A.M. Splash: SJ Pension Cuts Head to Ballot; Oakland Council Approves Plan to Keep Teams; De La Fuente Says He'd Run in Quan Recall

After years of cutting budgets and months of postponing a tough vote, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday put a measure on the June ballot that would trim city worker pensions whose ballooning costs have devoured funding for city services. The 8-3 vote after three hours of debate and testimony was a key victory for Mayor Chuck Reed, who has made pension reform a centerpiece of his administration.

East Oakland has long been the epicenter of professional sports in the Bay Area, and on Tuesday night the City Council pressed ahead with a plan to keep its teams where they've been for decades. To the delight of several Black Hole regulars, Oakland lawmakers approved $3.5 million toward efforts to redevelop the Coliseum complex along with adjacent land west off Interstate 880.

City council members spared an East Oakland teen center Tuesday, approving funds for the city to take control of operations from Councilmember Desley Brooks. The council also voted to have City Administrator Deanna Santana continue reviewing irregularities surrounding the teen center's construction and operation and recommend reforms for how city employees handle council member requests. But the council signaled little interest in commissioning an outside investigation into the project.

If the recall movement against Oakland Mayor Jean Quan does manage to make the ballot, one familiar face is already pledging to challenge her - City Councilman and former mayoral candidate Ignacio De La Fuente. "Absolutely - if the recall qualifies, I'm in," said De La Fuente, who last ran unsuccessfully for mayor against Ron Dellums in 2006.

San Francisco's ranked-choice voting system could be replaced with runoff elections for citywide offices but not for the Board of Supervisors, under a proposal Supervisor Mark Farrell introduced to the board Tuesday.

The Goldman Sachs rate swap issue is continuing to build steam at Oakland City Hall. Not only will this critical item be on the agenda of the City Council in April, but the City Administrator's office is now planning to issue an explanation memo on the city financial deal that is angering many in the community. At issue: How the city will be able to cancel, or size down, a deal with Goldman Sachs that is costing Oakland roughly $5 million a year.

Marin Municipal Water District officials want to extend for 19 years an annual $75 parcel fee to help replace pipes and improve the water system to fight fires. The agency is also looking to boost water rates by 6 percent beginning July 1.

Wal-Mart Stores is planning four Neighborhood Market grocery stores in the Bay Area at sites in the South Bay and East Bay, an expansion that will add hundreds of jobs in the region, the retailer said Tuesday. The latest Walmart Neighborhood Market slated for the Bay Area is headed for a onetime Safeway store in southwest San Jose at Westgate Mall, said Delia Garcia, a spokeswoman for Walmart West.