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Santa Clara County Local News


All Local News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Abe-Koga Will Be Next Santa Clara County Supervisor in District 5

Margaret Abe-Koga appears to have a significant lead over Sally Lieber for the Santa Clara County Supervisor District 5 race as polls close across the county.
As of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Mountain View Councilmember Abe-Koga has 56.77% of the vote. Lieber, California State Board of Equalization chair, trails with 43.23% of the vote.
The county’s voter turnout is 42.54%% and 446,095 votes have been cast.
Both candidates are vying for the open District 5 seat with Supervisor Joe Simitian terming out in December. District 5 encompasses Mountain View, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Palo Alto and a small section of San Jose.
Abe-Koga, a daughter of Japanese immigrants, breast cancer survivor and former two-time Mountain View mayor, is slated to be the first Japanese American woman to serve on the board of supervisors, as voters are set to elect a women majority on the board.
She said she's encouraged by the early numbers and the support from the community. She said it would be a historic moment to have three Asian American supervisors and added she's looking forward to widening her political scope from Mountain View to a county district.
"It's really about bringing people together and making sure that everyone has a voice and can participate," she told San José Spotlight.
Abe-Koga has been on the Mountain View City Council for about 15 years and has worked for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Assemblymember Evan Low. In her time in office, she furthered a rental assistance program during the COVID-19 pandemic that distributed millions to families citywide. Abe-Koga also helped introduce Mountain View’s first guaranteed basic income program around two years ago, which helped 166 families.
She’s supported by the California Apartment Association, a powerful statewide landlord interest group. That support some sources said caused Congressional District 16 candidate Sam Liccardo, who is running against Low, to quietly drop his endorsement of her. 
Mountain View resident Fiona Walter, who is also Abe-Koga's volunteer campaign treasurer, said she's optimistic the early results will hold. She said Abe-Koga will provide a needed perspective to the board.
"I'm just so excited for all of us to have her voice at the board of supervisors, and to have her expertise," she told San José Spotlight. "I'm happy for her, of course, because this is the path that she's wanted to take and a job that she's really wanted to have. But I'm really happy for us, (the residents)."
Lieber said the race has been a journey and she's proud of her campaign. She said anything can happen as votes pour in.
"I'm just happy with the votes that I have. Every vote is so special," Lieber told San José Spotlight. "I was just thinking this morning, if I had it to do all over again, I would, and I wouldn't change a thing because it's been such a meaningful process running for this office."
Lieber is the California Renters Council’s pick and got her start in politics as a Stanford University undergraduate student studying public policy. She also attended San Francisco City and Foothill colleges. She’s moved around to different positions in her lengthy political career, including two stints on Mountain View City Council and six years in the State Assembly, but has continued to support tenant rights, including backing a referendum against restrictions on people living in RVs in Mountain View. As a legislator, she authored a bill to raise California’s minimum wage from $6.75 to $8 an hour over two years — a difficult endeavor under Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Since the beginning of their campaigns, Abe-Koga has raised roughly $564,587, with approximately $85,000 in loans and has spent about $537,432. Lieber has raised a total of about $195,460, with about $135,000 in loans and has spent roughly $137,647.
This story will be updated.
Contact Annalise Freimarck at annalise@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Pamela Campos Has Slight Lead in San Jose District 2 Race

