Motivated by what they call poor management and a lack of accountability, three political newcomers are challenging two longstanding incumbents to represent Santa Clara County’s wholesale water supplier. Two seats on the Valley Water board of directors are up for grabs in Districts 6 and 7, currently belonging to Tony Estremera, who has been on...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley water officials want misconduct report before election
After several delays, it’s unclear if the investigation into a leader of Silicon Valley’s largest water supplier will be made public in time for the upcoming election. Gary Kremen, a Valley Water board member running for another term in November, is the subject of an independent investigation following a series of complaints accusing him of...
Santa Clara County candidates sound off on education
As ballots start arriving in the mail this week, Santa Clara County education leaders are making it easier for parents to learn which candidates will make children their top priority. The Santa Clara County Office of Education contacted more than 200 candidates running in local and state races with a survey asking them to pitch their...
San Jose Democrats denounce mayoral candidate, supporter
Elections can get nasty, but Santa Clara County leaders are drawing the line when it comes to spreading racial tension in political discussions. The Santa Clara County Democratic Party voted unanimously Thursday to “condemn” San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan’s mayoral campaign, urging the candidate to address allegations of racially-motivated comments made by a supporter. The...
San Jose mayor’s race boils over at Vietnamese event
Shouting matches at a flag raising ceremony and a cease-and-desist letter. Those are the latest salvos in a growing fight in the Vietnamese community over San Jose’s mayoral election. Tensions are rising in Vietnamese political circles as two factions stake out support for their chosen candidates—Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez or San Jose Councilmember...
San Jose mayoral race breaks campaign cash records
The amount of funds flooding into San Jose’s mayoral race is breaking the record books—with almost $2.4 million spent in special interest money to date. With a little over a month before San Jose elects its next mayor, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan are locked in a hotly contested—and...
San Jose mayoral candidate admits employee classification error
San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan’s mayoral campaign is correcting the misclassifying of some of its employees, weeks after facing a complaint filed with the state labor commissioner. The changes follow San José Spotlight’s reporting on how Mahan’s campaign listed at least 18 workers as consultants in campaign finance disclosure forms. More than half are high schoolers, in...
South County school trustee scrutinized for past behavior
Morgan Hill educators are questioning whether a school board member is fit for reelection after an independent probe found she abused her power by attempting to overturn her daughter’s student government election loss. Wendy Sullivan, an incumbent in the November race for the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education, became the subject of...
South County candidate loses endorsements over party lines
The Santa Clara County Democratic Party is pulling support from longtime members for crossing the political divide. One Gilroy councilmember and decades-long Democrat lost his endorsement. A longtime party member was kicked out, and several other candidates have received threats of endorsements being rescinded. The rub: they endorsed Santa Clara County supervisor-hopeful Johnny Khamis, who’s running...
San Jose sign thieves caught in the act
Election signs are disappearing across San Jose, and local candidates are asking would-be thieves to keep off the grass. It’s part of an ongoing trend that candidates say disrupts the democratic process. San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan, who is running for mayor, said hundreds of campaign signs have disappeared in the span of a few weeks...