Free Republic

Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies arrested one man and are searching for at least one other in connection with a secret pot garden bust that netted 6,100 marijuana plants with a street value of $18 million. Acting on a tip, deputies from the Special Operations Unit's Marijuana Eradication Team discovered the hidden grow Wednesday about 8 a.m. off Hicks Road in the foothills above San Jose, Sgt. Rick Sung said. As deputies approached two large gardens, they found a man tending to the plants. And they quickly arrested 24 year-old Jesus Ochoachacon, who has an unknown address and is now...

San Jose/Silicon Valley Tea Party San Jose/Silicon Valley, California Sunday, July 5, 2009 1pm -3 pm Valley Fair Mall/Santana Row Intersection of Winchester Blvd and Stevens Creek Blvd On Sunday, July 5, 2009, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, the San Jose Tea Party will hold a rally protesting Obama's Government run Healthcare initiative. The rally will be at the corner of Winchester Blvd. and Stevens Creek Blvd. (Santana Row and Valley Fair Mall). In the spirit of limited government and fiscal responsibility, the protest is designed to get the "Stop Government Run Healthcare" message out to folks traveling the busiest...

The Santa Clara City Council may decide tonight to bless a $937 million stadium project for the San Francisco 49ers. But San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has some advice for the voters in the South Bay city, who will have to agree: Don't do it. Instead of using nearly $80 million in city funds on a 68,500-seat stadium that will host only a handful of football games each year, Santa Clara should instead spend the money on other city needs like schools, Newsom said. "That's a lot of money to spend on a team that won't even change its name,"...

The Pinta and the Nina, replicas of Columbus's ships, will visit Lewes Friday, May 29. The ships will be docked at the City Dock on Front Street until their early morning departure Monday, June 1... The Nina was built by hand and without the use of power tools. She was called "the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built," by Archaeology magazine. Craftmanship of construction and the details in the rigging make it a fascinating visit back to the Age of Discovery. The Nina was used in the production of the film, "1492," starring Gerard Depardieu. "It's an educational vessel...

“Can you ordain a hermaphrodite?” Santa Clara University theology professor says Church had long history of ordaining women that ended because of “virulent misogyny” Gary Macy, a professor of theology at Jesuit-run Santa Clara University, told attendees at a Monday night lecture at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee, there is little room for historical doubt that women were ordained in the Catholic Church until about the end of the 12th century. Macy’s lecture, entitled “A Higher Calling for Women? Historical Perspectives in the Catholic Church,” was given at Benton Chapel on the Vanderbilt campus. The university’s...

Santa Clara police identified the victims and alleged gunman in a grisly murder-suicide Sunday night and provided a glimpse into the "difficult family dynamics" that spiraled into violence and claimed six lives. The murder-suicide that left six members of the Kalathat family dead in Santa Clara has a ripple effect in the Bay Area Indo-American community and across... Officers released new details Tuesday about the murder suicide involving an Indian family at the Rivermark shopping development. Tuesday night, dozens from the Rivermark neighborhood came to the doorsteps of the home carrying flowers, candles and thoughts for the victims. Many brought...

<p>5 killed, 2 injured in Santa Clara shooting Matthew B. Stannard, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, March 30, 2009 Fark (03-29) 22:51 PDT Santa Clara -- Santa Clara police were investigating a shooting Sunday night that left five people dead and two more, including an infant, fighting for their lives.</p>

Voters narrowly approved a sales tax increase to help fund a BART extension into the South Bay, the latest vote tally shows. With all but a handful of ballots counted, Santa Clara County's Measure B secured the necessary two-thirds approval needed to win. The count Friday was 66.78 percent in favor, enough for backers to finally claim victory after the proposal had been losing in the days after the Nov. 4 election. The plan calls for raising the Santa Clara County sales tax by one-eighth of a cent, revenue from which will help to operate and maintain the 16.1-mile extension...

A 39-year-old Campbell man who allegedly shined a green laser at police helicopters and other aircraft repeatedly over the past three years has been arrested, the Santa Clara sheriff's office said Friday.Michael Weeker was arrested at his home Monday night shortly after he shined a laser at a sheriff's helicopter, Sgt. Don Morrissey said. He was charged with 10 counts of shining a laser at an aircraft and faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted.Pilots in the South Bay have reported periodic laser shinings since 2005, authorities said. Such shinings can cause temporary blindness and long-term eye...

