About Us
We’re changing the face of local journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering independent news to the nation’s 10th largest city.
Our Mission
San José Spotlight is the city’s first nonprofit news organization dedicated to independent political and business reporting. Our mission is to change the face of local journalism by building a community-supported newsroom that ignites civic engagement, educates citizens and strengthens our democracy.
Our community needs another voice, an alternate source for high-quality, independent local news. Our stories will search for truth, shed light on wrongdoing and hold the powerful accountable. We are the community’s newsroom and we’re powered by your support and donations.
San José Spotlight is a project of the San José News Bureau, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization | Tax ID: 82-5355128. San José Spotlight is fiscally sponsored by the Institute for Nonprofit News | Tax ID: 27-2614911. All donations are tax deductible.
Photo credit: Andy Nguyen and Buggsy Malone
Our Team
From left to right: Josh Barousse, Ramona Giwargis, Carina Woudenberg, Nadia Lopez, Grace Hase, Kyle Martin, Janice Bitters
Editorial Independence Policy
We adhere to the editorial independence policy adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News.
San José Spotlight relies on donations and memberships to power our nonprofit newsroom, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. Donors and sponsors have no influence over our content. Donors have no involvement in news decisions and we do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.
News judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Your trust is the cornerstone of San José Spotlight’s success. We’ll always maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue.
Donor Transparency
We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization. That’s why we disclose every penny donated to San José Spotlight.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to support our work. Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.
We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our Board of Directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.
| San José Spotlight Donors | Amount |
|---|---|
| Santa Clara Valley Water District | $16000 |
| International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 332 | $10000 |
| The Davidson Family Foundation | $10000 |
| Jackson and Main | $7500 |
| UA Local 393 | $6000 |
| Sobrato Family Foundation | $5000 |
| Pat Waite | $5000 |
| Jenny Wolfes (event sponsor) | $5000 |
| David E. Cohen | $5000 |
| Ron Gonzales and Guisselle Nunez (event sponsor) | $4810 |
| Marquis Advisory Group | $4500 |
| Destination: Home | $2500 |
| Rich Robinson | $2500 |
| Norm Kline | $2500 |
| Rick Callender | $2500 |
| McManis Faulkner | $2500 |
