Ruben Navarro said he doesn’t mind having the odds stacked against him — he’s been “fighting those odds” his whole life. Now, Navarro, along with Jake Tonkel and Marshall Woodmansee, is challenging Councilmember Dev Davis for the San Jose City Council District 6 seat, which covers Willow Glen and the Rose Garden. His launch into...
Marshall Woodmansee works to motivate young people on his way to the ballot
Marshall Woodmansee may be the youngest person running for City Council in San Jose, but he speaks with the confidence of someone who has spent years thinking about issues facing the South Bay city. The 19-year-old District 6 native has run one of the most grassroots campaigns in the race so far. He hasn’t locked...
Huy Tran vows to fight for working families in San Jose
Huy Tran embodies the first-generation vision of the American Dream. His parents, Hai Tran and Kim Ho, fled Vietnam on boats in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, scraping together what little they had to start anew in California. Growing up, Tran’s parents worked long hours as landscapers, inspiring him to always fight for the little...
Access to voting, election security a focus in San Jose ahead of Super Tuesday primary
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...