Educator turned candidate Pamela Campos has a marginal lead over retired sheriff's deputy Joe Lopez in the race for the San Jose City Council District 2 seat.
As of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Campos, a nonprofit advocate and former education specialist, is ahead in early results with 51.5% of the vote. Longtime San Jose resident and second-time candidate Lopez trails with 48.4% of the vote. The county's voter turnout is about 40.1% and more than 423,000 ballots have been cast.
Lopez and Campos have the thinnest margin of any San Jose City Council race this year, according to the Registrar of Voters — with Campos leading by just over 3% of the vote as of 10:30 p.m. election night.
The two are vying for an open seat with Councilmember Sergio Jimenez terming out in December. District 2 stretches from the border of Morgan Hill and up to a portion of South San Jose, ending at Sylvandale Avenue.
Campos said she is cautiously optimistic of her chances to win.
"I'm feeling good knowing that we worked really hard since we found out we would be on the November general election ballot," she told San José Spotlight. "We worked up until the last hour and I'm really proud of that. My hopes are that with the new council elected we can take San Jose in a new direction. For District 2, we need a leader who will work tirelessly and bring resources services and programs that are community desperately needs."
Campos is the South Bay Labor Council's pick who also has the support of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party.
Graduating from San Jose State with a degree in child development, Campos started her career working as an education specialist and child care coordinator. Her experience working with families and fellow educators led her to nonprofit work and community advocacy across South San Jose. If Campos wins, she would continue down a similar path carved out by Jimenez as his endorsed successor.
She told San José Spotlight she chose to run for the District 2 seat because she wants to create more opportunities not just for educators, but also for increased child care and housing. Campos said having access to early childhood education and child care is proven to keep workers satisfied and successful at their jobs.
“We need child care to sustain current workforce and employment levels, but we also need it so that we’re preparing future generations for the workforce,” Campos said. “So we’re doing our community a huge benefit by recognizing that every level of government has a role to play in making sure that our children and our families have the resources and services and support that they need to thrive.”
Lopez gathered in front of the television at his South San Jose campaign headquarters watching the election results with a handful of close supporters by the time the third round of election results dropped around 9:45 p.m., with those around him remaining as optimistic as the trailing District 2 candidate.
"I would have preferred to be ahead, but not having that lead isn't discouraging — based on these numbers right not we're still optimistic," Lopez told San José Spotlight. "It's definitely going to be a long three weeks, I don't think we'll know overnight."
Joe Lopez (center) with supporters Terry Lee (left) and Bernice Frampton (right) at his campaign headquarters in South San Jose on Nov. 5, 2024. Photo by Vicente Vera.
Lopez, who began his 35-year career with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office with jobs such as a bilingual hostage negotiator, would give the council a pro-public safety and law enforcement voice on the dais — a major shift from Jimenez, recently the sole councilmember on the Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support Committee to call for expanded investigations into police misconduct allegations.
Retired nurse Bernice Frampton said she's enjoyed campaigning for Lopez and is pulling for him to come out on top once the full election results are released.
"He's done a phenomenal job on this campaign and I think he can win," Frampton told San José Spotlight. "I like supporting out local city representatives who I know are going to make a difference in our community."
@sanjosespotlight Retired sheriff’s deputy Joe Lopez shares his reaction to early election results in the race for the San Jose City Council District 2 seat. As of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Educator turned candidate Pamela Campos has a marginal lead over Lopez. #sccgeneral24 ♬ original sound – San JosĂ© Spotlight
Organizations like the San Jose Police Officers’ Association continue to tout Lopez as the ideal candidate. In addition to his background in law enforcement, he said being bilingual and coming from a Mexican family helps him connect with less politically active residents.
One of the most important aspects of representing District 2, Lopez said, is making sure more affordable housing is built and evenly distributed across the city, including downtown — and revitalizing local business sectors.
“We need to do more thinking outside of the box, to preserve and build more housing that’s affordable and low income housing where needed,” he told San José Spotlight. “We have to take a closer look across the board about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to accommodate our citizens and what’s really going to work.”
Campos raised $168,065, with $15,728 in loans while Lopez raised $107,469, with $20,380 in loans. 

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Patrick Ahrens Leads in Assembly 26 Race