| Nicole and Sean Morley | $2500 |
| Voler Strategic Advisors | $2500 |
| Cafe Stritch | $2000 (event sponsor) |
| Gary Kremen | $2000 |
| Ted Smith and Amanda Hawes | $1800 |
| Knight Foundation | $1500 |
| The Core Companies | $1500 |
| Kaiser Permanente | $1200 |
| Terry Christensen | $1000 |
| Harmeet Dhillon | $1000 |
| Al and Carmen Castellano | $1000 |
| Ash and Bianca Pirayou | $1000 |
| LIUNA Local 270 | $1000 |
| Sam Singer | $1000 |
| Geoff and Andrea Ralston | $1000 |
| Nunez Community Foundation | $1000 |
| Chris Platten | $1000 |
| Vijay Sammeta | $1000 |
| Abode Services | $1000 |
| SPUR | $1000 |
| PATH | $1000 |
| Erik Schoennauer | $1000 |
| Patricia Gardner | $550 |
| David and Elisa Ginsborg | $550 |
| Meri Maben | $500 |
| Rich De La Rosa | $500 |
| Bob Staedler | $500 |
| Leslye Corsiglia | $500 |
| Robert Handa | $500 |
| Carpenters Local 405 | $500 |
| Teresa Alvarado | $300 |
| Armando Gomez | $300 |
| First Community Housing | $300 event sponsor |
| Ruth Silver Taube | $275 |
| Dave and Pattie Cortese | $250 |
| Doug Greven | $250 |
| Josh Becker | $250 |
| Manny Diaz | $250 |
| Jim Cunneen | $250 |
| Josh Burroughs | $250 |
| Ray Bramson | $225 |
| Chris Roth | $220 |
| Tara Sreekrishnan | $200 |
| Xavier Campos | $200 |
| Otto Lee | $200 |
| Steve Borkenhagen | $200 |
| Joe Head | $200 |
| Jodi Nunes | $200 |
| Rob Bettencourt | $200 |
| Jennifer Tonnis | $200 |
| Roland De Wolk | $200 |
| Frederick Ferrer | $200 |
| John Semanik | $200 |
| Sylvia Arenas | $200 |
| Akemi Flynn | $200 |
| Community Health Partnership | $200 |
| Derecka Mehrens | $180 |
| Wendy Ho | $150 |
| Dianna Zamora-Marroquin | $150 |
| Kevin Zwick | $150 |
| Diane Ritchie | $150 |
| John Mukhar | $150 |
| Louise Auerhahn | $150 |
| Bob Burres | $150 |
| Robert Reese | $150 |
| Kelly Snider | $150 |
| Sheril Woodburn | $140 |
| Sam Ho | $135 |
| Carol Stephensen | $125 |
| Susan Frank | $125 |
| Daniel Reyes | $125 |
| Roseanne Compitello | $125 |
| Jon Graff | $120 |
| Jorge Vittes | $120 |
| Alan Hase | $120 |
| Bruce Heister | $100 |
| Jim Frizzell | $100 |
| Victor Gomez | $100 |
| Jerry Strangis | $100 |
| Ben Field | $100 |
| Gabriel Montes | $100 |
| Michele Hatfield | $100 |
| Jesus Flores | $100 |
| Megan Roehl | $100 |
| Allison Brunner | $100 |
| Patrick Heisinger | $100 |
| Rich Tran | $100 |
| Mike Fay | $100 |
| Mark Tiernan | $100 |
| Don Rocha | $100 |
| Mickey Mericle | $100 |
| Michele Lew | $100 |
| Mary Gloner | $100 |
| CEMA | $100 |
| David & Karen Martin-Keller | $100 |
| Michael Mulcahy | $100 |
| Jason Shueh | $100 |
| Steve Aponte | $100 |
| Michelle Rindels | $100 |
| Glenn Frizzell | $100 |
| Deborah Garvey | $100 |
| Anna Marie Cruz | $100 |
| Catherine Matsuyo Tomkinson | $100 |
| Nuria Fernandez | $100 |
| Robert Braunstein | $100 |
| Geoff Morgan | $100 |
| Angel Islas | $100 |
| Rogelio Ruiz | $100 |
| Shiloh Ballard | $100 |
