Jan 9, 2015
With all the cloudy weather lately, SJ Council Member Don Rocha thought it would be good to bring a little more sunshine to City Hall. He wants the new Mayor to explain why he pushed City Manager Ed Shikada out the door just as he was beginning to make some progress with city unions. Tweet
Jan 7, 2015
Collaborate: /kəˈlæb əˌreɪt/ verb: to work, one with another; cooperate. It’s the word that newly inaugurated San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo has put forth often to identify his approach to governing the City. When he was sworn in before a crowd of more than a thousand at the Center for Performing Arts, the new Mayor seemed a bit rattled by an unavoidable change in plans,…
Jan 6, 2015
Well, we weren’t far off the mark for the candidates gearing up to try and fill the rest of the District 4 San Jose Council term left by Assembly Member Kansen Chu. Here’s the list of those who have pulled papers indicating they’re interested in running for the job: Tweet
Jan 5, 2015
Among the duties the new San Jose Mayor will take on this month is choosing a Vice Mayor. That’s a role for someone whom the Mayor can count on to automatically second motions he supports or make motions for him. Because, some say, she’s not particularly bright and her word cannot be trusted, Liccardo is going to want to…
Dec 24, 2014
The Left Hook will take a break over the holidays, but we wanted to give you a brief look back at our inaugural year. From the launch of this now “go-to” source for local progressive news, to the wins for working families, 2014 was a fascinating and hopeful year. January, 2014: TLH kicks off and the Rise of Citizen Journalists…
Dec 23, 2014
Even after 26 years, the feeling of giving holiday gifts to thousands of children in need never gets old. “You just can’t match it,” says Steve Preminger, Director of Working Partnerships USA’s Community Builders program and the Ring Leader of the Holiday Party for Kids. Tweet
Dec 22, 2014
Most government offices are slowing down or closing down for the holiday week, but here’s what’s coming up after the holidays: San Jose Special holiday closed session The San Jose City Council loves working together so much, they’ve scheduled a special meeting for December 30th, when they would ordinarily be snowboarding or something cool like that. The special closed session…
Dec 19, 2014
After five hours of what many called a “charade”, 6 San Jose City Council members decided to appoint former City Council rep. Margie Matthews to fill the vacant District 4 seat. Council Member Pierluigi Oliverio surprised many in the audience ready to object to the anti-democratic, unethical process of rushing through a pre-determined appointment with his own version of torture…
Dec 17, 2014
This just in…It looks like Mayor-elect Liccardo is continuing with his power play. The latest victim is City Manager Ed Shikada, who tried to put forth an effort to repair the destroyed relationship between City leaders and workers. Shikada released this letter to City workers today, leaving the way open for Liccardo to hand pick his own City Manager in…
Dec 16, 2014
There was an eloquent and well thought-out argument by Council Member Ash Kalra. A substitute motion by Council Member Don Rocha to hold off on an appointment until January even drew the support of oft-opponent Council Member Pierluigi Oliverio. But Mayor-elect Sam Liccardo was determined to ram through his plans to appoint a campaign supporter as a temporary replacement for…