A new poll released Thursday found that at least 60 percent of San Jose voters would support a potential real property transfer tax, which would apply to the sale of properties valued at $2 million or more. The five day poll was funded by the city and conducted by FM3 Research, running from Nov. 5 to...

With less than four months until Election Day, a new contender has jumped into the San Jose City Council race in District 4, joining two other candidates vying to unseat Councilmember Lan Diep. Jamal Khan, 32, told San José Spotlight he is running for the council seat that covers Alviso, Berryessa and North San Jose...

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...

Union negotiators representing 12,000 striking Santa Clara County service workers have agreed to suspend their unfair labor practices protest and return to the bargaining table on Tuesday with an independent mediator helping the two sides identify possible compromises. County negotiators and the bargaining team for Service Employees International Union Local 521 agreed on a mediator...

A labor group took aim at San Jose Councilmember Lan Diep, a former Republican and longtime pro-business advocate, in an attack ad that accuses him of giving developer KT Urban, who built the Silvery Towers, a $22 million taxpayer-funded subsidy. The group that released the ad last week, Santa Clara County Residents for Responsible Development,...

Community leader and social activist Jennifer Celaya is running against Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, giving the popular incumbent a run for her money next year. Celaya, 38, is new to the world of politics and but she said she’s here to make a change. “With the variety of different crisis that our county...

The embers are still smoldering after Scott Knies’ fiery speech at the San Jose Downtown Association’s meeting earlier this month. The executive director’s annual address on Oct. 13 highlighted division within the City Council, criticized the union-backed fair elections initiative and supported a strong mayor system. According to emails obtained by San José Spotlight, downtown Councilmember Raul...

If San Jose voters approve a $60 million bond measure that’s heading for the March 2020 ballot, East Side Union High School District employees could be moving into district-owned housing as early as 2022. Given the current housing shortage and the district’s struggle to hold onto its teachers and staff, the district has been looking...

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...

Santa Clara County workers are back on strike today for the eighth day after rejecting a counter-offer from county administrators to end the strike, which has now stretched to two weeks. Workers from the county jail, elections office, probation, crime lab and environmental health services are expected to join the picket line Wednesday. “The county’s...