In a stunning move Sunday night, a leading Evergreen education leader revoked her endorsement of San Jose City Councilmember Sylvia Arenas, who is facing re-election in 2020. Evergreen School Board President Bonnie Mace announced she’s withdrawing her support for Arenas and opting instead for a sole endorsement of her challenger Jim Zito, also an Evergreen...
Dueling endorsements in San Jose City Council race
San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas and her opponent Jim Zito have nearly nothing in common. She’s a progressive Democrat. He’s a fiscally-conservative Republican. He’s earning the backing of the business lobby, including the Silicon Valley Organization, while she continues to be a labor union favorite. They differ ideologically on some social issues, how the city...
Poll: San Jose Councilmember Johnny Khamis leads Senate race
A new poll obtained by San José Spotlight shows San Jose Councilmember Johnny Khamis gaining steam in the crowded Senate race to replace Jim Beall next year. The poll, which was funded by Khamis’ campaign, shows him garnering support from 22 percent of likely voters who were surveyed. A similar poll six months ago, funded...
San Jose legislator’s bill to ban tiny toiletries signed into law
Those tiny bottles of shampoo inside California hotel rooms will soon be a thing of the past after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a landmark bill crafted by a Silicon Valley legislator. Assembly Bill 1162, authored by San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra, bans single-use plastic bottles used for personal care products in an attempt...
Milpitas lawmaker joins Assembly race
After two of her Milpitas City Council colleagues dropped out of an Assembly race to replace Kansen Chu, Councilmember Carmen Montano announced Monday that she’s jumping into the fray. The announcement comes a little more than a week after Milpitas Vice Mayor Karina Dominguez ended her Assembly campaign after three months and longtime South Bay...
Milpitas Vice Mayor Karina Dominguez drops out of Assembly race
Three months after announcing a bid for California Assembly, Milpitas Vice Mayor Karina Dominguez announced early Saturday on Facebook that she’s dropping out of the race. “While an Assembly seat provides the opportunity to create great change for our families, after deep reflection and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw and end my...
New San Jose business PAC announces endorsements in council races
A San Jose business-backed political action committee announced three endorsements on Friday in the 2020 City Council races. The Business San Jose Chamber PAC, which was formed last summer after members of the PAC for the silicon valley organization (the former chamber of commerce) broke away amid division on the panel, is backing Republican Jonathan...
Poll: San Jose voters overwhelmingly support moving mayoral election, limiting campaign cash
A new poll released Wednesday found 80 percent of San Jose voters would support a measure to limit campaign contributions and move mayoral elections to presidential years to boost voter turnout. The three-day poll was funded by the campaign supporting the measure, called The Fair Elections Initiative. 504 likely Nov. 2020 voters were surveyed. The...
Three finalists for San Jose Planning Commission announced
After months of speculation, three finalists for a highly-coveted position on the San Jose Planning Commission were announced Thursday. According to city documents, the finalists are: Mariel Caballero, a Santa Clara County deputy director at the probation department; Louis Barocio, vice principal at East Side Union High School District; and business owner Rolando Bonilla. The...
San Jose leaders push to fund Planned Parenthood shortfall
Two Silicon Valley lawmakers are looking to patch up a $250,000 loss of funding for San Jose’s Planned Parenthood centers after the nonprofit organization pulled out of Title X, a decades-old program that provides grants for affordable birth control and reproductive health care. The decision to leave the program came after President Donald Trump demanded...
