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Michael Love was hired, housed and fired by HomeFirst — one of five ex-employees who say the nonprofit targeted them because they are Black. Love and four other fired workers told San José Spotlight they faced racial discrimination and were abruptly let go without cause. An investigation by this news organization uncovered additional claims of...
The ‘political assassination’ of Santa Clara Councilman Anthony Becker
Forty eight hours after Santa Clara’s city attorney confidentially emailed a critical grand jury report to councilmembers, the city’s politically-charged police union launched a damning website blasting the city’s top leaders. The site revealed the confidential report’s name, full paragraphs with incriminating details and photos of five councilmembers criticized in the report—including Anthony Becker, who...
Embattled eBay exec has ear of another San Jose mayor
Days after his election, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan allowed a disgraced former eBay executive linked to a vicious stalking scheme to build his transition teams, work on his schedule and broker a meeting with a tech leader. New emails obtained by San José Spotlight highlight the continued political influence of Steve Wymer, the former...
San Jose lobbyists skirt transparency
In the heart of Silicon Valley, lobbyists of powerful organizations meet frequently with city officials, but not everyone discloses what they discuss. A San José Spotlight review of 2022 lobbying disclosure reports show how some lobbyists failed to divulge details of their meetings. While some provide a blanket statement about who they work for, others...
Disgraced eBay exec wielded power at San Jose City Hall
A disgraced ex-eBay employee helped make high-level decisions for former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo three months after he lost his job at the tech giant for his alleged part in a stalking campaign. Boys and Girls Club Silicon Valley CEO Steve Wymer, who was fired by eBay in September 2019 for his alleged involvement...
Silicon Valley elite defend nonprofit CEO with dark past
As the civil case against former eBay executive and longtime San Jose political insider Steve Wymer drags on, some experts are raising concerns about a local nonprofit’s decision to hire him as CEO. One of Wymer’s most powerful political allies, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, is meanwhile defending him. Wymer is accused in an ongoing...
The people at the center of Santa Clara County’s concealed gun scandal
The concealed carry gun permits that led to the civil conviction of former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith on six counts of corruption and willful misconduct belonged to several prominent residents. They include professional athletes, business leaders and the former head of the San Jose-Silicon Valley NAACP, who ended up losing his permit after...
San Jose hired firefighter accused of misconduct
San Jose this summer hired a firefighter recruit about three years after he lost his paramedic license for trying to initiate an inappropriate relationship with a patient, raising serious questions about the city’s hiring process for public safety workers. Brian Turner, 32, was hired by San Jose on June 26 as a firefighter recruit —...
Silicon Valley school conflict leaves students in limbo
On the first day of classes at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, a PE teacher greeted Evan Myers’ seventh period construction management class. It was unusual, but the sophomore took it in stride. Then the class, which teaches construction skills like using tools, began skipping all of the hands-on activities they had planned. Several weeks into the...
Santa Clara mayor asks Newsom to give campaign donor a break
Santa Clara’s mayor is lobbying Gov. Gavin Newsom to help a major real estate firm save money on the largest mixed-use development planned in the state—months before the developer made a six-figure donation to her campaign. Mayor Lisa Gillmor wrote a letter to Newsom on March 4 advocating that Related Companies, which is developing a massive $8 billion...