Political news, Local politics and government news reporting in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
It was a picture-perfect California summer Sunday. But instead of enjoying a lazy afternoon on the beach or a pickup volleyball game in the park, 200 local residents turned out to protest the actions of county officials to halt work on the nearly completed Northside Library. “The outpouring of support shows how much the community … Read more
County Inches Toward Paying $30 Million RDA Stadium Obligation At the Aug. 1 meeting of the Santa Clara RDA Successor Agency Oversight Board, the board approved a resolution to pay a $30 million commitment by the defunct RDA for the new stadium in the 2016 Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule (ROPS) – or earlier, pending negotiations … Read more
On Wednesday, Santa Clara residents got a first-hand illustration of what’s at stake with the ongoing shutdown of California’s half-century redevelopment program: the possible loss of a much-needed, much-anticipated public library to serve the city’s rapidly-growing Northside. The project, which has been in the city’s capital improvement plans for many years, was funded with Santa … Read more
SVP Scholarship Winners Announced In November 2005, the Santa Clara Council established the Silicon Valley Power Scholarship Program. The program provides tuition, technical grants and internships to students with a goal of entering a field related to energy services, public power, or the power industry. To qualify, students must be Santa Clara residents and taking … Read more
Council Sends Distinctive Condominium Project Back to Drawing Board A proposal for some modestly modernistic architecture on Saratoga Avenue drew some surprising criticism last month from Santa Clara’s Council, which sent the item back to to the drawing board. Last week, the developer, Santa Clara-based SiliconSage Builders, got the go-ahead from the city’s architectural review … Read more
City Planning Director Kevin Riley Recognized for Affordable Housing Leadership At its 20th anniversary celebration last month, the Santa Clara Housing Action Coalition (HAC) presented city planning director Kevin Riley with its Unsung Heroes Award in the Making a Difference category. “The City has been a regional leader in [affordable] housing and that in large … Read more
Jamie McLeod, a former Santa Clara city council member, has a few words to say about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and dismiss the appeal to enforce Proposition 8, both considered by some to be discriminatory pieces of legislation intended to challenge same-sex marriage. “When I … Read more
RDA Oversight Board Postpones Stadium Payment Decision to July “I hear one thing and I hear another and I’m not sure how it all ties together.” That was Chairman of the Santa Clara RDA Successor Agency Don Gage speaking on June 18 about the former RDA’s financial obligations. But it could have been anyone trying … Read more
Santa Clara County Continues RDA Asset Grab June 4’s hour-and-forty-minute meeting of the Santa Clara Redevelopment Agency Successor Agency Oversight Board added nothing new to that body’s yearlong illustration of the cynical adage that democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what’s for lunch. That afternoon the Oversight Board, made up of five county … Read more
Santa Clara is about to launch its second push for a historic preservation ordinance in 10 years, after a furor erupted in May over renovation of an 1890s house at 1091 Harrison St. At the June 11 meeting, the City Council asked city staff to draft a historical preservation ordinance for review in 45 days. … Read more