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As the country grappled with the police killing of George Floyd, San Jose found itself at the center of widespread protests, confrontational policing and conversations about police brutality, racial bias and First Amendment rights of protesters and journalists. What has San Jose — its people, elected leaders and civic institutions — learned from a season...
Your COVID-19 questions answered: Part Two
San José Spotlight last month hosted an exclusive Q&A webinar with Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody, one of the nation’s leading health experts and the driving force behind the country’s first shelter-in-place order in March. Eight months later, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, Cody sat down with...
San Jose installs Black Lives Matter banners at City Hall
San Jose unveiled new Black Lives Matter banners at City Hall on Oct. 29, an effort to bridge the community following a year that saw deep divisions and widespread protests over racial inequality. The red, black and green banners, designed by local entrepreneur Cherise Orange, feature the colors of the Pan African Flag, which stands...
San José Spotlight wins national Publisher of the Year award
San José Spotlight this week won the prestigious Publisher of the Year award from the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, recognizing our nonprofit newsroom among the top news publications in the country. LION Publishers is an association of more than 300 independent online media operations across the U.S. “This award reaffirms why we started...
Questions swirl about Santa Clara candidate’s lobbying record, relationship with mayor
As the race for two open seats on the Santa Clara City Council heats up, documents obtained by San José Spotlight raise questions about one candidate’s relationship to the mayor and his lobbying activity. Robert Mezzetti, a longtime San Jose attorney, is facing Anthony Becker and Gary Barve in the District 6 council race. Mezzetti...
49ers drop $250,000 to defeat mayor’s allies on Santa Clara City Council
One day after San José Spotlight reported a developer funneling money through the Santa Clara police union to elect allies of Mayor Lisa Gillmor, her archnemesis — the San Francisco 49ers — threw in six figures to defeat them. The 49ers on Sept. 30 dropped $250,000 into a committee called Citizens for Efficient Government and...
Strange bedfellows? Carl Guardino endorses Dave Cortese
Carl Guardino once raised six figures to defeat Dave Cortese’s bid for mayor. Now he wants to see him go to Sacramento. Guardino, the powerful former CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, has endorsed Cortese’s bid for the Senate District 15 seat. Cortese, a Santa Clara County supervisor, is competing with former FEC commissioner...
Santa Clara County education leader drops lawsuit against board
Education leader Joseph Di Salvo is dropping his lawsuit against the Santa Clara County Board of Education and fellow trustees who voted in July to censure him, but Di Salvo says the fight is far from over. “I am 100 percent innocent of the alleged charges,” Di Salvo told San Jose Spotlight Sept. 24. “The...
South Bay labor unions vote for their next leader — for now
Silicon Valley’s labor leaders selected Jean Cohen as their new interim executive officer, a little more than a month after Ben Field stunned political insiders by abruptly resigning. The executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, a powerful coalition of more than 100 unions, resigned July 13, less than two weeks after a heated,...
Two longtime San Jose politicos announce new plans
Two of San Jose City Hall’s most familiar faces are pursuing new political ventures. Ex-San Jose Councilmember Don Rocha announced on Facebook he’s running for the Cambrian School District Board of Trustees — coming full circle since that’s where he began his political career a decade ago. Since terming out from the San Jose council,...