In the South Bay's only competitive Assembly race, Patrick Ahrens is leading over Tara Sreekrishnan to fill the Assembly District 26 seat.
As of 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Ahrens, district director for Assemblymember Evan Low, appears to be ahead with roughly 58.4% of the vote. Sreekrishnan, a deputy chief of staff and legislative director for state Sen. Dave Cortese, is trailing behind with 41.5% of the vote.
The county's voter turnout is about 35.4% as of 9:45 p.m. and more than 370,000 ballots have been cast.
The Assembly 26 seat is open since Low, the incumbent, is running for Congress and did not file for reelection. The district includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino and parts of West San Jose and Alviso.
Ahrens said he's feeling very encouraged by the initial returns.
"I'm incredibly humbled by the votes so far," he said. "There are a lot of votes left to be counted. I'm feeling overwhelmingly grateful at the culmination of a year of reaching out to the community asking for their support. I'm really encouraged by the results but waiting until vote is counted."
Ahrens, also a trustee on the Foothill-De Anza Community College District board, said many issues facing the state are interconnected, like housing, homelessness, health care and education. He has previously experienced homelessness and lost his twin brother, Sean, to cancer, which gave Ahrens perspective into improving both systems.
Patrick Ahrens is leading in the state Assembly 26 race. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert.
Ahrens, who has worked for Low for more than a decade, said he wants to elevate multiple local projects to the state level. Ahrens worked alongside Santa Clara County officials to bring a full-service health clinic to De Anza College, for example, which is supported by the county’s health system — an idea he said could be implemented across the state.
Ahrens joined Low and others at the Democratic Volunteer Center, where dozens of supporters gathered around projection screens showing MSNBC's national elections coverage and a live update of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties' results. They also awaited Low and Ahrens, who are expected to make an appearance.
After the first round of results, some of Ahrens' supporters said they were nervous but excited. Michelle Wu, a senior intern with his campaign, said she was anticipating the results especially in light of the campaign's work.
"(We're) certainly optimistic," senior intern Maddy Chang told San José Spotlight. "We're in the lead by a somewhat good margin, (but) it's not a done deal yet.)
The race for Assembly District 26 has been close leading into Election Day, and candidates have been neck and neck in funding. The Oct. 25 filings show Ahrens has raised $995,402 since the beginning of his campaign, while Sreekrishnan has raised $926,352.
Special interest groups have spent hundreds of thousands on the race, including Uber and PG&E supporting Ahrens, while labor unions backed Sreekrishnan.
Sreekrishnan said she appreciated the broad support her campaign received.
“I am so inspired by the support our campaign earned across the district and deeply thankful to every supporter and volunteer who stood with us," Sreekrishnan told San José Spotlight. "Together, we stood strong against a massive onslaught of outside spending and never wavered from our vision for a state government that fights hard on behalf of people who work hard.”
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at sakura@sanjosespotlight.com or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Gilroy Dispatch logo From Gilroy Dispatch...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Blankley Holds Lead for Gilroy Mayor in Early Vote Count

Initial results from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters show incumbent Marie Blankley leading in the race for mayor of Gilroy in the Nov. 5 election, with incumbent Zach Hilton leading the count in the six-candidate field for three city council seats.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled D8 San Jose Councilman Domingo Candelas Headed to Victory

In a heated fight for reelection, San Jose Councilmember Domingo Candelas appears to be headed for another four years on the city council.
As of 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday, incumbent Candelas is leading his opponent, San Jose police Sgt. Tam Truong, with 54% of the vote, or 12,950 votes. Truong trails with 45.9% of the vote, or 11,015 votes. County voter turnout is at 42.5% with and more than 446,000 ballots cast.
The two are vying for the District 8 city council seat, which includes the Evergreen, Silver Creek and Lake Cunningham areas.

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San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Betty Duong Leads Competitive Santa Clara County Race

In a highly-competitive race to become Santa Clara County's first Vietnamese American supervisor, Betty Duong appears to have a slight edge over Madison Nguyen as polls close countywide.
As of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Duong is leading her opponent with 52.3% of the vote. Nguyen, a former San Jose councilmember and vice mayor, is trailing with 47.6% of the vote. More than 423,000 ballots have been counted, with county voter turnout at 40.4%.
The pair are vying to replace Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez who terms out in December. District 2 includes East San Jose and parts of downtown with a large Vietnamese population. The competitive race is splitting Vietnamese voters along pro-labor and pro-business lines as the community chooses who will represent them on the board for the first time.
Santa Clara County supervisorial candidate Betty Duong celebrated her early victory on election night with Supervisor Cindy Chavez and Jean Cohen, who leads the South Bay Labor Council. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert.
@sanjosespotlight In a highly-competitive race to become Santa Clara County’s first Vietnamese American supervisor, Betty Duong appears to have a slight edge over Madison Nguyen as polls close countywide. Betty Duong gathered at an election night party in downtown San Jose with her supporters. #sccgeneral24 ♬ original sound – San JosĂ© Spotlight
Duong, an East San Jose native and Chavez’s chief of staff, would add a pro-labor voice to the board. Despite being a first-time candidate, she’s the South Bay Labor Council’s pick with about 11 years of experience working behind the scenes in local government. She is set to join a woman-led board, with District 5 also electing a woman.
Her supporters gathered on election night at her campaign headquarters on South 5th Street. They wore bright pink from head to toe, bopped along to pop music from Miley Cyrus and feasted on dishes such as shaking beef and five-spice chicken. A pink piñata hung from the ceiling and children jumped in a small castle-shaped bounce house.
San Jose resident Allan Kamara said he supports Duong because she has county experience he values as a registered nurse.
“The county is a complex system. The health care system alone takes more than 60% of the county budget,” he told San José Spotlight. “Imagine somebody coming into that has no idea about how the county operates.” 

