Forty eight hours after Santa Clara’s city attorney confidentially emailed a critical grand jury report to councilmembers, the city’s politically-charged police union launched a damning website blasting the city’s top leaders. The site revealed the confidential report’s name, full paragraphs with incriminating details and photos of five councilmembers criticized in the report—including Anthony Becker, who...
Santa Clara councilmember pleads not guilty to multiple charges
Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that he leaked a confidential civil grand jury report to the San Francisco 49ers organization and lied about his actions. Becker was indicted by the DA’s office last month and faces a felony perjury charge for allegations he lied to a civil grand jury...
Santa Clara official indicted for lying over leaked 49ers report
A Santa Clara official is facing criminal charges related to lying about leaking a report on councilmembers and 49ers executives. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Councilmember Anthony Becker with perjury on Friday for allegedly lying to a civil grand jury about leaking a report on relationships between the San Francisco 49ers and...
49ers bid for Bay Area to host 2026 Super Bowl
The 49ers want another run at hosting the Super Bowl less than a decade after bringing the championship game to Santa Clara. San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York said the team is hoping to host the 2026 Super Bowl at the NFL annual meeting Tuesday. This would mark a decade after Levi’s Stadium first hosted...
Santa Clara residents blast homeless housing plan
Dozens of Santa Clara residents weighed in on a proposed supportive housing development for homeless people, with the majority against the idea. The proposed development, at the corner of Benton Street and Lawrence Expressway, would include between 80 to 120 interim, or transitional, homes. The county, through its nonprofit partner LifeMoves, would offer on-site support services, and each...
UPDATE: Santa Clara hires new city manager
Santa Clara is getting a new city manager after nearly a year of searching for the right person to lead the city. The Santa Clara City Council voted 4-1 to hire Jovan D. Grogan at an annual salary of $405,506. Councilmember Anthony Becker voted no. Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmember Kathy Watanabe were absent. Grogan,...
Santa Clara signs off on thousands of new homes
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...