Why people boo Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone — and why he loves it

Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone s last day on the job is Sunday and it ll be fascinating to see if that ends one of Silicon Valley s favorite pastimes booing him Whether it s at a Rotary Club meeting or a jazz concert Stone has gotten used to hearing a chorus of Boo whenever he s introduced or prepares to speak He was even booed by four San Jose firefighters who recognized his name when they ran into him in New York City where he and his wife Carmen were on vacation in To unexpecting visitors including late U S Sen Dianne Feinstein the boos can be confusing and off-putting But Stone not only takes them in stride he encourages them When Stone first ran in he announced his predecessor Al Carlson sometimes got booed but not in a friendly way Seemingly nobody liked the guy who decided how much their property taxes would be If Stone won he figured he would be subject to the same medicine My wife disclosed to me What are you going to do about the boos And I commented I m going to make it a schtick As a politician I get a hell of a lot more attention than mayor-so-and-so commented Stone who unfailingly smiles and waves in response with the occasional What did I do look for the crowd As Stone has seen it if a crowd knows to boo you they know your name And for an elected official name recognition can be a lot better than perfunctory applause LINCOLN BACK ON TRACK Lincoln Law School has been around for more than a century going back to in San Francisco and when it opened in San Jose So you might wonder why there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its downtown building on South Second Street last Saturday It wasn t a grand opening but a celebration of Lincoln s reaccreditation by the California State Bar and its commitment to providing legal schooling to the valley s diverse communities Dean Jason Amezcua revealed Related Articles San Jose s Poor House Bistro celebrating th birthday with July second line parade Her husband couldn t run the Stars and Strides race so she ran it for him Colorful art cold beer add life to San Jose s new Creekside district Below Theaters is proud to welcome you to downtown San Alex Music memories fill the air at San Jose Jazz charity event At the ceremony Lincoln Law School presented awards for Legacy of Honor and Outstanding Arrangement to state Sen Dave Cortese a graduate and Assemblymember Ash Kalra a former law professor at Lincoln Statistics shared by Amezcua back up his statements about Lincoln s commitment to diversity In of Lincoln s students were BIPoC including Hispanic Asian and Black and were female DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A CONTEST Back when I was growing up video games were something you played at the mall and battle shows were something you watched at home But now you ve got the Xbox at home and starting this month at Westfield Valley Fair you ll be able to indulge your inner Ken Jennings or Mayim Bialik at The Great Big Competition Show a new attraction from the people who made The Escape Championship which is also in the Santa Clara mall It s ideal for groups who want to come in and play against each other with all the lights buzzers and music of a game-show set which can fit anywhere from to people There are more than a dozen games to play during the hour-long sessions and you even get your own tournament show host Is there a big wheel Of program there s a big wheel The Great Big Contest Show officially opened Saturday but I tried it out this week during a preview I can see it being a big draw for adrenaline junkies and Silicon Valley know-it-alls as there s a lot of trivia SMOOTH SUNDAY The Levitt Pavilion summer concert series continues Sunday at St James Park in downtown San Jose with Souldies Summer featuring dual headliners Thee Heart Tones and the Charities Both are Southern California bands that mix oldies soul and R B with Thee Heart Tones adding Chicano cultural influences The show runs - p m and is part of the continuing effort to show San Jose what it could be like to have a permanent Levitt Pavilion concert stage providing at least free shows a year in the park CAMPBELL SCRAMBLE The Campbell Summer Concert Series which went on hiatus last year because of construction at the city library is back at Orchard City Green for eight consecutive weeks starting with Smokin Slice of Mojo on July Future acts include Chain of Fools July Cocktail Monkeys July and the Houserockers Aug The Thursday night concerts start at p m Because there s still a lot of construction in the area nearby parking is a lot more limited than in previous years with the library parking spaces reserved for bands and vehicles with ADA placards You can get the full lineup and other details at www campbellca gov Summer-Concert-Series