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A recent San Jose mayoral candidate forum left many politicos scratching their heads. Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez—a household name for her work in local labor movements and roots in Working Partnerships USA and the South Bay Labor Council—took two positions that sounded inconsistent to fellow labor-leaning leaders and based on her past policies....
Poll shows Santa Clara County district attorney, opponent in close race
An early election poll shows Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen and public defender Sajid Khan in a close race for the top county prosecutor seat. The poll, conducted by Florida-based SEA Polling & Strategic Design, surveyed 350 likely voters in the county district attorney race between Dec. 14-16. The poll, paid for by Khan’s campaign,...
Santa Clara County sheriff faces state investigation over alleged civil rights violations
The California attorney general is investigating possible civil rights violations committed by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. Citing concerning allegations about the management of the jail system, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday his office is seeking information on whether the sheriff’s office engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct. “These concerns...
Business PAC announces San Jose mayor, City Council endorsements
The 2022 races for San Jose City Council are heating up, with seven candidates scoring endorsements from a local business-backed political action committee. On Wednesday, the Silicon Valley Biz PAC, one of several local PACs representing business interests, announced its support for both Councilmembers Dev Davis and Matt Mahan in the contested San Jose mayoral race. It also...
Monte Sereno lawmaker claims illegal voting charge part of harassment campaign
A Monte Sereno councilmember convicted of illegal voting claims she is being attacked by current and former lawmakers who want to drive her out of office. Councilmember Rowena Turner was convicted last October in Oregon for voting illegally in the 2018 general election in both Oregon and California. Josephine County Judge Brandon S. Thueson fined...
Advocates drum up support for ranked-choice voting in San Jose
A coalition of election reformers want to help San Jose lawmakers switch to a new form of electoral politics—one they say is cheaper, more equitable and might make people more civil. An organization called Better Elections San Jose has been busy trying to educate city officials about the benefits of ranked-choice voting—a system that allows voters...
Palo Alto police chief enters race for Santa Clara County sheriff
The top law enforcement officer from Palo Alto is joining the race for Santa Clara County sheriff. A committee to elect Police Chief Robert Jonsen as sheriff filed its organizing paperwork on Tuesday. Jonsen was reluctant to discuss details of his campaign and told San José Spotlight he is planning an official announcement in a...
Silicon Valley candidate ends state campaign, endorses progressive opponent
State Senate hopeful Jaime Raul Zepeda is ending his campaign and instead throwing his support behind fellow candidate Aisha Wahab. Zepeda, who was running for the state Senate District 10 seat, announced the end of his campaign Monday. The state redistricting process—which occurs once every 10 years on the local, state and federal levels—established new...
Former San Jose assistant police chief jumps into sheriff’s race
A former police officer is stepping into the increasingly crowded election for Santa Clara County sheriff. Dave Knopf, former assistant chief of the San Jose Police Department, filed papers last week to run for sheriff. Knopf began his career in law enforcement working for the Morgan Hill Police Department in 1988. He transferred to SJPD in...
UPDATE: San Jose to explore extending voting rights to noncitizens
San Jose will explore a proposal to allow immigrants who are not U.S. citizens to participate in local elections. After hours of passionate public testimony, the City Council voted 10-1 Tuesday night to explore a plan proposed by Councilmembers Magdalena Carrasco and Sylvia Arenas to extend voting rights to noncitizen residents. Councilmember Dev Davis casted...