Jun 26, 2018
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…
Jun 25, 2018
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…
Jun 25, 2018
Republican San Jose City Councilmembers Johnny Khamis and Dev Davis are leaving the GOP and rumored to be registering as Decline to State voters. Their decision to part ways with the Republican Party is an obvious effort to hide their conservatism from voters in upcoming elections. Khamis and Davis will announce their departure from the GOP later today. Tweet
Jun 22, 2018
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…
Jun 21, 2018
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…
Jun 21, 2018
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…
Jun 19, 2018
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…
Jun 18, 2018
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…
Jun 14, 2018
One indicator of the political strength of an organization is the success of the candidates it endorses, particularly in races for open seats. In this Primary Election, Labor advanced their candidates in all but one race, while the Silicon Valley Organization (Chamber of Commerce) lost all but one race and the *Silicon Valley Leadership Group made minimal gains at best.…
Jun 13, 2018
Yesterday, in a meeting that went past 2 am, the Santa Clara City Council fell short of filling the Council seat vacated by Dominic Caserta last month. The Council was unable to reach the necessary 5 vote threshold to pass an appointment. It is unclear whether the Council will call a special election to fill the vacancy. Instead, they may leave…