Four years ago, appointed Mayor Lisa Gillmor ran for reelection against a young upstart named Anthony Becker. Becker was a virtual unknown in the community, yet full of energy and good ideas. To the surprise of many, Becker received 25% of the vote. Two years later Becker ran for election to Council and won his … Read more
At the May 24, 2022 Santa Clara City Council meeting, the Council discussed whether to allow PAL to continue managing the City’s BMX track. It also looked at garbage rate increases and a petition from Reclaiming Our Downtown to return City Hall to the Downtown area. A status report on the situation with the Santa … Read more
Santa Clara’s City Council approved a new housing development on Pomeroy Avenue despite a lack of support for the plan. Plus, council members went head to head over plans to repair the sign at Levi’s Stadium. State law has painted the Santa Clara City Council into a corner, forcing its members to approve a housing … Read more
The first and primary commandment required by and applied to any elected leader is: “Do no harm.” Sounds good, looks good and makes good sense. When evaluating the actions and events of an elected leader, applying this axiom is a great indicator of their success or, in some cases, failure. It doesn’t matter if the … Read more
Prior to the November 2020 election Mayor Lisa Gillmor rarely — if ever — seconded motions. She never had to. With political allies Kathy Watanabe, Debi Davis and Teresa O’Neill firmly in her corner, she could rely on them to give attention to the topics she deemed important. Any of them casting a vote opposing … Read more
Levi’s Stadium will turn a profit for non-NFL events for the first time in three years. With three concerts already scheduled, the Stadium Authority Board treasurer expects the stadium to see $250,000 in revenue for the 2022-23 fiscal year. This projection is based on documents received by the Board from the Forty-Niners Management Company (ManCo) … Read more
The weather in Santa Clara has a different outlook these days. The catastrophic cumulous clouds of doom and gloom hovering over the city have begun to shift. This is not by chance. It is due to the dedicated energy inspired by the winds of wisdom and hard work blowing away the clouds of despair. Sensible, … Read more
There was a lot of ground covered at Tuesday night’s Santa Clara City Council meeting. Council members talked about extending a contract for noise monitoring at Levi’s Stadium, listened as union members spoke out in support of the firing of City Manager Deanna Santana, watched the mayor chastise a colleague for comments he made about … Read more
Efficiency is a buzzword. It gets bandied about in all walks of life. Whether it is road construction or public outreach for a housing development, everybody wants it. Efficiency is paramount. It is essential. But, like many things, there is a divide between stated preference and revealed preference. Simply stating efficiency is needed does not … Read more
At a special meeting Tuesday night, the Santa Clara City Council assigned Council Member Karen Hardy to engage an attorney to advise them specifically on questions pertaining to last week’s dismissal of City Manager Deanna Santana, after the attorney that was advising the Council quit without notice. The vote was 6-1, with Council Member Kathy Watanabe … Read more