Political news, Local politics and government news reporting in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
Fair Political Practices Commission and Registrar of Voters offer guidance for candidates and treasurers … As candidates and their campaign teams prepare for the upcoming November general municipal election, there are bound to be questions regarding the reporting and filing requirements to seek election. Fortunately, two free training seminars will be offered to provide such … Read more
Last Friday while many Santa Clarans were preparing for a pleasant summer weekend, Santa Clara County officials were preparing to help themselves to $30 million of Santa Clara redevelopment tax revenue. In what the San Jose Mercury characterized as a “money grab,” the oversight board for the now-defunct Santa Clara Redevelopment Agency (RDA) voted, in … Read more
A month after breaking ground on the new Santa Clara stadium, the San Francisco 49ers are keeping the momentum going this month as the team nears its first construction milestone: placing over 3,000 “cast-in-place” piles for the structure’s foundation. The state-of-the art technique – auger pressure grouted displacement – keeps noise and vibration low; reduces … Read more
The City of Santa Clara and Santa Clara WEEKLY have partnered in a series of four articles outlining what it means to serve in office, how to file to run for office, the basic elements of a political campaign and other community involvement options. The City will also show a series of video vignettes on … Read more
Once upon a time a city clerk’s role was reactive: keeping the town records. Today, it’s proactive, as city clerks are increasingly asked to drive good government programs and expand public engagement with local governance. It’s not an understatement to say that city clerks are town CDOs – Chief Democracy Officers. Last month the International … Read more
The legislation closing down California’s redevelopment program refuses to recognize loans, suck as Santa Clara’s, between RDAs and their sponsoring cities. There’s a reason: These arrangements were key mechanisms for diverting public money to questionable uses. For example, L.A.’s RDA diverted buckets of money out of its affordable housing fund – about $900,000 in 2010 … Read more
It’s a situation that should be on a final exam for aspiring public planners. Residents of the neighborhood where The Alameda curves around SCU are unhappy about traffic, parking, litter and noise spilling over from commercial businesses on The Alameda. The businesses in question have no off-street parking for customers. That’s because they were built … Read more
At the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum on May 3, 2012 at the Fremont Unified School District headquarters, the candidates vying to represent California’s new assembly District 25 – extending north to Fremont, south to Milpitas, and east the Santa Clara – were a fair representation of San Francisco Bay Area politics – in … Read more
Santa Clara is installing new green colored bicycle lanes on the eastbound and westbound sides of Stevens Creek Boulevard between Lawrence Expressway and Southbound Interstate 280 off-ramp/Calvert Drive. This project is partially funded by a Transportation Fund for Clean Air grant through the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Bay Area Air Quality … Read more
Santa Clara’s recently-decided case against 49ers stadium opponents Santa Clara Plays Fair has already been enshrined in California case law. That’s apparently why Sacramento law firm Soluri and Meserve, which specializes in environmental and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) law, last month requested copies of case documents. This request revved up some inquiring local minds … Read more