The Fly
Call It a Wash
May 16, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (0)
Election season brings about some odd transfers of money when it comes to political contributions, and maybe no stranger transaction took place last year than the $4,000 the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (ChamberPAC) returned to the Santa Clara Valley Water District in August. According to standards set by California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, a public entity is forbidden from contributing to any PAC, while the IRS says schools and charities risk losing their tax exemptions if they give money to PACs that support political candidates—which the ChamberPAC certainly does.
Pruning Rose
May 09, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (8)
Former County Supervisor and State Assemblymember Dom Cortese featured in an attack ad against Councilmember Rose Herrera.
The San Jose Police Officers Association started its attack ad blitz for the June 5 primary election, and the cops aren’t just doing mailers and push polls—they’re also pulling out all the social-media stops.
Where Did Everybody Go?
May 02, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (2)
A lot of people in charge will say—whether they believe it or not—that they are only as good as their staff. It’s difficult to tell for State Assemblymember Nora Campos (D-San Jose), because almost all of her staff has been replaced. In fact, no elected official in the entire state Legislature has experienced a higher turnover of staff since the beginning of 2011 than Campos.
McCain Meets with Silicon Valley Leaders
Apr 25, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (8)
During its semiannual trip last week to Washington D.C., members of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed met with U.S. Senator John McCain. (Photo by Wigwam Jones via Flickr)
Almost four years ago, John McCain came within a Sarah Palin of capturing the White House. But last week, the U.S. senator huddled with several of Silicon Valley’s most powerful CEOs and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed to talk green technology, Obamacare, tax reform and ... sports. The meeting was part of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s semiannual trip to Washington, D.C., which features a parade of meetings with Capitol Hill’s influence makers.
Labor Endorsement Chaos at DCC
Apr 07, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (4)
Santa Clara County’s Democratic Central Committee held a meeting Thursday to sign off on its endorsements for this June’s election, and things got weird. Factions formed when it came time voice support for candidates in each district of the San Jose City Council, and the choices showed a surprising split in the house of labor.
Radio Rebuke?
Apr 04, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (4)
Never mess with Bob Kieve—that’s the lesson San Jose Councilmember Ash Kalra learned after trying to bow out of San Jose Rotary Club’s pension reform debate next week against council colleague Pete Constant. David Ginsborg, a Rotary member and the right fist of County Assessor Larry Stone, says Kalra was scared he would be branded as anti-pension reform in the debate when really he’s just anti-Mayor Reed. But others tell a different tale.
The Big Payback
Mar 28, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (0)
Money talks during election season, and it seems the closer a person is to San Jose’s City Hall, the louder their voice. That could be why San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio and planning commissioner Edesa Bitbadal raised the most money in the first two and a half months of the year with more than $121K and $86K in campaign contributions, respectively. Councilmember Rose Herrera didn’t do too shabby either, hauling in almost $49K. But Kansen Chu just topped Herrera’s total and, according to his campaign disclosure forms, the money he spent suggests he might be currying votes and/or future favors with cash.
Showing Strength in Numbers
Mar 21, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (6)
San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio says he didn’t raise campaign money at the end of December out of respect for the holidays. At this point, he’ll also be able to solemnly respect Easter, Passover and Cinco de Mayo. Campaign disclosure forms go public later this week, but Oliverio proudly leaked that he raised the maximum amount of money allowed for the District 6 primary—$121,000—in just the last two and a half months.
Reading Rainbow
Mar 13, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (0)
Just when things seem to be going better for Mayor Chuck Reed, with a solid council vote on his pension reform ballot measure and his first-ever projected budget surplus, his predecessors have to go and steal his thunder. Instead of waiting for Reed to follow through on his plan to open four new libraries that closed the day construction stopped, former mayor Susan Hammer and council members Frank Fiscalini and Trixie Johnson trotted out their own plans to save libraries—show-offs.
Gonzales Endorses Bitbadal
Mar 07, 2012, by The Fly Politics, The Fly Comments (5)
A campaign fundraiser flyer for San Jose’s District 10 City Council candidate Edesa Bitbadal made its way on to The Daily Fetch website this week, and an unexpected name was at the top of the guest list: Gonzo! That’s right, former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales.
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