A recent confrontation caught on video between two former Santa Clara councilmembers, with one running for mayor, led to the cops being called. But instead of anyone ending up in handcuffs, officers informed them of their First Amendment rights. At the city’s annual Art & Wine Festival on Saturday, Anthony Becker approached Kathy Watanabe at...
San Jose official says campaign mailer misrepresents his past
A campaign mailer resurfacing decades-old misdemeanor convictions has sparked a war of words in the race for the District 7 San Jose City Council seat. A flyer circulated by the challenger in the race, East Side Union High School District trustee Van Le, accuses incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan of concealing his criminal record from voters,...
Six candidates face off for three Los Gatos council seats
Los Gatos voters have a choice between six candidates vying for three seats on the Town Council this fall — a big change from 2024 when the city held no election because two incumbents ran unopposed. In the Nov. 3 at-large election, two incumbents are seeking another term on the five-member council — Councilmember Mary...
Silicon Valley voters to weigh ‘billionaire tax’ ballot measure
California Proposition 40, also known as the billionaire tax, is one of the more complicated ballot measures put before voters this November because its fate depends on two other ballot measures. Proposition 40 — a one-time 5% tax to be imposed on roughly 200 state residents whose net worth exceeded $1 billion at the start...
Morgan Hill officials censure colleague over intimidation
The Morgan Hill City Council took action against one of its own on Wednesday, formally censuring Councilmember Yvonne Martinez Beltrán in a move that divided residents. The council voted 4-1, with Martinez Beltrán as the lone dissenter, to adopt the resolution to censure the councilmember citing incidents of harassment, rudeness, intimidation and discrimination. She will...
San Jose mayor fined over donation transparency lapses
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan faces a $27,500 fine over breaches of a government transparency law stemming from late disclosures of political donations. The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), a state body that enforces campaign finance and government ethics rules, assessed the fine after determining Mahan had failed to file timely disclosures of more than $2.3...
State ballot measure could set strict voting requirements
A statewide ballot measure in the upcoming Nov. 3 election could impact voting rights in Santa Clara County. California Proposition 39 — the Voter Identification, Citizenship Verification, and Registered Voter List Administration Initiative — would require additional identification to vote in future elections. This could have a significant effect on Santa Clara County, where Hispanic...
Cupertino sign theft complaints hit new high
Theft and vandalism of campaign yard signs is a perennial problem every election season, but Cupertino is seeing an unusually high volume of complaints this year in the sharply divided City Council race. Cupertino City Hall has received 23 formal complaints regarding yard sign thefts, compared with just six during the last election in 2024....
Five candidates compete for three Campbell City Council seats
Voters in three of Campbell’s five City Council districts will cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election, though only two districts have more than one candidate. Councilmember Dan Furtado — currently serving a one-year rotating term as mayor – is running for reelection in District 3 against local business owner Joe Brenner. District 4 Councilmember...
Federal vote-by-mail challenges unlikely to affect Santa Clara County
As the legal battle over federal mail-in ballot restrictions continues to progress through the courts, Santa Clara County’s top election official is reassuring voters — the November elections will proceed as normal. A series of back-to-back legal rulings set off by a U.S. Supreme Court decision last week ended with a judge placing a temporary block...