The fight for San Jose’s District 10 City Council seat — being vacated by outgoing Councilmember Johnny Khamis — just got a little more crowded. Helen Wang, a longtime business owner and registered nurse, told San José Spotlight she’s running for the Almaden Valley seat to “protect and enhance” the district’s safety, public services and...
Elections
Elections
San Jose measure to shift mayoral elections moves forward
Top labor leaders from the South Bay gathered in front of San Jose City Hall Wednesday morning to push support for a proposal they say will put a cap on money in local politics and boost voter turnout by shifting mayoral elections to presidential election years. Leaders are racing to enact the sweeping reform called...
Election 2020: Early endorsements from Silicon Valley business and labor
With eight months until the March primary, San Jose City Council candidates are snatching early endorsements from powerful business and labor groups in an effort to stake out a path to victory. The two powerful and competing interests in San Jose politics — the silicon valley organization and South Bay Labor Council — are picking...
Dave Cortese announces big fundraising haul in Senate race
Candidates facing off in a tight state Senate race have eight months left before the primary election, setting off a full-blown dash for cash among the contenders — with Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese significantly outraising four other rivals. Cortese raised $650,000 in funds through June 30, kicking off July with more than $600,000...
San Jose: Green Party candidate to challenge Councilwoman Dev Davis
Green Party candidate Jake Tonkel has jumped into the San Jose City Council race in District 6, forcing incumbent Dev Davis to fend off two challengers in her re-election bid next fall. “I want to ensure our city is moving forward in a way that addresses income inequality,” Tonkel, 28, told San José Spotlight. “My...
Republican challenger emerges in San Jose council race
San Jose Councilmember Sergio Jimenez who handily beat a Republican challenger four years ago is about to face another one — and he’s a familiar name in political circles. Mechanical engineer Jonathan Fleming, who unsuccessfully ran against one-term Councilmember Tam Nguyen in 2016, just moved into Jimenez’s district. And now he’s challenging the longtime Democrat,...
Santa Clara mayor proposes 2020 bond measure in State of City address
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor wants to put a bond measure on the November 2020 ballot that would generate funds to improve public facilities and infrastructure, she announced Thursday during a State of the City address. “While our community is thriving, we need to improve our parks, our libraries and our infrastructure to keep up...
It’s official: Milpitas Vice Mayor Karina Dominguez joins Assembly race
After serving six months as Milpitas’ vice mayor, Karina Dominguez says she’s ready “to make history” again. Dominguez announced exclusively to San José Spotlight that she’s running for Assembly District 25, a highly-contested seat vacated by Kansen Chu who told this news organization in May that he’s leaving Sacramento to run for county supervisor. Dominguez,...
San Jose: Trump supporters celebrate re-election announcement
Despite living in a liberal bastion, a small but mighty group of Silicon Valley residents are fighting to put President Donald Trump back in office in 2020. One of them on Tuesday flaunted her support for the 45th president in an unusual spot — her feet. Wearing shoes emblazoned with an American flag and “TRUMP”...
San Jose political advisor Alex Lee jumps into Assembly race
Another candidate on Monday entered the race to replace Silicon Valley Assemblyman Kansen Chu, setting the stage for one of the region’s most closely-watched races next year. Alex Lee, 23, a policy advisor and former field representative for Assemblyman Evan Low, announced he’s jumping into the fray. He joins a slew of other candidates, including...