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...
How one new San Jose official is preparing to take office
While several San Jose City Council candidates are in the final stretch of campaigning, Rosemary Kamei is already setting up her office. District 1 Councilmember-elect Kamei, a Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee, won the seat outright in the June primary election. She spent the summer with her sisters and 90-year-old mother, but now she’s rolling up her sleeves...
Conservatives infiltrate Silicon Valley school board races
Silicon Valley’s school board races have become the focus of a local right-wing group, and experts and school officials worry the outcomes could become politically polarizing. The infiltration of far-right candidates in local school board races could have an impact on curriculum and day-to-day district governance. The Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women is recruiting...
Home sale raises eyebrows in Santa Clara race
When Santa Clara City Council candidate Larry McColloch bought a home in Santa Rosa nearly two decades ago, he promised the lender he would live in it for at least a year — potentially earning him a low interest rate. But just three months later McColloch sold the home. He never lived in it. He...
Silicon Valley Democrats decry ballot changes
The local Democratic Party is pushing back against the removal of party affiliation language from candidate statements just weeks before ballots are mailed. The tussle is over San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas, who is running for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 1 seat. In her candidate statement, Arenas lists endorsements that include the Santa...
San Jose mayoral candidates spar over policies
The debate between the San Jose mayoral candidates is more than just business versus labor. Voters in November will decide if they want a freshman councilmember looking to shake things up or a longtime politician with institutional knowledge. San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez are battling it out for the...
Election 2022: Los Gatos candidates focus on budget woes
Three candidates for the Los Gatos Town Council all agree the town has a financial problem on its hands, with a projected roughly $4 million ongoing budget deficit beginning next year. While the candidates, who took part in a forum focused on town finances Tuesday night, all noted difficult choices lay ahead, they mostly avoided...
How San Jose City Hall transitions of power happen
This story is part of a project called Democracy Day, in which newsrooms across the country are shining a light on threats to democracy and what action is needed to protect it. Even though the San Jose mayoral election is nearly two months away, preparations are already well underway inside City Hall to ensure a smooth...
Election 2022: How to find the money trail in San Jose campaigns
This story is part of a project called Democracy Day, in which newsrooms across the country are shining a light on threats to democracy and what action is needed to protect it. As San Jose inches closer to picking a new mayor this November, the race between two candidates to replace outgoing Mayor Sam Liccardo is...
Downtown San Jose council candidates disagree on issues
San Jose’s downtown council seat is up for grabs, and the two candidates running for the District 3 spot couldn’t be more different. At a Friday debate hosted by the San Jose Downtown Association, candidates Omar Torres and Irene Smith shared their vision for the downtown core. Torres was the frontrunner after the June primary...