Four years ago, Anthony Becker looked at the disappointing decisions draining resident funds from the Santa Clara budget. He was just a resident with no ax to grind, no political backing, or major organization support. He just looked at the millions being wasted by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and her incumbent council members and said, “This … Read more
The poison politics impregnating publications and news outlets is putrid. Practically every news station omits the obvious and newspapers appear to print anything but news. These once hailed bastions of communication have lost their purpose and exchanged objectivity for political bias. For years, this opinion column has exposed the wrongs of people, politics and poor … Read more
If you are not voting this year, stop reading this column. You won’t make a difference and candidates frankly don’t need you. However, if you are going to vote, do you know much, or anything, about the candidates and/or issues? You can wait for the voter’s guide to arrive. Or you can continue reading and … Read more
The recent heated exchange between members of the Santa Clara Council is a good barometer of this election. Mayor Lisa Gillmor relies on her last remaining supporter on Council, Kathy Watanabe, to run interference to promote her bias. Watanabe has a knack for being insolent with a sharp tooth in carrying the mayor’s backpack. When … Read more
It was a short time ago, Santa Clara was the envy of Silicon Valley. Good housing, great jobs, humming industries, low power rates, minimal crime, its own stadium, its own NFL franchise with the SF 49ers, excellent schools, a booming convention center and a responsive and visionary government. Thanks to leadership provided by former Mayor … Read more
Closing out August, we are about to enter that 10-week surge until the November elections. Certainly, the national scene will be getting attention, but important to Santa Clara is the focus on local races impacting residents. Karen Hardy and Raj Chahal are up for city council reelection. In 2018, Hardy and Chahal led the initial … Read more
When it comes to politics, Santa Clara has experienced more than the average community in Silicon Valley. Imagine having a city mayor that has spent a total of 19 (1992-2000, 2011-2022) years on Santa Clara City Council over the past four decades. Now this record might be impressive if the City was exploding in the … Read more
Taking to the turf this Friday night at Levi’s Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers butt heads with 2022 playoff contender, the Green Bay Packers. Yes, it’s a preseason game, but it pits two long-term foes in a battle that ends the up and down era of Jimmy Garoppolo. It also kick-starts the hopes and dreams … Read more
Four years ago, in 2018, a new face appeared on the political scene in Santa Clara. A young man named Anthony Becker filed to run for mayor against Lisa Gillmor. Becker had limited experience, little funding, marginal support and was a virtual unknown. As expected, Gillmor won in a landslide, spending the tens of thousands … Read more
One thing is for sure, Santa Clara Police Department is not being defunded soon. The City Council, led by Mayor Gillmor, continued to pad the pay for our folks in blue, making them the envy of officers throughout the region if not the state. The average salary for a Santa Clara police officer is now … Read more