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San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Sam Liccardo Leads Early Results in Silicon Valley Congressional Race

Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is leading in Silicon Valley's hottest congressional race over state Assemblymember Evan Low in an unprecedented showdown between two powerful, liberal Bay Area politicians.
As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, early results show Liccardo leading with 59.8% of the vote, bumping Low to second place with 40.2% of the vote for Congressional District 16 between Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Voter turnout in Santa Clara County is just more than 40.4%. Voter turnout in San Mateo County is at 40%.
Liccardo took the stage around 9 p.m. as early results showed him leading over Low. He called for national unity as early presidential results favored former President Donald Trump — and noted how his own congressional race was filled with “disagreements.”

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Willow Glen Native Mulcahy Maintains Lead in San Jose D6 Race

Real estate investor Michael Mulcahy has pulled ahead in the race for the San Jose City Council District 6 seat.
As of 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Mulcahy appears to be leading with 53.1% of the vote, or 12,011 votes. Olivia Navarro, an insurance agent and political adviser, is trailing with 46.8% of the vote, or 10,591 votes. More than 446,000 ballots have been cast, with county voter turnout at 42.5%.
The two are vying for an open seat with Councilmember Dev Davis terming out in December. District 6 encompasses Willow Glen, The Alameda and parts of downtown.
"We're looking forward to the full results and are pleased with a great start — it's indicative of the campaign we ran and we'll see how the night plays out," Mulcahy told San José Spotlight. "I'm super proud of the campaign we ran, and this is exactly the kind of celebration I was looking forward to having."
Michael Mulcahy's watch party drew an excited crowd as he leads in San Jose District 6 city council race.  Photo by Vicente Vera.
Mulcahy held his election night party tucked away on the outskirts of Willow Glen at Hapa's Brewing Company, where supporters and campaign staffers chatted away either waiting to greet Mulcahy, or lining up for the Mexican-themed catering bar.
His wife Kimberly Mulcahy took the stage to announce the initial election results around 8:15 p.m. and supporters erupted in applause as Michael Mulcahy stood in the back among colleagues.
Supporters gather at a packed Hapa's Brewing Company for Michael Mulcahy's election night watch party. Photo by Vicente Vera.
Mulcahy, a native of San Jose, prominent Willow Glen real estate managing partner and former mayoral candidate, like Davis, would give the council a pro-business voice on the dais. 
Mulcahy, through his family company SDS NexGen Partners, has invested in myriad properties along Lincoln Avenue in downtown Willow Glen, including the Garden Theater, helping to revamp the area.
He also owns stakes in several Willow Glen restaurants including The Table and Lamella Tavern, and rents to longtime outposts like Aqui, he said. Mulcahy also oversaw redevelopment of the former Sun Garden tomato cannery on Monterey Road, which his family owned since the 1940s before it shut down. The area is now the Sun Garden shopping center.
Motivated to help grow the affordable housing stock, Mulcahy said he wants to collaborate with other councilmembers to incentivize developers to build in San Jose.
Residents aren’t fans of funding additional housing through costly tax measures like the once-proposed $20 billion Bay Area regional housing bond.
“We have to increase our ability to have people be able to afford to live in this community by creating more jobs, high-wage jobs, as much as we can,” Mulcahy told San José Spotlight. “I do not think that we can tax our way out of the situation.
Olivia Navarro (right) enjoyed the Labor watch party. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert.
San Jose resident Navarro is the South Bay Labor Council's pick, and also describes herself as the Democratic Party candidate.
She has led groups within the Democratic Party that include the Chicano Latino Caucus, Stonewall LGBTQ+ Democratic Club and Movimiento Democratic Coalition. Navarro said she would bring her experience in uniting labor and business groups to City Hall. 
Working as an insurance agent by day, Navarro said she considered herself a soccer mom before developing a passion for helping residents who provide care for their children and elderly parents not just in Willow Glen, but through the entire district.
Since the beginning of their campaigns, Mulcahy has raised $598,635 in contributions. Olivia Navarro has raised $101,279, with $5,000 in loans. 

