Summary
Wondering who to vote for in Santa Clara's City Council election? San José Spotlight has you covered with the inside scoop on all the candidates. Get the info you need to make your choice!
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 35
- Last 30 days
- 26
Impact analysis
Your vote could shape how city funds are spent for years to come!
Everyone in Santa Clara benefits when informed citizens choose leaders who will best represent their interests.
No groups negatively affected
Mentions & discussions (20)
Mercury News Endorses Kertes, Inciarte, Crutchlow; Calls for End to Jed York’s City Hall Grip
Mercury News Endorses Kertes, Inciarte, Crutchlow; Calls for End to Jed York’s City Hall Grip
Oct. 2026 Follow the Money Update: More PACs Join the Party
The latest campaign finance reports show 14 PACs making direct donations to candidates, and a second independent expenditure committee jumping into the campaign. Independent Expenditures  Reports for the l...
BREAKING: Mercury News Endorses Kertes, Inciarte, Crutchlow to Stop 49ers’ Stranglehold on Santa Clara
BREAKING: Mercury News Endorses Kertes, Inciarte, Crutchlow to Stop 49ers’ Stranglehold on Santa Clara
Bini: Kathy Watanabe owes Santa Clara workers straight answers - San José Spotlight
Santa Clara has six candidates vying to be mayor in the November election. File photo. I have built my career in the building trades, first on the job and then leading the council that speaks for the men and wo...
Milestones - A Great Choice is Critical - Opinion
Santa Clara is blessed. This election year offers voters the opportunity to select a new mayor from a strong list of candidates. This is a terrific opportunity to select and vote for a new, positive, upbeat lea...
Edward Escobar: The Consultant On Camera
It’s not uncommon to hire political consultants in campaigns, but it is unusual when the political consultant becomes the center of campaign events before the election.  Santa Clara mayoral candidate Kathy...
Not Just the 49ers, Labor Also Spending Big to Elect Ferraris and Williams in Santa Clara
Not Just the 49ers, Labor Also Spending Big to Elect Ferraris and Williams in Santa Clara
Santa Clara Mayoral Candidate Karen Hardy Is a Teacher Who Doesn’t Do Her Homework
Santa Clara Mayoral Candidate Karen Hardy Is a Teacher Who Doesn't Do Her Homework
Ryan: Outside spending isn't new to Santa Clara — judge the candidates, not the noise - San José Spotlight
I understand why outside spending unsettles people. Voters deserve to know who is funding what, and that information should be easy to find. But a campaign that is only about spending totals tells residents nothing about who will show up to meetings prepared, return their calls and make sound decisions.
SOURCE: 49ers Polling in Santa Clara Convinced Team to Abandon Karen Hardy
SOURCE: 49ers Polling in Santa Clara Convinced Team to Abandon Karen Hardy
Fioretta: Prop. 4 could level playing field with public financing in Santa Clara - San José Spotlight
On Sept. 30, San José Spotlight published an op-ed by Arteaga Food Center owner Lupe Lopez. In it she complained that a political action committee (PAC) controlled by the owner of the San Francisco 49ers football team is attempting to buy a Santa Clara City Council seat by making a campaign contribution of more than $418,000 to...
Santa Clara: Kathy Watanabe Calls for Candidates to Reject Jed York’s Campaign Money
Santa Clara: Kathy Watanabe Calls for Candidates to Reject Jed York’s Campaign Money
Follow the Money 2026: 49ers Independent Expenditures Lead Spending in City Election
Two San Francisco 49ers independent expenditure committees have put roughly $2.6 million into PACs for Santa Clara’s election, dwarfing the combined $138,700 raised through loans and donations by candidates the...
49ers-backed PAC supports Santa Clara candidate, opposes another
49ers-backed PAC supports Santa Clara candidate, opposes another San José Spotlight
49ers-backed PAC supports Santa Clara candidate, opposes another - San José Spotlight
Santa Clara has two open City Council races this November. The San Francisco 49ers have pumped money into District 2, but not District 3. File photo. The San Francisco 49ers want to tilt the scales in the team’...
Mayoral Candidates Forum Replays Long-Standing Problems
On Sept. 27, six Santa Clara mayoral candidates revisited problems that have outlived several city councils: council dynamics, Levi’s Stadium and the 49ers, the still-unbuilt Related Companies project, downtown...
Milestones - A Mayor for the Majority - Opinion
Kathy Watanabe is just not a nice person. It doesn’t matter how much money she raises, marching bands she hires, promotional brochures she prints, she just is not nice and not a good choice for mayor. One ...
Op-Ed: I Fought the 49ers' Money in 2010. Here's My Advice: Focus on the Issues, Not the Spending.
In 2007, I helped found Santa Clara Plays Fair, the grassroots group that organized against a public subsidy for a 49ers stadium, a fight that became Measure J in 2010. I know what it’s like to run a campaign a...
2026 Santa Clara District 2 & 3 Candidates
With a full slate of candidates, The Weekly wanted to give voters insight into each candidate’s position on a slew of issues we believe matter most to Santa Clarans.Consequently, we asked them seven questions, ...
Santa Clara News - San José Spotlight
Santa Clara The San Francisco 49ers want to tilt the scales in the team’s favor on the Santa Clara City Council by pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the District 2 race. Recent campaign finance ...
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