A call to censure Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor set off heated arguments and sent accusations flying among the City Council during the last meeting before election day. Resident Lori Garmany filed a petition asking them to consider censuring the mayor, or invoking a formal reprimand for “the leaking of confidential closed session settlement information to the...
49ers spend millions to sack Santa Clara mayor
The San Francisco 49ers ownership group is spending millions to sway voters in Santa Clara this upcoming election, surpassing the staggering amount of money it poured into the city’s 2020 election. CEO Jed York and the 49ers’ boundless war chest scored a big victory by breaking up Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s city council voting majority when they...
Union leaders call for ousting of Santa Clara mayor
A major union workers group is throwing its support behind a Santa Clara official running to replace current Mayor Lisa Gillmor—who advocated for prevailing wages not to be paid on a major development in the city. The Santa Clara and San Benito Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, a group that represents more than 35,000...
San José Spotlight defends reporting amid legal threat
Following San José Spotlight’s reporting that revealed Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor lobbied the governor to help a major real estate firm save money on a massive project months before it cut big checks to support her reelection campaign, attorneys for the developer are pushing back. In a letter sent to San José Spotlight this...
LGBTQ groups call out Santa Clara mayor over silence
Bay Area LGBTQ organizations are calling out Santa Clara’s mayor, after her election opponent leveled accusations she’s enabling homophobic attacks on him. Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC)—one of the most prominent LGBTQ political organizations in the region—issued a letter calling on Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor to denounce a blog where homophobic comments have been made...
Santa Clara candidates sound off on housing, economic growth
The 49ers’ political influence, a looming budget deficit and divisive politics are the hot topics this election cycle for Santa Clara. At a candidate forum hosted by San José Spotlight last week, those seeking office shared how they would address the city’s top problems. Six candidates are vying for three seats on the council. Councilmember...
Santa Clara candidate attacked with slurs, death threats
The Santa Clara mayoral race is turning ugly and life threatening for one candidate. Councilmember and mayoral candidate Anthony Becker said in the past few months he has received death threats and been subjected to homophobic slurs, as the city’s first openly gay policymaker. He said his partner has also been harassed. Becker wants his...
Grand jury shunned accused Santa Clara officials
Santa Clara County’s civil grand jury failed to interview the majority of Santa Clara councilmembers it condemned for alleged misconduct in a controversial new report. Three of the five councilmembers admonished in the report — Kevin Park, Raj Chahal and Anthony Becker — told San José Spotlight they were never contacted by the jurors. They...
‘Hatchet job’: 49ers rip Santa Clara County grand jury report on political influence
The San Francisco 49ers are lambasting a scathing new grand jury report that questions the team’s political influence and relationship with five Santa Clara councilmembers. The 61-page report, which will be publicly released Monday—the same day voters receive ballots in the mail—focuses on what it calls the “49 Five,” a politically-loaded term coined by opponents...
Santa Clara council questions mayor’s ethics
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor is facing scrutiny and ethical questions from her colleagues after she lobbied Gov. Gavin Newsom to help a major developer skirt paying higher wages—months before the firm began a spending spree to support her reelection. The Santa Clara City Council voted 6-1 to direct its governance committee to discuss whether councilmembers should be...