With limited resources and time, the San Jose City Council each year must decide where its priorities fall. On Tuesday, the lawmakers will duel on which policy proposals they consider imperative for the city’s growth and progress. Since 2011, lawmakers have crafted a high-priority list of policy initiatives to steer the direction of the city’s...
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo reiterates support of Bloomberg in wake of Nevada debate
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stands by his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, even after the New York billionaire struggled Wednesday at the Las Vegas debate. Liccardo said he hopes Bloomberg’s next performance will go differently, but said the other presidential hopefuls on stage failed to focus on policy, instead unnecessarily dog-piling on the...
Lan Diep fights for another four years on the San Jose council
Lan Diep began his first term on the San Jose City Council by wielding a Captain America shield when he was sworn in. That colorful display of superhero fandom drew national media attention, and he has maintained his colorful demeanor since joining the council in 2017, occasionally wearing costumes to council meetings. The first-born son...
Silicon Valley leaders talk homeless prevention, push for new property tax
Silicon Valley leaders on Thursday touted the successes of recent initiatives to prevent homelessness, while using the data to make a last-minute pitch for voters to approve a new property tax to fund affordable housing. “The solutions we know that work in this crisis are housing and prevention,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said during...
David Cohen touts community roots in San Jose council campaign
David Cohen’s campaign for San Jose City Council is focused on his deep roots in the neighborhoods he hopes to represent, his two decades of public service and his passionate vision for the future of District 4. “As a resident of this district, I’ve always felt it was important to think about the community in...
Matt Mahan would bring a data-driven approach to San Jose City Hall
Matt Mahan says he’s knocked on more than 7,500 doors and hosted more than 500 people at house parties in supporters’ homes since his San Jose City Council campaign launched last spring. While working to win the open District 10 seat Councilmember Johnny Khamis will be vacating at the end of the year, Mahan said...
Silicon Valley leaders highlight growing inequality during annual State of the Valley
During the annual State of the Valley conference on Friday, top Silicon Valley leaders highlighted how the gap between rich and poor is widening in the region and how workers may find themselves stressed to death, even as the regional economy continues to grow. The sold-out event, which featured a keynote address by iconic journalist...
Silicon Valley leaders mull combining housing, transportation ballot measures
Bay Area business and housing leaders are in talks over whether 2020 is the year when two ballot measures to fund the most critical issues in the region become one. The advocates behind the potential regional measures — one on housing and another on transportation — have both been working on separate tracks for years...
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...
San Jose council candidate loses endorsements after divorce claims come to light
Political and business leaders on Wednesday pulled their endorsements of San Jose District 8 candidate Jim Zito, after San José Spotlight reported details about his divorce that include an alleged history of controlling behavior and emotional abuse. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Councilmembers Pam Foley and Johnny Khamis, the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors and...