It’s not often that Mountain View gets the chance to shape housing legislation that could have an impact far beyond its borders. But the city recently inspired the introduction of a bipartisan bill that could make it easier for municipalities to use federal funds for affordable housing. Last week, U.S. Reps. Sam Liccardo (D-California) and Mike Flood...
Silicon Valley lawmaker has plans to help high fire risk communities
One local lawmaker wants to put high fire risk communities at the forefront of wildfire prevention and mitigation, with federal help. Congressman Sam Liccardo is launching a regional partnership between the federal government and local cities to support wildfire prevention efforts. The partnership aims to strengthen multi-jurisdictional communication in the face of climate change, while...
Silicon Valley leaders discuss how federal cuts will hurt region
Santa Clara County officials want their largest city’s support in hiking sales taxes to keep their public hospital system alive against federal cuts. But San Jose leaders have conditions. Congressman and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo suggested the city could tie its support for the sales tax measure — now known as “Measure A”...
Navy ship to retain San Jose activist Cesar Chavez’s name
The name of San Jose activist Cesar Chavez will stay on a U.S. Navy ship, after a local lawmaker pushed the federal government to continue honoring his name and legacy. An Aug. 1 letter from U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan confirmed the federal government will not rename the USNS Cesar Chavez, a ship...
San Jose lawmaker fights to keep activist’s name on Navy ship
The federal government might strip the name of one of San Jose’s most beloved activists from a naval ship. The U.S. Navy, under the direction of Secretary of State Pete Hegseth, is considering renaming Navy cargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez. Elected leaders, along with Cesar Chavez’s family members, are fighting back to keep the ship’s...
California lawmakers worry AI will hurt entry-level tech jobs
California lawmakers, whose state is home to the most advanced artificial intelligence developers, are concerned that Congress is not prepared to respond to a job market where AI takes over entry-level jobs in the technology sector. It’s not clear yet how often AI is replacing — or will replace — entry-level jobs, but there are...
Democrats want to force a vote on Trump’s memecoin activity
As President Donald Trump headed over to his Virginia golf course for a gala with the 250 top buyers of his $TRUMP “memecoin,” Democrats are trying to find ways to push back on the president’s incursions in the cryptocurrency market. Sen. Chris Murphy said Thursday that Democrats will demand a vote on an amendment prohibiting...
California lawmakers want to let citizens sue Elon Musk over DOGE cuts
A trio of freshmen House Democrats introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow individuals to sue the government — and even specific officials like Elon Musk — over decisions that block congressionally approved spending. California Reps. Sam Liccardo and Dave Min, along with Virginia Rep. Eugene Vindman, introduced the Protect Our Constitution and Communities...
‘We can fight this,’ San Jose congressman says about eliminating DEI
California Democrats in Congress say they don’t want state leaders to cave to the Trump administration’s attempts to attach strings to federal support and its most recent demand to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs at schools — even if that means the state could lose out on millions or billions of dollars in federal funding. “The...
First-term San Jose Congressman Liccardo raises eye-popping $1.5M
San Jose Rep. Sam Liccardo raised nearly $1.5 million in his first quarter as a member of Congress, according to a source familiar with the Liccardo camp — a hefty sum for a freshman lawmaker. Additionally, Liccardo, the former mayor of San Jose, transferred $110,000 to Democratic frontline members, the source told NOTUS. The transfers...