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Top Stories: Nov. 12, 2009Perez Departs Evergreen; Medi-Pot Arrives in Garlic Capital; Local Biz on the Radio; NASDAQ in Mountain Viewby Danny Wool on Nov 12, 2009Pérez to Retire from San Jose/Evergreen Community College Rosa Pérez, Chancellor of the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District, announced that she will be retiring because of poor health. Pérez has battled respiratory problems in the past. Her retirement will go into effect on June 30, when her current contract expires. Pérez was something of a trailblazer at SJECC. She is the first Latina to serve as Chancellor on a permanent basis, and she is also one of the nation's very few openly gay chancellors. But her tenure at the head of SJECC has not been without its controversies. She has come into conflict with the California School Employees Association for downsizing staff because of the economic crisis. There have also been investigations into financial impropriety under her watch, which figured in a Grand Jury Report for schools and colleges in Santa Clara County entitled "Santa Clara County Schools, Inventory Practices—$300M+ Taxpayer Investment—But Who's Counting Board President Randy Okamura rejected any allegations of impropriety, citing a recent clean audit as proof. He spoke highly of Pérez, and stated that the sole reason for her decision to retire was her health. Read More at the Mercury News. New Call-in Show to Help Local Businesses With retailers facing another tough holiday season this year, local radio station KLIV has launched a new show to help them draw customers. The show, which will be broadcast every weekday from 11 am to noon, will give local businessmen a chance to call in to promote their businesses, and talk about their "Deal of the Day." Listeners will also be able to call in to ask for advice about where to get the best deals on those much-needed Christmas gifts. The show will be hosted by Sean Michael Lisle. According to the National Retail Federation, spending on holiday gifts this year is expected to drop 3 percent, from $705 to $683. Throughout the Bay Area, retailers like Target are slashing prices in an effort to get back in the black by Black Friday. Read More at KLIV. Read More on ABC 7. Gilroy Cracks Down on Pot Dispensary The war between garlic and marijuana is on, and the scene is Gilroy, the nation's garlic capital. After all, medical marijuana may be all over the news, but garlic has plenty of health benefits too, and is the second most widely herbal supplement sold in the U.S. (after echinacea). According to garlic advocates, not only does it taste great—it can also lower your cholesterol and triglycerides levels, reduce your blood pressure, assist in recovery from coronary heart disease, and even cure athlete's foot—a claim that marijuana doesn’t dare make. Maybe that's why Gilroy City Council denied the MediLeaf Club a business license by a vote of 4-3. But MediLeaf was not deterred. Arguing that it was a non-profit organization, it claimed that it did not need city approval to operate, and opened its doors to the public on Monday. But Gilroy’s leaders were hardly amused. On Wednesday afternoon, city police served MediLeaf with a cease and desist order, effectively putting them out of business. Now it's up to MediLeaf to decide how it intends to fight City Hall. Read More at ABC 7. Read More at Amazing Herbs. NASDAQ Starts Trading from Silicon Valley At 6:30am today, NASDAQ launched another day of trading, but instead of doing it from New York, the buzzer rang at the headquarters of Cypress Semiconductor, right here in San Jose. Cypress, which was founded in 1982, went public in 1986 and was listed on NASDAQ. It switched to the NYSE in 1988, but as of this morning it has switched back to NASDAQ. To mark the event, CEO TJ Rodgers, will sign the opening buzzer right here in California with an electronic wand, and his signature will be transmitted electronically to New York. Since the NASDAQ opening occurs at 9:30 EST, staffers who attend the event here in California will be making their way to work much earlier than usual today. Read More at NBC Bay Area. Police Identify Student Stabbed in Yard The SJPD announced that San Jose's 25th homicide victim of the year was a 15-year-old Michael Russell, a sophomore at Santa Teresa High School. Ironically, the teen was killed while City Council decided on measures to combat growing violence in the city. At the same time, the neighborhood's Sunrise Homeowners Association was also meeting to discuss the creation of a neighborhood watch group. No motive has yet been given for the murder, though police do not believe that it was gang-related. Read More at the Mercury News. by Danny Wool on Nov 12, 2009 |
 Rosa Perez was the first Latina chancellor at the Evergreen CCD, and one of the only openly lesbian chancellors in the nation.  Medical marijuana is now available for patients in Gilroy, despite the city council. |
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