| Chuck Reed | $100 |
| Nielson Buchanan | $100 |
| Michael Lane | $100 |
| Sali Schille | $100 |
| Peter Sanchez | $100 |
| Adrienne Grey | $100 |
| Nicole Fernandez | $100 |
| Janet Hagquist | $100 |
| Andrea Perry | $100 |
| Maya Esparza | $100 |
| Dorsey Moore | $100 |
| Sean Dowdall | $100 |
| Karina Dominguez | $100 |
| Sharon Grennan | $100 |
| Carol Garvey | $85 |
| Gloria Chacon | $75 |
| Catherine Crystal Foster | $75 |
| Jeffrey Buchanan | $75 |
| David Cohen | $70 |
| Leslie Rodriguez | $70 |
| Janice Bitters | $70 |
| Paul Escobar | $70 |
| Margaret Okuzumi | $60 |
| Chelsey Cartwright | $60 |
| Olivier Mange | $60 |
| Amy Feldman | $60 |
| Patrick Ferraro | $50 |
| Claire Noonan | $50 |
| Stefan Baeurle | $50 |
| Kathleen Muller | $50 |
| Ned Laugharn | $50 |
| Kathleen Muller | $50 |
| Emily Ramos | $50 |
| Erica Nazario | $50 |
| Tobin Gillman | $50 |
| Ken Yeager | $50 |
| RML Enterprises | $50 |
| Frannie Edwards | $50 |
| Rose Baden | $50 |
| Prudence Slaathaug | $50 |
| Harbinder Sikka | $50 |
| Wiggsy Silvesten | $50 |
| Don Albert | $50 |
| Jeremy Barousse | $50 |
| Kristen Clements | $50 |
| Bob Brownstein | $50 |
| Beth Leary | $50 |
| Shane Patrick Connolly | $50 |
| Pattie Cortese | $50 |
| David Poeschel | $50 |
| Larry Gerston | $50 |
| Lydia Guel de Bustamante | $50 |
| J. Manuel Herrera | $50 |
| Helen Chapman | $50 |
| Tim Kawikami | $50 |
| Hanh Mo | $50 |
| Guisselle Nunez | $50 |
| Angelica Ramos | $50 |
| Brendan Rawson | $50 |
| Erlinda Reyes | $50 |
| Vince Rocha | $50 |
| David Urhausen | $50 |
| Heather Zimmerman | $50 |
| Maria Fuentes | $50 |
| Kelly Snider | $50 |
| Stefan Baeurle | $50 |
| David Tran | $50 |
| Ellen Pulskamp Turner | $50 |
| Diam Syverson | $50 |
| Mike and Emily Ray | $50 |
| Jeanette Lee | $50 |
| Lisa Hettler-Smith | $50 |
| Jodi Nunes | $50 |
| Ken Heredia | $50 |
| Eleanor Pett | $50 |
| Christina Ramos | $50 |
| Denise Belisle | $50 |
| Michael Young | $50 |
| Gabriela Banks | $50 |
| Patrick Chung | $50 |
| Andrew Alfaro | $50 |
| Larry Sokoloff | $50 |
| Alice Kaufman | $50 |
| Kent Greathouse | $50 |
| Brian Wheatley | $50 |
| Seth Cole | $50 |
| Barbara Goldstein | $50 |
| Bruce Davis | $50 |
| Kaia Eakin | $50 |
| Kathy Thibodeaux | $50 |
| Maia Bookoff | $50 |
| Norma Callender | $50 |
| Long Nguyen | $50 |
| Karen Schuler | $50 |
| Patrick Goddi | $50 |
| Denise Herrera | $50 |
| Jim Frizell | $50 |
| Jeffrey Levin | $50 |
| Kristen Kaliski | $50 |
| Ray Mueller | $46 |
| Kieran Kelly | $45 |
| Shaunn Cartwright | $45 |
| Terry Reilly | $45 |
| Judy Burt | $40 |
| Glen Shaffer | $40 |
| Scott McMichael | $40 |
| Chava Bustamante | $40 |
| Harriet Wolf | $40 |
| Gilbert Garcia | $35 |
| Jerry Wilburn | $35 |
| Mayra Flores de Marcotte | $35 |
| Milan Balinton | $35 |
| Mario Lopez | $35 |
| Matthew Wilson | $35 |
| Ky Le-Nguyen | $35 |
| Gail Osmer | $35 |
| Lizzie Nolan | $30 |