Little-used law says that neighbor's solar panels cannot be shaded by treesTalk about a clash of cherished green values. In a case with statewide significance, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office cited a Sunnyvale couple under a little-known California law because redwood trees in their backyard cast a shadow over their neighbor's solar panels. Richard Treanor and Carolynn Bissett own a Toyota Prius and consider themselves environmentalists. But they refuse to cut down any of the trees behind their house on Benton Street, saying they have done nothing wrong. "We're just living here in peace. We want to be...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein has signed on to lead next June's ballot campaign aimed at revitalizing Candlestick Point and keeping the 49ers in San Francisco. Joining Feinstein as co-chairs of the campaign: former Mayor Willie Brown and Hunters Point-area Supervisor Sophie Maxwell. Word that DiFi will suit up comes a few weeks after Mayor Gavin Newsom tapped former 49ers executive Carmen Policy to act as civic go-between with the team and the National Football League. The 49ers are still intent on moving to Santa Clara, despite objections of Cedar Fair, the company that runs Great America and whose parking lot the...

School districts in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties are among about two dozen in the state to receive state grants announced today for literacy programs for the children of migrant workers. "We are absolutely excited about this," said Elva Cardenas, migrant education administrator for the San Jose Unified School District, which has two Saturday classes serving about 40 children ages 3 and 4.

SANTA CLARA - If the San Francisco 49ers want to move to Santa Clara, they may have to buy the Great America amusement park as well. Cedar Fair Corp., which operates Great America - and whose main parking lot the Niners have been eyeing for their dream stadium - has told team officials that they oppose the $853 million project, the 49ers said today. The company said that once before, then backed off its opposition. This time, however, it's official. Cedar Fair is preparing to issue a statement Wednesday saying it has concluded, after months of study, that the 49ers'...

From the California Catholic Daily:Not just a Tridentine indult Mass, but a full-fledged oratory authorized to administer all the sacraments according to the traditional Latin Rite has been established in Santa Clara. Augustinian priest Father Pedro Ottonello will serve as chaplain at the Oratory of the Chapel of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, located at 1298 Homestead Road in Santa Clara, telephone (408) 248-4330. San Jose Bishop Patrick McGrath not only granted Father Ottonello faculties to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Latin Rite missal, but also granted the oratory a full canonical establishment on the Solemnity of the Epiphany,...

The 49ers broke off negotiations with San Francisco city officials aimed at securing a new stadium at Candlestick Point and hope to build a home for the team in Santa Clara, MediaNews has learned. Team owner John York informed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom of the team's decision Wednesday. The 49ers' decision could have a substantial impact on the San Francisco's bid for the 2016 Olympics, of which the stadium was to play a key part. "We're going to have to make some assessments," said Peter Ragone, a spokesman for Newsom. York said in a statement that after a year...

Hello everyone !!! I hope everyone is enjoying the week. The month of September is going to be one busy month for us and I am going to need everyone's help. On Saturday September 9th we will be walking for our friend Mike Wasserman in Los Gatos we will be walking for him from 9am-1pm then after the walk we will be heading over to the Santa Clara County Republican Rally with WITH SPECIAL GUEST ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER Governor of California. The event will be starting one pm and it will end around three. I will be sending you the location...

Some Iranian citizens traveling to Santa Clara this weekend for a reunion of graduates and professors from a Tehran university have been stopped at U.S. airports and told the visas they were carrying had been revoked. The State Department on Thursday refused to say why some Iranians coming to the conference with visas approved by U.S. consulates abroad are being denied entry, detained overnight and then sent back to Iran. Event organizers said they know of 20 who have so far been turned away. More than 100 additional Iranian nationals are due at the weekend event. ........ Hojabri surmised that...

SAN JOSE - A day after some 25,000 people marched for immigrants' rights in downtown San Jose, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors narrowly passed a resolution that opposes criminalizing undocumented immigrants and those who help them. Instead, the board adopted a resolution that supports legalization for immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years or more.

Monsignor John Joseph Sweeny, 81, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Santa Clara for three decades, has died. Held dear by parishioners because he embraced traditional Catholicism -- celebrating Latin Mass and keeping church open around the clock -- he had suffered from respiratory illness for many months and died Tuesday at his family home in San Andreas. Sweeny, who retired from Our Lady of Peace in 2002 at 78, was responsible for commissioning the landmark statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that stands in front of the church next to Highway 101. The 30-foot-tall stainless steel...

For the first time in Santa Clara County, the coroner's office has listed the use of Tasers by police officers as one of the factors causing a person's death. The main cause of Jose Angel Rios' death late last year was heart failure during his cocaine-fueled battle against San Jose police officers, according to an autopsy obtained Friday by the Mercury News. The 38-year-old's obesity and heart disease caused by cocaine use were also listed as causes. The manner of death -- accidental, homicide, suicide, etc. -- was ``undetermined.'' Dr. Christopher Happy also concluded a ``contributory cause of death'' was...

