Burned Calif. Firefighter Sucked Into Pension Feud

It didn't take long for an injured San Jose firefighter to get pulled into the raging pension reform battle between public safety unions and Mayor Chuck Reed.

Hours after the firefighter suffered serious burns early Thursday morning while battling a four-alarm blaze on the city's west side, a website produced by the San Jose Police Officers' Association tweeted, "Firefighter Seriously Injured Protecting Residents -- Mayor Reed Yawns."

On its website, Protect San Jose wrote that the injuries to the firefighter are likely "serious enough that they will end his career" and claimed that under Reed's pension-reform measure on the June ballot, the firefighter would no longer receive a disability retirement.

There was one glaring problem with that statement: The injured firefighter is expected to make a full recovery, according to San Jose fire Capt. Robert Sapien, president of the firefighters union.

Sapien, who was at the scene of the fire as a safety officer, said he did not know where Protect San Jose received its information, adding that the firefighters union does not post information on Protect San Jose.

A police officer at the scene of the fire reportedly told union officials that the injury was potentially career-ending, said Kerry Hillis, a civilian spokesman for the union.

Hillis apologized for the release of bad information.

San Jose police Sgt. Jim Unland, president of the officers' association, said the sentence saying the firefighter's injuries would end his career was deleted from the website as soon as it was clear that Protect San Jose had published bad information.

The group also tweeted an update, stating that the firefighter is expected to fully recover.

Councilman Pete Constant, who supports the pension measure and who retired from the police department on disability after back injuries from a fight with a suspect, said the measure allows disability retirement if an injured officer or firefighter can no longer do meaningful work in the department.

Would this be a ring of fire or some sorta circular logic?

Speaking of firefighters, what happens when a fire strikes the family home of a fire chief?

"It's pretty surreal," said Darryl Von Raesfeld, San Jose's former fire chief. On Feb. 4, a fire broke out in the garage of the Copperpolis home of Von Raesfeld's father, Don, who IA doesn't have to remind you was a city councilman and the city manger of Santa Clara for a combined 30 years.

The home near Lake Tulloch, 12 miles south of Sonora, has been in the legendary Von Raesfeld family for decades and is now Don's secondary home. The 85-year-old remarried and lives with his wife, a few houses down from his home that burned.

What caused the fire is unknown, but everyone's OK. Luckily for the Von Raesfeld patriarch, his son, the former fire chief, and another son, who is a real estate agent, are helping him rebuild and collect his insurance. Still, it's tough.

"This does take a toll on you," said Darryl Von Raesfeld. "Going through this gives you a healthy respect for what happens after the fire."

Boy, right about now he's the scrum of the earth

And speaking of San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, at the Dublin-San Jose sister city banquet March 10 that honored Mike and Mary Ellen Fox with the "Spirit of Ireland" award, an intriguing subplot arose. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Andrew Montague, who was leading the Irish delegation, began his remarks in the banquet room of the Marriott Hotel downtown by telling the crowd that Ireland had beaten Scotland. Big applause. Hearty cheers.

Then, when Reed got up, he suggested that the Irish team might come to San Jose someday to play the San Jose Earthquakes, the soccer team. Just one problem with Reed's invitation: Montague had been saluting the Irish rugby victory, not the soccer results.

We can't wait until the A's build their new ballpark downtown. We assume the mayor will be there cheering them on for touchdowns.

The speculation behind Cortese's endorsement

Eastside Union High School board member Patricia Martinez-Roach, who has been around the political track enough times to edge into perennial candidate territory, is not given much chance to unseat Councilwoman Rose Herrera in San Jose District 8. Herrera is the incumbent, which conveys big advantages. And she can claim to have saved the skate park at Lake Cunningham, no small achievement.

But Martinez-Roach does boast one big endorsement -- that of Supervisor Dave Cortese, who once held the council post and is now readying himself for a potential run for mayor in 2014.

Here's the delicate question: Given the odds in Herrera's favor, IA's political sources are wondering why Cortese is entering the race at all.

He has little to gain backing a losing candidate.

One theory is that the Martinez-Roach endorsement is a favor to labor, which is irked at Herrera because she voted to put Mayor Chuck Reed's pension reform measure before the voters.

Councilman Pete Constant, no Cortese friend, says, "It shows you the lengths that Dave Cortese will go to get votes."

Cortese, however, says the theory is hogwash. He says Evergreen remains a good place to live -- but he doesn't see the district on the right track. "I like her as a candidate," Cortese said of Martinez-Roach. "I think she's a fighter. I've worked with her in the past. She'd do a good job."

Maybe it's just the adage, 'Once a superintendent ...'

The rumors are flying about who will fill the void after Alum Rock Superintendent Jose Manzo leaves in June. And IA is all ears.

Manzo, whom many credit with bringing stability and improving student achievement in the long-struggling district, has been chosen as superintendent of the neighboring Oak Grove School District in San Jose. His successor in Alum Rock will face an assertive, if not combative, board.

Most intriguing is speculation that Bob Nuñez, former superintendent of the East Side Union High School District, might step in.

Nuñez, IA readers might recall, was ousted in 2009 after investigations and allegations of misspending, conflicts of interest and irregularities in contracting and vacation pay.

A state audit later cleared him of fraud and illegal practices.

Reached on Friday, Nuñez said he's happily retired and not really in the market, but would consider the job "if people think it's a good fit."

Originally, he was approached to apply for the Alum Rock job overseeing human resources.

His hat is still in that ring. "If they want help, I'm more than happy to help."

Nuñez has always been a favorite of the teachers union, one of his biggest supporters in East Side.

About his possible return to education. Alum Rock Educators Association head Jocelyn Merz said, "I would love to have someone with the integrity and knowledge that Bob Nuñez has, and the positive working relationship that would come to our district."

But if he's not chosen, Nuñez said, he's plenty busy with work on the Juvenile Justice Commission, the NAACP executive committee and La Raza Roundable.

"I'm really quite happy doing things in the community."

Internal Affairs is an offbeat look at state and local politics. This week's items were written by Mark Gomez, Lisa Fernandez, Scott Herhold and Sharon Noguchi. Send tips [email protected] or call 408-975-9346.

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