toys for needy children in Santa Clara County. There are 27 low-risk inmates involved in the program to produce toys for needy kids. The toys will be distributed by Toys for Tots.
Time Magazine named Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook its Person of the Year for 2010, beating contender Steve Jobs and Julian Assange for the honor. The magazine explained its decision, saying that Facebook is “transforming the way we live our lives every day. It’s social engineering, changing the way we relate to each other.”
The SBGS Quartet performs a series of free concerts around the San Jose area this holiday season on Dec. 14, 18 and 21.
Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are both in the running for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, but to win the honor, they will have to beat Julian Assange, Lady Gaga, and the Unemployed American.
City Council will vote tonight whether to place a ban on single use plastic bags in the city. The ordinance would restrict the use of plastic bags to restaurants and second hand stores as of 2012, with shops in violation of the new law facing a $1,000 fine.
Faced with dwindling revenues and an inability to compete with Google, Yahoo is preparing to lay off between 600 and 700 workers, possibly before Christmas, possibly as early as today. Most of the cuts will occur in Sunnyvale’s products unit, which creates consumer and advertising services.
At a special meeting Monday night, City Council voted to impose a 7 percent tax on medical marijuana sold in local dispensaries. The decision was made possible after voters passed Measure U, which empowered City Council to impose a tax as high as 10 percent. No other regulations on dispensaries were passed.
Five reasons to look forward to the work week: DIY holiday lights, Jazz Orchestra, Cannons and Clouds, Northern Son, Quetzal Guerrero.