San Jose Inside logo From San Jose Inside...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Liccardo Roars to Big Lead Over Low in First Returns for the 16th Congressional District

Preliminary, unofficial results in the first published returns at 8:15pm from Santa Clara and San Mateo counties showed Liccardo with 95,706 votes and Low with 64,528 votes, a nearly 60%-40% margin.

San Jose Inside logo From San Jose Inside...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres Resigns Following Arrest

Torres was arrested for lewd acts with a child and is being held without bail tonight. It remained unclear this evening whether the arrest Tuesday afternoon was based on new revelations of sexual misconduct or on Torres' sexually explicit emails and videos revealed in an Oct. 1 police affidavit.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled BREAKING: San Jose Police Arrest Councilman Omar Torres

Story updated Nov. 5 at 7:19 p.m. Original story published Nov. 5 at 4:40 p.m.
San Jose police have arrested Councilmember Omar Torres, his attorney confirmed to San José Spotlight.
The attorney said on Tuesday that Torres had been "picked up," and will be arraigned Wednesday. SJPD confirmed Torres was taken into custody as part of an ongoing investigation into crimes related to lewd acts with a child. The department is planning to divulge more information at a Wednesday news conference.
Sources including City Clerk Toni Taber have also confirmed that Torres has resigned from his District 3 council seat.
District 7 Councilmember Bien Doan said Torres' resignation marks "a crucial step toward accountability."
"I have full confidence in the integrity of the San Jose Police Department and their commitment to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation," Doan told San José Spotlight. "With Torres' resignation, it is now crucial that District 3 has new leadership as quickly as possible. The people of the district deserve to be fully represented, and we must move swiftly to ensure that their voice is heard in the council without further delay. Until then the mayor, myself, and the rest of our council colleagues will continue to do all we can to support the District 3 residents."
Mayor Matt Mahan issued a statement on Torres' arrest.
“I’m horrified by the possibility that — far from his claim of outrageous fantasies — he may have in fact harmed children," Mahan said. "I trust our police department and DA to ensure that justice is served through the due process afforded by our laws. If you have any information related to this case or other cases involving harm to children, I would ask you to reach out the San Jose Police Department.”
District 8 Councilmember Domingo Candelas said he's "deeply appalled by the horrendous charges" against Torres.
"This is deplorable and has no place in our community," Candelas told San José Spotlight. "Our families, our children and our community deserve leadership founded on integrity, transparency and trust. The conduct in question undermines the values we stand for and tarnishes the public's faith in our local governance. We have to ensure our leaders are held to the highest standards of accountability. While everyone has the right to due process, I have the utmost faith in our police department and the district attorney to make sure that justice is served to the fullest extent."
San Jose police served a search warrant and briefly detained Torres in early October in an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged “oral copulation of a minor.” The embattled District 3 councilmember acknowledged sending lewd text messages about minors through his lawyer, calling them “role-play.”
Backlash against Torres increased in recent days as downtown residents began gathering signatures for a recall initiative. The entire council also called for Torres to step down. Doan was exploring options for removal proceedings and changes to the city charter in light of the unprecedented City Hall scandal.
The scandal kicked off a political firestorm where Torres maintained his innocence while dodging all public appearances and refusing to let go of his seat in the process. His effort to stay in office fueled weeks of debate over how councilmembers could remove him, allegations of a City Hall cover up and employee unrest.
Sources told San José Spotlight that Torres was hiding out at his mother's house at the time of his arrest.
Torres’ resignation creates a crossroads for city leaders on how to fill his vacancy that leaves downtown residents and businesses in limbo. Councilmembers could opt for a costly special election. Or they could appoint a replacement and reshape the balance of power between pro-business and pro-labor interests on the council, with four seats already up for grabs this November.
Mahan — whose Deputy Chief of Staff Matthew Quevedo helped organize downtown residents’ recall initiative — is leaning toward a special election.
“Just as he supported special elections in 2022 to fill the vacancies created in D8 and D10, the mayor would be supportive of a special election in D3 if the seat were to become vacant as he believes the people of District 3 deserve a voice in who represents them,” Mahan’s spokesperson Tasha Dean told San José Spotlight.

