Political news, Local politics and government news reporting in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
With the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in San Jose backed up with court cases, the perjury trial of Santa Clara City Council Member Anthony Becker had taken a back seat to other trials more than once. That’s not the case now. On Sept. 16, Judge Elizabeth C. Peterson assigned the trial to Judge Javier Alcala … Read more
Earlier this month, the Santa Clara City Council spent hours duking it out over how to respond to a civil grand jury report that takes aim at its dysfunction. However, that meeting’s goal was to establish the council’s position. In addition to requiring the council to respond as a body, the grand jury also required each council … Read more
Update: A change has been made to the initial story said that Bob O’Keefe and Steve Kelly donated money to their campaigns. In fact, they loaned money to their campaigns, which means the money does not count toward the donation limit. The money race is on for the 2024 election in Santa Clara and it … Read more
Santa Clara’s former city attorney is rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty, becoming embroiled in the political infighting that ramps up as this year’s election nears. At the council’s Sept. 3 special meeting, Brian Doyle addressed the council. During public comment, he made some bold statements, ones that have significant political implications. A … Read more
Who gets to sign off on ceremonial designations has shifted in Santa Clara. At its Tuesday night meeting, the Santa Clara City Council changed how it designates proclamations and commendations. These designations are ceremonial, but a recommendation from the Governance and Ethics Commission saw the council changing the procedure relating to how it hands out … Read more
The perjury trial of Santa Clara City Council Member Anthony Becker may be closer to starting. Judge Panthea E. Saban told both parties that the trial is on standby this week and set for the Master Trial Calendar for next Monday. Both sides met in Dept. 40 on Tuesday to discuss a new set of … Read more
The Sunnyvale City Council unanimously appointed Tim Kirby as the new City Manager, effective Sept. 1. Kirby has been the Interim City Manager since June 29 and was previously the City’s Director of Finance. The City conducted a national recruitment to replace City Manager Kent Steffens, who retired at the end of June after 13 years … Read more
Whether the settlement agreement or the initial contracts are responsible for Levi’s Stadium’s performance suffused nearly every comment of the Santa Clara City Council’s recent discussion of a civil grand jury report. At a special meeting Wednesday night, the council responded to a civil grand jury report that claims the relationship between the city and … Read more
A Santa Clara City Council candidate claims a phone survey is spreading lies about him, violating the city’s dark money ordinance, but his social media posts tell a different story. Satish Chandra, a candidate for District 1, recently addressed the council during public presentations — a segment of the meeting earmarked for items not on … Read more
The Santa Clara City Council majority still doesn’t like the contents of the civil grand jury report — or what its recommendations are implying. At a special meeting Tuesday night, the council addressed the findings and recommendations contained in the civil grand jury report “Irreconcilable Differences.” The council majority — which the report attacks, claiming … Read more