The Weekly has served Santa Clara by one name or another continuously for over 150 years. The current ownership is perhaps one of the longest runs ever and, with sincere thanks to the community and our dedicated staff, we are still here reporting the news.
There appear to be a few City elected officials and staff members that find our publication something less than a newspaper. Which is surprising when you consider we are the same newspaper that former City Councils have voted as the official publication in the City.
We have not changed our policy or philosophy to satisfy or pacify elected or appointed officials, who are given voter approval to run our City. Since we haven’t changed, it must be others who have changed.
While The Weekly has focused on school activities, charities, and local events, politics have become a most controversial and absorbing topic. The transition of City leadership has changed with the advent of Mayor Lisa Gillmor and her three joined-at-the-hip supporters: Council Members Debi Davis, Teresa O’Neill and Kathy Watanabe. These three give the Mayor complete support without objection, question or opposition. Together, they have created a Council without checks and balances.
The Mayor and her team have effectively and systematically eliminated most every major long-term staff leader in our City. These include our prior City Manager, City Attorney, Finance Director, City Clerk, an all-out failed campaign to eliminate Police Chief Mike Sellers and the removal of a host of department heads. In short, her opposition is gone.
With the buying of her hired gun, City Manager Deanna Santana with a $700,000 package, Mayor Gillmor has ruled Santa Clara with little opposition. The only exception has been The Weekly. Thanks to our long-term Editor Angie Tolliver, who has diligently insisted our entire staff report the facts as they happen.
The recent report by the Grand Jury was completed after months of investigation. They reported the brutal facts about Santa Clara recordkeeping and the slow or non-responsive public record requests.
In a letter to the public, Deanna Santana brushed off the Grand Jury criticism like a piece of lint on a pricey black dress. While she expounded on the many changes the City was taking to make positive headway, she essentially blamed prior administrations and employees.
However, under the 25-year leadership of former City Manager Jennifer Sparacino and a decade with City Clerk Rod Diridon Jr, Santa Clara did not have these problems and complaints.
Santana has a well-established history in camouflaging issues. She was accused several times in Oakland of attempting to change documents and reports to her own liking.
Now, her “skills” have been brought to Santa Clara, where she can write pages of flowery prose to the public, designed to cover up the reality of a City gone south.
She blames The Weekly for being critical, saying our criticism is unfounded.
Friends, we don’t make up the facts, we just observe and report them.
This is a simple case and…the shoe seems to fit.
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In my experience, City Hall in Santa Clara is still playing "hide-and-go-seek" with public records. Under California law, a county grand jury can actually accuse local public officials - elected or appointed - of official misconduct and call for removal. When that happens, the District Attorney is required to pursue removal of the public officials in a trial by jury.