Morning News Round-Up -- 1.9.09: A friendly blog disagreement...

Our new friends at the Examiner.com San Mateo Public Policy Examiner break a little bit of news by pinning down Supervisor Rich Gordon's ambition to run for Assemblymember Ira Ruskin's seat in 2010. The PP Examiner goes on to say that Gordon would be the "odds on" favorite for the seat. Watch Dog respectfully disagrees. My guess is that anyone else that wants to run would disagree as well. Why? Well, the District stretches (roughly) in a sliver from San Carlos to South San Jose. Looking at the demographics of the District, which PP Examiner apparently didn't do, shows that the San Mateo County/Santa Clara County breakdown of residents is nearly even. So, concluding that Gordon would be the odds-on favorite may be true if the District were San Mateo only, but it isn't...remember, Joe Simitian held the seat and he is from Palo Alto. Therefore, no one is the odds-on favorite until everyone has made up their minds to run...from both Counties. (Thanks Watch Dog Silicon Valley for the local knowledge...)

The Daily Journal's Editor Jon Mays has a fun piece today. He complains about an online-doppelganger. You see, another guy named Jon Mays is cramping Our Jon Mays' online style with this horrible photo on Linked In. The funny thing is, Our Jon Mays thinks this photo is the Other Jon Mays posing like Tom Cruise...sorry Our Jon Mays, that IS Tom Cruise. A note to Our Jon Mays, if you want to appear at the top of a Google search, type in "Jon Mays Watch Dog" and you'll rise to the top...you are welcome Our Jon Mays.

In a down economy, those with money can get good deals -- all you have to do is walk through Macy's in San Mateo to see that...but school districts (Sequoia Union, San Mateo Union, etc.) that are spending bond money are stretching those dollars further too...see, there is a silver lining...

As some school districts are spending money on bricks and mortar...others are spending money on other things. In order to keep horny students from screwing up their lives or getting sick, students at Thornton High School may soon be able to get condoms from the school nurse. Jefferson Union High School District Superintendent Michael Crilly said it best..."The school board is faced with the reality that a lot of young people are having sex and much of it unprotected...While most adults like to believe kids are not doing this, the reality is they are..." Kids having sex? Say it ain't so.

28 years ago, Rafael Losno brutally killed a rival gang member in Daly City. Soon, he may be paroled. The Governor will have final say, but Losno is thought to be a good candidate for parole with a clean prison record, strong family support, and vocational training.

Belmont's ban on smoking in apartments went into effect yesterday in multi-unit dwellings -- so put down the cigarettes folks. Remember when this story first came out it was the biggest news in the world...now, not so much. I guess a tanking economy, war, police shootings, and the transition to a new President have sort of overshadowed this issue...

Open City Hall was launched yesterday in Palo Alto. It is a forum where Palo Alto residents, and others, can make their voices heard on issues coming before the Palo Alto City Council. I hope that the Palo Alto City Council isn't paying a ton of money for this program run by Peak Democracy. It seems all the functions on the site could be done with any other off-the-shelf or free technology -- even though the folks at Peak Democracy say otherwise. At least from what Watch Dog can tell -- but what to do I know?...

Remember this story from last week? Six young guys robbed another kid's iPod Touch. Well, it turns out one of the robbers was M-A football star Vaughn Smith. M-A's football coach, Phillip Brown had a weird reaction. Perhaps he needs some media training. His response:
"I'm a little disappointed...I had just talked to the Butte (Junior College) coach last week and gave him a glowing recommendation. I called three JCs in Southern California, to get him (Smith) out of here; to get him away...It's unfortunate...In the wrong place at the wrong time." A little disappointed? Wrong place wrong time? Really? (In an un/related note, Adam "PacMan" Jones was released by the Dallas Cowboys this week...)

The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) made several big land purchases on the coast at the end of last year. The more than 1,000 acres include pieces of land in Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio, and Moss Beach.

While the BART Board of Directors deal with the BART officer shooting -- they are also going to have to deal with a massive budget shortage. While the public hearing on cost-cutting options has been delayed for a bit, the options include cutting back on service on weekends or cutting some service all together on weekends for some stations. Heads up Millbrae...