The Santa Clara City Council took its state mandated housing goals right down to the wire before approving an eight-year plan. Councilmembers voted 6-1, with a no from Vice Mayor Kevin Park, earlier this week to approve the city’s housing element and amend the General Plan. The state requires every city to develop a plan that...
Should Santa Clara stop electing its police chief?
A decades-old debate has resurfaced in Santa Clara: how the city should choose its police chief. The city is unique in California in that it elects its police chief by popular vote, but some Santa Clara councilmembers say the current system forces the public to choose from a shallow, underqualified candidate pool. They want to...
Santa Clara brings back parking permit enforcement
Santa Clara residents might find an unexpected new year surprise—they’ll need permits again to park in overcrowded areas. Residents on more than 50 streets, including neighborhoods near the Alameda, Levi’s Stadium and Rivermark Plaza, pay for street parking permits to prevent non-residents at nearby businesses from parking in the area. Santa Clara stopped enforcing permit...
Related Santa Clara developer to appeal decision over wages
A development firm worth $60 billion intends to challenge a state decision that it must pay prevailing wages to workers on its massive project planned for Santa Clara. The $8 billion Related Santa Clara project, from New York City-based firm The Related Companies, benefits from public subsidies granted by the city. Therefore, it’s considered a public works...
Santa Clara official cleared of verbal assault accusations
An investigation has cleared a Santa Clara councilmember accused of verbally assaulting the mayor and another colleague during a meeting. An investigator from California law firm Van Dermyden Makus has found there was insufficient evidence to support claims by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmember Kathy Watanabe, who accused Councilmember Anthony Becker of making hostile, threatening comments...
Santa Clara approves contentious affordable housing project
After considerable pushback from residents and uncertainty among Santa Clara councilmembers, city leaders are greenlighting a controversial multifamily housing project on Civic Center Drive. The Santa Clara City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to build a five-story apartment project with 108 affordable units managed by Charities Housing. Councilmember Kevin Park was the lone dissenter, saying he opposed...
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor declares reelection victory
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor will retain her seat for another term, after again beating back a challenge from first-term Councilmember Anthony Becker. Gillmor declared victory Wednesday night, with 91% of ballots counted and just 687 votes separating the two. “I thank Santa Clarans who gave me their vote and sent a message that our...
Santa Clara voters say yes to higher business taxes
An overhaul of Santa Clara’s business tax that could help the city patch a gaping budget hole appears on its way to victory at the polls. Nearly 60% of voters in Santa Clara are supporting Measure H in early election returns, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. About 62% of the expected countywide ballots...
Santa Clara council scuffles over censuring mayor
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...