Marshall Woodmansee may be the youngest person running for City Council in San Jose, but he speaks with the confidence of someone who has spent years thinking about issues facing the South Bay city. The 19-year-old District 6 native has run one of the most grassroots campaigns in the race so far. He hasn’t locked...

Jake Tonkel is crossing his fingers that he can trade his biomedical engineering job making heart valves and surgical devices for one at San Jose City Hall. The 29-year-old announced his run for office in July, challenging District 6 incumbent Dev Davis, who was elected in 2016 with nearly 54 percent of the vote. Tonkel...

San Jose City Council hopeful Jonathan Fleming wants District 2 voters to know he’s nothing like the incumbent, Sergio Jimenez. “It’s like night and day,” said Fleming, a mechanical engineer and data-driven defense government contractor. “What’s happening with our current policies are not working.” The Republican turned Independent, born again Republican said he’s eager to...

Sergio Jimenez remembers playing on the corner of Checkers Drive and McKee Road in East San Jose in front of the El Rancho Verde apartments that were his childhood home. He watched as helicopters circled his neighborhood at night, lights flickering above as the sound of police sirens wailed. Jimenez slept on the living room...

For the first time in nearly two decades, Santa Clara County is overhauling its voting system and county officials last week unveiled new voting machines that officials say are more efficient and secure. The new machines are part of a larger plan to implement the Voter’s Choice Act in Santa Clara County, making voting easier...

Jamal Khan was born and raised in San Jose’s District 4 and now at 32 — with a decent amount of public service under his belt — he hopes to represent the district on the San Jose City Council. “I’m always interested in what can make the community a better place or help a disadvantaged...

Huy Tran embodies the first-generation vision of the American Dream. His parents, Hai Tran and Kim Ho, fled Vietnam on boats in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, scraping together what little they had to start anew in California. Growing up, Tran’s parents worked long hours as landscapers, inspiring him to always fight for the little...

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stands by his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, even after the New York billionaire struggled Wednesday at the Las Vegas debate. Liccardo said he hopes Bloomberg’s next performance will go differently, but said the other presidential hopefuls on stage failed to focus on policy, instead unnecessarily dog-piling on the...

Lan Diep began his first term on the San Jose City Council by wielding a Captain America shield when he was sworn in. That colorful display of superhero fandom drew national media attention, and he has maintained his colorful demeanor since joining the council in 2017, occasionally wearing costumes to council meetings. The first-born son...

Less than two weeks before an early California primary, access to voting and election security were the top issues for state elected officials and congressional representatives who met in San Jose Thursday. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla met with congresswomen Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) and Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), speaking at the unveiling of...