Morning News Round-Up -- 1.13.09: 20 days for Council/Convict Dickenson...

Belmont's own Council/Convict Bill Dickenson will serve 20 days in jail and then some probation and community service on a (well publicized) domestic violence conviction. If he is lucky, he might miss the Council meetings where Belmont will impose massive rate and fee increases for garbage and sewer that Watch Dog wrote about yesterday...Councilmember Dickenson, will you post on Watch Dog from jail? That would be so cool...it could be like your very own Letter from Birmingham Jail.

In order to save money, the San Mateo Union High School District will consider cutting 7th period when students study art and music. Because just what students need is fewer hours in school and a less balanced education. Welcome to California in 2009...

The Jerry Hill political trickling down is almost complete. Unelected Supervisor Carole Groom is in place and her San Mateo Council seat is opened -- but not for long. Five folks have officially declared their intention for the (undemocratic) appointment: Planning Commissioner Fred Hansson, Planning Commission Robert Gooyer, Community Relations Commissioner David Lim, Supervisorial Aide (and respondent to Watch Dog) Randy Torrijos, Marlene Andrade, and Fel Anthony Amistad. Folks still have time to get in their applications by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. There are other folks still in the mix but have not officially filed applications. This is all another nail in the coffin of San Mateo County's democracy...(Don't worry San Mateo County, San Jose has a similar problem...)

And as democracy itself is under fire in San Mateo County, Michelle Durand goes "Off the Beat" in the Daily Journal to write about...her handwriting. It isn't good...her handwriting, that is.

The great debate on Compost versus Park in Palo Alto will go the way of many difficult decisions elected officials face...to a Task Force. When all else fails, put the difficult decision off to others -- that's the sentiment of the Palo Alto City Council at least. This is the same type of punting that the City of San Jose did when they were faced with actually doing something about the unbelievably high rates of arrests of Hispanics for public drunkeness. Prompting one San Jose City Councilmember to say, "[Task Forces] are where good ideas go to die..."

In the midst of an economic downturn, it is good to know that one local organization (Stanford) is still in OK shape. Yesterday, they announced gifts totaling $100 million for a new energy center to research the energy challenges we face.

Pacifica Riptide goes into more detail about the Jerry Hill-Leland Yee power struggle for Democratic leadership in the County. Yesterday, Sue Lempert wrote about this same issue in her Daily Journal column. Riptide's update is good too. The long and the short is that Hill outmaneuvered Yee -- and remains the best prepared, best organized Democrat locally (except for maybe Jackie Speier).