Silicon Valley voters this November will cast ballots in one of the region’s most consequential elections: From deciding who to send to Washington to a historic county supervisorial election, there is no shortage of major decisions up and down the ballot.
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Democrats denounce San Jose candidate over controversial endorsement
Two Democratic institutions in Santa Clara County are taking last-minute punches at a contender in the San Jose mayor’s race. Both groups are zeroing in on support he’s received from a conservative organization and questioning his stance on abortion. The Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee recently adopted a resolution calling on San Jose mayoral...
How are special interests swaying Silicon Valley elections?
Special interest groups have spent a whopping $2.3 million to boost their preferred candidates across eight local races—making the 2022 primary election one of the most expensive seasons in recent Silicon Valley history. More than half of all political action committee (PAC) spending has gone to the San Jose mayor’s race. Special interests are also...
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Spending in San Jose mayoral race exceeds $1 million
Spending to support two San Jose mayoral candidates has reached a new height this primary election—as $1.1 million has gone toward supporting Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez. San Jose is days away from narrowing the field for its next leader, with Mayor Sam Liccardo terming out this year. Six candidates, including some local household names, are...
Silicon Valley lawmaker says stop the monkey business
State Assemblymember Alex Lee is the latest victim of negative campaign monkey business. Over the last few weeks, the Housing Providers for Responsible Solutions political action committee (PAC) has spent nearly $1 million on mailers, ads and texts opposing Lee—about a third of what the PAC has spent this year. The PAC is largely funded...
Election 2022: Santa Clara County schools bank on voters to help students
There are four school district ballot measures coming before Santa Clara County voters in the June 7 primary election. Even though senior exemptions will be available and funds will not be used for administrative salaries, it will take either 55% or two-thirds voter approval for these various measures to pass. If the thresholds are not...
Negative campaign ads bombard Silicon Valley voters
As Silicon Valley inches closer to the June 7 primary election, an onslaught of negative political ads are popping up in voters’ mailboxes, forcing candidates to dispute these smear tactics. Candidates in San Jose and Santa Clara County races have spent big bucks to get their names in front of voters. These efforts has been met recently...
Reader Panel: San Jose voters share candidate selections
San Jose voters are already casting their ballots for the primary election next week, but some aren’t excited about their choices. Residents who spoke with San José Spotlight said they’ve voted for many key offices up for grabs on June 7, including San Jose mayor, City Council, Santa Clara County sheriff, district attorney and county assessor. This news...
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San Jose mayor raises funds for Mahan, mum on endorsement
Outgoing San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo has not endorsed a successor, but based on campaign donations a favorite has emerged. Election filings show Liccardo raised more than $24,000 for Councilmember Matt Mahan’s campaign for mayor from Dec. 18, 2021 to March 31. He personally called at least 20 people, asking them to donate to Mahan’s campaign, the...
‘Disappointing’: San Jose reacts to mayor’s election meddling
A complaint filed against San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and a political action committee he formed to influence the 2022 elections has prompted a wave of reaction from local candidates and community leaders. The complaint, filed last week, claims Liccardo and the committee “Common Good Silicon Valley, sponsored by Solutions Silicon Valley” has raised more...
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Who’s stealing San Jose election signs?
Campaign signs have been torn from lawns and cut from fences in this year’s San Jose elections. Candidates Rolando Bonilla, Van Le and Matt Mahan are dismayed by these acts of vandalism and theft, but said it won’t discourage them from running for office. Le is running for San Jose City Council in District 7...