Spending to support two San Jose mayoral candidates has reached a new height this primary election—as $1.1 million has gone toward supporting Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez. San Jose is days away from narrowing the field for its next leader, with Mayor Sam Liccardo terming out this year. Six candidates, including some local household names, are...
San Jose mayor raises funds for Mahan, mum on endorsement
Outgoing San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo has not endorsed a successor, but based on campaign donations a favorite has emerged. Election filings show Liccardo raised more than $24,000 for Councilmember Matt Mahan’s campaign for mayor from Dec. 18, 2021 to March 31. He personally called at least 20 people, asking them to donate to Mahan’s campaign, the...
UPDATE: San Jose to study changes to worker misconduct investigations
San Jose is exploring changes to how city employees accused of misconduct are investigated. The Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday approved Mayor Sam Liccardo’s memo asking the city manager and the independent police auditor (IPA) to break down what checks are in place to hold employees accountable and suggest new ones to protect...
‘Disappointing’: San Jose reacts to mayor’s election meddling
A complaint filed against San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and a political action committee he formed to influence the 2022 elections has prompted a wave of reaction from local candidates and community leaders. The complaint, filed last week, claims Liccardo and the committee “Common Good Silicon Valley, sponsored by Solutions Silicon Valley” has raised more...
San José Spotlight nets 8 wins in annual California Journalism Awards
San José Spotlight has won eight California Journalism Awards in the annual contest sponsored by the California News Publishers Association, including four first place honors. The yearly competition highlights the best print and digital news reporting and photography in the state. News organizations compete based on size and circulation. San José Spotlight took part in...
Who’s stealing San Jose election signs?
Campaign signs have been torn from lawns and cut from fences in this year’s San Jose elections. Candidates Rolando Bonilla, Van Le and Matt Mahan are dismayed by these acts of vandalism and theft, but said it won’t discourage them from running for office. Le is running for San Jose City Council in District 7...
San Jose mayor’s election fundraising raises legal questions
The mayor of San Jose may have broken state and local campaign rules when he raked in six figures for a political action committee he formed to influence the 2022 election. A complaint filed this week claims Mayor Sam Liccardo, as a sitting mayor, shouldn’t have opened the committee nor raised any money to support...
How Silicon Valley gun rules changed after the VTA shooting
When a disgruntled employee fatally shot nine coworkers at a VTA rail yard last year, Silicon Valley officials vowed to take action. The May 26, 2021 VTA mass shooting is the deadliest gun massacre in the Bay Area’s history, where nine transit workers died from the attack. Another worker, haunted by the event, died by suicide months later. A...
Robinson: San Jose mayoral candidates staying in their lanes
The San Jose mayoral race offers four main candidates with two different philosophies for San Jose. On one side Councilmembers Dev Davis and Matt Mahan are dueling for votes, while on the other side Supervisor Cindy Chavez and Councilmember Raul Peralez vie for votes. The more interesting political battle is on the right. Recently, Davis...
San Jose opens door to airport connector proposals
Getting to Mineta San Jose International Airport from downtown is difficult on public transportation, but that might change in the future. San Jose officials are opening up the possibility of a transit link between the airport and Diridon Station. The city Department of Transportation is accepting bids to develop a transit project spanning the three miles...