By Robert Haugh
A Change.Org petition was started yesterday by Stand Up for Santa Clara (SUFSC) to ask District Attorney Jeff Rosen to investigate corruption in Santa Clara.
The petition cites the findings of a recent Civil Grand Jury report.
SUFSC was started in March 2015 by leaders of the soccer community to battle the 49ers’ takeover of the Youth Soccer Park.
Now, they describe themselves as a “grass-roots watchdog organization dedicated to educating and engaging Santa Clara citizens.”
Here’s a link to the petition. The text is below:
On Oct 10, the Civil Grand Jury released a scathing report about how city and state ethics laws may have been broken by these five Santa Clara City Councilmembers:
- Anthony Becker
- Raj Chahal
- Suds Jain
- Karen Hardy
- Kevin Park
- they “put the 49ers’ interests ahead of the city’s interests.”
- “49ers’ lobbyists are dictating City/Stadium Authority policy to the detriment of residents.”
Police Chief Pat Nikolai wrote an official letter to District Attorney Jeff Rosen asking him to investigate. Nikolai wrote:
- “It raises serious questions about unethical conduct, state and city law violations and potential corruption.”
- He’s witnessed “unwarranted personal attacks” on the grand jury members by a 49ers representative.
On Oct 17, Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor introduced an “Anti-Corruption Reform Plan” that called for an independent citizen’s Ethics Commission.
But Becker, Chahal, Jain, Hardy, and Park voted to bury the proposal and instead attacked the Grand Jury.
Therefore, only District Attorney Rosen can help stop corruption in Santa Clara.
Please ask him to investigate the Grand Jury’s report findings.
A “Letter to the Editor” appeared in the Weekly today from a James McManis not only slamming the recent Civil Grand Jury report but also the actual institutions of the Grand Jury and Civil Grand Jury themselves. I wonder if this is the same James McManis of the law firm McManis and Faulkner who represented the then SCU college student Brian Exline in his frivilous lawsuit against Lisa Gillmor in 2018, in which Mr. Exline lost not once but twice with appeal, great work Jimbo!!! P.S. Who pays your fees???
It is the same.
Hee! Hee! Everyone knows all good crooks commit crimes together. Sweet choice for the op-ed too. Reinforces my point!
https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-sheriff-faces-grand-jury-accusation-no-plea-yet/
Well, why would McManis like grand juries????
There is reason to see the grand jury and the report as having politics wrapped up in it and also Chief Nikolai asking DA Rosen to investigate. I think there is legitimate reason to question some aspects of the grand jury and its report.
But there are parts of the grand jury’s report that are just common sense conclusions from publicly known facts and these must be answered for. If not by the Forty Niners council bloc then I do hope that DA Rosen investigates to clear the air and impose transparency that is being refused by Becker and Chahal and Hardy and Jain and Park.
I do caution everyone to not talk about criminality or even “corruption” as it either is a foregone conclusion. It is natural and logical to think there might be corruption but we do not know if there is.
What we know right now is that there is too much secrecy and no transparency in this bloc’s dozens of private meetings with the Forty Niners and because they have been voting the way that the Forty Niners would want and the Forty Niners have spent millions to support their campaigns the question of corruption is a big one. But it is still a question and not a foregone conclusion.
McManis will do anything to make a dollar. Look at their previous “claims” against the city of Santa Clara and how those lawsuits have turned out.
More from the Great Suds Jain. 6/2022
Jain accuses Gary Gillmor of violating conflict of interest rules about the Loyalton Property. Hmm, Suds is a living coward. Don Von Raesfeld and Bill Gissler in 1977 actively pursued the property. Gary was not Mayor. He was the broker, and was asked to be the broker by the owner who he knew, AFTER DON AND BILL CONTACTED THE OWNER. BUT JAIN IS TOO MUCH OF COWARD TO PURSUE IT.
Midnight text summary from suds and becker
Watanabe and Gillmor use coffee mugs to communicate with each other.
Apparently Becker claims by angling the mugs to signal yes or no voting or moving them in circular movement.
Boy, it is called in sone circles, EMOTIONAL DISPLACEMENT.
Signed. This is needed. DA will decide if there is a case.
Love the “anonymous” supporters commenting here.
That is needed
Can you imagine this?
Becker and Jain text each other from midnight to 1 am
15 series of texts obtained cpra. Emailed them around
From midnight to 1 am becker and jain chat about
Lance Williams
Kirk Vartan
Lisa Gillmor
James Rowen
Burt Field
Kathy Watanabe
Howard Myers
Robert Haugh
Weird!!!!!
Some of you folks are silly. In the entire Civil Grand Jury report there was not one sustained finding of a City of Santa Clara ordinance or California penal code violation that should have been forwarded to the District Attorney. If there had been the judge presiding over the Civil Grand Jury could have easily handed it to Jeff Rosen’s office. And that goofy letter from the city’s inexpert police chief was also void of any alleged criminal wrong doing, it just simply points back to the Civil Grand Jury report. Much like the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury and Patrick Nikolai submissions, this Stand Up For Santa Clara petition fails to identify any city, state, or Federal law that has been violated. And besides, who remembers Rosen doing a little “gift giving” of his own? https://sanjosespotlight.com/chung-santa-clara-county-district-attorney-jeff-rosen-should-be-investigated/
Accusing someone of committing a crime falsely is a crime. Texts between becker and jain show no proof against haggag.
