California’s Supreme Court unanimously upheld the state legislature’s dissolution (AB1X 26) of California’s redevelopment agencies (RDAs). “The legislative power vested in the Legislature by the state Constitution,” said Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar writing for the majority, “…. includes the authority to create entities, such as redevelopment agencies…and the corollary power to dissolve those same entities … Read more
If you’ve been to a Santa Clara supermarket recently you may have seen the anti-stadium group Santa Clara Plays Fair (www.santaclaraplaysfair.org) asking for petition signatures. The group aims to force the City Council to either repeal recent actions approving the proposed 49ers stadium project and its financing, or submit these agreements to a second citywide … Read more
In upholding the RDA dissolution law, the justices took a dim view of the California Redevelopment Association’s argument that 2010’s Proposition 22 barred the Legislature from shuttering the RDAs it created; finding nothing to indicate that voters’ intended the constitutional amendment to assure RDA existence in perpetuity. The legislative power vested in the Legislature by … Read more
You can’t put a price on the value for injured soldiers of having family close by. Hotel rooms, however, do have a price – and often it’s one that’s out-of-reach for the families of severely injured soldiers being treated at the poly-trauma unit in the Palo Alto VA hospital. But thanks to Palo Alto Fisher … Read more
Card data thieves are only part of a chain of credit/debit card cyber fraud – “carding” rings – that were fast to identify the possibilities of the Internet – if they were legal businesses, we’d call them “supply chain innovators” instead of “hackers” and “carders.” The chain begins with online marketplaces such as Tradekey.com where … Read more
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for credit/debit card fraudsters, that is. If you’re one of their unlucky victims, as I was recently, right now you’d like to roast a few fraudsters – instead of chestnuts – on an open fire. Last weekend somebody enjoyed a $1,500 “fraud spree” with my debit … Read more
In Santa Clara there’s a local store that counters the conventional holiday retailing whirl by giving instead of selling. It’s the Santa Clara Soroptimists’ annual Christmas store, a nearly 30-year tradition that helps families at or below the poverty line have a happier holiday and a more comfortable New Year. This year’s event brought happiness … Read more
I’ve always believed in the redemptive power of Christmas. I’ve had some bad Christmases, but I never stopped believing that some star would shine out of whatever bad sky hung over me. It’s a cliché to say that Christmas was magical to me as a child. But it wasn’t the gifts or Nutcracker spectacles that … Read more
In addition to its other responsibilities, Santa Clara’s City Council Members represent the interests of the city on a variety of county, regional, and state agencies. One critical area is transportation, and there are nine local committees dedicated to this assential part of Bay Area life. The following chart shows what these committees are, when … Read more
The City of Santa Clara appears to have figured out how to build a $1.02 billion public facility and get someone else to undertake virtually all the risk. Last week the City Council finally shared the details of the 49ers stadium agreement they have been hammering out for the last two and a half years. … Read more