The Santa Clara City Council will not censure Councilmember Kevin Park over his comment comparing homeowners to toddlers after Park publicly apologized at a council meeting Tuesday. “I do understand the need for an apology. I will repeat the intent was not to offend, but that’s not what happened, which was that people were offended,”...
Santa Clara won’t divulge details about city attorney probe
Santa Clara has been investigating its city attorney for alleged misconduct for at least four months now—but the city won’t say how much the probe will cost, when it’ll be done or whether it will be released. Instead they are referring those questions to an outside law firm, which denied them on behalf of the...
Amid budget woes, Santa Clara spends big on city manager’s office
As cities across the Bay Area grapple with budget cuts and deficits spurred—or in some cases, worsened—by the pandemic, massive salaries in one South Bay city have drawn public scrutiny. In Santa Clara, salaries in the city manager’s office have topped the list for government worker pay in California. According to public records, City Manager...
Urban farm housing project moves forward in Santa Clara
An innovative housing project in Santa Clara that will feature a large urban farm will be ready to welcome tenants in 2023, officials announced Thursday. A first-of-it’s-kind project, Agrihood will span 5.8 acres of land and include 160 mixed-income apartments, 165 homes for low-income seniors and veterans and 36 townhomes. The complex located at N. Winchester Blvd across...
Bloom Energy sues Santa Clara over permits—for a second time
Bloom Energy filed suit against Santa Clara last week—marking the second time the San Jose-based energy company has sued the city to issue permits for its fuel cell boxes. “Climate change is rearing its ugly head,” Santa Clara Councilmember Suds Jain told San José Spotlight. “My main opposition to Bloom Energy is that their carbon footprint...
San Francisco 49ers won’t meet with city official after ‘tirade’ and threats
The San Francisco 49ers are refusing to meet with Santa Clara’s city attorney after his “wild” tirade during a recent meeting. The tense exchange—which unfolded over a recent Zoom call—ended with Santa Clara City Attorney Brian Doyle saying the team wanted him to “sleep with the fishes” and questioning the “thugs” team officials work for....
Santa Clara’s latest fight: Lawmakers turning on a Zoom camera
Santa Clara councilmembers have a new battle on their hands: Whether officials should have their video cameras on during online public meetings. The argument stemmed from a petition by San Jose resident and Santa Clara business owner Kirk Vartan, who asked the council to discuss adopting an on-screen requirement at the next City Council meeting....
Santa Clara settles in district election case
Santa Clara’s fight to reinstate at-large council elections is over, ending a battle by five plaintiffs who accused the city of shutting out voters of color. Santa Clara reached a settlement of $712,500 Tuesday night with five Asian Americans who filed a suit in 2017, alleging that the city’s at-large council system violated the California...
Asian lawmaker in Santa Clara gets snubbed at anti-Asian hate event — by his colleague
At an event dedicated to stopping hate and violence against the Asian community put on by Santa Clara Councilmember Kathy Watanabe, Korean-American Councilmember Kevin Park was denied a chance to speak. The event, held at the Santa Clara Northside Library, was titled “#StopAsianHate” and run by Watanabe and Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor. Speakers included...
Santa Clara police union in hot water over its donation ask
In a move that seems straight out of a mafia playbook, the union representing Santa Clara’s police officers solicited donations from businesses in exchange for police department support. In its “2021 Business Supporter” flyer, sent to local retailers, the Santa Clara Police Officers’ Association said, “Place our decal in your window, and we will direct...