San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres was denied bail on Thursday amid an ongoing child sex abuse investigation. Torres, who resigned from City Council effective Nov. 27, faces a maximum 24 years in jail if convicted on three felony counts of child molestation, which came after his Election Day arrest. Police are continuing their investigation of...
Santa Clara official’s perjury trial sheds light on alleged lies
Santa Clara Vice Mayor Anthony Becker’s perjury trial is underway, with witness testimony alleging he leaked a 2022 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report. Becker is on trial for allegedly lying about whether he leaked an early copy of a grand jury report about the 49ers’ relationship with the Santa Clara City Council to former...
UPDATE: San Jose hospital meeting ends without community benefits commitment
San Jose health advocates said Good Samaritan Hospital leadership has refused to commit to a community benefits proposal as part of its $1.2 billion bid to expand the hospital. Members of the Rescue Our Medical Care campaign rallied in front of City Hall on Wednesday to call on HCA Healthcare, the parent company of Good...
Santa Clara County elections may bring historic changes to leadership
It’s an election year like none other, including the races for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The board is set to have an Asian American majority for the first time, with Betty Duong and Margaret Abe-Koga leading in Districts 2 and 5 respectively, slated to join Supervisor Otto Lee. Duong and Abe-Koga will be...
Why these Santa Clara County officials have AR-15s
A state transparency law is shedding light on the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s cache of semi-automatic weapons – and publicizing the lesser known police agencies inside California’s top prosecutor offices. District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s office this year disclosed the possession of 20 AR-15s since 2022, reporting that none were used and 10 were purchased...
Cash-strapped San Jose school district narrows down closures
Hundreds of North San Jose parents, students and teachers are joining forces to fight school closures in their community. The Berryessa Union School District board met Tuesday night to discuss the potential closure of three schools due to declining enrollment and decreased federal and state dollars. The schools on the chopping block have not been...
Santa Clara mayor may have violated city rules serving another term
Eight years ago, Santa Clara approved a policy to prohibit anyone from serving more than two terms on the city council or as mayor. But the city’s top political leader — Mayor Lisa Gillmor — might have broken that rule. New questions are swirling about whether Gillmor was eligible to run for reelection in 2022,...
Santa Clara County veterans still need housing
Santa Clara County has made strides to house homeless veterans, but the work isn’t over. The county reached a milestone of “functional zero” among homeless veterans in 2020, where the number of veterans getting housed exceeded the number falling into homelessness. That was due to the concerted effort to end veteran homelessness through a campaign launched in...
Here’s who’s vying to be downtown San Jose’s next councilmember
San Jose officials are at a crossroads over how to fill the City Council seat left vacant by Omar Torres’ stunning Election Day arrest and resignation — and several potential contenders want to take his place. City leaders in the next several weeks will decide whether to replace Torres in a special election or appointment,...
San Jose vice mayor warned about Omar Torres — and did nothing
Another top San Jose political leader was contacted about Councilmember Omar Torres — now facing charges of molestation and child sex crimes — more than a year before his downfall. Screenshots obtained by San José Spotlight shows a tipster — who had been in a sexual relationship with Torres — sent Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei...