SFist Blotter

A former San Carlos mayor is filing an appeal of his conviction for defrauding the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department out of $13,000, by using public funds to pay for a political consultant who failed to win a campaign back in 2003.

The fountain at San Jose State smells bad. An occupational therapy major says it's this year's "stank smell," as opposed to last year's, which was their trees. However, a business management major says he doesn't smell anything.

And State Senator Don Perata has proposed a $3 million anti-violence project for the cities of Oakland and Richmond to provide peacekeeping services, grief counseling, and job-placement assistance. The first neighborhoods they're targeting include Elmhurst, West Oakland, and central East Oakland, along with the Iron Triangle area of Richmond. The state will use moneyfrom the Dept. of Corrections and after-school programs to fund the program, along with donations from the private sector.