The County and the City of Santa Clara have their share of elected and appointed officials who have pushed the boundaries of how much voters and residents can tolerate. Most will miss the fine details of their behavior, their actions, their ethics and transparency. 

Recently, workers at the Santa Clara Valley Water District demanded the resignation of several board leaders after the agency approved a controversial contract for former CEO Rick Callender. Employees protested during a board meeting, criticizing the decision to keep Callender on as a “special advisor” for a year with full salary and benefits worth more than $600,000, despite an investigation that found he sexually harassed employees. What kind of message does that send? Sounds a lot like the type of operations when Deanna Santana was the city manager of Santa Clara. Does Mark Danaj ring a bell? 

Many workers said the agreement undermines accountability and sends the message that leadership is prioritizing protecting the former CEO rather than supporting staff who reported misconduct. Sound familiar? 

These are the same board members who in the past tricked voters into a ballot measure extending their term limits. 

Valley Water board director Rebecca Eisenberg was the only member who voted against the separation agreement and has been outspoken about the handling of the case. Eisenberg has stated that the allegations against Callender involved sexual harassment and argued that the board should be more transparent with the public about the investigation. She has also criticized board leadership for shielding the embattled CEO as the sexual harassment dispute intensified tensions within the district, with employees and some officials continuing to call for stronger accountability from Valley Water’s leadership. But will they have accountability? It’s doubtful.

At the same time, Eisenberg herself has faced controversy during her time on the board. Multiple workplace complaints accused her of making discriminatory remarks and belittling employees, prompting an independent investigation into her conduct. The investigation substantiated several complaints, including claims of discriminatory harassment and abusive behavior toward staff and colleagues, mostly from the embattled CEO. The Valley Water board formally censured Eisenberg and removed some of her responsibilities. The conflict escalated further when Eisenberg removed roughly 2,000 pages of confidential investigative documents about her and the investigation into her deemed political from district headquarters despite policies requiring the materials to remain in a secure location. The agency later filed a lawsuit against her to recover the documents, and a judge ultimately ruled in favor of Valley Water, ordering the materials to be returned.

Now what is happening in Valley Water with the board protecting the CEO Rick Callendar and covering up his wrongdoing, what is the City of Santa Clara and District Attorney’s office doing when it is protecting one of their own elected officials. 

It seems in this County it is pay-to-play or be a part of an elite group that either is above the law or avoids consequences and accountability. Or all of the above. 

The message is clear that the corruption is not only deep in the Mission City of Santa Clara but it is in the DNA of this County. When you see actions that are taken by Valley Water, the City of Santa Clara, a board of Supervisors or a district attorney you wonder if they are truly for the betterment of the community or if they are only in it for their own self serving interests. 

No downtowns are being built in Santa Clara, blight stands out like a sore thumb on El Camino, and essential public services are lagging in the County while corruption and favoritism thrive. Meanwhile, justice is being selectively served in the District Attorney’s office, the county’s leadership prioritizes political connections over accountability, and the cost of living continues to climb, squeezing ordinary residents while insiders seem to operate above the law and financially comfortable. The Valley’s promise of innovation and opportunity rings hollow when self-serving officials block progress, shield allies, and undermine public trust at every turn.

Truly this is the Valley of the Crooked Delight rather than the old valley of the heart’s delight. 

Based on what we all see day to day locally, the following Officials should resign immediately. 

• Valley Water Board Chair Tony Estremera and Directors Richard Santos, John Varela, Jim Beall, Nai Hsueh and Shiloh Ballard for approving Water Board CEO’s separation agreement despite the sexual harassment findings. 
• Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor for her history of leaks, lack of transparency, violations of the law and for her vindictive hateful agenda. She clearly is above the law. 
• Santa Clara Unified School Board Member and former Santa Clara Councilmember Kathy Watanabe needs to resign for her violation of the law, Government Code Section 1222 Penal Code Section 933.05(f) willfully failing to perform her legal duty by failing to keep a draft civil grand jury report confidential when she leaked the Grand Jury report to her husband. 
• West Valley Mission College Board Trustee Karl Watanabe for lying to authorities that his wife, Kathy Watanabe did not leak the “confidential” grand jury report to him. What does that say about the integrity of Karl? 
• District Attorney Jeff Rosen should resign over several controversial decisions during his tenure. First is his treatment of prosecutor Daniel Chung, who is now running against him for district attorney. Rosen fired Chung, but a judge later ruled the termination was improper. Chung is now being paid while barred from the office, which critics describe as retaliation by Rosen. Rosen has also faced backlash for quietly attempting to reduce the death sentence of the gunman responsible for the 1988 ESL Inc. mass shooting, which killed seven people, a move critics say signaled a reversal on the death penalty and his desire to be Attorney General. Rosen showed leniency toward Jenny Higgins Bradanini, a former San Jose City Council candidate and democrat party star who struck and killed a father while driving under the influence of prescription drugs and later received reduced consequences through a private-judge arrangement. While further favoritism and selective application of the laws centers on Rosen’s handling of the investigation into the City of Santa Clara civil grand jury report leak and what opponents describe as a lack of accountability in prosecutions related to the case. Rosen failed to investigate or prosecute political allies Lisa Gillmor and Kathy Watanabe, and did not pursue questions surrounding Gillmor’s unreported earrings on her state financial disclosure (Form 700), raising broader concerns about favoritism and unequal enforcement of the law. Imagine if Rosen was Attorney General and what favors he would be willing to do and not do. 
• Santa Clara Police Union President Jeremy Schmidt who has shown devout loyalty to Mayor Lisa Gillmor and has intimidated Councilmembers who opposed Gillmor. Schmidt also deleted evidence before the trial of the former convicted felon Councilmember and had a copy of the leaked Grand Jury report which he made into a political website during pivotal elections which is still in operation to this day. 
• Santa Clara City Manager Jovan Grogan. If it is true that he told one Councilmember that another Councilmember will lie for a reason not to investigate a leak, that is a fireable or resignable offense. The City Manager is clearly afraid of the Mayor of Santa Clara. Prove me wrong but it sounds a lot like the San Bruno situation he was in.
• Santa Clara City Attorney Glen Googins. If what is true above with City Manager Jovan Grogan and Googins was involved in the decisions of initiated investigations with such a narrow scope it makes you question Googins judgment and if he is too afraid of Mayor Gillmor.

It is clear that corruption, favoritism, and a lack of accountability are entrenched across the County and City of Santa Clara. From Valley Water to City Hall to the District Attorney’s office, too many officials have shown that their loyalty lies with friends, allies, and political insiders rather than the public they were elected or appointed to serve. The people of this region deserve leaders who follow the law, act with transparency, and put community interests above self-interest. Until these officials step down or are held accountable, the Valley of the Crooked Delight will remain a symbol of a system where power protects the powerful—and justice too often takes a back seat.

Roger Kint