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San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Sunnyvale Lacks Funding for Guaranteed Income Program

Sunnyvale is prepared to launch a guaranteed basic income program — it’s just waiting for funding.

San Jose Inside logo From San Jose Inside...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Strong Winds Have California Bracing for Wildfire Weather

The state will see multiple wind events through the middle of the week, and its biggest cities may face quickly growing wildfires.

Hilltromper Silicon Valley logo From Hilltromper Silicon Valley...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Election Anxiety Overshadowed by Banana-Slug Gate

Californians in shock as news spreads of state slug caught in the act of eating the state flower.

Metro Silicon Valley logo From Metro Silicon Valley...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Caifanes in San Jose

Coming from Mexico City in the mid-’80s, Caifanes combined eclectic rock traditions (’60s British Invasion, postpunk, progressive rock) with a uniquely Spanish-language lyrical perspective. The Rock en tu idioma leaders’ first run (’86–’95) yielded four acclaimed studio albums, including El Silencio, produced by American guitar genius Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Frank Zappa). After a 15-year hiatus, vocalist and guitarist Saúl Hernández reconvened the group; since then, Caifanes has focused on live performances and singles without album releases. Their latest single is 2023’s “Inés.”

Metro Silicon Valley logo From Metro Silicon Valley...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Sunami in San Jose

The beauty of this world is that even the biggest joke can transform into a runaway success. Take Sunami, a hardcore band that’s arguably become the biggest musical act to come out of the South Bay in years. The group’s members started Sunami in 2019 as a joke, parodying the more cringy elements of the hardcore music arena. Their satirical lyrics and meme-worthy live performances, however, quickly gained steam. Sunami has become something of a revelation in a few short years, touring the world and picking up a legion of fans thanks to their brutal beatdown sound and commitment to the joke. Case in point: they might be the first hardcore band to headline the San Jose Civic Auditorium.

Metro Silicon Valley logo From Metro Silicon Valley...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Mike E. Winfield at Stanford

Fans of Northern California comedy have been watching the ascent of Mike E. Winfield for years: his first late-night network appearances, his spot on The Office (about which he joked, “You know the Black guy on The Office? You know the other Black guy? I’m the other other Black guy”) and several independently produced specials. This dude has been ready to break for a decade. Finally, America’s Got Talent judges saw what everyone else already knew. After a couple of decades of grinding, Winfield became an overnight success. He’s ready to capitalize on it, with hours of material, a magical ability to generate more, and a stage presence that matches his big, generous smile.

Metro Silicon Valley logo From Metro Silicon Valley...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Ripcord in Mountain View

The Avenidas Wise Owl Players, a troupe of mature adults using their talent and wisdom to entertain, present an elaborate dramatic reading of Ripcord. This absurdist comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire stars two senior assisted-living roommates, the cranky Abby and cheerfully annoying Marilyn. As they compete to claim the bed near the large bedroom window, they place bets that become increasingly dangerous practical jokes. Complete with costumes and props, the play stars seven seniors from Avenidas (a community center for adults aged 50 and up) and is directed by retired Harker School Library Director Enid Davis.

Metro Silicon Valley logo From Metro Silicon Valley...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Elephino in San Jose

Elephino, a sphinx of elephantine and rhinocerotic origins, is also a band that plays mostly instrumental funk improv. Who the hell doesn’t like instrumental funk improv? Not-fun, untrustworthy people, that’s who. And who wouldn’t enjoy a mostly instrumental funk improv group from Santa Cruz? The entire city is like one big improv jam, even if it needs a tad more bass in its face. The show is bound to be fun; the keyboards, bass, guitar and drums are tight and full of might, and the groove is just right. These guys don’t always play, but it’s a good time when they do. Fusion Cuisine opens.

Metro Silicon Valley logo From Metro Silicon Valley...

11/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Kaitlin Butts in San Jose

Kaitlin Butts’s star rose in the land of honky-tonk. She’s a dynamic and fun performer with a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice, a sense of comic timing, and tremendous musical chops (her husband, Cleto Cordero, has a popular band she consistently performs with called Flatland Cavalry). Her music has just the right amount of steel guitar (important!) and hits just right, like a warm cup of coffee on a cold winter morning—spiked with some yummy bourbon, making the drinker want to tap their feet, sway and dance to the joy and pain that is ’Murica. Fancy Boy opens.

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