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Top Stories: Aug. 11, 2010

Governor Drops by to Talk Budget; Shots Fired during Robbery; It’s a Homebuyers Market

by Danny Wool on Aug 11, 2010
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Mosque Debate Begins in Santa Clara Too
To be fair, passions are not quite as high as they are in New York, or even in those bastions of Islamic America, Murfreesboro, Tenn.. Nevertheless, Santa Clara’s own mosque could get some attention Wednesday night, when plans to construct a 64-foot minaret come before the city’s planning commission.

The mosque, located in a light industrial area on Scott Boulevard, is planning the new minaret as part of its efforts to revamp the building to reflect its Islamic heritage. They are redoing the façade and hope to build the minaret, a traditional tower used to call worshippers to prayer. The plans have already been approved by a subcommittee, but must now go before the entire planning committee before they reach City Council.

Most people either don’t mind or don’t care, but one person does. Local business owner Tom Scott is wary about the minaret, suggesting that it would disrupt life in the quiet neighborhood. One of his major complaints is that it would be an “architectural curiosity” that does not blend in well with the industrial area, a veritable Florence, as far as industrial parks go. He also believes that the tower would attract more worshippers, and that would impact traffic and parking.
The minaret will be debated at an open meeting of the planning commission this evening. If responses to mosques in other parts of the country are any indicator of the public mood, it could be a stormy meeting.
Read More at CBS 5.


Governor Drops by to Talk Budget
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped by the San Jose-Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday to get some ideas on how to handle the state’s budget crisis. Despite the economic crunch, San Jose and Silicon Valley are the most important sectors for growth in California’s ailing economy, with green tech creating ten times as many jobs as any other sector in the state over the past ten years.

The message he kept going back to was how reform was needed, especially when it comes to pension funds. Although state revenues have increased by 28 percent over the past decade, they have been outpaced by soaring pension costs, which are now the most significant drain on the budget. If there had been real pension reform, said Schwarzenegger, California would have another $3.7 billion available for schools from K through college and for health and childcare programs, all of which are taking a hit.

Prisons now cost Californians more than schools, and according to a new article in The Atlantic, the cost per inmate in the state prison system is now “just shy $50,000 a year,” the same as an Ivy League education.

Schwarzenegger called the current policy of taxing and borrowing to cover the budget deficit, “economic suicide.” He advocated the creation of a “rainy day fund” to help cover the cost of future economic crises without harming basic services.
Read More at ABC 7.


Shots Fired during Robbery at Check 'n Go
An employee of the Check ‘n Go store on Blossom Hill Road was shot during a robbery on Tuesday. According to eyewitnesses, two shots were fired, but the victim was conscious when he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Police arrived immediately at the scene of the crime, and were told by neighboring store owners that they had seen a white car with up to four males in it parked right outside the store at the time of the incident. The car drove off, they were told, just after the shots were fired. Police officers later stopped a car matching the description in Alum Rock, but no more details have been forthcoming.
Read More at the ABC 7.


It’s a Homebuyers Market
Looking for a new home in San Jose? This is when to buy. Real estate search company Trulia reports a 13 percent increase in price reductions in July and August. Discounts are highest for luxury homes, valued at $2 million or more, where prices have gone down by as much as 14 percent.

Nevertheless, prices are also going fdown or cheaper homes at an average of 9 percent. In California, only San Diego saw a greater increase of price reductions, coming in at 15 percent. Meanwhile, Zillow reports that home prices are stabilizing, with the median price of a home in Santa Clara County increasing by as much as 7 percent. Home buyers in downtown San Jose can also receive a loan of 20 percent of the value of their apartment at a 3 percent interest rate, using state funds.

Taken all together, there should be a busy few days ahead in the real estate market, since first-time home buyers have until August 15 to apply for a $10,000 state income tax credit.
Read More at the Business Journal.
Read More at KLIV.
Read More at NBC Bay Area.
Read More at KCBS.


Chlorine Leak Closed at SJSU Garage
Firefighters capped a chlorine leak in a parking garage near San Jose State University on Tuesday. The leak was located near a 10-story student residential complex. According to Captain Chuck Rangel, the leak was caused when a pump that supplies chlorine to a nearby pool broke. It took firefighters about two hours to handle the problem, during which time the garage was closed and residents of the apartment complex received a shelter-in-place order. Injuries were minimal, with one person treated for dizziness, while another treated for watery eyes.
Read More at NBC Bay Area.



by Danny Wool on Aug 11, 2010
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