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A prominent housing developer violated state law by gouging its renters living near San Jose’s Japantown. Now the company is paying it back. Swenson, one of the largest housing developers in San Jose, admitted in a letter sent to tenants this month it illegally raised the rent above the state limit. The letter came more than a...
How Cindy Chavez lost the San Jose mayor’s race
A veteran public official with a long list of endorsers and major financial backing had almost every South Bay politico betting on her securing the mayoral seat in the 10th largest U.S. city. Then, she lost. Days after the November election, it became clear Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez had no chance of winning,...
New San Jose mayor must work with an opposing majority
After a hard fought election, San Jose Mayor-elect Matt Mahan now faces another daunting task with his new job: working with people who didn’t think he could lead. Mahan, first elected to the council in 2020, won his bid to become the 66th mayor of San Jose last week after more than a year of campaigning....
Santa Clara County hospital execs threatened workers over striking
Health care workers have filed a complaint against Santa Clara County, claiming hospital leaders intimidated and threatened them for planning to participate in a strike. The California Public Employees Relations Board is investigating a complaint filed on Oct. 31 by SEIU Local 521. The complaint alleges Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) executives engaged in...
UPDATE: San Jose works to fill two vacant council seats
San Jose will see a stunning shakeup next year with seven new faces on the City Council, with two current elected officials assuming new offices. As of Wednesday, District 10 Councilmember Matt Mahan has won his bid to be the next San Jose mayor. District 8 Councilmember Sylvia Arenas will represent Santa Clara County District...
Chavez concedes, Matt Mahan will be San Jose mayor
San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan will be the new mayor of the 10th largest U.S. city after opponent Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez conceded defeat Wednesday morning. “I have called Matt Mahan to wish him the best of luck in his two-year term as mayor,” Chavez said in a statement. “San Jose faces numerous challenges...
Santa Clara County rubber stamps CEO job amid violation
After Santa Clara County elected officials were found to have violated the state’s transparency laws, they simply revoted with minimum discussion to appoint a new county executive. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors revoted 4-1 to appoint County Counsel James Williams as the new county CEO during its closed session Monday, officials said Tuesday....
Santa Clara County violated state law, could face lawsuit
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is demanding the Board of Supervisors nullify and revote on its appointment of a new county executive, saying the decision—which happened behind closed doors—violated the state’s transparency law. In a letter sent to all five supervisors on Thursday, Rosen said the board twice violated the Brown Act, which...
San Jose ordered to divulge missing details about withheld records
After months of refusal, San Jose will be forced to disclose critical details about the records it’s withholding—a victory for San José Spotlight and the First Amendment Coalition. At a Thursday hearing, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Julie Emede ordered the city to produce a new log disclosing details about the hundreds of records it’s shielding,...
Can Cindy Chavez catch up in San Jose mayor’s race?
With 90% of ballots counted by Tuesday afternoon, San Jose mayoral candidate Matt Mahan now leads opponent Cindy Chavez by 6,351 votes. As of election week, there were roughly 356,071 outstanding ballots in San Jose, though it’s highly unlikely all of them will be returned. The county mailed 524,698 ballots to registered voters in San...