After a heated election season in Silicon Valley, voters headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in a consequential election that will bring new leadership to San Jose City Hall. In San Jose, residents will vote for a new mayor to replace Mayor Sam Liccardo. The highly-anticipated—and most expensive—contest of the season pitted...
Santa Clara County education board rushes to fill seat
Residents are sounding the alarm over an abrupt process to fill a vacant seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. The board, which includes seven members and represents more than 30 school districts, is looking to fill its Area 3 seat, which is being vacated by Rosemary Kamei, the councilmember-elect for San Jose...
Fact check: Silicon Valley candidate falsely linked to Donald Trump
Mudslinging is nothing new in local politics, but a slew of new ads against a Silicon Valley politician is demonizing him by falsely linking him to Donald Trump. Johnny Khamis, a former San Jose councilmember running for county Board of Supervisors District 1, said he’s disgusted by recent mailers sent by his opponent and her political...
Reader Panel: San Jose voters prepare for election day
With less than a week until election day, local voters participating in San José Spotlight’s reader panel have mostly made up their minds on key contests. San José Spotlight hosted its fifth panel of six readers on Wednesday to hear their thoughts on the election overall, the ways San Jose mayoral candidates have tried to differentiate...
Mysterious group wants to ‘Take Back San Jose’
A new group has emerged in San Jose politics just in time for a consequential election with an ominous message to “take back” the city—but no one seems to know who is behind it. It started two months ago when signs with a QR code began lining San Jose neighborhoods like Naglee Park. The signs...
Silicon Valley leaders condemn race-baiting election ads
Community groups and leaders in Santa Clara County are speaking out against attack ads using race-baiting tactics to pit one minority group against another. Groups including the Asian Law Alliance, San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP, SOMOS Mayfair and Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet rallied in front of San Jose City Hall Wednesday to condemn racist dog whistles...
San Jose mayor’s groups linked to attack ads
When San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo quietly formed an advocacy organization last year, he insisted it would only weigh in on “common sense” policy issues. Eight months later, he launched a political action committee (PAC) and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars before stepping away. Now Liccardo’s two organizations are deeply intertwined and linked to some...
Meet the candidates for Los Gatos Town Council
There’s a lot at stake in Los Gatos this election season. The West Valley town is facing contentious plans for growth, meeting its housing production goals and scrambling to become more affordable. It’s become ground zero for political fights over growth, with one group taking to the ballot to suspend aspects of the town’s general...
49ers spend millions to sack Santa Clara mayor
The San Francisco 49ers ownership group is spending millions to sway voters in Santa Clara this upcoming election, surpassing the staggering amount of money it poured into the city’s 2020 election. CEO Jed York and the 49ers’ boundless war chest scored a big victory by breaking up Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s city council voting majority when they...
Election 2022: Voting in Santa Clara County
With Election Day a week away, it’s time to make sure you’re registered to vote, know what’s on the Nov. 8 ballot and how to cast your ballot. The deadline to register in California was Oct. 24—but it’s not too late. If you forgot to register before that deadline, you’ll be able to register at...