Santa Clara City Council Member Anthony Becker appeared in court on Aug. 2 to set a court date for his trial, however, it didn’t happen. Becker’s lawyer says that after conferring with the District Attorney’s office, both sides have agreed to postpone the trial setting for a few more weeks.
The judge set a new trial setting date for Sept. 13 at 1:35 p.m. in Department 26.
Becker attended the trial setting hearing with his mother, stepfather and his husband. Also in attendance were Council Member Kathy Watanabe and Santa Clara small business owner Kirk Vartan, a frequent speaker during public comment during Santa Clara City Council meetings. Vartan and Watanabe arrived and left the courtroom together and also sat together during the hearing.
In early May, Becker entered a plea of “not guilty” to charges of perjury and violation of duty. During the hearing, Becker was assigned a public defender.
All of this stems from Becker’s testimony to the Santa Clara Civil Grand Jury last year. That’s when he stated that he did not distribute a preliminary copy of the Civil Grand Jury report titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” to members of the public. The report stated that some members of the City Council, including Becker, united to create a voting bloc to vote for items in favor of the San Francisco 49ers and Levi’s Stadium. The District Attorney’s office says that Becker lied under oath about distributing the report and that he violated his duty as a council member when he allegedly distributed the report.
Becker and several other members of the Council say the report was biased.
Becker remains a sitting member of the Santa Clara City Council despite calls from some members of the public for his resignation. Other members of the public say Becker is innocent until he is proven guilty.
