A voter drops off ballots in a neighborhood ballot drop box. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert.
As the November election draws near, local campaigns are dealing with misinformation and vandalized campaign signs. File photo.

With just weeks before the November election, campaigns have become ugly with local races in the bull’s-eye of unfounded accusations.

District 8 San Jose Councilmember Domingo Candelas is being compared to former President Donald Trump. Mailers are defining San Jose City Council District 2 candidates Joe Lopez and Pamela Campos as political radicals, and in the District 2 Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors race, candidate Madison Nguyen is claiming her lawn signs are being ripped up.

“We have folks actively destroying our signs and stealing on a scale that I’ve never seen before,” Nguyen told San José Spotlight. “And you know this is not my first campaign, it’s not my first rodeo. I have actually warned supporters to keep an eye out and send camera footage, because this is clearly a coordinated effort. On any typical night, we have seen several dozens of our signs destroyed or stolen.”

She asked residents affected by the lawn sign vandalism on Oct. 14 to send in-home surveillance footage showing the possible culprits, but Nguyen said she hasn’t received any video.

East San Jose resident Dolores Raposas said she saw a man tearing down lawn signs near Serrano Avenue before fleeing in an SUV with the signs. She said she reported the incident to Nguyen’s campaign and told them she would be willing to speak as a witness if any police investigation ensues.

“It really pissed me off because I don’t feel like anyone should be doing that,” Raposas told San José Spotlight. “So much of this is going on, and that goes for me as well. I’ve had signs stolen from my front yard. I didn’t put any in this year, but when I had put stuff there, I’ve had my signs removed.”

Madison Nguyen for County Supervisor lawn signs vandalized and torn from yards. Photo courtesy of Madison Nguyen.
Madison Nguyen for County Supervisor lawn signs are being vandalized and torn from yards. Photo courtesy of Madison Nguyen.

A set of mailers circulated by local real estate groups accuse Candelas of cheating his way to the council, but they fail to mention the claims have never been proven.

The California Real Estate Independent Expenditures Committee and California Association of Realtors Ad Committee compared Candelas to Trump and cited a past San José Spotlight report in an attempt to bolster their claims. Three candidates who competed against Candelas in last year’s council appointment process accused him of cheating during the interview process, saying he had the questions ahead of time.

Candelas said national and statewide corporate interests are circulating baseless political mailers in an attempt to slander his character and take control of City Hall this election.

“They hate the fact that since I have taken office, I have put District 8 residents first, not their corporate interests,” Candelas told San José Spotlight. “And I will continue to do so regardless of the hundreds of thousands of dollars they spend in lies about me.”

Recent mailers circulated by REALTORS associations regarding District 8 candidate Domingo Candelas.
A recent mailer circulated by real estate associations regarding District 8 San Jose Councilmember Domingo Candelas.

The recent political mailer circulated by the same ad committee also accused Candelas of exploiting interns using a San José Spotlight report published last year that revealed most San Jose City Hall interns for elected officials don’t receive hourly wages.

He is among five councilmembers who said budget constraints limit them from paying interns hourly wages.

In District 2, city council candidates Campos and Lopez have accused each other’s supporters of spreading misinformation.

Lopez said mailers sent out by Campos’ allies claiming he is against a woman’s right to choose and against marriage equality are false. He said the claims stem from a voter guide published by a group he said he doesn’t remember speaking to.

“I have always put my family first, and have always respected and stood up for the rights of other families to make their own decisions — whether that’s the right to marry who you love, or whether it is the right of a woman to make her own medical decisions,” Lopez told San José Spotlight. “As a young organizer, I always knew that the powerful would fight dirty to cling on to their power and influence — and judging by how blatantly they are willing to lie about my values, it seems like that is sadly still true.”

Campos is accusing Lopez’s allies, including unnamed real estate groups, of playing dirty with political mailers.

She said any messaging about her or the San Jose City Council changing Proposition 13 is misinformation, as it’s controlled by the state. Proposition 13 is a nearly-50-year-old initiative that caps property tax rates and limits property reassessments.
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In a South Bay Progressive Alliance questionnaire, Campos said Proposition 13 disincentivizes housing production and contributes to the housing crisis in California.

“Every election, we see special interest groups try to influence outcomes up and down the ballot and my hope is that voters will see past all of the tactics and do their own research on me and my opponent,” Campos told San José Spotlight. For over a year, I have been talking directly with thousands of residents in District 2 about their concerns and how we need new, refreshing leadership at City Hall.”

Contact Vicente Vera at [email protected] or follow @VicenteJVera on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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