Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone’s last day on the job is Sunday, and it’ll be interesting 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 2011.
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 1994, he said 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 treatment.
“My wife said to me, ‘What are you going to do about the boos?’ And I said, ‘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,” said Stone, who always 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 1919 in San Francisco and 1961 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 education to the valley’s diverse communities, Dean Jason Amezcua said.
At the ceremony, Lincoln Law School presented awards for Legacy of Honor and Outstanding Service to state Sen. Dave Cortese, a 1995 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 2024, 88% of Lincoln’s students were BIPoC — including 44% Hispanic, 33% Asian and 11% Black — and 74% were female.
DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A GAME?: Back when I was growing up, video games were something you played at the mall and game 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 Game Show, a new attraction from the people who made The Escape Game (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 2 to 14 people. There are more than a dozen games to play during the hour-long sessions, and you even get your own game show host. Is there a big wheel? Of course, there’s a big wheel.
The Great Big Game 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 3:30-7 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 50 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 10. Future acts include Chain of Fools (July 17), Cocktail Monkeys (July 31) and the Houserockers (Aug. 28). The Thursday night concerts start at 6:30 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/280/Summer-Concert-Series.
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