By Robert Haugh
There’s been a lot of talk around the Mission City about Jed York dropping $2.4 million into four city council races.
It’s the most money anyone has spent on City Council races in Santa Clara history.
The Santa Clara Police Officers Association PAC, the Santa Clara Firefighters and Labor are also spending money in these races.
But their combined spending is a fraction of York’s millions.
You can track the spending on the City Clerk’s website. There are charts for each Council district.
York is trying to take control of the City Council by electing Anthony Becker (District 6), Harbir Bhatia (District 1), Suds Jain (District 5) and Kevin Park (District 4).
The POA PAC’s website JedYorkFacts.com calls them “Jed’s Team.”
York is opposing Rob Mezzetti (District 6), Bob O’Keefe (District 5), Councilwoman Teresa O’Neill (District 4) and Councilwoman Kathy Watanabe (District 1).
Jed’s Team is saying that they did not ask for the spending that’s supporting them. They also argue that they’ll be independent.
But York has a history of rewarding his supporters. He did that with disgraced former Councilman Dominic Caserta.
In 2014, Caserta supported giving away the Youth Soccer Park to York who wanted it for game day VIP parking. That’s right — to park VIP cars.
A few years later, Caserta ran for County Supervisor and York returned the favor with a huge financial contribution.
But Caserta dropped out of the race after multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
We’ll have to see if any of Jed’s Team is elected. Then, we’ll find out what Jed wants for his contribution.
Suds is embarrassing himself now, grasping at straws. It seems he will say anything truthfull or not. I suppose he doesn’t want to be a three-time loser. It couldn’t be Jed’s big bucks?
Thank you, Travis Flora, for fact-checking Suds Jain. As for Jain’s claim that Mayor Gillmor demanded he “swear allegiance” to her, I believe this to be an out-and-out lie. Having observed and worked with and known Mayor Gillmor for many years, I’ve never heard (or heard of) her demanding allegiance or loyalty of anyone. The longer this campaign goes on, the more I distrust Mr. Jain about his views, his ethics, and his ability to vote on items pertinent to District 5. Vote for Bob O’Keefe for District 5.
Suds,
Mayor Gillmor, in fact, was one of the Council members who voted Yes to appoint you to Caserta’s old seat, so you cannot state that she opposed appointing you to Council. Mahan and Kolstad voted No, preventing your appointment (and the other potential appointments, but I’m not going to rehash that debacle here). The point is, your statement is not true.
You can’t stop York from spending his own money, but you could certainly issue a serious rebuke of his efforts to influence this election. Instead, you chose to go after Mayor Gillmor in your comment to this post. You wrote one sentence regarding York (which was weak and doesn’t actually refuse his assistance or distance yourself from him), and you wrote one paragraph regarding Mayor Gillmor. That’s a big red flag for me.
These four candidates have not come out against the $2.4 million dollars that the 49ers have invested in their campaigns so far. Anthony Becker, Harbir Bhatia, Suds Jain, and Kevin Park.
It seems they like Jed’s money💰. They know there is plenty more if they are elected.
Please vote for Santa Clara:
Rob Mezzetti
Bob O’Keefe
Teresa O’neill
Kathy Watanabi
To keep Santa Clara run by the residents and not a by billionaire boy Jed York.
Just say NO to boy Jed and his four minions and,
DO NOT VOTE For:
Harbir Bhatia
Suds Jain
Anthony Becker
Kevin Park
What does Jed York want? Could be that Jed believes he has great wisdom and insight, he alone knows what is best for Santa Clara or it could merely be greed, a very rich man wanting to make millions and millions more. What ever the reason Jed sure is spending an OBSCENE amount of money, 2.4 million to date, to buy the city council.
As for Jed’s hand picked team of, Suds Jain, Harbir Bhatia, Kevin Park, and Anthony Becker, all have publicly stated that they do not take any PAC or special interest money. They are in no one’s pocket and they can’t control Jed’s spending of nearly $600,000, so far, on each of them. Oh but they can, I have yet to hear one of the team say STOP, ENOUGH please do not include me in anymore of your spending, this is not right! You won’t hear that because all four is so deeply indebted to Jed York they do not dare bite the hand that feeds them. With that being said, in a few more days maybe a week, one or more of the team most likely will make some pre-planned feeble plea to Jed to stop the spending, by that time the total will most likely be 3 million plus.
This election is critical for the future of our City. Santa Clara, DON”T BUY THE LIE, say NO to Jed York and his hand picked team of Jain, Bhatia, Park and Becker!!!
Hey Suds,
This campaign has exposed your challenge with honesty.
You have not asked Jed to stop spending on your behalf. You just pretend to be dislike it.
Oh by the way, it’s $2.4 million of Jed’s money helping you and his chosen candidates! If your opponent has taken PAC money, it would have to be less than the legal limit of $630. You can’t round up that integer to get close to Jed’s amount.
Be honest please especially about your inability to vote on downtown issues and university issues.
I pledged to take no special interest money when I ran for City Council in 2016 and have done again this time. My opponent has taken special interest PAC money in this election. I have put a lot of my own money into my campaign so that I don’t have to take money from special interests. I don’t need Jed York’s money.
I very publicly opposed Measure J. I have been endorsed by 4 key opponents of measure J: Michele Ryan, Vice Mayor Karen Hardy, Byron Fleck and Bill Bailey in THIS election.
I am totally independent and will always be. In fact, Lisa Gillmor has opposed appointing me to City Council and Commissions because I won’t swear allegiance to her. Just think about how many past City Council Candidates have worked for the Gillmor Real Estate company. In fact, Robert Mezzetti who is now running for District 6 has worked for the Gillmors and is a registered lobbyist working for developers.