A top Silicon Valley education leader had five highly-paid admins and assistants working for her — with some making nearly $200,000 each a year in public dollars meant to serve the county’s most vulnerable students. An analysis by San José Spotlight revealed an office studded with six-figure salaried assistants, strategy managers and a “senior administrator...
San Jose’s recycling hauler criminally indicted on bribery charges
The CEO of San Jose’s recycling hauler was federally charged for allegedly bribing former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her boyfriend. California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and his son, Andy, who also works for the company, are accused of paying $95,000 in bribes to Thao and her partner, Andre Jones. They also promised to pay...
Santa Clara County veterans still living in subpar conditions
Veterans living in a substandard housing facility in East San Jose said it’s getting worse, more than a year after Santa Clara County purchased it and months after a new service provider took over. The county purchased the facility at 10 Kirk Ave. in November 2023 for $14.5 million and contracted nonprofit Abode Services to...
Valley Water CEO on leave amid misconduct complaint
Valley Water CEO Rick Callender is on “voluntary leave” after one of his employees filed a misconduct complaint against him, according to agency leaders. The region’s largest water supplier is searching for an interim leader in Callender’s absence through April 1. Richard Santos, a Valley Water board member and one of Callender’s elected bosses, confirmed...
San Jose tenant illegally ran an unlicensed independent living home
A San Jose landlord has filed a complaint to evict a tenant operating an unlicensed business at her property without her knowledge. Nelson Muan signed a lease agreement with Angela To in 2013. He then, unbeknownst to her, illegally converted the property on 659 N. 13th St. into an unlicensed independent living home. Muan converted...
Fight over San Jose Vietnamese museum puts future in limbo
Charges of nepotism and suspicious bank withdrawals surround a fight for control of San Jose’s Viet Museum in History Park – a crown jewel for Little Saigon. The 147-year-old farmhouse, which stores hundreds of precious artifacts, photographs and art of Vietnam War refugees, now hangs in limbo over a dispute between the museum’s visionary, Loc...
San Jose police recruit died by suicide with city gun
A San Jose police academy recruit died by suicide using a city-issued handgun in late September — secretly rattling the department and highlighting the risk of arming cadets. The unusual tragedy has also prompted questions about whether higher-ups missed any warning signs. It’s unclear why the recruit decided to take their own life. But multiple...
Disgraced San Jose official’s partner not under investigation
After disgraced San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres admitted to molesting a child and sending lewd texts about minors, there are questions about whether he met some of Silicon Valley’s most vulnerable youth through his romantic partner — a court-appointed child advocate. Torres’ longtime boyfriend, Nicholas Aguilar, has spent more than five years working in Santa...
Santa Clara County ex-officers boast about jail beatings
Santa Clara County deputies bragged in online groups about beating incarcerated people “between floors” and partaking in brutal behavior at the county’s embattled jail, according to screenshots shared with San José Spotlight. In a private Facebook group that includes 270 former correctional officers and deputies, the members banter about the jail’s elevators making suspicious stops...
San Jose vice mayor warned about Omar Torres — and did nothing
Another top San Jose political leader was contacted about Councilmember Omar Torres — now facing charges of molestation and child sex crimes — more than a year before his downfall. Screenshots obtained by San José Spotlight shows a tipster — who had been in a sexual relationship with Torres — sent Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei...