We would like to clarify the intent of our Aug. 30 editorial concerning candidate forums and campaign ethics enforcement.
We apologize to Acting City Clerk Jennifer Yamaguma for giving the impression that she has been anything less than professional in carrying out the many responsibilities of her office during a challenging time. Her qualifications are beyond question.
We would like especially to note that Yamaguma and the City Clerk’s office have worked countless hours, and often seven days a week, to make sure that Santa Clara was ready for district-based elections.
Our editorial was not about the City Clerk. It was about what looks like a ploy by Santa Clara’s top executives — Mayor Lisa Gillmor, City Attorney Brian Doyle and City Manager Deanna Santana — to engineer political advantage for Gillmor and her continued Council control.
The Citizens Advisory Committee is Santa Clara’s only independent City Hall oversight committee and is mandated by state law. Last week a committee representative, Sudhanshu Jain, civilly asked reasonable questions — given that Santa Clara’s candidate forums, Final Word and campaign ethics programs are of long-standing.
The CAC received a reply that required two subsequent explanations, testifying to the reply’s deficiencies.
We are pleased that our editorial brought about a public conversation on this important topic.
