By Robert Haugh
I received an issue of the Santa Clara Weekly delivered last Thursday — for the first time in six months on my doorstep! No kidding.
I’ve been hearing lots of people say that they don’t get the publication regularly. That’s true in my neighborhood.
Of course, the most common complaint I hear is about their slanted coverage. This criticism is directed mostly at Lobbyist/Publisher Miles Barber’s columns. He writes regularly attacking Mayor Lisa Gillmor and the women on the council. One of his worst columns was when he insulted them by writing they couldn’t spell their own names. That’s really “Trumpian.”
Barber has not published his column in a couple weeks. As we previously reported, Lou Mariani has told many people that Barber was in the hospital in critical care. Barber apparently had to miss the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce’s special meeting and the Council’s big vote on the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) management. We’re hearing from others that Barber may not have actually gone to the hospital. Either way, we’re sorry that he’s not feeling well and wish him a speedy recovery.
Mariani and Barber are Chamber directors. Barber was also the lobbyist for the massive Mariani development project until he was let go about a year ago.
Previous Complaints
The Weekly has been in the middle of a lot of controversy recently. They published an ad for the CVB that backfired. The CVB staff spent money to brag about how they brought Wrestlemania to Levi’s Stadium — three years ago! That raised questions about their judgment and performance — and self-dealing since Barber is a Chamber Board member. The CVB management contract was ended at the end of last month.
And, of course, our regular readers will remember that Burt Field of Stand Up for Santa Clara wrote an opinion piece raising a lot of questions over 18 months ago about the Weekly and their number of subscriptions. He thinks the City is wasting tax dollars by using the Weekly.
According to Field, former City Clerk Rod Diridon, Jr. never did anything about his concerns, even after two meetings. Field recently sent his complaint to City Manager Deanna Santana.
We’re wondering if Barber’s self-dealing will be an issue for the City, since the Weekly publicly says it’s “The Official Newspaper for the City of Santa Clara!”
We know Santana has had her hands full dealing with major issues during her first year. But we hope that City departments pay attention to complaints about our tax dollars and the Weekly’s distribution and numbers — and maybe even ethics.
Then maybe my neighbors and I will get our Weekly regularly — or maybe not.
Editor’s Note: We asked the Weekly for comment about their distribution. They did not respond.
[…] wished him well when we heard he was sick. We’re glad to hear it’s nothing more […]
So the Santa Clara Weekly has gone from being “The Most Read Publication in Santa Clara” to “The Official Newspaper for the City of Santa Clara”? When did city hall decide this? And who approved it? Can ANY paper declare themselves to be the “official” paper for the city of Santa Clara??! Looks like shameless self-dealer Miles Barber is trying to put something over on the city and its residents – again. Whenever I see the Weekly, it’s usually stacks and stacks of them in the senior center – apparently, Barber feels that we seniors will believe anything he prints. He would do well to remember that we are intelligent, thinking, discerning members of the community who don’t necessarily believe everything they hear or read (especially if it’s printed in the Weekly). The city should demand that the new masthead be trashed immediately.
We’re hearing from others that Barber may not have actually gone to the hospital.
???
Did he wimp out on the meeting because he had the sniffles?
The Santa Clara Weekly is a fine publication that is funded by the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Silicon Valley Power, the SCPD and other departments that are suckers.
No one knows the circulation but they just keep paying an exorbitant advertising fee. If they were smart, the y would ask for the audited circulation. Fortunately, for the Weekly they aren’t and they don’t.
Let’s keep it that way so Miles Barber can continue his scheme of diverting public dollars into his private enterprise pockets. Afterall, he’s a “free market capitalist” who lectures us about the waste of tax dollars. I guess he’s proving his point marvelously.
Sincerely,
B.S.
I must say that I never noticed the “Official” designation beforehand. Perhaps that’s because I don’t read the trash as I take it from my front yard to the recycling bin.
But now that you’ve pointed it out, Robert, this is quite an interesting and disturbing fact. My city should not have an “official” paper. There should be a separation between city hall and all newspapers. This must violate some law or standard. Perhaps additional reporting on this issue would be warranted.