Even before he was elected, Council Member Suds Jain was a thorn in the side of the go-along, get-along Old Boys club of Santa Clara politics. Consider: He has advocated tirelessly for a Santa Clara sustainability manager. This position has been added, but only after City Hall brought a raft of $200,000+ new managers on … Read more
Monday, Santa Clara businesses received a communication soliciting donations that contained this persuasive piece of copy: “Place our decal in your window” — i.e. donate — “and we will direct our ‘Friendly’s’ to support you.” Tony Soprano couldn’t say it any better. This wasn’t a communication from Tony Soprano, however. It was from the Santa … Read more
When it comes to the voting rights lawsuit Santa Clara lost again last month, the proverbial cat seems to have City Hall’s tongue. You’d think that Santa Clara didn’t lose a reckless appeal of a voting rights judgment a month ago. You’d think that the plaintiffs in that lawsuit hadn’t made a settlement offer to the … Read more
In his response to The Weekly’s Nov. 6 editorial, police chief candidate Lt. Patrick Nikolai made statements that demand correction; exhibit dubious logic; or, while strictly speaking correct, omit context that puts them in a different light. First, Nikolai accuses The Weekly of not responding to a September 2016 correction request from Mayor Lisa Gillmor … Read more
Assistant Police Chief Dan Winter’s withdrawal from the Police Chief election makes one thing clear: at least one Santa Clara official cares more about the City’s wellbeing than his own political fortunes. “An election can hurt relationships, cause tension in the workplace, and lead to more stress in an already demanding occupation,” Winter wrote in … Read more
It’s unusual for a public official to attack the press for being the first to request public records on a subject of public interest. But that’s exactly what City Manager Deanna Santana did in her April 8, 2019 “community letter.” By asking for public records, Santana suggests, The Weekly was somehow responsible for the wide … Read more
Last week, Santa Clara Weekly Associate Editor Carolyn Schuk wrote a factual report about the community’s reaction to the Community Grant Policy, which asks local nonprofits to pay for their use of City-owned facilities or apply for a grant — something they never did in the past. Many community groups have been negatively affected by … Read more
Before we welcomed the New Year, a malware attack struck major journalism outlets. The attack affected the production and delivery of some of the major newspapers across the country. Affected newspapers included the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union Tribune and even the West Coast editions of the Wall Street Journal and New York … Read more
Recently, the Santa Clara Weekly reported that the City of Santa Clara’s legal bills for the failed California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) lawsuit fight are now reaching $5 million — $4.1 million of that is for the plaintiffs’ legal fees. That doesn’t include the upcoming appeal that the City has filed. Also, the $5 million … Read more
Since Santa Clara lost its Chief Democracy Officer — former City Clerk Rod Diridon Jr. — it seems to have also lost interest in its award-winning voter engagement and Vote Ethics programs. Santa Clara Citizens Advisory Committee Member Sudhanshu Jain recently emailed Acting City Clerk Jennifer Yamaguma asking if the City would provide support for this … Read more