Feb 9, 2016
Yesterday, Jamie Matthews surprised even his close friends and political associates when he announced he was relinquishing his seat as Santa Clara Mayor immediately after his city hosted Super Bowl 50. Matthews’s abrupt resignation clearly demonstrates a failure on the part of the 49ers, who seem to have no issue with putting their political allies in difficult and unfavorable…
Jan 25, 2016
Today, Silicon Valley Rising (SVR) filed the Opportunity to Work Initiative which would require employers to offer qualified part- time employees the opportunity to work additional hours before hiring new part-time or temporary employees. It is the first initiative of its kind in the country. Although San Francisco and SeaTac have adopted similar ordinances, no previous initiative has aimed to provide…
Jan 19, 2016
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
Jan 18, 2016
Former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed has finally made a decision we can stand behind: he has withdrawn his floundering measure that attacks the retirement security of public workers in California.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…
Jan 14, 2016
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…
Jan 13, 2016
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…
Dec 24, 2015
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,…
Dec 24, 2015
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…
Dec 23, 2015
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…
Dec 21, 2015
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,…