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A group of Santa Clara councilmembers have filed three ethics complaints against a political organization linked to Mayor Lisa Gillmor, including a state complaint naming her. Councilmembers Anthony Becker, Suds Jain and Kevin Park are raising concerns about Stand Up for Santa Clara, claiming the 501(c)3 nonprofit is violating the city’s “dark money” rules by...
Judge rejects San Jose’s push to overturn court ruling
After losing a public records lawsuit filed by this news organization, San Jose attempted to shift the outcome—and lost again. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Kuhnle denied a request from San Jose and former Mayor Sam Liccardo to further explain how Liccardo searched his personal email and text accounts for public records, a...
UPDATE: San Jose officials sign off on higher union pay
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was the lone official to downvote a new contract for unionized city workers, after months of contentious discussions over how the city will afford pay raises for thousands of its employees. The San Jose City Council today ratified labor contracts after coming to a deal with two of the city’s...
San Jose seeks collaboration with Indigenous community
San Jose leaders want to dive deeper into the history of the local Indigenous community in an effort understand the past and recommit to more inclusion in the future. San Jose Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Dev Davis, David Cohen, Domingo Candelas and Bien Doan are proposing a study session to learn more about the relation of...
Why is Santa Clara County still using tear gas in jails?
Santa Clara County is weighing whether to let correctional officers continue to use tear gas to remove those incarcerated from their jail cells, amid pushback on whether this is a humane approach. A new report by the county Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring acknowledged that incarcerated people involved in tear gas incidents should...
Fired Santa Clara attorney sues city
Santa Clara is being sued by its former city attorney who claims officials fired him unlawfully as part of a hushed agreement with San Francisco 49ers owners. Brian Doyle—who helped lead several city actions to control 49ers management of Levi’s Stadium—said in a lawsuit the Santa Clara City Council majority terminated him in September 2021, as...
San Jose’s Viva Calle faces chopping block
San Jose is planning cuts to a beloved parks program to compensate for raises for its unionized workers—a move that leaders warned would happen in the wake of contentious contract negotiations. Viva Calle returns for the final installment of the year Sunday. The event will shut down about six miles of streets to traffic through...
‘Without real power’: Another San Jose police watchdog leaves
San Jose’s assistant independent police watchdog quit months after the top police auditor stepped down, according to a letter obtained by San José Spotlight today. Eva Roa, the city’s assistant independent police auditor since 2020, sent a scathing letter to city officials on Friday sharing her frustrations with city management for consistently ignoring the IPA...
Santa Clara County sheriff endorses Tasers for deputies
Santa Clara County sheriff deputies may soon be re-armed with Tasers from a controversial vendor after a decadeslong hiatus. Sheriff Robert Jonsen plans to present options for arming deputies on the street and in county jail facilities with Tasers to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Jail guards have been stripped of Tasers for decades after...
Mountain View turns hotel into permanent housing
A converted hotel is creating a home and hope for unhoused foster youth transitioning out of the system, families and individuals. Unlike other hotels that have been redeveloped as short-term supportive housing, the Crestview Hotel in Mountain View will provide permanent, supportive affordable housing to youth aging out of foster care and small families experiencing...