How is a Drag Show Educational?   There are several important reasons why a drag show is not only entertaining, but of significant educational value. Increase Involvement & Awareness Primarily, the Drag Show/Lip Sync is an event that serves to advertise events of Queer Awareness Week on the Santa Clara campus, which include a panel discussion, an ally workshop, and a day of silence. Because the event is widely popular and a lot of fun for everyone, it can reach a larger university audience--an audience that might not ordinarily attend a workshop or discussion on homophobia. People come to the...

A new "cold case" unit that investigates unsolved homicides in Santa Clara County has already resulted in murder charges being filed in three old cases, prosecutors announced Friday at a news conference. Chief Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu said she decided to form a dedicated two-person unit in the District Attorney's Office earlier this year after two high-profile cold case murders were solved by local authorities. "After the Xiana Fairchild case and the Jeanine Harms case, I decided to form a cold case unit so we could assist our local law enforcement in solving old homicides," Sinunu said. Sinunu announced...

BRIAN SCHMIDT has a problem with the county. And the city. And, well, most other municipalities in California. Schmidt, a staff attorney for the Committee for Green Foothills, a local environmental organization, tells Fly that Santa Clara County isn't playing fair. His concern involves environmental impact reports (EIRs) that local governments draft prior to large-scale developments. Normally, after the EIR is written, the public and developers are permitted a specific amount of time (usually 45 days) to review the report. Then, the local government publishes a revised EIR, which answers questions and makes necessary changes. The two reports—the draft and...

Ultimately, Jeanine Harms' hobby led investigators to charge Maurice Nasmeh with her murder. The forensic investigation was the stuff of TV's ``CSI,'' unfolding in real time, over 17 long months. Tiny yarn fragments from her hooked rug project, painstakingly collected from a carpet that investigators believed was used in disposing her body, were found to match yarn in Harms' home and fibers in the cargo area of Nasmeh's SUV.Mark Moriyama, a criminalist with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Crime Laboratory, extracted thousands of fibers from the carpet by pressing 4-inch-square pieces of tape across its entire surface, and then...

BERKELEY, Calif. - At the birthplace of the free speech movement, campus radicals have a new target: the faculty that came of age in the 60's. They say their professors have been preaching multiculturalism and diversity while creating a political monoculture on campus. Conservatism is becoming more visible at the University of California here, where students put out a feisty magazine called The California Patriot and have made the Berkeley Republicans one of the largest groups on campus. But here, as at schools nationwide, the professors seem to be moving in the other direction, as evidenced by their campaign contributions...

A Santa Clara County judge Tuesday said it appears that county officials violated campaign laws by using public funds to oppose a controversial initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot. In a long-awaited ruling, Judge Socrates Manoukian blocked county officials from spending money to sway voters against Measure C, which would grant three unions the right to have an arbitrator resolve contract disputes. County officials staunchly oppose the idea, known as binding arbitration, saying it would diminish their ability to keep payroll costs in check. But by offering other unions large pay raises in exchange for a written vow not to...

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday placed three complicated measures on the Nov. 2 ballot that could help determine how county employees are compensated -- and the cost to taxpayers. Just below the surface of the three densely worded initiatives lies a bitter battle between county officials and the unions representing attorneys, nurses and correctional officers. The unions want to boost their power at the bargaining table with a new rule that would allow an independent arbitrator to settle contract disputes. They succeeded recently in collecting 59,000 signatures, which is far more than the 42,000 needed to...

Today, at the Water District where I work, following a Gay, Lesbian and Trans Gender celebration at lunch, they hoisted the rainbow diversity flag in place of the California flag on the pole in front of the headquarters building. The flag stayed there for about 2 1/2 hours. I would like each of you to take a stand on this incident and at least take the time to call or write the Water District at the following phone number and addresses: Main office: 408-265-2600 Ask for Stan Williams CEO Address: Santa Clara Valley Water District Website: www.valleywater.org Email: swilliams@valleywater.org If...

Personal liberties are the hallmark of the Libertarian Party, but party leaders are fretting that a Mountain View man convicted of a sex-related crime is just a few votes from becoming their candidate for a state Senate seat this fall.

Michael Newdow, the Sacramento atheist who has taken on the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, got a chance Tuesday at Santa Clara University's law school to test the legal skills he'll need in two weeks when he argues before the U.S. Supreme Court.

