Santa Clara voters in November will weigh whether to replace half their elected officials and decide who should win a highly-competitive open seat. Voters will also be asked to cough up money to fix the city’s crumbling roads and buildings. The Santa Clara City Council has four seats up for election in Districts 1, 4,...
Los Gatos won’t hold council elections in November
There are no elections in Los Gatos this year because no one in town stepped up to challenge the incumbents, guaranteeing two councilmembers another four years in office. Councilmembers Matthew Hudes and Maria Ristow are up for reelection, but with no challengers the Town Council appointed them to the governing body for the next four...
San Jose candidate worked for controversial Chinese developer
A leading San Jose City Council candidate worked under a Chinese billionaire arrested on bribery and corruption charges — mainly helping the embattled CEO’s company sell off land from his failed developments in the Bay Area. San Jose Planning Commissioner George Casey, who’s locked in a heated race to replace District 10 Councilmember Arjun Batra,...
San Jose congressional candidate hit with federal complaint
A federal elections complaint against state Assemblymember Evan Low is intensifying Silicon Valley’s hottest congressional race and putting attention on the political role of nonprofits. A complaint filed over the weekend by former Federal Elections Commission Chair Ann Ravel alleges Low, who is running for Congressional District 16, used the email server and contact list...
Santa Clara candidates question ethics behind pledge
An independent ethics pledge is gaining notoriety in Santa Clara’s elections, while some candidates call it a political tool. The pledge — created by Tom Shanks, former Santa Clara ethics advisor and former executive director for the Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics — has been touted as a way to restore public...
East San Jose groups want to increase younger voter turnout
East San Jose nonprofits are launching a youth led voting campaign to shape a more equitable society and empower residents. In preparation for the Nov. 5 election, SOMOS Mayfair’s Jovenes Activos youth, in collaboration with Amigos de Guadalupe and other community organizations, is launching the “No Decision About Us, Without Us!” get out the vote...
UPDATE: Bay Area $20B housing bond stripped from November ballot
A $20 billion regional housing bond that promised tens of thousands of affordable homes won’t go before voters in November. Previously known as Regional Measure 4, the bond was originally proposed and authorized by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and sought to fund up to 90,000 affordable homes across nine Bay Area counties....
How progressive are Silicon Valley congressional candidates?
Santa Clara County’s hottest congressional race may come down to which of two establishment Democrats can expand their base and capture more young progressive voters. While former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo hasn’t exactly branded himself a progressive, his opponent in the race for Congressional District 16, state Assemblymember Evan Low, has made some issues —...
Silicon Valley female candidates could see boost from Harris campaign
LaNiece Jones first met Vice President Kamala Harris in the 1990s, when they were chapter members of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). The BWOPA executive director and chief operating officer said Harris always had a certain spark about her. “She was very focused and very determined and thoughtful about her work… and conscientious...
Silicon Valley congressional candidates clash on poll results
Two new polls in one of the Bay Area’s hottest congressional races favor San Jose’s former mayor over a Silicon Valley state lawmaker. But both campaigns differ on how close the race really is. Poll findings released by Assemblymember Evan Low’s campaign on Monday cast the race as a “dead heat” — putting Sam Liccardo...