A Santa Clara mayoral candidate is facing a state-level complaint over his campaign’s undisclosed use of AI-generated images. Diana Torres, a freelance political consultant, filed the complaint against candidate Gary Ferraris to the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) on Sept. 24. The complaint alleges Ferraris’ campaign website used images created with artificial intelligence without...
State Prop. 43 aims to raise tax measure threshold
A proposition going before California voters in November could make it more difficult for local governments and agencies to get funding from tax measures by raising the approval threshold. Proposition 43 would require a two-thirds majority vote for citizen initiatives pertaining to sale taxes — such as real estate, utilities and transit — which under...
Santa Clara mayoral candidate claims Levi’s Stadium financials fall short
Former Santa Clara Councilmember Kathy Watanabe is calling for an independent analysis of the economic benefit Levi’s Stadium provides to the city, saying residents deserve a clearer accounting of the stadium’s costs, revenues and contributions to city coffers. Watanabe, a mayoral candidate in the upcoming Nov. 3 election, held a news conference Thursday in front...
Ex-Santa Clara officials’ confrontation leads to free speech lesson
A recent confrontation caught on video between two former Santa Clara councilmembers, with one running for mayor, led to the cops being called. But instead of anyone ending up in handcuffs, officers informed them of their First Amendment rights. At the city’s annual Art & Wine Festival on Saturday, Anthony Becker approached Kathy Watanabe at...
San Jose official says campaign mailer misrepresents his past
A campaign mailer resurfacing decades-old misdemeanor convictions has sparked a war of words in the race for the District 7 San Jose City Council seat. A flyer circulated by the challenger in the race, East Side Union High School District trustee Van Le, accuses incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan of concealing his criminal record from voters,...
Six candidates face off for three Los Gatos council seats
Los Gatos voters have a choice between six candidates vying for three seats on the Town Council this fall — a big change from 2024 when the city held no election because two incumbents ran unopposed. In the Nov. 3 at-large election, two incumbents are seeking another term on the five-member council — Councilmember Mary...
Silicon Valley voters to weigh ‘billionaire tax’ ballot measure
California Proposition 40, also known as the billionaire tax, is one of the more complicated ballot measures put before voters this November because its fate depends on two other ballot measures. Proposition 40 — a one-time 5% tax to be imposed on roughly 200 state residents whose net worth exceeded $1 billion at the start...
Morgan Hill officials censure colleague over intimidation
The Morgan Hill City Council took action against one of its own on Wednesday, formally censuring Councilmember Yvonne Martinez Beltrán in a move that divided residents. The council voted 4-1, with Martinez Beltrán as the lone dissenter, to adopt the resolution to censure the councilmember citing incidents of harassment, rudeness, intimidation and discrimination. She will...
San Jose mayor fined over donation transparency lapses
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan faces a $27,500 fine over breaches of a government transparency law stemming from late disclosures of political donations. The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), a state body that enforces campaign finance and government ethics rules, assessed the fine after determining Mahan had failed to file timely disclosures of more than $2.3...
State ballot measure could set strict voting requirements
A statewide ballot measure in the upcoming Nov. 3 election could impact voting rights in Santa Clara County. California Proposition 39 — the Voter Identification, Citizenship Verification, and Registered Voter List Administration Initiative — would require additional identification to vote in future elections. This could have a significant effect on Santa Clara County, where Hispanic...