Cindy Chavez Wins County Supervisor Election, PR Flack Continues Media Blacklist

Election nights have morphed into a game of cat and mouse between Fly and Stacey Hendler Ross, PR flack for the South Bay Labor Council. In the county supervisor primary and then the runoff, which took place Tuesday, Hendler Ross has taken to her new role as bouncer. No more than a minute into this week’s election night party for new county Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Hendler Ross grabbed a San Jose Inside reporter by the arm and tried to escort him out before realizing she should use her words. Noting that it was a private party and only “legitimate media” could enter, Hendler Ross also gave an SJI intern the boot, once again stifling the free press. Or so she thought. While the PR dragon and an aggressive bearded companion threatened to call the cops, other Fly spies managed to enter the Labor Temple’s sacred confines, where San Jose councilmen Kansen Chu and Ash Kalra, Campbell Mayor Evan Low, perennial candidate Patricia Martinez-Roach and others loyal to the cause huddled around tables and dined on hot sausage, grilled chicken and garlic bread before moving on to the chocolate fondue fountain. First poll returns gave Chavez a commanding lead with more than 56 percent of the vote, leaving opponent Teresa Alvarado with an insurmountable deficit. Once again holding her election night party at Flames in downtown San Jose, Alvarado offered a Spartan mix of cheese, crackers and the restaurant’s signature hot wings. San Jose Councilman and future mayoral candidate Sam Liccardo made the rounds and tried to keep spirits high, while other supporters frequented the cash bar. Alvarado arrived nearly an hour after her fate was already written, but the party went on as a DJ spun some Michael Jackson classics and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” Considering Chavez had a near limitless amount of funding with the help of her coordinated partners at the county Democratic Party and the South Bay Labor Council, Alvarado likely would have needed more than luck to score the upset.

The Fly is the valley’s longest running political column, written by Metro Silicon Valley staff, to provide a behind-the-scenes look at local politics. Fly accepts anonymous tips.

8 Comments

  1. Looks like SJI got the story anyway. So much for county transparency and accountability. Chavez will get it all locked down now.

    Kind of incredible that the Merc ignored all of your reporting on the Family Health Foundation (aka Family Health Fiasco), and that it’s still being funded by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Applied Materials Turkey Trot.

  2. The real losers in this election are the 96,000 registered voters in District 2 that didn’t bother to cast a ballot. Shame on you, one and all.

    There are millions of people throughout the world today who are sacrificing everything, including their lives, for the freedoms many Americans take for granted or shrug off.

    There are also many thousands of men and women in this country who gave all to preserve and protect our rights, and it insults their sacrifice not to simply participate in the process they defended.

  3. “…Considering Chavez had a near limitless amount of funding with the help of her coordinated partners at the county Democratic Party…”

    It looks like the GOP trickle down theory still doesn’t hold water.

  4. Normally people like that are nice to your face and are waiting for an opportunity to stab you in the back.  This is refreshing in a weird sort of way.

    Politics in San Jose are really starting to get bizarre.  There’s also that political consultant that supposedly linked Chavez to tacos, or something like that.  It’s like the people that are paid to keep the candidates out of trouble, are more clueless than the candidates themselves.

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