Monthly Archives : February 2020

Policy Watch: Week of 2/17


| City of San Jose | Council policy priority setting for 2020-21 Issue summary: Council will establish an updated, ranked policy priority list for 2020-21, incorporating staff’s recommendations for removing some priorities that have been completed and approve new items to be added. Staff recommend removing the following priorities from the 2019-2020 Council Policy Priority List as complete: Priority #3, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises…

San Jose Spotlight: San Jose measure to shift mayoral elections one step closer to ballot


After six months of campaigning for support, top labor leaders announced on Wednesday they’ve secured enough signatures to qualify the Fair Elections Initiative for the November 2020 ballot, a measure they say will put a cap on money in politics and increase voter turnout by aligning mayoral elections with presidential years. With the help of community organizations and powerful groups like the…

San Jose Spotlight: Details of Jim Zito’s divorce become campaign issue in race for San Jose council


San Jose City Council candidate Jim Zito controlled nearly every aspect of his ex-wife’s life, from the temperature in their home to chores, finances and even how much toilet paper the family used, court documents reviewed by San José Spotlight show. Zito and his ex-wife, Zoe Bizzell, married in 1991, lived in the Evergreen suburbs as he worked in tech…

San Jose Spotlight: Percival: Moving San Jose’s mayoral elections to presidential years will strengthen democracy


In April 2019, in a 6-5 vote, the San Jose City Council defeated a proposal to move the timing of the city’s mayoral elections from their current gubernatorial cycle to presidential years, which have historically generated higher levels of voter participation. Indeed, political science research demonstrates clear evidence that the simplest and most effective solution for increasing voter participation in mayoral elections…

San Jose Spotlight: San Jose lawmakers denounce SVO’s altered photo of Sylvia Arenas


Supporters of San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas are crying foul after an image of the Latina lawmaker surfaced on a new opposition website that appears to have darkened her skin. The image, which cropped up this week on a website funded by the Silicon Valley Organization’s PAC, first appeared in a Mercury News article four years ago. The newspaper published the photo again two weeks ago…

“Embattled Council Member Lan Diep Gets Hit Hard


Embattled Council Member Lan Diep’s campaign for re-election just got harder. A new digital ad from the South Bay Labor Council hits him for using his office for personal gain while voting for giveaways to developers. Diep, who is heavily supported by developers and landlords, faces two tough opponents, Berryessa School Board Member David Cohen and worker rights attorney Huy…

Policy Watch: Week of 2/3


|| Santa Clara County || VTA: Approve Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with Lincoln Property Group for redevelopment of Cerone site, incl. hotel, office & adv. manufacturing Issue summary:  The committee will consider approving a staff recommendation allowing the General Manager to enter into exclusive negotiations with LPC West to redevelop a VTA-owned site at   VTA Cerone Maintenance Yard.  VTA received proposals…