Some 30 psychiatric patients who live in a Santa Clara County facility in San Jose have been notified they may have to move out — but they say they don’t know why. Riviera Villa houses patients with serious mental illness, developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. The patients have been caught in the middle of...
East San Jose candidates skip on school board forum
Alum Rock Union School District organizers scheduled a virtual forum with five board of trustees candidates Saturday morning – but when around 20 parents tuned in over Zoom, there was no candidate in sight. “Unfortunately we are not hosting the candidate forum today,” said Andrea Portillo of the East San Jose organization SOMOS Mayfair. “We...
Rally in San Jose draws attention to effort to restore affirmative action
Ever since Californians became the first state to outlaw affirmative action through a 1996 ballot measure, student action groups in San Jose have fought to get the issue back on the ballot. “Some of these students are working, some have two or three jobs and they’ve been organizing and I want to make sure we’re...
From policy wonk to politician, Ann Ravel eyes state Senate
Ann Ravel is not a politician. And, although she’s running her first campaign for elected office, she’s not a novice either. Ravel has served as an appointed government official at every level. She was Santa Clara County counsel for nearly a decade and worked in that office for years prior to her appointment by the...
San Jose to test gunshot detection technology
San Jose is testing out a new gunshot detection program that aims to reduce violence in the city and help police respond faster. The program will be tested in the Cadillac Winchester area, where violent crime has been an ongoing issue, according to Vice Mayor Chappie Jones. “There’s been a couple of homicides over the...
Exclusive Q&A: U.S. House District 17 candidate Rep. Ro Khanna
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont, is running for re-election against Republican challenger Ritesh Tandon. Khanna was elected to Congress in 2016. He is a member of the House Budget Committee, the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Khanna and Tandon recently were given the opportunity to answer...
After 30 years in Santa Clara County politics, Dave Cortese aims for state Senate
California politics is in Dave Cortese’s blood. His maternal grandfather was a Santa Clara councilman. His father was Santa Clara County supervisor and a state assemblyman. For nearly 30 years he’s been serving as an elected official in San Jose. Now he’s hoping to put that experience to work as a senator representing California’s 15th district. Cortese...
San Jose police union unleashes $100K to target council candidate it says hates cops
Following the death of George Floyd, Jake Tonkel attended rallies and live streamed videos on his Facebook showing protesters demanding police departments be defunded. Some protesters held signs calling cops bastards. In response, the San Jose Police Officers’ Association spent close to $100,000 on ads and messaging to defeat Tonkel, and sent an email to...
Exclusive Q&A: U.S. House District 17 candidate Ritesh Tandon
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Ritesh Tandon is hoping to replace progressive Democrat Ro Khanna in November and chip away at Democratic control of the House. Tandon is an engineer and businessman who has worked for Jabra and Cisco. He serves as an advisory board member for Uttar Pradesh Mandal of America, a nonprofit that helps underprivileged...
South Bay candidates court Latinx voters, push to get them to polls
San Jose Unified School District Board of Trustees candidate Tomara Hall does a lot more phone banking than door knocking these days because of the pandemic, but she always has a few Spanish-fluent volunteers on stand-by. “When it comes to running a campaign, you’re educating people,” Hall said. “So you need to offer materials in...