Michael Mulcahy helped keep the curtains rising at the Children’s Musical Theater in San Jose when he took over as executive director for almost a decade in 1993 — growing the youth arts center into the powerhouse it is today. He called the experience the role of a lifetime. Now a managing partner at his...
Special interests back Silicon Valley candidates for state office
While two local state Assembly candidates are building up their finances, special interests have been pouring money in behind the scenes. Special interest groups have doled out thousands to back Patrick Ahrens, a Foothill-De Anza Community College District trustee, and Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Tara Sreekrishnan in their race for state Assembly...
Election 2024: Mountain View official runs for D5 county seat
Margaret Abe-Koga grew up in San Mateo watching her parents live in a bubble. As Japanese immigrants seeking a better life in the U.S., Abe-Koga’s parents became enmeshed in the Japanese American community — but struggled outside of it and relied on her to translate English. As the family’s only link to the English-speaking world, she...
Election 2024: Longtime politico could land Santa Clara County D5 seat
Sally Lieber jumped into politics at age 13, rallying in Detroit for former Michigan state Sen. Doug Ross between delivering newspapers. She caught the political bug early, and since then has held numerous posts in California. This November she wants to add another achievement to her lengthy resume: Santa Clara County supervisor. Lieber, 63, is...
Cupertino council candidate reports death threat
Cupertino City Council candidate Claudio Bono is used to the city’s polarization, with neighbors and officials often split over issues — but he never thought he would receive a death threat. Bono, area general manager of The Cupertino Hotel and one of seven council candidates, found a note on his car parked at home that...
Sunnyvale candidates talk housing issues ahead of election
The Sunnyvale City Council will make decisions on housing, transit and the city’s budget in the near future — and candidates seeking elected office are sharing their approaches to governing. Sunnyvale voters attended a candidate forum on Sept. 18, hosted by San José Spotlight, where two mayoral candidates and five of six council candidates fielded...
Fact check: San Jose congressional candidate’s cop claims disputed
San Jose police staffing levels have become a key dispute in Silicon Valley’s hottest and most unusual election. In a recent campaign TV ad, Congressional District 16 candidate and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo boasts of adding 200 police officers while representing the city. But the city’s police union and state Assemblymember Ash Kalra,...
Election 2024: San Jose official wants to keep improving District 8
Domingo Candelas has hit the ground running since being appointed to represent District 8 on the San Jose City Council in 2023. As the incumbent, he wants a chance to his continue the work he started for a full four-year term, but first he has to beat his challenger Tam Truong who came in a close second during...
Election 2024: San Jose D10 challenger wants to change the status quo
For George Casey, the impetus for him running for San Jose City Council came from an event that left him frustrated about why the city wasn’t doing more to protect its residents. A few years ago, his mother’s purse got snatched. Despite catching the incident on video, the police told them there was nothing they...
Silicon Valley water district candidates run for open seat
Self-proclaimed tech evangelist Bill Roth and former Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition leader Shiloh Ballard are competing for a seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water board of directors this November. Ballard and Roth are vying for the District 2 seat, the only competitive race, with Director Barbara Keegan terming out at the end of the year. Two other seats up...