Santa Clara candidate faces complaint over campaign post

A Santa Clara City Council District 2 candidate is facing questions about campaign posts that feature the branding from the nonprofit she leads. It’s prompting the organization to establish new guidance for board members running for public office.

Kimberley Williams, who became board president of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation in June, appeared in social media campaign photos taken at the nonprofit’s booth during the Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival on Sept. 20. The post from Williams’ campaign tagged the foundation and photos showed the foundation’s banner and branded tablecloth, giving the impression that the foundation had endorsed Williams.

Williams said a campaign volunteer posted the photos without understanding the implications — as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity, Santa Clara Schools Foundation is prohibited from participating in political campaigns. She removed the photos from Facebook after learning of a complaint made to the foundation.

“I have some youth volunteers who are working on the campaign. I’m not gonna throw them under the bus. The buck stops with me,” Williams told San José Spotlight. “As soon as I was made aware that this was an issue, we took it down.”

Steven Neese, executive director of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation, said the foundation had not authorized the posts and does not endorse or oppose political candidates. On Sept. 25, he directed board members who hold or seek public office not to use the foundation’s logo or sponsors’ logos, or tag the organization in campaign materials. The guidance will be added to the board member commitment form, and the foundation now reviews tags on its Facebook and Instagram accounts.

“The Santa Clara Schools Foundation is not involved in political campaigns,” Neese told San José Spotlight. “We do not take sides on candidates.”

The direction followed a Sept. 24 letter sent to the foundation’s board by freelance political consultant Diana Torres, who questioned whether the campaign photos could give voters the impression that the nonprofit endorsed Williams.

She said she plans to submit a complaint to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“It’s extremely concerning that Kimberley Williams, president of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation board, is using the foundation’s name and events to promote her city council campaign,” Torres told San José Spotlight. “The foundation exists to support students and families, not political campaigns.”

Teresa O’Neill, a former Santa Clara councilmember and longtime Santa Clara Schools Foundation board member who volunteered at the Art & Wine Festival, said she had similar concerns that Williams could give the impression the nonprofit endorsed her campaign.

“I was concerned that it looked like an implied endorsement by our organization, and we can’t do that because we’re a 501(c)(3),” O’Neill told San José Spotlight.

Williams is running against Yvonne Inciarte, former director of intergovernmental strategy for Congressman Ro Khanna, for the District 2 seat in the Nov. 3 election.

In her complaint, Torres also questioned whether the family of a student volunteer pictured with Williams had consented to the appear in campaign materials.

Williams said the student was her daughter, who serves as the elected student representative of the Santa Clara High School PTSA, and that a volunteer took the photo after they finished setting up the booth.

“As her mother, I am fully able to give consent for her to appear in a photo with me,” Williams said.