Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and California Assemblymember Evan Low traded razor-sharp rebukes of each others’ records on climate, public safety and housing in a tense one-hour debate for Silicon Valley’s hottest congressional race. The candidates for Congressional District 16 were initially all smiles at NBC Bay Area’s San Jose studio on Friday. But...
Meet the candidates for Santa Clara police chief and city clerk
Alongside filling City Council seats, Santa Clara voters will need to pick their next police chief and city clerk on the November ballot. Santa Clara voters resoundingly approved to keep electing both positions after two measures failed in the March primaries to change them to appointed positions. In March, 72.4% of voters said they wanted...
Money flows into Cupertino City Council race
One mid-sized West Valley city’s council race is raking in cash, in what some residents are dubbing a high-stakes election with divisive housing issues on the table. The Cupertino City Council race has brought in about $222,000 among seven candidates vying for two seats in a city of about 60,000 residents, according to election data...
Bramson: Setting expectations for housing and homelessness on the 2024 ballot
This November you’re not going to see any money for affordable housing on the ballot locally. Nor will you see funding to help support people living on the streets or in deep poverty. There are a lot of reasons for why it ended up this way, but the bottom line is that your vote this...
San Jose officials stall on Muwekma Ohlone Tribe recognition
Nearly two months after a handful of San Jose leaders requested federal recognition for an Indigenous tribe, the proposal appears to be dead in the water — with no political will to bring it back. Muwekma Ohlone Tribe members and supporters say San Jose officials have no interest in supporting the tribe’s goal of federal...
The Biz Beat: Paleta Planeta brings sweet treats to downtown San Jose
Paleta Planeta would not exist without the parents of Mauricio, Luis and Gabriel Salazar, who allowed their three sons to turn the family’s San Jose home into their first Mexican popsicle factory. “It is very Silicon Valley to start a company out of a garage,” Luis told San José Spotlight. “We just constantly made batches...
San Jose could house more homeless veterans with state funds
Santa Clara County and its cities will have a new revenue stream next month to help people at risk of becoming homeless. Gov. Gavin Newsom in September launched Project Homekey+, which sets aside $2.2 billion to house homeless veterans and people with behavioral health or substance use issues. The money comes from Proposition 1, passed by voters in...
Meet the candidates running for Sunnyvale City Council
Sunnyvale could have a new City Council and mayor next year, with multiple seats up for election come November. Four seats on the Sunnyvale City Council will be on the ballot — the mayor and council districts 2, 4 and 6. District 4 Councilmember Russ Melton is terming out and challenging Mayor Larry Klein for...
San Jose allegedly tried to interrogate cops investigating city official
In a frenzied attempt to uncover who’s “leaking” details about a councilman accused of child sex crimes to the media, San Jose’s top administrators allegedly tried to question more than two dozen police officers — without informing them of their rights or following an investigatory process. This news organization obtained a letter from the San...
Santa Clara County homeless deaths dip slightly
Homeless deaths in Santa Clara County are down so far this year despite an opioid crisis and thousands of people living on the streets. There have been 159 deaths as of Oct. 6, compared to 169 deaths during the same period last year, according to data from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner. One of the...