By Robert Haugh
Last year was a historic and embarrassing one for Santa Clara.
Former Vice Mayor Anthony Becker was indicted for leaking a Grand Jury report to the 49ers and lying about it. He’ll be sentenced at the end of this month. A jury decided Becker committed felony perjury and he could serve up to four years in prison.
Since the 49ers started getting active in Mission City politics in 2010, there have been a lot of political controversies and some major scandals. Let’s hope we don’t have any in 2025.
But the team is still pulling the strings at City Hall. And they still have a 49er Five majority with the addition of newly elected Albert Gonzalez. So we’ll see.
That’s why I continue to write Santa Clara News Online (SCNO). The Mission City needs hyper-local journalism to keep tabs on City Hall.
I’m not motivated by money. I don’t get paid and I don’t have advertising. Some people have subscribed to SCNO. I appreciate it and it helps me keep the site going.
In 2017, I did need to raise money to defend myself against a lawsuit by Lobbyist/Publisher Miles Barber who tried to bully and silence me. The community rallied. Together, we beat Barber in a big legal win, including the appeal.
Santa Clarans tell me in person and on social media that they appreciate the site because they can’t count on other sources. The Mercury News doesn’t really understand the Mission City and they never have. There’s growing evidence that their news coverage and editorial opinions are being influenced by the 49ers’ advertising. That’s a major news story that will be told in the future.
Ironically, the San Francisco Chronicle has a better sense of what’s really happening in Santa Clara. They’ve become the paper of record for Santa Clara and they’re winning awards for it. But as good as they are, they can’t cover Santa Clara the way that SCNO can.
Another reason I need to keep writing is because of something we learned during the Becker trial from the grand jury transcripts and witness testimonies.
The 49ers have an extremely cozy relationship with the Silicon Valley Voice (Barber, Carolyn Schuk, Angie Tolliver) and San Jose Spotlight (Ramona Giwargis). These journalists would probably be reprimanded or fired from journalistic publications that take ethics seriously.
As a journalist, I’ve covered Santa Clara and the Silicon Valley for over 20 years. I’m proud to say that SCNO follows a thorough set of standards and ethics set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Thank you for your continued support and readership.
Robert,
Thank you for all that you do/write/keep tabs on/ And let’s not overlook Grace Hase of the Mercury News. She has covered the entire ISC (International Swim Center) fiasco, the campaign contributions of the 49ers to our city council (the 49er 5) and Becker’s trial – all the way down in Morgan Hill.
Robert you are too kind calling Shuck, Tolliver and Giwargis “journalists.” Let’s look at the antonym for journalist and that is more befitting: gossiper, rumormonger, talebearer, tattletale, yenta, muckraker and blatherskite.
Unfortunately under their fictitious title of “journalist” they can’t be indicted but based on what came out in the Becker trial, they should be in jail with him. Lots of folks know that which is why their version of journalism is compared to the Enquirer and no one believes it.
Happy New Year, Robert!
A Big Thank You for trying to keep our City honest! I’m glad you took a vacation from it and hope you have a Happy & Prosperous New Year!
Thank you Robert and Happy New Year……