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Top Stories: July 29, 2010San Jose is Second to Seattle as Nation's Coffee Capital; Ballpark off the Ballotby Danny Wool on Jul 29, 2010Charge ‘er Up Electric cars really are becoming the wave of the future, as evidenced by the appearance of Tesla’s Elon Musk on the Colbert Report last night. There’s still a challenge to be faced however. What do you do when you’re away from home and your car needs a quick jolt of battery juice? The solution is about to be unveiled today in the San Jose Convention Center parking lot. Mayor Chuck Reed and Coulomb Technologies CEO Richard Lowenthal will be showing off one of 5,000 public and private CT500 charging stations being installed around the country. The CT500 charging station is a 7.2 kw single output station designed for residential and light commercial applications. The program to install the charging stations is being funded by the Department of Energy and the Energy Commission through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. About $37 million dollars is being spent to install these new stations in homes, commercial properties, and increasingly, government facilities in nine areas around the country, including the Bay Area. In fact, government facilities are among the leading consumers of electrical vehicles to date, with cities like San Jose gradually replacing their existing fleets with hybrids and fully electric vehicles. The shorter distances travelled by these vehicles are ideally suited to the new electric vehicles. Read More at NBC Bay Area. Read More at The Hill. What’s the Buzz on San Jose Coffee Shops? A few years ago in New York, there was a guy who decided to have a drink at every single Starbucks in the city. ‘Twas a noble venture indeed, and he did get faster (and jumpier) as he worked his way from street corner to street corner over long days and many a sleepless night. Who was he kidding?! A survey published by the Daily Beast shows that San Jose ranks third for the number of coffee shops per capita in the US, with 20- for every 100,000 residents. In contrast, New York has only 8 per 100,000. And since statistics never lie, it is also worth noting that New Yorkers spend a measly $27 per month on coffee, while the good people of San Jose spend a respectable $34. Admittedly, San Jose is not at the top of the pack when it comes to coffee shops per capita. The honor for the most independent shops and chains goes to—you guessed it—Seattle, with 35. We’re pretty close when it comes to spending though. Compare out $34 per person to their $36 (though that could also mean that we’re more expensive. This is Silicon Valley, after all). As in so many other things, Seattle is followed by Portland, obviously, with 28 shops per 100,000 and $33 per month. Then comes us. So, how about our neighbors to the north? Well, Denver is fourth, but that makes sense considering how much a steaming cup of coffee helps to warm the extremities during a Rocky Mountain blizzard. Then, and only then, comes San Francisco. They also have 20 coffee shops per 100,000, but they don’t spend quite as much as us there, with just $30 per person. Cheapskates! Read More at The Daily Beast. Ballpark off the Ballot It was inevitable. Now it is final. Voters will not be voting on a new ballpark for San Jose this November. MLB Commission Bud Selig has asked the city to wait, and the Mayor has agreed. The decision comes after lengthy negotiations between Selig and Chuck Reed, with the Mayor telling Selig to hurry up and decide already, and Selig responding that he’s going as fast as he can. There is, however, some good news for San Jose. Selig reportedly agreed to reach a decision by the year’s end, and also agreed to chip in on the ballot initiative, which will likely be held next March. Of course, if he agrees to chip in on the cost of a special ballot, it could only mean one thing. He tends to think that there will be a need to hold that special election after all. Good work, Mayor Reed. All of this means that the August 3 meeting can focus on some more pressing issues for the city’s financial future. To other ballot issues to be debated are City Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio’s proposal to amend the city charter to allow for a second-tier pension plan, and the Mayor’s own proposal to end (or limit to the point that it effectively ends) binding arbitration when contract negotiations with the police and fire department unions grind to a standstill—not like that would ever happen. Frankly, these two issues promise to be far more daunting than the stadium question, and will require all the extra time for the heated debate that is sure to ensue. Read More at ABC 7. Read More at The Mercury News. by Danny Wool on Jul 29, 2010 |
 5,000 Coulomb Technologies CT500 charging stations are being installed around the country. |
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