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...
Milpitas mayor’s race takes shape
Milpitas Mayor Rich Tran has handpicked his replacement, but now a new challenger—and an outspoken adversary—are shaking up the contentious mayor’s race. Councilmember Anthony Phan jumped into the mayor’s race Friday, joining fellow Councilmembers Carmen Montano and Karina Dominguez. Tran is terming out after three, two-year terms as mayor, but he is running for a...
UPDATE: Proposal to cut Milpitas City Council benefits fails to get support
A proposal by Milpitas Councilmember Karina Dominguez to eliminate health benefits for her and her colleagues and level the playing field for part-time city workers did not receive enough support for further discussion by the council during Tuesday’s meeting. Councilmember Anthony Phan was the only official who called to place the item on a future...
The Biz Beat: Booze and bands at The Note Lounge in Milpitas
If you’re looking for the finest Japanese-born bluesman ever to come out of the clubs of Chicago to play in Milpitas, you’ll find Yoshi Senzaki playing guitar at The Note Lounge, a low-key bar with a unique character and excellent live music. “When The Note reopened after the COVID restrictions were lifted, our band sometimes outnumbered the customers,”...
Milpitas lawmaker seeks legal protection from mayor
Weeks after the mayor threatened to censure her, Milpitas Councilmember Karina Dominguez is looking at her legal options to fight back against Mayor Rich Tran. “His words are what bullying is,” Dominguez told San José Spotlight. “Bullying is microaggressions in the workplace, it is what leads to violence in the workplace and it’s quite concerning.”...
Homeless advocates claim Milpitas mayor stonewalls solutions
The homeless crisis in Milpitas might be headed for a dead end. Some officials and advocates blame the mayor for exacerbating the problem. Milpitas, a city of roughly 80,000 people, started to see its homeless population balloon during the COVID-19 pandemic. An encampment behind the city’s library, one of the largest camps in Milpitas, has grown to...
Homeless advocates pitch tents at Milpitas City Hall
Pitched tents surrounded Milpitas City Hall Monday night, where advocates for the unhoused staged a campout to address the city’s ongoing homeless crisis. At tonight’s City Council meeting, recommendations will be heard from the Milpitas homeless task force over an issue riling up the community on both sides. While some elected officials such as Councilmembers...
Vision for personal rapid transit system stalled in Milpitas
Rob Means dreams of revolutionizing Milpitas’ public transit by creating an environmentally-friendly track system to whisk people to destinations in small vehicular pods. But getting others to share that dream is tough. In 2019, Means, founder and secretary of LoopWorks, pitched Milpitas’ mayor and City Council on the concept of personal rapid transit (PRT), a system...