Less than two weeks before an early California primary, access to voting and election security were the top issues for state elected officials and congressional representatives who met in San Jose Thursday. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla met with congresswomen Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) and Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), speaking at the unveiling of...
Jenny Higgins Bradanini’s years of activism spurred her bid for City Hall
After years of local activism and community engagement, Jenny Higgins Bradanini wants to bring her experience to the San Jose City Council. The Bay Area Women’s March founder, San Jose Unified School District Volunteer of the Year and March for Our Lives youth mentor hopes to fill the District 10 seat that will be vacated...
San Jose measure to shift mayoral elections one step closer to ballot
After six months of campaigning for support, top labor leaders announced on Wednesday they’ve secured enough signatures to qualify the Fair Elections Initiative for the November 2020 ballot, a measure they say will put a cap on money in politics and increase voter turnout by aligning mayoral elections with presidential years. With the help of...
California Secretary of State formally opposes Santa Clara’s Measure C
The California Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, jumped into local politics this week, taking a position to oppose an upcoming ballot measure that would halve the number of voting districts in Santa Clara. Measure C will be up for a vote on March 3, and will ask residents whether they want to keep the city...
Organizers rally to boost Latino turnout in San Jose elections
With California’s primary election less than a month away, Latinos Unidos por una Nueva America — or Latinos United for a New America (LUNA) — hosted a conference this weekend to mobilize Silicon Valley’s Latino voters this election season. Latinos in Action 2020, an organized civic engagement project, seeks to build political power in the...
San Jose lawmakers denounce SVO’s altered photo of Sylvia Arenas
Supporters of San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas are crying foul after an image of the Latina lawmaker surfaced on a new opposition website that appears to have darkened her skin. The image, which cropped up this week on a website funded by the Silicon Valley Organization’s PAC, first appeared in a Mercury News article four...
UPDATE: State to transfer downtown property to SJSU for student, faculty housing
San Jose State University leaders, along with state and local officials, have announced a suit of new initiatives to address homelessness and housing issues at the university, including a slew of grants to help with near-term needs and a plan to redevelop a nearby state office building site into 800 to 1200 new homes. “Our...
National debate over universal health care spills into San Jose
Democrats — especially on the presidential debate stage — have been throwing around the term “Medicare for All” for quite some time, confusing the American electorate on the different policy proposals the umbrella phrase could be referring to. To set the record straight, a panel of elected leaders and policy experts Tuesday hosted a discussion...
San Jose City Council District 4 candidates square off in Berryessa
Local candidates vying for a seat on the San Jose City Council in District 4 squared off in a candidate forum on Monday, ramping up the election season with a few months before voters head to the polls. The panel, hosted at the Berryessa Community Center and moderated by Linda Locke, president of the Berryessa...
San Jose measure to shift mayoral elections won’t extend Liccardo’s term
A labor-backed initiative, which seeks to shift San Jose’s mayoral elections to presidential years to boost voter turnout, will no longer extend Mayor Sam Liccardo’s term for an extra two years to align local and national elections. Instead, South Bay labor groups who are leading the initiative they hope will attract a higher concentration of voters —...