Hours after San Jose City Council candidate Jim Zito lost a slew of powerful endorsements amid widespread criticism over his public divorce records, Zito debated with Councilmember Sylvia Arenas, whom he hopes to replace this year. Both candidates running for the District 8 council seat, which covers Evergreen and East San Jose, focused on public...
San Jose council candidates debate key topics in District 10
With an eye toward securing a seat on the San Jose City Council, three District 10 contenders faced off in a panel Monday night, debating about the top issues facing the Almaden Valley community — housing, public safety and taxes. The panel, hosted by the Almaden Valley Community Association at the WestGate Church, was moderated...
Silicon Valley leaders mull combining housing, transportation ballot measures
Bay Area business and housing leaders are in talks over whether 2020 is the year when two ballot measures to fund the most critical issues in the region become one. The advocates behind the potential regional measures — one on housing and another on transportation — have both been working on separate tracks for years...
San Jose council candidate loses endorsements after divorce claims come to light
Political and business leaders on Wednesday pulled their endorsements of San Jose District 8 candidate Jim Zito, after San José Spotlight reported details about his divorce that include an alleged history of controlling behavior and emotional abuse. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Councilmembers Pam Foley and Johnny Khamis, the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors and...
Details of Jim Zito’s divorce become campaign issue in race for San Jose council
San Jose City Council candidate Jim Zito controlled nearly every aspect of his ex-wife’s life, from the temperature in their home to chores, finances and even how much toilet paper the family used, court documents reviewed by San José Spotlight show. Zito and his ex-wife, Zoe Bizzell, married in 1991, lived in the Evergreen suburbs...
California Secretary of State formally opposes Santa Clara’s Measure C
The California Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, jumped into local politics this week, taking a position to oppose an upcoming ballot measure that would halve the number of voting districts in Santa Clara. Measure C will be up for a vote on March 3, and will ask residents whether they want to keep the city...
San Jose City Council candidates report staggering fundraising totals
Fifteen candidates vying for five seats on the San Jose City Council spent the last six months frantically fundraising, every incumbent building a war chest to defend their seats while three candidates raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in their quest for an open seat. In San Jose, council candidates can begin fundraising 180...
Organizers rally to boost Latino turnout in San Jose elections
With California’s primary election less than a month away, Latinos Unidos por una Nueva America — or Latinos United for a New America (LUNA) — hosted a conference this weekend to mobilize Silicon Valley’s Latino voters this election season. Latinos in Action 2020, an organized civic engagement project, seeks to build political power in the...
You’ve got mail: Election ballots sent to registered Santa Clara County voters
Have you checked your mailbox recently? A vote-by-mail ballot will arrive soon if you’re registered to vote. More than 940,000 ballots were mailed Monday to voters across Santa Clara County for the March 3 presidential primary election. As part of the Voter’s Choice Act, which was approved last year, this is an attempt at simplifying the election...
San Jose: Tensions run high as Larry Stone speaks out against Prop. 13 measure
Tensions around an upcoming statewide ballot measure reached a high point during the Santa Clara Unified School District meeting last week, when advocates and detractors of the initiative to reform Proposition 13, pled their cases to the board. Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone, a vocal opponent of the measure, faced off with advocates of the...