State Sen. Dave Cortese plans to run for California Attorney General if Rob Bonta decides to enter the governor’s race. It could boost the odds of the next top state prosecutor coming from Santa Clara County. Cortese represents District 15, which covers portions of San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin. He previously served...
Longtime San Jose mayoral chief of staff leaves for new role
In a San Jose City Hall shakeup, longtime mayoral chief of staff Jim Reed announced Thursday he is leaving to lead a statewide policy initiative launched by Mayor Matt Mahan earlier this year. Reed has been a central figure in City Hall politics for more than a decade, having served as chief of staff for...
Santa Clara County joint lawsuit halts federal grant guidelines
President Donald Trump’s administration has backed off from upending federal grants to permanent housing programs — for now. A lawsuit filed by Santa Clara County and 10 other governments and nonprofits against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last week has pushed the department to revise federal grant guidelines for homeless funding...
Silicon Valley candidate’s lofty campaign ideas scrutinized
Santa Clara County assessor candidate Rishi Kumar is turning heads — and raising eyebrows — with a vow to shield older adults from property taxes. Some people are pushing back on the idea. After the abrupt resignation of the county’s 30-year former assessor, Larry Stone, a special contest to manage the county’s $700 billion real estate roll...
Silicon Valley lawmakers speak out against homeless housing cuts
Santa Clara County leaders have gathered to denounce President Donald Trump’s actions to cut funding for permanent housing programs. Congressmembers Sam Liccardo and Zoe Lofgren and others are calling for a reversal of these cuts, which would cap federal funds for permanent housing at 30% and shift the rest to temporary housing programs. The county...
Can Mahan break the curse of San Jose mayors?
As the Capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose fuels global innovation — but despite the city’s considerable economic heft, its elected leaders still struggle to command political clout on a broader stage. The city, California’s third largest, has never produced a competitive candidate for governor in its modern history. And over the past 50 years,...
Santa Clara County assessor candidates head to runoff election
With nearly all the votes counted in the race for Santa Clara County assessor, the contest is headed for a December runoff between Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor and former Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar. As of Monday afternoon, Fligor has a commanding lead with 37.7% of the vote from the Nov. 4 election compared to...
California’s Prop. 50 has a rocky road ahead
California has overwhelmingly approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to gerrymander congressional seats in favor of Democrats for the next several election cycles. His most powerful allies in Silicon Valley are tempering their zeal. Though Proposition 50 does little to local political boundaries, a whopping 71% of Santa Clara County voters went in favor of the...
Bay Area basketball star, congressman call for food donations
With an assist from Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, Congressman Sam Liccardo is rallying support for food banks helping families who have lost SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown. Jackson-Davis joined Liccardo at Second Harvest of Silicon Valley Monday to urge residents to provide financial support for the food bank while funding...
San José Spotlight sues city over secret messages
San José Spotlight is suing San Jose City Hall and the city’s police department after they repeatedly refused to release an inflammatory text thread involving several councilmembers. The lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks the disclosure of “Tammany Hall” — a group chat that allegedly involved Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Domingo Candelas and former Councilmember Omar Torres, who was arrested...