Councilmember Suds Jain is now staring down a potential recall effort from his 2024 opponent, David Kertes — a guy who has quickly become the willing instrument of Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s political machine and mafia. Kertes isn’t doing this out of civic duty; he’s doing it to create chaos for Suds Jain on behalf of his real boss. And Gillmor, ever calculating, knows exactly what she’s doing: Suds won District 5 by about 500 votes, and with an aggressive agitator like Kertes plus a cluster of residents who already dislike Suds, she’s betting she can make a recall look viable. Throw in the POA if they jump on board, and yes — things could get dicey.

Why do I say this? History. The Gillmor-aligned echo chamber has been pushing the same tired narrative for years: Suds only wins when the 49ers support him through independent expenditures — something he has zero control over. They love to repeat that Suds is “0–1” when he’s not backed by outside spending. They never mention that this logic is ridiculous.

And then look at the way the Gillmor mafia framed Measures A and B in 2024 — the shift from an elected to an appointed Police Chief and City Clerk. They insisted the Yes campaign was “embarrassingly small,” ignoring the fact that it was a grassroots effort without massive funding — and then, conveniently, this narrative found its way into the 2024 grand jury report almost verbatim. The Gillmor political machine spun the entire situation as a waste of tax dollars, and pointed the finger at — who else? — Suds Jain.

But here’s the truth:

1. Suds supported Measures A and B to save Santa Clara money long-term and ensure the Police Chief actually had management experience. The elected chief lacked those qualifications, forcing taxpayers to fund multiple assistant chiefs — plus pensions — just so basic duties could be carried out. This was a system put in place under disgraced former City Manager Deanna Santana.
   The Gillmor narrative twisted this into “Suds wants to take away voters’ rights” — ironic, considering they fought against district elections.
2. In almost any other city, Measure A and B would have passed easily. But Santa Clara is run by Gillmor and the POA, who spent heavily on ads and billboards claiming voters were being stripped of rights. If the POA hadn’t flooded the community, these measures would have passed. If Suds were insulated with the protection Gillmor gets, the outcome would’ve been entirely different. Suds was being fiscally responsible. Gillmor’s network treated responsibility as a threat.

Councilmember Jain isn’t perfect — he’s walked into political bear traps. He got caught up in the Becker scandal and trial, and his testimony showed someone being pressured and intimidated by a district attorney hinting at perjury charges. Suds backs down in confrontations with aggressive actors — the DA, Gillmor, and her loyalists — and yes, that is a weakness.

But his bigger weakness is also part of what makes him genuine: he’s transparent to a fault. When Suds said in 2021, “of course the 49ers want to see Brian Doyle fired,” he was being honest. Residents wanted Doyle gone. Many expected it earlier. The community saw Santana and Doyle’s failures firsthand. But Suds didn’t mention the residents — he mentioned the 49ers, giving Gillmor ammunition to twist the narrative and smear him.

Now the recall crowd claims Suds supported “high salaries.” Laughable. It was Mayor Gillmor who created the high-salary vortex. She approved Deanna Santana’s absurd pay package — one of the highest in the state — and then approved the hiring of multiple assistant city managers at similarly inflated salaries. This set a precedent that created long-term salary escalation.

So yes, Suds voted for a high salary for the next city manager — but still not as high as Santana’s. He didn’t build the system. Gillmor did. Suds simply inherited a mess that he has to manage. 

There are plenty of things to critique about Councilmember Suds Jain because he’s human. He has flaws. But compared to the magnitude of Gillmor’s mistakes? It’s not even close. Suds has been a good councilmember. Could he be better? Sure — we all could. He needs to be more assertive with the Gillmor political machine. He needs to question bias from certain staff and be cautious around people like Tom Shanks and Wanda Buck, who frequently align with Gillmor’s agenda and are simply “ethical” plants. 

But despite these flaws, Suds Jain is one of the most transparent, honest, trustworthy, and dedicated councilmembers Santa Clara has. He’s not there for power or ambition. He’s a community member who stepped up because he saw a need. His planning commission and council experience give him far more qualification and integrity than David Kertes could ever bring.

Suds Jain does not deserve a recall. If people don’t like him, vote in 2028. That’s democracy.

If anyone deserves a recall — or resignation — it’s Mayor Lisa Gillmor. David Kertes and the Gillmor mafia should support it. 

Here’s why:

• Violated the law by committing both perjury and violation of her elected duty, Penal Code section 933.05(f). Gillmor should be banned from political office like convicted felon and former Councilmember Anthony Becker. The same should go for former Councilmember and Current School board member Kathy Watanabe, all should be disqualified and banned from office.  
• A long history of leaks dating back to 2016 has repeatedly been traced through patterns and circumstances that point back to her hand.
• Chronic failure in her ethical obligations, creating decades of self-inflicted damage to Santa Clara’s governance.
• She approved enormous salaries for her loyalists — Deanna Santana, Brian Doyle, multiple assistant city managers — and supported sweetheart deals with Police and Fire unions that came back to support her politically.
• Millions wasted on her legal vendettas with the 49ers trying to rip up the management agreement that favored the 49ers, leading to years of lost revenue known as performance rent.  Gillmor fought heavily and even appealed fighting the CVRA lawsuit and losing Santa Clara $6 million.
• Neglected infrastructure for decades, allowing facilities like the International Swim Center and City Hall to rot, all while holding progress hostage until she could push a $400 million bond that lets her take credit.
• She refused to hold Related accountable for a project delayed for more than a decade, instead caving to new demands like data centers. Any other major developer or the 49ers would’ve been held to the fire — where is the accountability? Where is the grand jury?
• A 2016 vote to purchase the Morse Mansion, despite her father being the owner, raising conflict-of-interest concerns.
• Santa Clara’s character has eroded under her watch, with losses like the Bowling Alley, Great America, and the BMX park.
• A culture of zero transparency, dismissing public records laws as though they don’t apply to her.
  

Santa Clara residents deserve better than this. Gillmor has only a year left of her tenure as Mayor. Yet, next up is Kathy Watanabe to be the Mayor and it looks like Gillmor is not going anywhere anytime soon, unless the people of this city wake up. 

Recall Jain? No.
Recall Gillmor? Stop Gillmor? prevent any further Gillmor tenure on the city council? That’s the conversation Santa Clara should be having.

Roger Kint