February 23, 2023rhaugh2154

Santa Clara Vice Mayor Kevin Park and Councilmember Anthony Becker Accused of Abusive Behavior

By Robert Haugh

At Tuesday’s Santa Clara City Council meeting, Santa Clara Vice Mayor Kevin Park and Councilmember Anthony Becker were accused of abusive behavior.

Santa Clara business leader Kirk Vartan played a video of Park belittling him at the February 7 Council meeting. Becker was videotaped laughing and encouraging Park.

You can watch Vartan’s 3-minute testimony here.

Or you can watch a full discussion of the event with more video on the Public Trust Review YouTube channel.

Ethicist Dr. Tom Shanks who helped establish Santa Clara’s award-winning ethics programs decades ago said that Park’s behavior is “one of the most egregious violations of the ethics code that I’ve seen in any City in the last 30 years. There’s no reason ever for somebody to attack a public person from the dais.”

“It violates every single one of the city’s core values and the fact that that Councilmember Becker is laughing at this, he’s understanding exactly what’s going on and he thinks it’s funny,” said Shanks.

“It’s not it’s inappropriate and it is egregious for the behavior of a councilman this is not role model behavior which is what everyone has the right to expect from the council.” 

This is not the first time that Park or Becker have been accused of attacking the public.

Last year, Park had to publicly apologize for comparing former City Manager Deanna Santana to a “dog.”

In December 2021, Becker was once compared to a “bad mall Santa” for his tirades.

14 comments

  2. I’m really not that offended. Your cackelung laughter kind of reminds me of Kamala, whom I admire by the way. Lol

    Reply

  3. Park’s meanspirited and juvenile joke with the book was not acceptable behavior. The rest of the council sitting by silently and not objecting to it was also unacceptable.

    Becker making an extended rant showing his ignorance of what libel and constitutional protection for free speech was also unacceptable. As was Parks allowing Becker to go on and on instead of putting a stop to the use of public time for airing his ignorant opinions.

    All of this is silly and should not be blown up to be more than it is. But it also just should not be part of city council meetings. It is an embarrassment to us all. Mayor Gillmor would at least use the gavel to keep this sort of childish bickering as brief as possible. Now we know what happens when someone like Kevin Park runs council meetings.

    Reply

    • As always best analysis. Park claims to be sensitive to people. LIAR.

      Becker claimed to be aware of defamation.
      LIAR.

  5. QUIT CRYING ! IF IT UPSETS YOU SO MUCH, THERE’S PROBABLY A MEASURABLE AMOUT OF TRUTH IN WHAT HE SAID !

    Reply

  6. why isnt the media covering this abuse? where is da?
    oh chandick and shucky/weakly or the murky news or
    sjs or sjinside cant let jed’s minions look bad or they
    wont get their kickbacks. but turn the tables and gillmore
    or wantanbe say boo and well its a national story.

    Reply

  7. KIRK VARTAN
    local business person
    Concerned citizen
    Activist
    Contributor to community
    I really disagree with him
    Still respect efforts

    Kevin Park
    ABUSIVE PUNK

    ANTHONY BECKER
    STUPID PUNK

    Reply

  8. Park came to my house last year campaigning for Becker during his failed mayoral run. I told Park I appreciated his grass roots effort, then I told Park how little I thought of Becker or his supporters including the 49ers. Park came unhinged and began a tirade towards me because I was reading unbiased news, not the pamphlets he was distributing. Unfortunately the video did not get captured by my Ring camera. How many times do documented ethics issues need to be raised against individuals before action is taken?

    Reply

    • Mr. Becker was the Only member of Santa Clara Council that was proactive in getting us the badly need all way stop at Los Padres and Serra. This intersection was home to many high speed accidents in the last few years. Very thankful for his action.

    • BFD, Stanley.
      It’s Tony’s damn
      District. He better
      be making
      improvements.

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