Monthly Archives : June 2018

Why Hirokawa’s Stance on Racists Texts is an Issue


Candidate for Santa Clara County Sheriff John Hirokawa has taken the position that racist, sexist and anti-Semitic texts by Santa Clara County deputy sheriffs are not an issue if those text were sent on their own time and on their own devices. Here’s why that’s wrong: bigotry, whether on the job or off the job, is an issue when you…

Janus: The Supreme Court’s Decision to Undermine the Rights of American Workers


Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered the opinion in the infamous Janus case – an opinion explicitly aimed at reducing the rights and political capacity of American workers. The opinion claims to be defending free speech. In fact, true freedom of speech is the last thing the signers of this opinion have in mind. In his opinion, Alito sanctimoniously condemns…

Vic Ajlouny’s Play for Council Control


Vic Ajlouny, a controversial campaign operative and conservative firebrand, is setting himself up to have considerable sway over the San Jose City Council. Ajlouny served as a campaign consultant for four sitting City Councilmembers: Johnny Khamis, Dev Davis, Chappie Jones and, until recently, Tam Nguyen.  Ajlouny is also running District 9 candidate Pam Foley’s race. In the past Ajlouny has…

Policy Watch: Week of 6/25


City of San Jose Progress report on new Downtown EIR & Diridon Station CED will receive a progress report related to Downtown commercial and residential development, economic vitality initiatives, public life and place making, clean and safe activities, special events, and convention and cultural activities. The Downtown Strategy 2040 EIR is on track for completion this year and will evaluate…

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Unusual Political Strategy


Decision makers at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) have adopted an unusual approach to local elections: when they don’t like a candidate, they campaign for everyone else. In the Santa Clara County Supervisor District 4 race, SVLG CEO Carl Guardino and several leading SVLG executives formed a PAC to back both Susan Ellenberg and Pierluigi Oliverio, sending out virtually…

Grand Jury Report Calls for Resignation of Three Alum Rock Trustees


Today, a civil grand jury released a report calling out the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District for years of poor leadership and fiscal misconduct, and advocated for the resignation of the three-trustee bloc which has controlled the District for years.  The report states that the “three Trustees who frequently vote as a bloc have lost the community’s trust…The Grand…

Candidates Vie for Mountain View City Council Seats


This November, Mountain View will have three City Council seats up for election. The seats are currently held by Mayor Lenny Siegel, Councilmember Ken Rosenberg and Councilmember Pat Showalter. Siegel and Showalter are running for reelection, while unexpectedly, Rosenberg has decided to step down after his first term. Siegel and Showalter have both consistently fought for more housing and are…

Late Returns Propel Progressive Candidates and Measures to Victory


Recent elections in the South Bay continue to show that late returns have favored progressive, labor-backed candidates and measures. This last Primary Election was no exception. The late returns in the hotly contested Santa Clara County District 4 Supervisor race decided the outcome of that race. With Susan Ellenberg advancing to the runoff, Election Day left Labor-endorsed San Jose Councilmember…

Policy Watch: Week of 6.18


County of Santa Clara Direction on Inclusionary Housing Ordinance & Housing Impact Fee for Stanford development  HLUET will review two related items that apply to new development at the Stanford University campus: the draft policy framework for an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance that would create new affordable housing units when new market-rate units are constructed, as well as an Affordable Housing…