As the newly-elected David Cohen gears up to represent San Jose’s District 4, political observers look to the past to see where local policymaking is headed. The council for years has been divided across business and labor lines, leading to a handful of 6-5 split decisions in favor of Mayor Sam Liccardo’s voting bloc, which...
Low-income housing gets boost in San Jose plan to spend Measure E tax
Strained to alleviate both pandemic-induced evictions and homelessness, San Jose leaders struggled with how to spend $30 million in new tax dollars before unanimously settling on prioritizing low-income housing over rental assistance. The City Council approved a plan Nov. 10 to allocate money from Measure E, a property transfer tax increase that was approved by...
‘No intent to do harm’ in San Jose business group’s racist political ad, officials say
After an internal investigation, leaders of The Silicon Valley Organization said the posting of a racist political ad on its website was the result of a lack of communication, and held no one accountable. In releasing some results of an investigation today, The SVO named Glenn Perkins as board chair and said it is launching...
Councilmember Dev Davis races ahead of Jake Tonkel in San Jose council race
San Jose Councilmember Dev Davis faced the biggest re-election challenge of her career — but she appears to be headed to back to City Hall for another four years. With 100% precincts reporting by 5 p.m. Nov. 5, Davis held the lead with 53.9% of the vote. Tonkel has 46.1% of the vote. There is...
David Cohen poised to unseat San Jose Councilmember Lan Diep
Incumbant Lan Diep is running a slow and steady race, inching closer to challenger David Cohen, who is still leading the race for City Council District 4. As of 5 p.m. Nov. 6, with 100% of precincts reporting, Diep closed the gap by 73 votes. There are now 530 votes between the candidates, with 73%...
LIVE BLOG: Polls close, early results posted in Santa Clara County
South Bay voters headed to the polls Tuesday after a long and often divisive campaign season that saw deep division between Silicon Valley’s two powerful political camps — business and labor — and widespread fallout from a racist campaign image from business lobby. READ MORE: Find a vote center or ballot drop box here. Like...
Who is responsible for The SVO’s racist image? They won’t say
Three days after a racist campaign image appeared on The Silicon Valley Organization’s website, the business lobby remains mum about who is responsible. Additionally, campaign finance records show the business group continues to work with a campaign consultant blamed for another racist campaign message posted in February. The most recent image, posted Oct. 27 and...
San Jose installs Black Lives Matter banners at City Hall
San Jose unveiled new Black Lives Matter banners at City Hall on Oct. 29, an effort to bridge the community following a year that saw deep divisions and widespread protests over racial inequality. The red, black and green banners, designed by local entrepreneur Cherise Orange, feature the colors of the Pan African Flag, which stands...
Silicon Valley Organization CEO resigns as nonprofits line up to cut ties
The CEO of The Silicon Valley Organization, Matt Mahood, resigned as eight prominent South Bay nonprofit groups announced they are cutting ties with the influential business group. “I am very sorry for the completely unacceptable image that was put up on our website earlier this week,” Mahood said in announcing his resignation. “That image and...
Furor builds over racist post by San Jose business group
A chorus of community leaders gathered at San Jose City Hall to express their outrage over a racist image posted on the website of The Silicon Valley Organization and demanded politicians backed by the group return campaign donations. “We stand here today to condemn the racist actions of The SVO and to call on all...