The field appears to be set for several Santa Clara elections. According to the unofficial list released by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters on Aug. 12, Santa Clara voters have a lot of decisions to make on Nov. 5. The deadline to submit papers for all of the races was Aug. 9, which … Read more
Members of the Santa Clara City Council frequently speak of public trust. Toward that end, they cite transparency as the best avenue to achieve that goal. Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Council Member Kathy Watanabe wrote about public trust in an editorial criticizing the original bond measure set to appear on the November ballot. They took … Read more
Real estate lobbyist and political maven Jude Barry has emerged from the shadows, playing a possible role in the November election and in a local politician’s perjury trial. Barry attended a July 19, 7 p.m. meeting on a “Related Santa Clara update” on Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s calendar. Gillmor met with Barry and District 6 council … Read more
Concerns by the mayor and her political cohort about how money from an infrastructure bond measure will be spent challenges the role of the city manager. For months, the Santa Clara City Council has been discussing a bond measure to address its crumbling infrastructure. Time and again, at meeting after meeting, city employees have raised … Read more
A grand jury report detailing the Santa Clara Stadium Authority’s relationship to the 49ers stirred well-trodden finger-pointing about who supported the stadium and who opposed it. At its Tuesday night meeting, the Santa Clara City Council discussed a civil grand jury report titled “Outplayed: Measure J, the City of Santa Clara, and the San Francisco … Read more
Santa Clara City Council members agree that the council needs to get along better, but many disputed civil grand jury findings that point fingers at specific council members. The council narrowly agreed to revisit whether to have the council attend ethics training. The most recent civil grand jury report, “Irreconcilable Differences,” made several recommendations. Among … Read more
It’s not even election time and the arrows of accusation are flying with fury, ragging on the Santa Clara Council. Well, most of the Council. This “Not So Grand Jury” has been called on again to produce a pro-Gillmor, anti-Council epistle. This callous core of caustic community comrades is castigating the Santa Clara Council for … Read more
After months of updates, several studies, a county inspection and much discussion among one another, the Santa Clara City Council has decided to funnel money into reopening the George Haines International Swim Center (ISC). The topic ate up a good chunk of the Council’s Tuesday night meeting. When the dust settled, the Council agreed to … Read more
Watching Santa Clara City Council meetings may not compete with Real Housewives of Atlanta or even rank in your top ten. However, these meetings are the face of Santa Clara and represent the City’s leadership. The disdain for their colleagues and City staff demonstrated by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and her floundering lone supporter, Kathy Watanabe, … Read more
Here we go again. A new grand jury report takes aim at Santa Clara City Council dysfunction. However, the tactics are strangely familiar to one released in 2022. That is to say, the conclusions have a political bend, one that stridently singles out the “49er Five,” a derisive label given to Council majority Raj Chahal, Suds … Read more