In an anxious 30-second voicemail, Sam Liccardo urged a friend to kill a critical article related to California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas — warning it would “blow up in a really bad way” for himself and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. The voicemail from the former San Jose mayor and congressman-elect — left three days...
Santa Clara County homeless shelter model displaces seniors
Alma stared at her phone, rattled. She had just received a text from her case manager on Sept. 30 that she’d been evicted from the Sunnyvale homeless shelter while on the way back from work. With nowhere to go, she reverted to sleeping underneath the stairwell of a school. That week, temperatures reached a scorching...
San Jose allegedly tried to interrogate cops investigating city official
In a frenzied attempt to uncover who’s “leaking” details about a councilman accused of child sex crimes to the media, San Jose’s top administrators allegedly tried to question more than two dozen police officers — without informing them of their rights or following an investigatory process. This news organization obtained a letter from the San...
San Jose official warned about councilmember’s alleged misconduct
A San Jose elected official was warned that Councilmember Omar Torres was involved in child sexual misconduct – more than a year before Torres became the target of a police investigation that rocked Silicon Valley. In screenshots obtained by San José Spotlight, a tipster who used the pseudonym “John Wick” messaged one of Torres’ colleagues...
South Bay politician allegedly stole confidential documents
A Silicon Valley politician allegedly stole thousands of pages of confidential documents related to an investigation into claims she harassed and abused her colleagues. San José Spotlight has learned that security camera footage captured the incident. Rebecca Eisenberg, an elected director of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, became the subject of a yearlong investigation...
San Jose housing nonprofit accused of discrimination, toxic culture
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...
Santa Clara mayor sent confidential report to private email
A day after Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor received a confidential report lambasting her political enemies, she forwarded it from her city account to her personal email. One legal expert says it raises questions about her intentions and whether she leaked the secret document—a charge that has landed her political rival in court. This news...
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...