Council Opposes Bill Prohibiting Support for Relocating Teams
Morgan Hill – A vote taken by Morgan Hill City Council members May 16 may be moot, as the state senate bill the action opposed has been put on hold.
State Sen. Carole Midgen introduced the bill, Senate Bill 49, which would prohibit a local agency from providing financial assistance to a sports stadium project that involves the relocation of a professional sports franchise from one local agency to another within the same market area.
Midgen introduced the bill with the idea of preventing the National Football League’s San Francisco 49ers from moving from San Francisco to Santa Clara in their search for a new stadium.
Midgen represents the Third Senate District, which includes Marin and portions of San Francisco and Sonoma counties.
The bill was introduced in January.
“Local governments have to stand up and be counted when the state comes along and tries to take away some of their rights and responsibilities,” Mayor Steve Tate said during Wednesday night’s council meeting.
“It’s local government’s prerogative not to be overruled by the state,” he said.
Councilmember Mark Grzan said he would not support Sellers’ motion because the bill is on hold and may never be brought forward for a vote.
He and Councilwoman Marby Lee voted against the motion, while Sellers, Councilmember Larry Carr and Tate voted in favor of the motion to oppose SB49.
The bill has been put on hold. A second hearing on the bill set for May 9 was canceled by Midgen.
San Martin Couple to Pay For Tax Evasion
Gilroy – A former San Martin couple already facing a $1 million fine for tax evasion pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return in 1994, ducking more than $50,000 in taxes, according to the Department of Justice.
Michael Watts, 60, and Jan Watts, 54, pleaded guilty Monday to income tax evasion in 2004, a decade after the Watts omitted $92,494.13 in income from Melbourne Enterprises, Michael Watts’ consulting company, and $90,000 in payments to Fundamental Technologies Inc., an off-shore company that Jan Watts established in the West Indies. By leaving the income off their returns, the couple paid no taxes in 1994 and actually got a refund, bilking the IRS of $54,183.
Monday, the couple pleaded guilty to the additional charge of filing a false tax return, after authorities filed additional information last Tuesday.
The Watts have agreed to repay $1 million to the IRS, and could face additional penalties when they appear before Judge Ronald Whyte in San Jose for sentencing Aug. 27. The maximum penalty for filing a false tax return is three years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus restitution.
The plea follows a lengthy investigation by the IRS, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Nedrow with the help of Susan Kreider.
Morgan Hill Launches Sewer Line Project
Morgan Hill – With an eye on the future Morgan Hill engineers began snaking a much larger sewer line under Monterey Road this month that will travel two miles between Tennant and California avenues.
Construction began May 11 on the $5-million project, which is financed by developers’ fees. The work will replace the existing trunk line that is 18 to 21 inches in diameter with one that is 30 inches in diameter. Construction will be finished in November.
The project is the first phase in an ongoing effort to increase sewer capacity from Morgan Hill to the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in Gilroy. Future phases have not yet been finalized.
Much of the construction will be done on Monterey Road. According to the city, efforts will be made to minimize traffic impacts. Late-night and early-morning construction will cause a detour near the Tennant Avenue and Monterey Road intersection from 8pm to 6am. In other places, at least one lane will be open at all times, according to the city.
Supervisors Get Tough On Cock Fights
San Jose – Santa Clara County Supervisors hope to reduce the number of cock fights held by residents in unincorporated county areas with a new law limiting how many roosters people can own.
The ordinance passed 5-0 on Tuesday and requires residents keeping more than four roosters to obtain a so-called “rooster coop permit” from the Santa Clara County Animal Care and Control Department. After a second reading June 5, the law will take effect immediately.
“Raising birds for fighting and the act of making them fight is inhumane and illegal in California,” said Supervisor Don Gage in a news release. “The new ordinance demonstrates the county’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of our community.”
Since 2006, law enforcement officers have made several arrests and confiscated hundreds of roosters while fielding complaints of illegal bird combat in rural areas of the county.
Currently there is no limit in the unincorporated areas for the number of roosters that may be kept on a single property, and gathering legal evidence on suspected cock-fighting rings is a time-consuming and costly process, according to the county. The ordinance will allow sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers who observe numerous birds to respond directly without the typical cock-fighting complaints from neighbors and residents.
Memorial Weekend DUI Enforcement and Click It or Ticket
Santa Clara County – During the long Memorial Day weekend, law enforcement agencies will be swarming the county looking for unsafe drivers, especially those who get behind the wheel after having too much to drink and drivers and passengers who do not buckle up.
The Avoid the 13 campaign for the holiday weekend will begin at 12:01am today and continue through to midnight Monday. Last year, officers from Palo Alto to Gilroy made 106 DUI arrests and reported two DUI injury crashes but no DUI-related deaths.
Sobriety checkpoints will be set on Saturday night in Milpitas and San Jose.
“It’s easy to lose track of how much you’ve had to drink when you’re outdoors at a barbecue,” said Chief Scott Seaman of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, who is the Avoid the 13 chairman. “That’s why it’s so important to appoint a completely sober designated driver before you even leave the house.”
Avoid the 13 is in its 34th year of operation. All the Avoid the 13 campaigns are funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Click It or Ticket” started May 14 and will continue through June 3. The campaign by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office is designed to get drivers and passengers to buckle up.
If stopped and found in violation of the law, drivers will be cited. Tickets for adult violations can range from $80-$91, while children under 6 not properly secured can result in a point on the parent’s or driver’s record, with a fine of $330-$401 for a first offense.