<p>MODESTO -- Prosecutors prefer Scott Peterson's double-murder trial be moved to Santa Clara County if the judge "does not reconsider Sacramento," according to court documents filed Friday.</p> <p>The state court administrative body produced a list of four potential trial sites this week after Judge Al Girolami ruled it necessary to move the case out of Stanislaus County, citing massive publicity.</p>

Holiday Care Package Drive and Rally for the Troops Saturday, November 22nd, 12 noon - 3 PM, intersection of Stevens Creek and Winchester Blvds, San Jose (just across from Santana Row), Pro-America Spirit will join forces with Quality of Life from the Red Cross to sponsor another Holiday Care Package Drive and Rally for the Troops - the last Holiday Care Package Drive and Rally was such a success, we want to do it one more time before the Holidays begin! For a list of items to donate for the care packages, click here. Also, wave your American flag in...

<p>Across Santa Clara County, a number of school districts are making the painful decision to shutter schools in the face of falling enrollments and the state budget crisis.</p> <p>As families leave the area to escape the economic slump and the high cost of living, and as districts brace for a projected $2 billion cut in state aid, many district officials say they have few other options to balance their budgets.</p>

<p>Sharing the stage with a high-tech armored vehicle, President Bush took aim at the recession Friday before an audience of defense workers in Santa Clara, imploring Congress to pass "a bold economic recovery package so people can find work."</p> <p>"The unemployment number is now at 6 percent," Bush said, citing new jobless figures in his speech before 1,800 people at United Defense, the Santa Clara developer of the Bradley fighting vehicle. "(That) number should say loud and clear to members of both political parties in the United States Congress, we need robust tax relief."</p>

AFTER ACTION REPORT (2 May 2003) – Bush visits Santa Clara CA ~ Countering the appeaseniks Freeper honor roll Clamper1797 CounterCounterCulture deeel-me-in mvpel and many other great patriots check in if you were there too President Bush visited United Defense Industries in Santa Clara, California after a stirring visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. Some of the goals were to talk about our national defense as well as our economy, especially here in California, where Bush would like us to keep more of our take-home pay to help boost the economy. Condi Rice and Andy Card was with...

Where and when will President Bush be in Santa Clara tomorrow? Where will proponents gather?

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -President Bush will travel to California next week to talk about the economy and national security and spend the night on an aircraft carrier as it returns from the war in Iraq, the White House announced today.</p> <p>Bush will fly to San Diego and make a speech Thursday aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for nearly nine months, longer than any U.S. carrier group now on duty. On Friday, he will leave the ship and travel to Santa Clara, where he will make remarks on the economy and national security.</p>

RALLY FOR AMERICA ~ San Jose/Santa Clara CA ~ 12/13 April 2003 *** NOTE: New venue for Sunday! *** All Freepers and lurkers in good standing are invited to join us in San Jose/Santa Clara for a rally to support America and its troops in the fight against Saddam Hussein and support the war on terrorism. WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 2003 TIME: 11 am to 2pm WHERE: Corner of Winchester and Stevens Creek Blvds. San Jose/Santa Clara near Valley Fair Mall WHEN: Sunday, April 13, 2003 TIME: 1 pm to 4pm WHERE: Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park downtown San Jose...

All Freepers and lurkers in good standing are invited to join us in San Jose/Santa Clara for a rally to support America and its troops in the fight against Saddam Hussein and support the war on terrorism. WHEN: Saturday/Sunday, April 5/6, 2003 TIME: 11 am to 2pm WHERE: Corner of Winchester and Stevens Creek Blvds. San Jose/Santa Clara near Valley Fair Mall This will be the fourth consecutive weekend that a rally takes place at this location. The first week had about 20 in attendance. The second week hundreds showed up along with numerous media outlets. Last week we opted...

I WAS THERE! Check out my photos here (Photos are arranged according to location at intersection of Stevens Creek Blvd. & Winchester Blvd.) Please FReepmail me if you want higher-res images

All Freepers and lurkers in good standing are invited to join us in San Jose/Santa Clara for a rally to support America and its troops in the fight against Saddam Hussein and support the war on terrorism. WHEN: Sunday, March 23, 2003 TIME: 12 noon to 2pm WHERE: Corner of Winchester and Stevens Creek Blvds. San Jose/Santa Clara near Valley Fair Mall There was a rally last Sunday with about 20 in attendance. We can add to those numbers! The people who planned it have already announced on local radio station KSFO this next rally. The wheels are already in...

<p>Although the budget crisis is forcing Santa Clara County to slash basic services from mental health to public safety, the board of supervisors will consider a proposal today to award the top three elected officials bonuses of more than $20,000 each.</p>