Digest Digest (February 02, 2005)

Health, economy top county concerns

Health care, environmental and economic concerns, and balancing needs and resources will top the agenda for Santa Clara County in 2006, Liz Kniss, the new chair of the Board of Supervisors, declared Thursday evening in a "state of the county" address in San Jose.

Kniss, a Palo Alto resident who served on both the City Council and school board in past years, cited the county's rebuilding of the Fair Oaks Clinic in Sunnyvale and the addition of clinics in Milpitas and Gilroy as examples of commitment to increasing health care access. The county spends nearly one-third of its $3 billion budget on health services.

Kniss said her plans include the adoption of a health-and-wellness resolution to promote healthier eating choices at workplaces in an attempt to reduce deaths from heart disease and cancer.

She also emphasized the importance of "green'' (environmentally-sound) building standards and finding ways to address the issue of electronic waste.

"Electronic waste contains chemicals that need to be disposed of properly, and is perhaps the most pressing solid waste issue facing us today,'' Kniss said. "By building on county efforts currently under way to manage household hazardous waste, we will be tackling an issue that is of our era.''

The county's big challenge is closing the projected $127 million budget shortfall for 2006 -- the fourth year of general-fund deficits that have resulted in $652 million in budget reductions.

Kniss said the board must work to "balance the budget now and into the future.''

Despite the budget challenges, Kniss remained optimistic about the county's future.

Shoplift case leads to arrest of two felons

A transient man and woman are facing an array of felony charges following a reported shoplifting attempt at Fry's Electronics in Palo Alto.

Police Lt. Ron Lawrence said officers responded to a "shoplift in progress" call at 2:38 p.m. Friday. He said Officer Cori Preheim, Agent Paul Brown and Detective Ken Kratt interrupted a grand theft in progress and located a stolen vehicle in the Fry's parking lot.

Inside the car was a loaded .357 handgun and "numerous auto dealership car keys," Lawrence said.

He said Davette Griewe, 34, and Chad Campbell, 25, both transients, were arrested and booked into San Jose Main Jail on several charges, including being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, possessing a stolen vehicle, conspiracy and burglary. He said Greiwe also had three outstanding warrants for her arrest.

District plans public hearing on parcel tax

Residents will have an opportunity to comment on the Palo Alto Unified School Districts new parcel tax measure at a Feb. 8 meeting.

The school district will place a $493 per year, per parcel tax on the June ballot. The parcel tax would be used to pay for programs and staffing at each of the district's schools. The tax would continue the district's current parcel tax of $293 per parcel, per year approved by voters in June 2001. That tax will expire in June 2006.

This new tax follows the defeat of a similar measure for $521 per year, per parcel in November. That measure didn't receive the required two-thirds voter approval it needed to pass.

The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. The Board will consider taking final action on the proposal later that night. Both the hearing and the board meetings will be held in the meeting room of the Board of Education of the Palo Alto Unified School District, located at the District Office, 25 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto, California.

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