| Rich Brashears | $25 |
| Michael Casas | $25 |
| Lisa Chung | $25 |
| Tamara Alvarado | $25 |
| Richard Crowley | $25 |
| Kiet Do | $25 |
| Steve Kline | $25 |
| Scot Griffin | $25 |
| Mary Anne Groen | $25 |
| Stacey Hendler-Ross | $25 |
| Chad Johnston | $25 |
| Alex Shoor | $25 |
| Huascar Castro | $25 |
| Patrick Falzer | $25 |
| Beth Willon | $25 |
| Anh Nguyen | $25 |
| Sean Kaldor | $25 |
| Carlos Barrientos | $25 |
| Alice Kaufman | $25 |
| Elisa Koff-Ginsborg | $25 |
| Lara McCabe | $25 |
| Michael Melillo | $25 |
| Adriano Naderi | $25 |
| Pierluigi Oliverio | $25 |
| Christian Ollano | $25 |
| Frank Ponciano | $25 |
| Caleb Prewitt | $25 |
| A’Dreana Quevedo | $25 |
| Robert Reese | $25 |
| Rosa Reyes | $25 |
| Judy Rickard | $25 |
| Robert Stromberg | $25 |
| Eddie Truong | $25 |
| Gill Villagran | $25 |
| Brian Wheatley | $25 |
| Justin Lardinois | $25 |
| Mitchell Mankin | $25 |
| Anne Sherman | $25 |
| James Reber | $25 |
| Barbara Gould | $25 |
| Edesa Bitbadal | $25 |
| Julia Baum | $25 |
| David Vossbrink | $25 |
| Sergio Lopez | $25 |
| Minh Pham | $25 |
| Grace-Sonia Melanio | $25 |
| Riley Snyder | $25 |
| Meghin Delaney | $25 |
| Gabby Chavez-Lopez | $25 |
| Rose Filiceti | $25 |
| Charmon Ashby | $20 |
| Demone Carter | $20 |
| Brian Haberly | $20 |
| Carla Marinucci | $20 |
| Alys Milner | $20 |
| Miguel Santiago | $20 |
| Todd Weber | $20 |
| Gabe Carhart | $20 |
| Lauren Puckett | $20 |
| Vera Sloan | $20 |
| Bruce Pickett | $20 |
| Matt Steitz | $20 |
| Maggie Graves | $20 |
| Vianey Nava | $20 |
| Valarie Klopping | $20 |
| Sylvia Reichley | $20 |
| Mason Fong | $20 |
| Luis Gomez | $20 |
| Burton Smith | $20 |
| Julia O’Keefe | $20 |
| Tracey Ananmalay | $20 |
| Alicia Crank | $20 |
| Robert Stromberg | $20 |
| Robert Means | $10 |
| Sue Cross | $10 |
| Vivek Kollipara | $10 |
| Mary Greenwood | $10 |
| Amy Brown | $10 |
| Judy Pipkin | $10 |
| Esther Dieckman-Peralez | $10 |
| Reginald Sweeley | $10 |
| Bruce Roberts | $10 |
| Hans Halberstadt | $10 |
| Clark Williams | $10 |
| Jennifer Imhoff | $5 |
| Vincent Vera | $5 |
| Janice Allen | $5 |
| Victoria Kezra | $5 |
| Jeremiah Haze | $5 |
| Lisa Chung | $5 |
| Brian Consiglio | $5 |
| Jon Pedigo | $5 |
| John Bennett | $5 |
| Valon Badivuku | $5 |
| Sandy Jacobs-Tolle | $5 |
| Martha O’Connell | $5 |
| San José Spotlight Member | Amount |
|---|---|
| Editor’s Circle | |
| Tom Saggau | $200 |
| Gail Bautista | $200 |
| Fourth Estate Club | |
| Eldridge Political Partners, LLC | $50 |
| Lara McCabe | $50 |
| Cayce Hill | $50 |
| Vijay Sammeta | $50 |
| The Worker Agency | $50 |
| Leslye Corsiglia | $50 |
| Sergio Jimenez | $50 |
| Zach Pallin | $50 |
| Mary Greenwood | $50 |
| Cynthia Guerrero | $50 |
| Maria Fuentes | $50 |
| Dave Cortese | $50 |
| Guardians of Truth Club | |
| Xavier Campos | $25 |
| Jennifer Loving | $25 |
| Barbara and John Comiskey | $20 |
