The federal drug smuggling case against Joanna Segovia ended with a plea deal in court Tuesday, closing the saga of the woman known as the “grandmother” of the San Jose police union. Segovia’s guilty felony plea to U.S. Judge Eumi Lee admits she imported 17,400 doses of the opioid Tapentadol in a 17-month period between...
‘Appalled’: Backlash over Sunnyvale school board candidate’s anti-LGBTQ views
Sunnyvale residents are worried about a school board candidate who sent an email to a neighborhood association suggesting that LGBTQ people engage in public indecency. Residents of North Sunnyvale have voiced concerns about Frances Renteria who is running for the Fremont Union High School District Trustee Area 2 seat. The residents pointed to Renteria’s signed...
Silicon Valley city must pay after removing campaign signs
Cupertino election signs have been mysteriously disappearing, but it’s not the work of disgruntled residents or political opponents. It’s the city. Maintenance workers in Cupertino’s public works department removed and threw out more than 15 election lawn signs last week for Cupertino City Council Candidates R “Ray” Wang and Councilmember Kitty Moore — signs placed...
San Jose official warned about councilmember’s alleged misconduct
A San Jose elected official was warned that Councilmember Omar Torres was involved in child sexual misconduct – more than a year before Torres became the target of a police investigation that rocked Silicon Valley. In screenshots obtained by San José Spotlight, a tipster who used the pseudonym “John Wick” messaged one of Torres’ colleagues...
San Jose nonprofit raised funds with suspended tax-exempt status
The San Jose Vietnamese Running Club breaks a sweat to raise money for underserved children in Vietnam. But its overseas mission has become targeted by local anti-communist campaigns — and the club may have raised money illegally. State records show the California Franchise Tax Board suspended the running club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in 2021....
San Jose police program in the spotlight after officer death
Police officers across Silicon Valley are mourning San Jose’s first community service officer killed in the line of duty — a gesture to how integral these officers have become in a city that struggles to fill its police ranks. Long Pham, a community service officer with the San Jose Police Department since 2022, was killed...
Milpitas seeks protective order against former city manager
Milpitas is seeking an order against its former city manager to stop him from leaking information prior to a trial, the latest saga in an ongoing legal battle. Last December, ousted City Manager Steve McHarris filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Milpitas, accusing city officials of intimidation and unethical behavior — including Mayor Carmen Montano. The city denied wrongdoing and hired...
Silicon Valley lawmaker faces second federal elections complaint
Assemblymember Evan Low has been slapped with another federal elections complaint, this time alleging improper use of money for his congressional campaign. Defend the Vote, a voting rights advocacy group and political action committee, filed the complaint with the Federal Elections Commission Wednesday. It alleges Low’s state Assembly committee spent money on advertisements to support...
Silicon Valley school board candidates divided on LGBTQ+ issues
Candidates running for a Silicon Valley school board shared starkly different viewpoints on LGBTQ+ issues at a forum this week, disagreeing on whether teachers should notify parents about children’s preferred pronouns and gender identity. There are two seats up for grabs in November on the five-member Franklin-McKinley School District board. Trustees Milan Balinton and George...
Silicon Valley students say their teachers need better pay
Hundreds of Prospect High School students marched out of class this week chanting, “What do we want? Teacher’s pay!” The walkout took place Tuesday across the Campbell Union High School District, a sea of students wearing red in support of their teachers’ demands for better pay and lower class sizes. The day of the walkout, teachers began “working...