Amid a flurry of finger pointing, Milpitas officials plan to hire an outside investigator to look into who on the City Council leaked confidential information to a person threatening litigation against the city. San José Spotlight has learned City Manager Steve McHarris is at the center of the issue, and is threatening legal action against...
Milpitas city attorney under fire for offensive tweets
A Milpitas official is raising concerns about a series of offensive tweets from the city attorney, who claims his account was hacked. Councilmember Anthony Phan said Twitter posts from City Attorney Michael Mutalipassi that were made 13 years ago are misogynistic. The tweets from 2009 and 2010 include misogynist comments on rape and female body...
Robes, candles and chants: South Bay official in hot water over religious ceremony
On a Sunday evening late last month a Milpitas employee working at City Hall saw something very unusual and eerie: several people wearing dark robes, walking through the building while chanting, burning candles and possibly sage. To the worker’s surprise, one of the people participating in what appeared to be a religious after-hours ceremony was...
Milpitas axes third city manager in six years
Frustrated Milpitas residents and councilmembers are calling for a reversal on the sudden decision to let go of City Manager Steve McHarris. McHarris is the third city manager to be let go in Milpitas since 2017, and is yet another loss in leadership that has shocked residents and left them wondering when the tumultuous string...
Longtime San Jose official leaves for smaller city
San Jose’s public works director has left to take on a leadership position in a neighboring city. Matt Cano, who worked for San Jose in a variety of roles over the span of nearly 24 years, took over as deputy city manager in Milpitas on Jan. 30. He has an annual base salary of $275,341, plus...
South Bay reentry program changes lives of formerly incarcerated
Mark Ashford has been in and out of the criminal justice system for 26 years, never staying out for more than five months at a time. A few years ago, everything changed with the help of a support program and reentry services. “It is possible for people to change,” Ashford, 46, told San José Spotlight....
UPDATE: Milpitas officials ban natural gas in new buildings
Milpitas is the latest Silicon Valley city to ban natural gas in all new buildings, disregarding attempts from a local energy company to score an exemption. The Milpitas City Council approved two policies Tuesday to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Councilmembers unanimously approved a policy requiring more electric vehicle charging stations around...
Milpitas workers bullied by former official
An attorney and former Milpitas planning commissioner whose rude and threatening language landed him in trouble before is sending curse-laden emails to the city attorney on behalf of the frontrunner in the mayor’s race. Following the inadvertent release of some of Vice Mayor Carmen Montano’s personal information in response to a public records request, attorney...
Milpitas official ahead of colleagues in mayor’s race
Last updated 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The next update is expected by 5 p.m. Thursday. Milpitas Vice Mayor Carmen Montano may soon get to drop “vice” from her title, as early election results show her leading a pack of six candidates running to succeed Mayor Rich Tran. With about 91% of the expected votes counted...
Milpitas mayoral candidate faces state probe
California’s political watchdog is investigating a Milpitas official running for mayor after a resident accused her of falsifying information on campaign forms. The Fair Political Practices Commission confirmed in a letter to Milpitas resident Christopher Martin that it has opened a case to look into the complaint against Vice Mayor Carmen Montano, which alleges she may...