San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas dodged a rival earlier this month when Rose Herrera confirmed she won’t challenge Arenas’ re-election next year. But that relief didn’t last long. About a week later, a new, formidable opponent jumped into the San Jose City Council District 8 race — Republican Jim Zito. He told San José Spotlight...

State and national lawmakers from Silicon Valley gathered in front of San Jose City Hall on Friday to announce their support for an initiative top labor leaders in the South Bay say will put a cap on money in politics and increase voter turnout by shifting mayoral elections to presidential years. The measure, called the...

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...

A longstanding nonprofit focused on protecting immigrant rights is expanding its political reach with a new sister organization — giving it the ability to raise money for and endorse political candidates on the local and national level. Celebrating its 32 year-anniversary this week, Services Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) took root in San Jose...

Santa Clara County filed a complaint Friday with the California Public Employment Relations Board against the union leading a strike on behalf of the 12,000 county workers represented by Service Employees International Union. Friday was the third day of a strike SEIU Local 521 leaders say they hope will force county officials to invest in...

Dashing the hopes of some longtime business leaders, former Vice Mayor Rose Herrera told San José Spotlight this week that she will not run for her old seat on the San Jose City Council. In fact, Herrera is not running for any elected office anymore — she recently dropped out of the supervisorial race for...

Three months after a judge ruled it unconstitutional for President Donald Trump to block critics on Twitter, local politicians like San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo have scurried to unblock hundreds of accounts from their social media channels. But not in Santa Clara. That’s because none of the seven policymakers, including Mayor Lisa Gillmor, reported blocking...

Amid conversations about displacement and inequality across San Jose neighborhoods, the city is hoping data is the answer to increased equity. Mayor Sam Liccardo on Wednesday launched the Social Progress Index in San Jose, becoming the first city in the nation to utilize the tool, which shows where needs are not being met, where resources are being used and...

Santa Clara has a newly-adopted $39.3 million bicycle plan this week that aims to double the number of miles in the city with bicycle lanes and infrastructure in the coming years. The plan, adopted by councilmembers Tuesday night, comes after about two years of planning and community meetings by the city and its consultant, Alta...

Thousands of Santa Clara County service workers including hospital employees, social workers, parks maintenance staff and employees at the county jails are set to strike for the first time in almost 40 years — and the workers marched straight up to County Executive Officer Jeff Smith’s office on Thursday to tell him in person. The...