Author Archives : The Left Hook

Lan Diep Announces Run for San Jose City Council


Attorney Lan Diep has just announced his run for the San Jose City Council District 4 seat.  Diep ran for the same seat in the 2015 special election, coming in third and missing the runoff by 13 votes.  The Republican, previously Chamber of Commerce backed candidate, could be a strong contender to unseat incumbent Manh Nguyen. Tweet

Reed Withdraws Pension Measure


Former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed has finally made a decision we can stand behind: he has withdrawn his floundering measure that attacks the retirement security of public workers in California.  Polls recently conducted showed waning support for the measure, making it impossible for Reed to drum up the $3 million dollars in financial support he needed to get the…

Chad Walsh Resigns from West Valley-Mission Community College


As predicted, conservative West Valley-Mission Community College District Board Member Chad Walsh has officially resigned. Walsh’s resignation, effective January 7, 2016, was received by the County Office of Education earlier this week.  The Board will now vote on whether to appoint a replacement within 60 days or hold a costly election.  The best bet is that the Board will appointment…

Beau Goldie – Trickling His Way Out of the Water District


Today when the Santa Clara Valley Water District posted a notice of a special Board meeting regarding “Discipline or Dismissal,” it could mean only one thing: Water District CEO Beau Goldie is on his way out.  Last year was filled with talk of Goldie’s mismanagement of the Water District and questionable decision-making when it came to awarding contracts.  Now it…

Candidates Vie to Replace Rich Gordon in Assembly District 24


The race for California’s Assembly District 24 appears set, and there are several strong contenders looking to replace Assemblymember Rich Gordon. Josh Becker ran against Assemblymember Gordon in 2010 when the seat was last open and made a good showing.  Mr. Becker, a venture capitalist and social entrepreneur, recently sold his business and should be able to devote substantial time,…

San Jose City Council District 2 & 6 Races Take Shape


As 2016 draws to a close, the fields for the San Jose City Council District 2 and 6 races appear to be largely set. Current District 2 Councilmember Ash Kalra is terming out in November 2016 and is running for California State Assembly District 27.  Here’s a look at those vying to replace him: Sergio Jimenez, an investigator at the Santa Clara County…

Chad Walsh Rumored to Resign from West Valley-Mission Community College District


Rumor has it that conservative West Valley-Mission Community College District Board Member Chad Walsh’s resignation is on the horizon.  We wonder why he is making such a sudden move.  Just recently, Walsh campaigned vigorously for fellow conservative Steve Landau to take an open seat on the Board, turning away a more qualified candidate, Randi Kinman.  One possible reason for Walsh’s…

Rose Herrera’s Next Step?


When the Santa Clara County Water District Board appointed former Morgan Hill Mayor John Varela to fill the Board seat vacated by Dennis Kennedy, who is battling cancer, they probably were not looking ahead to the 2016 election, but one potential candidate was.  Apparently, San Jose Vice Mayor Rose Herrera, who will be termed out at the end of 2016,…

Shortage of Teachers a Serious Problem in California


In November of this year, a poll conducted by EdSource and the Learning Policy Institute revealed that 64 percent of California voters surveyed regard the shortage of k-12 teachers as a “very serious” problem. A similar proportion feels that more should be done at the state level to encourage young people to pursue a career as educational instructors. The statewide poll, which…