That’s more like DC: San Jose mayor Ron Gonzales was indicted yesterday on ethics charges, six felony counts on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation of funds, and falsifying government records. Also indicted were his top budget aide and Norcal Waste Systems, the trash company that allegedly engaged in an “arrangement” with the mayor: in exchange for contributions to the mayor from Norcal and the Teamsters, Norcal allowed the Teamsters to represent workers, and Gonzales allegedly hiked trash collection charges to cover the higher salaries of the now-unionized Norcal workers. It cost San Jose taxpayers about $11.25 million.
No crack involved, no cries of racism and no hidden cameras in a dark hotel room; no late night traffic stops in a park with drugs in the car — man, mayoral scandals here in San Jose are mired in the white-collar mundane.
