The seeds for Mommy’s Bánh Mì in San Jose were sown when owner Curtis Lai joked to his mother — who was obsessively pursuing the perfect Vietnamese sandwich — she was making so many she should sell them. Little did he know she would take him at his word. “She was always saying, ‘Try this,...
Downtown
Downtown
Tordillos declares victory in San Jose special election
San Jose Planning Commissioner Anthony Tordillos has declared victory in the special election for the District 3 City Council seat. Tordillos, 33, made the announcement Thursday, after a Wednesday results update showed him maintaining a wide lead over Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez. Tordillos holds 64.3% of the vote, or 5,328...
UPDATE: Anthony Tordillos maintains lead in San Jose special election
The next election results update is expected Thursday, June 26 at 5 p.m. Early election night results show San Jose Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos, 33, leading by double digits in the race to represent downtown San Jose and replace disgraced former District 3 Councilmember Omar Torres. As of 4:17 p.m. Wednesday, Tordillos holds 64.3%...
Tordillos grows fundraising lead ahead of San Jose special election
The special election for the District 3 San Jose City Council seat is Tuesday, with stakeholders spending their final dollars to help elect the next downtown representative. In campaign finance filings posted Monday, Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos grew his lead to almost $100,000 ahead of Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez....
San Jose landmark project dropped
Silicon Valley nonprofit leaders are going back to the drawing board after recently announcing the cancellation of a long-anticipated San Jose landmark project. San José Spotlight reported in May that nonprofit Urban Confluence raised more than $3.3 million over several years to build a towering art installation dubbed “The Breeze of Innovation” within Plaza de Cesar...
No favorites for Democratic Party in San Jose special election
The Santa Clara County Democratic Party doesn’t plan to narrow its dual endorsement of both candidates running to represent downtown San Jose in the June 24 runoff election. The party endorsed Gabby Chavez-Lopez, executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, and Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos over five other candidates in the April 8 special...
Sharks Way celebrates San Jose hockey team
San Jose is showing love to the Sharks by permanently naming part of a downtown neighborhood after the national hockey league team. City leaders earlier this month renamed the corner of West St. John Street and North Almaden Boulevard to “Sharks Way” in an effort to connect the team’s hundreds of thousands of fans with...
San Jose candidate forum focused on downtown business community
Candidates running for the District 3 seat on the San Jose City Council shared their thoughts on downtown politics with the city’s business community as the election approaches next month. Gabby Chavez-Lopez, executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, and Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos appeared at the Rotary Club Summit Center for...
San Jose to dress buildings in large ads for major sports events
City officials want San Jose to reap the economic benefits from the World Cup and Super Bowl when they come to the region next year, and large-scale advertisements attached to buildings is part of the plan. The San Jose City Council has unanimously approved bringing back “supergraphic” signs to broadcast ads on buildings in downtown...
‘Little to show’: San Jose landmark raises $3M before going silent
A Silicon Valley nonprofit raised more than $3.3 million to build a towering art installation in downtown San Jose — but the group’s funding has dwindled to about $35,000 and the project never got off the ground. Since 2017, Urban Confluence executive director Steve Borkenhagen has touted a plan to create a landmark in the...









