The Milpitas City Council was set to approve expenses for three officials to attend a mayor’s conference and the presidential inauguration in Washington D.C., but things changed at the last minute. Mayor Carmen Montano and Councilmembers Hon Lien and Evelyn Chua had plans to travel from Jan. 16-20 to the United States Conference of Mayors in...
Complaint claims former Milpitas mayor obstructed pretrial process
An ousted Milpitas city manager wants the former mayor to be penalized for failing to show up for a deposition prior to a court hearing. Former City Manager Steve McHarris filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Milpitas in December 2023, accusing city officials of intimidation and unethical behavior — including from former Mayor Rich Tran...
Milpitas police investigating defaced election signs as hate crime
Two Asian-American candidates in Milpitas have become targets of hate crimes and have had their political signs defaced. Milpitas City Council candidate Bill Chuan and Councilmember Hon Lien, who is running for the mayoral seat, had their campaign banners defaced with anti-Asian language. “NO ASIANS” was spray-painted over Chuan’s banner on Barber Lane. Alongside it, “NO...
Milpitas launches rent relief program for local workers
Some Milpitas residents are about to get a break on rent, as the city pushes to address the affordability crisis. Milpitas’ workforce rent relief program will give up to 50 households $645 a month to help supplement rent for up to two years, prioritizing low-income residents who live and work in the city. The program,...
San Jose homeless residents on Microsoft land worry about sweep
About 40 homeless people are tucked away on a small parcel of land adjacent to busy Highway 237. The encampment sits around the same location where Microsoft plans to construct two data centers in San Jose near the Milpitas border. The unhoused residents said a Caltrans worker tipped them off to a looming sweep. Officials...
Milpitas denies wrongdoing in city manager lawsuit
Milpitas is denying wrongdoing in an ongoing legal dispute with its former city manager, and has started investigating claims made in a wide-ranging lawsuit. A wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former City Manager Steve McHarris in December laid out several accusations of incompetence, unethical behavior and intimidation by city officials including the mayor. In a...