| Anne Rosenzweig | $20 |
| Steve Hanleigh | $20 |
| Matt King | $20 |
| Carla Collins | $20 |
| Peter Ortiz | $20 |
| Mimi Hernandez | $20 |
| Shay Franco-Clausen | $20 |
| Frank Ponciano | $20 |
| Belinda Stow | $20 |
| Lydia & Noe Bustamante | $20 |
| Jean Cohen | $20 |
| Andrae Wara-Macapinlac | $20 |
| Leslie Rodriguez | $20 |
| Rich Tran | $20 |
| Heather Zimmerman | $20 |
| Eddie Truong | $20 |
| Michael Melillo | $20 |
| Adan Lupercio | $20 |
| Ash Kalra | $20 |
| Wendy Ho | $20 |
| Kathleen Thomas | $20 |
| Janet McLaughlin-Pfab | $20 |
| Judy Pipkin | $20 |
| PACT | $20 |
| Luther Jackson | $20 |
| Ignacio Ornelas | $20 |
| Sacred Heart Community Service | $20 |
| Derecka Mehrens | $15 |
| Free Speech Club | |
| Jeremy Barousse | $10 |
| Diane Doolittle | $10 |
| Joel Corona | $10 |
| Vicky Mattson | $10 |
| Kathleen Thomas | $10 |
| Sandra Bendorf | $10 |
| Jaye Bailey | $10 |
| Stacy Owen | $10 |
| Mimi Hernandez | $10 |
| Dan Chapman | $10 |
| Michael Melillo | $10 |
| Blanca Alvarado | $10 |
| Dev Davis | $10 |
| Diana Miller | $10 |
| Silvia Mahan | $10 |
| Rose Amador-Le Beau | $10 |
| Jorge Escobar | $10 |
| Nadia Aziz | $10 |
| Long Nguyen | $10 |
| Kyra Kyzantzis | $10 |
| Julie Kodama | $10 |
| Edwin Tan | $10 |
| Maria Ohollearn | $10 |
| Steven Ellenberg | $10 |
| Chris Esparza | $10 |
| Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez | $10 |
| Mayra de Flores de Marcotte | $10 |
| Elizabeth Monley | $10 |
| Steve Kline | $10 |
| Shirley Lee | $10 |
| Megan Fluke | $10 |
| Betsy Hammer Carr | $10 |
| Josue Garcia | $10 |
| Carol Stephensen | $10 |
| Ray Bramson | $10 |
| Leila McCabe | $10 |
| Michael Casas | $10 |
| Chris Funk | $10 |
| Ian Cruelidad | $10 |
| Matt Quevedo | $10 |
| Judy Rickard | $10 |
| Janine Zacharia | $10 |
| Patricia Gardner | $10 |
| Diane Doolittle | $10 |
| Brendan Rawson | $10 |
| Larry Stone | $10 |
| Javier Gonzalez | $10 |
| Gilbert Garcia | $10 |
| Patrick McGarrity | $10 |
| Audrey Rust | $10 |
| Steve Preminger | $10 |
| Anna Marie Cruz | $10 |
| Matt Savage | $10 |
| Jesus Flores | $10 |
| Anne Wilson | $10 |
| Erin Salter | $10 |
| Koumban Boesch | $10 |
| Miguel Santiago | $10 |
| Kris Karnos | $10 |
| Amy Neymyr | $10 |
| Sparky Harlan | $10 |
| Kent Greathouse | $10 |
| Marilyn Leonard | $10 |
| Jenny Higgins Bradanini | $10 |
| Chuck Stevens | $10 |
| Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority | $10 |
| Phillip Gonzales | $10 |
| Christopher Corpuz | $10 |
| Brian Haberly | $10 |
| Lawrence Lui | $10 |
| William Nacey | $10 |
| Marci Gerston | $10 |
| Robin Roemer | $10 |
| Bill Souders | $10 |
| Michael Elliott | $10 |
| James Towery | $10 |
| Asian Americans for Community Involvement | $10 |
| Kevin Biggers | $10 |
| Garrick Percival | $10 |
| Andrea Wheeler | $10 |
| Catalyze SV | $10 |
| Latinos Unidos for a New America | $10 |
| Nancy DellaMettera | $10 |
