District 7 voters got an early look at the candidates running to represent them on the San Jose City Council at a Thursday candidate forum, the first to be held in the district this election cycle. The four candidates facing off in the June 2 primary — incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan, City Hall staffer Hanh-Giao...
Silicon Valley’s tech world takes center stage in state politics
From a wide-open governor’s race to a bitter congressional contest, Santa Clara County has emerged as a key battleground in the tech industry’s bid to control California politics — and shield billionaires from a wealth tax. Two electoral fights have shaped the “Valley of Heart’s Delight” into combative territory. In the 17th Congressional District, incumbent...
Silicon Valley congressional race grapples with integrity
Integrity has become the theme of Silicon Valley’s hottest congressional race between Rep. Ro Khanna and his challenger, Ethan Agarwal, who’s ripped into Khanna over family ties to stock trading. Yet questions are emerging about Agarwal’s own past as a tech company founder — dogged by millions of dollars in legal debts, defaulted payments and...
Meet the candidates running for District 7 San Jose City Council
Election season is in full swing in San Jose District 7, where incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan is squaring off against three challengers, including two bitter rivals. The three challengers aiming to unseat Doan include City Hall staffer Hanh-Giao “HG” Nguyen, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union member Rafael Garcia and Van Le, an East Side Union...
Only two Santa Clara County races are competitive
Several top Santa Clara County officials are running for reelection unchallenged this year — but two incumbents will have to fight for their county-level seats. District Attorney Jeff Rosen and District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas — whose district covers Morgan Hill, Gilroy, unincorporated San Martin and portions of South San Jose — will have to...
Silicon Valley tax would raise funds to protect open space
Santa Clara County residents will vote on yet another tax measure this year — but instead of hospitals, they’ll be asked to help expand public access and protect wildlife along Silicon Valley’s sweeping foothills, woodlands and grasslands. Voters in June will be asked to accept a tax of two cents per square foot of building...
Meet the candidates running for District 5 San Jose City Council
As the June primary approaches, the four contenders for District 5’s City Council seat are sharpening their political pitches to the voters of East San Jose. The district’s incumbent, Councilmember Peter Ortiz, is defending his seat against three challengers — local education leader Karen Martinez, broadcast journalist Vy Dang and Nora Campos, a former San...
San Jose candidates share plans at District 9 forum
Candidates running to represent District 9 on the San Jose City Council shared competing visions for public safety, housing and the city’s finances during a candidate forum. The March 9 discussion, hosted by San José Spotlight and the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara, brought five candidates to the Camden Community Center to...
San Jose District 9 candidate promises ‘data driven’ leadership
As Rick Ator drives around the quiet tree-lined streets that crisscross District 9’s picturesque suburban neighborhoods, he notices the problems that aren’t getting solved — derelict cars left unmoved for months and unsightly plastic “quick-build” road improvements that never seem to get replaced with permanent materials. In such moments, he said he often asks himself the...
San Jose mayor behind in polls but ahead on prediction markets
Traditional polling puts San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan toward the back of the pack in the race for California governor. But online gambling markets are betting bigger on his success. While polls by Emerson College, UC Berkeley and the Public Policy Institute of California have all put Mahan under 5% favorability in the race, the...