With less than a week until election day, local voters participating in San José Spotlight’s reader panel have mostly made up their minds on key contests. San José Spotlight hosted its fifth panel of six readers on Wednesday to hear their thoughts on the election overall, the ways San Jose mayoral candidates have tried to differentiate...
Dozens of San Jose commission seats are empty
San Jose commissions play a significant role in city government, giving residents an official capacity to provide input on local policies and decisions. But with dozens of vacancies, some worry those voices are missing. San Jose’s 25 active commissions need 289 commissioners, and 59 seats are vacant. This means one out of every five seats...
Mysterious group wants to ‘Take Back San Jose’
A new group has emerged in San Jose politics just in time for a consequential election with an ominous message to “take back” the city—but no one seems to know who is behind it. It started two months ago when signs with a QR code began lining San Jose neighborhoods like Naglee Park. The signs...
San Jose mayor’s groups linked to attack ads
When San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo quietly formed an advocacy organization last year, he insisted it would only weigh in on “common sense” policy issues. Eight months later, he launched a political action committee (PAC) and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars before stepping away. Now Liccardo’s two organizations are deeply intertwined and linked to some...
Money in San Jose mayor’s race tops $8M
The costs of this year’s high-profile San Jose mayoral race is one for the record books, at $8.5 million—with special interest groups making up 51% of spending in an effort to sway voters. With roughly two weeks until the Nov. 8 election, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan are...
San Jose mural honors life lost in mass shooting
Keyla Salazar had her whole life in front of her when she was shot at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in 2019, just days before her 14th birthday. Salazar loved creating art and cared deeply for the humans and animals in her life. Her family wanted to honor Salazar’s memory with a mural, and two years...
San Jose mom slapped with restraining order after police kill son
Cindy Chavez was standing outside her apartment complex last week when a Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy approached her clutching paperwork. She was being served a restraining order, the deputy explained, to protect the officer who killed her son. Chavez is not related to Supervisor Cindy Chavez, a San Jose mayoral candidate. The temporary restraining...
Follow the money: Silicon Valley’s 2022 general election
Silicon Valley voters this year will have their say on several key county positions, four San Jose City Council seats and three Santa Clara City Council posts as the November election draws close. The race to replace Mayor Sam Liccardo, who terms out at the end of the year, continues to be the most heated...
San Jose State wants to honor its track legacy
San Jose State University students are closer to having a running track of their own to honor legendary athletes who left their mark on history. The local college is looking to build the Speed City Legacy Project, which includes a track and legacy center at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Assemblymember Ash Kalra secured $9...
San Jose invests in solar power to reach climate goals
San Jose plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two decades to meet its carbon neutral goals, including utilizing solar power. On Tuesday, the city council approved four contracts worth an estimated $530 million to build out the city’s battery storage to access and store more solar energy through its San Jose Clean Energy...