The San Francisco 49ers have jumped into a fight to defeat a Santa Clara ballot measure that would halve the number of voting districts in the city just as ballots begin to arrive at Santa Clara County homes. Richard Konda, executive director for the Asian Law Alliance, didn’t mince words when he asked Rahul Chandhok,...
Santa Clara leaders set slew of priorities for 2020
Santa Clara lawmakers spent nearly six hours Thursday identifying priorities they consider essential for Santa Clara’s growth in 2020 — touching on everything from Levi’s Stadium, public transparency and community-sourced development. In the first of a two-day session, Councilmember Teresa O’Neill summed up the goal of the meeting: “I think if we can … try...
Santa Clara approves new affordable housing complex, higher city manager pay
During Santa Clara Councilmember Patricia Mahan’s final City Council meeting Tuesday, lawmakers unanimously approved a new 65-unit affordable housing project, but delayed discussing development near the upcoming BART extension until the end of the week. Mahan last week resigned her position due to medical issues, effective Feb. 1. The longtime lawmaker attended the first half...
Santa Clara Councilmember Patricia Mahan resigns due to medical issues
Santa Clara Councilmember Patricia Mahan has resigned from her elected position, effective Feb. 1, due to “serious medical issues,” according to Santa Clara officials. Mahan submitted her resignation Wednesday, and the Santa Clara City Council is expected to declare her seat as the city’s District 5 representative vacant on Feb. 11. Mahan has battled cancer...
Santa Clara officials consider phased approach for big ‘Civic Center’ revamp
Santa Clara officials will likely take a phased approach to implement a $373 million to $437 million revamp of the Civic Center campus, where City Hall is located, at 1500 Warburton Ave. Most of the municipal buildings on the 19-acre campus were built in the 1960s and today sit filled to the brim with employees....
Santa Clara has no records of PR firm’s campaign work
As Santa Clarans prepare to go to the ballot box for a second time to vote on how to re-district the city for future elections, city officials can’t account for work done on taxpayers’ dime the last time residents voted on the matter. When it comes to campaigns — whether for a candidate or ballot...
Santa Clara appoints new vice mayor, won’t extend an agreement for old Yahoo site
Santa Clara city leaders met for the first time in 2020 on Tuesday, kicking off the year with a jam-packed agenda. The City Council appointed a new vice mayor, approved a slew of new communications contractors and discussed the future of what could become one of the city’s largest developments. Former Yahoo site in limbo...
Four major Santa Clara developments to watch in 2020
The South Bay has become a major development hot-spot in the last few years, as office space fills up in traditionally trendy cities to the north and growing companies look for space to expand. But 2020 is set to be an especially active year in Santa Clara with multiple big projects hitting important milestones. Below...
Year in review: Biggest Santa Clara happenings — and what’s ahead for 2020
Amid a busy year in local politics, it’s easy to lose track of the milestones during a constantly changing news cycle. San José Spotlight has created a highlight reel of 2019’s eight biggest and most important Santa Clara votes, reports and initiatives. Many of those major happenings will continue to be stories in the coming...
Santa Clara initiates litigation against business group accused of overbilling
Santa Clara lawmakers voted Tuesday to sue the former Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce, following a recent audit that claimed the chamber overbilled the city for nearly $580,000 while managing the city’s convention center. The announcement was made by City Attorney Brian Doyle at the start of Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “The council authorized the initiation of...