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One San Jose mayoral candidate appears to have violated state labor laws by treating—and paying—his campaign workers as independent contractors instead of employees. San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan‘s mayoral campaign lists its workers—from volunteer coordinator to deputy field director to campaign manager—as “consultants” in campaign finance disclosure forms, according to analysis by San José Spotlight....
Santa Clara mayor, school district may have skirted state labor laws
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s property management company and a local school district appear to have violated state labor laws by failing to pay prevailing wages to contractors at an affordable housing site for teachers, a San José Spotlight investigation has found. Casa Del Maestro, located at 3455 Lochinvar Ave., was a first-of-its-kind effort in the...
Long waits, broken machines: The state of San Jose’s Valley Medical Center
Juan Quintero was on the verge of death. After learning he had terminal liver cancer in March, Quintero ended up at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) for treatment. Instead of getting help, Quintero waited 14 hours in an ER lobby. He waited more than a week later for a biopsy and seven weeks more for...
‘Disappointing’: San Jose reacts to mayor’s election meddling
A complaint filed against San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and a political action committee he formed to influence the 2022 elections has prompted a wave of reaction from local candidates and community leaders. The complaint, filed last week, claims Liccardo and the committee “Common Good Silicon Valley, sponsored by Solutions Silicon Valley” has raised more...
San Jose mayor’s election fundraising raises legal questions
The mayor of San Jose may have broken state and local campaign rules when he raked in six figures for a political action committee he formed to influence the 2022 election. A complaint filed this week claims Mayor Sam Liccardo, as a sitting mayor, shouldn’t have opened the committee nor raised any money to support...
San Jose political candidate Gary Kremen quits campaign amid allegations
Silicon Valley politician and tech entrepreneur Gary Kremen is ending his campaign for Santa Clara County assessor five hours after an exclusive report from San José Spotlight revealed allegations from a former staffer. Kremen told San José Spotlight on Saturday he is withdrawing from the race for assessor. The announcement came shortly after a former...
San Jose politician accused of sharing nude photos
Tech entrepreneur and politician Gary Kremen is being accused by a former campaign staffer of sharing unsolicited nude photos with them. The staffer said the images coupled with other questionable behavior from Kremen caused emotional and mental anguish, eventually forcing them to quit working for him. The former staffer, who spoke with San José Spotlight...
San Jose mayor’s ally wrote gas exemption to his benefit
A Silicon Valley energy company that lobbied for a last-minute gas ban exemption crafted the policy language it benefited from—with help from Mayor Sam Liccardo’s close friend. San Jose-based Bloom Energy, whose Vice President Carl Guardino is a personal friend to Mayor Sam Liccardo, worked directly with the mayor’s office to shape and write a controversial...
Money and politics: Santa Clara mayor’s family empire
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor might represent a smaller Bay Area city, but there’s nothing small about her business empire. Gillmor, who is up for reelection in 2022, controls a sprawling real estate portfolio that includes strip malls in Santa Clara, swaths of undeveloped land near Gilroy and a small plot in San Bernardino County. Her...
How Sam Liccardo plans to influence 2022 elections
Mayor Sam Liccardo may be leaving San Jose City Hall next year, but the longtime politician isn’t ready to give up power. The city’s top lawmaker wants to have his finger on the pulse of the City Council—and even potentially pick his replacement. Liccardo formed a political action committee in late October to influence the consequential...