1st attack the Civil Grand Jury, next the District Attorney. Who’s next?
Silly? Our City getting taken apart, limb by limb, our City’s financial future now up for grabs, and you are using this term, really. That’s both interesting and telling.
So I guess statements like “Serious Wrongdoing, and Possible Corruption” should continue unchecked until something more serious, takes place.
The very fact that you are trying to site penal code violations, and insulting our Police Chief all in one sentence is again, both interesting and telling.
For me, when it comes to my elected officials that represent me, the Law should never be used as the floor to hold my elected officials accountable for their actions.
Elected Officials should always comport themselves in a very open and transparent manner, using a very common word that is the basis for how public trust is gained and kept.
That word is Ethics.
Here is the definition of Ethics…
Moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.
What the Civil Grand Jury found time and again, was evidence that these 5 49er City Councilmembers were putting the needs, wants, and best interest consistently ahead of the residents of Santa Clara. That’s not good incase you are wondering.
That is not good Ethics.
Sadly there are just too many examples to site… That’s what that little silly Civil Grand Jury report did for us.
Remember you don’t have to post your name, but when you post something as silly as you have you might want to rethink that either before you take the time to write it, or if you feel that strongly feel free to use you real name.
I’ve consistently used my name and even added my email address so people can ask me questions.
Burt Field
Burt.field@gmail.com
Mayor’s proposal for a “Santa Clara Anti-Corruption Reform Plan” should include Mayor Lisa Gillmor. Because, she too, is facing scrutiny and ethical questions from her colleagues, residents and workers after she lobbied Gov. Gavin Newsom, without knowledge of the council, to help a major developer skirt paying higher wages—months before the firm began a spending spree to support her reelection. The epitome of “Unsportsmanlike”, not fair to her council colleagues.
Huh?? Lobbying on related began with matthews, exact letter gillmor sent was done in 2017. Sorry you are wrong
Jed’s Orders:
1. Deflect
2. Lie
3. Repeat.
https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-official-city-clerk-accused-of-living-out-of-state/
Texts between becker and jain predate this
Oh man… Maybe the same person I just responded too, about “Rosen Like Gifts” just lost their mind for a few minutes.
OK, here is a simple, really simple analogy, some might even call it silly….
If you were looking for a buried treasure and someone placed an LARGE BLACK “X” on a map, would you then decide to start to dig there, or maybe a mile or two away?
We do have a Civil Grand Jury Report calling out 5 elected officials, none of then are named Lisa.
We also currently have 10 FPPC complaints all in in active investigation right now. They are aimed at the same 5 individuals that the Civil Grand Jury pointed out. Again none of them are named Lisa.
By contrast, we have our Mayor Lisa Gillmor and our lone Santa Clara City Councilmember, Kathy Watanabe who have been cleared by the Civil Grand Jury of any Serious Wrongdoing, or Possible Corruption, and have no FPPC Violations being investigated.
So I’m going to take a guess that either you have never looked for anything value before or you just have a bone to pick with Lisa.
Let me know if you think I am off base in my thinking here. At least you know how to get ahold of me.
Burt Field
Burt.field@gmail.com
Let’s Start With Lisa,
Gillmor should be held to the same standards.
But Gillmor’s letter to Newsom about the Related project has been overblown. She wrote a letter that is on the public record and asked Newsom to look into whether it should be categorized as a public works project and stated she does not believe it should and stated why.
The reason why the Forty Niners Five’s behavior is seen as suspect is because they met in private with the Forty Niners dozens of times with no record or notes and also have refused to have a discussion in which they explain their reasons for accepting the Forty Niners early and insufficient settlement offer.
If their communication and reasoning were a matter of written public record such as Gillmor’s was then there would be far less reason to criticize them for lack of transparency.
Dear Community,
I do not think the City of Santa Clara can be any more Unethical then District 5 Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco, Who is running for Santa Clara County Board of Education.
Her refusal to demand that Her past partner, Kevin De Leon, Resign from his Elected Office in Los Angeles is so telling of her Spinless Political Background.
Please do not Elect someone who will take advantage of the Community.
Do your homework, investigate, ask hard questions and VOTE SMART.
You must require Taxation with Honest, Open, Transparent, and Clear Community Communication.
I pray for your City like I do the East Valley every day.
In Community Spirit,
Danny Garza
President
Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association and Gateway East N.A.C.
Rosen was sent copies of text messages between suds jain and anthony becker accusing hossam haggag of committing a crime.
He is already investigating I would imagine. He owes us a charging decision before the election so we can make an informed vote.
Signed and posted on FakeBook.