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Los Gatos Vice Mayor Rob Rennie is officially jumping into the race to replace Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman who terms out in 2022. Rennie is running for District 1, which includes parts of San Jose, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and county unincorporated areas. An engineer for 25 years, Rennie has served...
Despite San Jose’s diversity, it’s only had two mayors of color
Look around San Jose, and you’ll be reminded of the groups of communities that live in the city: Places like the Mexican Heritage Plaza and Little Saigon speak to the city’s diversity. Leadership, however, depending on who you ask, hasn’t been so diverse. Since the city began electing mayors instead of appointing them in 1967, the...
What’s former Sen. Jim Beall eyeing next?
Four months after terming out of the California Legislature, former Sen. Jim Beall is now eyeing a local seat. But it’s not the San Jose mayor’s race — a rumor that has followed Beall around for months. He is considering running for a seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors. “As...
Santa Clara County DA Jeff Rosen could face first challenger
Santa Clara County Public Defender Sajid Khan has often criticized District Attorney Jeff Rosen — and now he is considering running against him. “Decision day is coming up relatively soon, and we will all know more in the coming weeks and months whether or not I decide to run for that seat,” Khan said. While Khan said he’s...
Longtime South Bay education leader jumps into supervisorial race
With Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida” playing buoyantly in the background, Claudia Rossi announced Sunday she will be running for Santa Clara County supervisor. “This is going to be a long fight,” Rossi said. “We have a long journey and we have very well funded opponents that want that seat.” Rossi, a practicing nurse who...
Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone has run mostly unopposed for decades. Now he could face a challenger
First he launched one of the world’s first online-dating sites, now Gary Kremen — vice-chair of the Santa Clara Valley Water District and founder of Match.com — could be Santa Clara County’s next assessor. Kremen told San José Spotlight he’s strongly considering challenging incumbent County Assessor Larry Stone in 2022. “Many folks have asked me to look at...
San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra wants to be the next Attorney General
San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra is jockeying to replace Attorney General Xavier Becerra as the state’s top law enforcement official. Becerra was tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to be the next U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, leaving California’s attorney general position vacant. If Becerra is confirmed, Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint the state’s next attorney general— and Kalra thinks...
How will David Cohen shake up the San Jose City Council?
As the newly-elected David Cohen gears up to represent San Jose’s District 4, political observers look to the past to see where local policymaking is headed. The council for years has been divided across business and labor lines, leading to a handful of 6-5 split decisions in favor of Mayor Sam Liccardo’s voting bloc, which...
Voting rate in Silicon Valley reaches historic levels
Voters came out in droves for the 2020 general election as voting rates reached historic levels in Silicon Valley, where the majority cast ballots for Joe Biden. According to Rachel Massaro, vice president and director of research at Joint Venture Silicon Valley, which authored a recent report along with Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies,...
What the failure of Prop. 16 means for the future of affirmative action in San Jose
On Election Day, California voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot proposition which would have reversed the state’s 24-year ban on affirmative action programs that use race or gender to decide who deserves a leg up in public employment, contracting and college admissions. Fewer than 44 percent of voters in the state voted to approve Prop. 16...
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