Political news, Local politics and government news reporting in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
Santa Clara’s redevelopment agency (RDA) wasn’t just an agency for fostering city improvements. It was also used – in an entirely legal and above-board way – by the city as its leasing agency; allowing the city’s property revenues to be run as enterprise businesses, similar to the city’s publicly-owned electric utility. The arrangement whereby the … Read more
Two weeks ago the Santa Clara City Council revisited the traffic and trash problems in the Hilmar neighborhood that residents say are associated with businesses around the 2200 block of The Alameda. As anyone could readily anticipate, the problems have only gotten worse since the Council pasted some new parking regulations on the problem and … Read more
Dear Santa Clara Community, We are writing to inform you of a critical issue that could have devastating, long-term impacts on our City’s budget and the vital services we provide our local residents and businesses. Very soon, the State of California will likely issue a report demanding that our City transfer more than $300 million … Read more
Engineering systems philosopher John Gall observed 30 years ago that, “Systems tend to oppose their own proper functioning.” Certainly ample proof of Gall’s principle can be seen in the California Finance Department’s slap down of an agreement between Santa Clara’s RDA Successor Agency Oversight Board and the San Francisco 49ers Stadium Company over the distribution … Read more
Water has always been a central issue in California public policy. And, with a proposal to drain the Hetch Hetchy reservoir on the San Francisco ballot next month, Bay Area residents are thinking about water more than usual. They’re likely paying closer attention than usual to this year’s Santa Clara Valley Water District Board elections … Read more
The deadlines to receive applications, interview dates and times are as follows: Deadline to apply: Wednesday, November 21, 5 p.m. Interview dates & times: Tuesday, November 27th 7 p.m. Interviews occur in the Council Chambers during the regularly scheduled meeting. The seven-member Planning Commission advises the City Council on matters regarding the … Read more
Candidates Forum Holds Few Surprises Last week’s City Council Candidates Forum, presented by the League of Women Voters, was eminently predictable – reliably centrist, un-ideological and pragmatic. The evening’s only surprises were the political debut of Northsider Bill Collins and a breath-takingly tactless mis-step by candidate John Mlnarik. Candidate Alma Jimenez wasn’t present, reportedly called … Read more
In our media saturated age, some people still believe that grassroots campaigning can elect candidates. One of them is Santa Claran ArLyne Diamond; a long shot candidate for the California State Assembly who’s already beat the odds with her second-place finish in last June’s open primary. Running to represent District 25 – newly created by … Read more
Federal Grants Fund $1.8 Million in City Streets’ Safety and Improvement Santa Clara is moving forward with two projects to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and visibility, thanks to two federal grants the city applied for over two years ago. The first, a $1.3 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant from the U.S. … Read more
Santa Clara Teacher Helps Advance Science, Technology and Math Education St. Lawrence Academy high school math and computer teacher Natalie Murphy was one of 165 lucky local teachers to spend the summer as an Industry Initiatives for Science and Math (IISME) fellow, developing education plans for enhancing K-16 math and science education. Murphy spent six … Read more