Free Republic

Embattled San Jose City Councilman Terry Gregory resigned this morning as part of a deal with prosecutors after he was charged with 11 misdemeanors related to his conduct in office. Shortly after the charges were announced, Gregory held a City Hall news conference announcing his resignation. Gregory said in a statement that he accepted ``total and full responsibility'' for his actions and was ``prepared to do what's right in facing the consequences of of any mistakes that I have made.'' He also said he is ``at peace'' with himself because he has ``always worked only for the betterment of our...

San Jose's ethics task force Wednesday voted unanimously to ban council members' so-called special events accounts, which gained notoriety last year when Councilman Terry Gregory was accused by a former aide of pressuring Wal-Mart and other business leaders to contribute thousands of dollars to one of the little-known funds. The task force's decision puts the fate of the controversial accounts before the full council later this month. Seven of 10 city council members have used special events accounts in recent years to raise tens of thousands of dollars, but a majority Thursday said they were leaning toward eliminating them. The...

Embattled San Jose Councilman Terry Gregory, already facing a criminal grand jury probe and censured by his colleagues for accepting thousands in gifts, now faces a third front: civil grand jury hearings that increase the likelihood of his ouster from office. Civil grand jury subpoenas were issued to witnesses last week, asking them to appear next Tuesday, the same day the criminal grand jury is scheduled to convene and hear evidence pertaining to allegations that Gregory sought and received free meals, baseball tickets and a case of wine valued at more than $1,400. Gregory has denied any wrongdoing. According to...

TERRY GREGORY'S mooching spree, Ron Gonzales' golf getaways and just-released photographs of Rep. Mike Honda getting in on the action at Dynasty Restaurant may be leaving the good citizens of Silicon Valley slightly, uh, disenchanted with their local representatives. When your councilmembers can't resist the pricey perks that "come with" a public office, who can you trust? If it's any consolation, know that back in the day the local government's ethical laces were tied a bit tighter. Biter prodded former politicians who served during the days of Tom McEnery and Susan Hammer, and found a shocking trail of bashful goodness....

Fly's well-connected sources predict former mayoral roommate RYAN HUBRIS is a reasonable bet to become the first Vietnamese member of the San Jose City Council if beleaguered Councilmember TERRY GREGORY resigns or is removed from office. A pal of RON GONZALES, Hubris roomed with Gonzo in 2002 in Hubris' downtown condo while Gonzo was between marriages. There are rumblings about Hubris buying real estate in District 7, even though no transactions have appeared on the rolls at the county recorder's office. It sometimes takes a few weeks for sales to show up on the public rolls, however. And the cagey...

A Santa Clara County criminal grand jury will begin an inquiry next month to determine if San Jose Councilman Terry Gregory should be indicted for allegedly coercing gifts and contributions from local businessmen and others, according to a subpoena obtained by the Mercury News. The document also reveals, for the first time, that investigators intend to examine loans made to the councilman during the past two years. Gregory has been under fire since May for allegedly pressuring businesses and individuals for contributions and gifts -- accusations he has denied. Last week, the city council held a censure hearing and formally...

These pages have spent the past few months arguing that San Jose's ethics laws are lax. We've contended that they create a culture of permissiveness at City Hall. Today, a Mercury News editorial page investigation reveals that council member Terry Gregory appears to have violated numerous state and local ethics laws, possibly including soliciting a bribe. And if he hasn't violated the letter of the law, he has made a mockery of the spirit of ethics regulations. This is the story: In the Fall of 2003, the city of San Jose threw in the towel in its efforts to take...