We are days away from one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime and what many may not realize is that the federal government has tried to control the outcomes of the 2026 elections for more than a year. For California, this effort began on Sept. 25, 2025 when the U.S. Department of Justice...
Lowenthal: What’s going on in Cupertino?
I’m often asked “What’s going on in Cupertino?” That question is prompted by two phenomena — fierce political fighting and a general degradation of our businesses. As someone who has been here a long time, I have lived through it. When I first ran for City Council in 1999, we didn’t have political parties or...
Fleck: Karen Hardy is the action leader Santa Clara needs
While typical political campaigns are filled with hollow promises and polished fluff, Santa Clara Councilmember Karen Hardy delivers concrete action. As Santa Clara faces a critical juncture, she stands alone as the only mayoral candidate willing to immediately back up her commitment to residents with bold legislative solutions. On day one of her administration, Hardy...
Beall: Preparing our creeks for an El Niño winter
As Santa Clara County enters the rainy season, Valley Water is preparing for an El Niño that may bring heavy, prolonged rainfall, increasing the risk of flooding along streets, low-lying areas and local waterways. No seasonal outlook can predict exactly when, where or how intensely storms will arrive. But effective flood preparedness begins well before...
Fry: Keep Cupertino’s future bright with a resident-first city council
A slate of candidates for Cupertino City Council — two San Jose employees and a planning commissioner who proposed rezoning neighborhood corner lots from R-1 (single-family) to R-3 (multifamily) — portrays Cupertino as a city in decline. Whose interests would they put first, those of Cupertino residents or someone else’s? The facts do not support...
Seaberg: The trades — from blue collar to blue chip jobs
Imagine graduating from high school and hearing, “We’ll pay you to continue your education and have steady work building tech campuses, hospitals, schools, data centers and clean-energy projects. You’ll earn enough to buy a house in the San Francisco Bay Area, raise a family and retire with dignity.” It may sound like a pipe dream...
Collins: Are mobile homes a viable option for first-time home buyers?
First-time home buyers often gravitate toward condos and single-family homes, but another option to consider is a mobile home. Purchasing a mobile home is quite different than purchasing real property, so essentially you hire a professional to guide you through the process. Lawrence Gillen, a mobile home expert and realtor with BRG Real Estate, said...
Dempsey: Midpen board votes to free directors from being required to respect the public
The democratic process starts with respecting the public. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board just voted to remove that as a requirement for its elected officials. Think about the last time you spoke up about something you wanted elected officials to address. Maybe you never have. Most people don’t, because it can be nerve-wracking...
Ryan: Outside spending isn’t new to Santa Clara — judge the candidates, not the noise
In 2007, I helped found Santa Clara Plays Fair, the grassroots group that organized against a public subsidy for a 49ers stadium, a fight that became Measure J in 2010. We were outspent roughly 160 to 1: more than $4 million from the team against our roughly $25,000. We lost. I have no illusions about...
Gonzalez: Why I can’t vote for Kathy Watanabe
I have known Kathy Watanabe for more than 16 years. She hosted a campaign event at her home during my second run for the Santa Clara Unified School District Board in 2012 and was among the first people I told when I decided to run for the District 1 Santa Clara City Council seat. In...