| Sara Reyes | $10 |
| Ronald Haulman | $10 |
| Kimberley Guptill | $10 |
| Asian Law Alliance | $10 |
| Erin O’Doherty | $10 |
| Enrique Velasco | $10 |
| Ed Solis | $10 |
| Ryan Carrigan | $10 |
| Chandra Brooks | $10 |
| Baltazar Lopez | $10 |
| Camille Llanes-Fontanilla | $10 |
| James Kim | $10 |
| Wayne Prescott | $10 |
| Tim Orozco | $10 |
| Arcadio Morales | $10 |
| Andrew Lloyd | $10 |
| Roland Li | $10 |
| Carol Garvey | $10 |
| Patrick Ahrens | $10 |
| Carol Stephensen | $10 |
| Jamie Fearer | $10 |
| Warren Gannon | $10 |
| Adour Adrouny | $10 |
| Ann Ravel | $10 |
| Jeffrey Cardenas | $10 |
| Jim Griffith | $10 |
| Lauren Urhausen | $10 |
| Betsy Hammer Carr | $10 |
| Edwin Tan | $10 |
| Richard Crowley | $10 |
| Jacquie Heffner | $10 |
| Frank Biehl | $10 |
| Jill Bourne | $10 |
| Jennifer Loving | $10 |
| James Anthony | $10 |
| Michael Melillo | $10 |
| Fil Maresca | $10 |
| Steve Anderson | $10 |
| Lawrence Castellano | $10 |
| Marsha Grilli | $10 |
| Victoria Ramirez | $10 |
| Bill Roth | $10 |
| Maria Fuentes | $10 |
| Ruth Alford | $10 |
| Victor Gomez | $10 |
| Terry Christensen | $10 |
| Jennifer Smith | $10 |
| Chris Roth | $10 |
| Huy Tran | $10 |
| Diego Martinez | $10 |
| Ashur Attanous | $10 |
| Frank Ponciano | $10 |
| Kaia Eakin | $10 |
| Susan Frank | $10 |
| Leslye Corsiglia | $10 |
| Sergio Jimenez | $10 |
| Suzannne Wolf | $10 |
| Valley of the Heart’s Delight Club | |
| Marvis Eldridge | $5 |
| Sandra Reed | $5 |
| Craig Betts | $5 |
| Brian O’Neill | $5 |
| Jennifer Imhoff | $5 |
| Monica Mallon | $5 |
| Ashoorina Barreto | $5 |
| Mullissa Willette | $5 |
| Debbie Mytels | $5 |
| Joe Noonan | $5 |
| Karen Lattin | $5 |
| Jeff Prentice | $5 |
| Janice Bitters | $5 |
| James Reber | $5 |
| Henry Millstein | $5 |
| Steve Anderson | $5 |
| Sal Alvarez | $5 |
| Alex Shoor | $5 |
| Ellina Yin | $5 |
| Johnny Khamis | $5 |
| Ken Stark | $5 |
| Larry Gerston | $5 |
| Jeff Larivee | $5 |
| James Carter | $5 |
| Bruce Pickett | $5 |
| Glen Wetzel | $5 |
| Grace-Sonia Melanio | $5 |
| K. Likens | $5 |
| Michelle Maa | $5 |
| Ross Gomez | $5 |
| Linda Hutchins-Knowles | $5 |
| Jeff Gire | $5 |
| Nathan Donato-Weinstein | $5 |
| Jean Libby | $5 |
| Thomas Sebastian | $5 |
| Jeffrey Buchanan | $5 |
| Thomas Clark | $5 |
| Sam Saiu | $5 |
| Paul Fong | $5 |
| Diam Syverson | $5 |
| Jon Pedigo | $5 |
| Kathy Tran | $5 |
| Barry Barnes | $5 |
| David Meyer | $5 |
| Ellen Wheeler | $5 |
| Thomas Ferro | $5 |
| Martin Romero | $5 |
| Eric Peterson | $5 |
| Vince Rocha | $5 |
| Cicely Wedgeworth | $5 |
| Jenny Niklaus | $5 |
| Lauren Renaud | $5 |
| Gloria Quiroz | $5 |
Privacy Policy
We will not release your name, email address or any other personal information to anyone outside San José Spotlight without your consent, unless we are under a legal order to do so, or there is an emergency involving danger to a person or property.
