Campaign signs have been torn from lawns and cut from fences in this year’s San Jose elections. 

Candidates Rolando Bonilla, Van Le and Matt Mahan are dismayed by these acts of vandalism and theft, but said it won’t discourage them from running for office. Le is running for San Jose City Council in District 7 and Bonilla in District 5. Mahan is running for San Jose mayor, with Mayor Sam Liccardo terming out.

Vandalizing or removing signs reduces a candidate’s visibility, said Terry Christensen, San Jose State University political science professor emeritus. Local and small scale campaigns depend on lawn signs for building name recognition, especially for lesser-known or first-time candidates.

“Lawn signs are an important way for candidates to demonstrate grassroots support,” he told San José Spotlight.

Le said it’s impacting her campaign. People have asked her if she withdrew from the race after about 175 of her signs were removed from Vietnam Town overnight. After replacing them, they were taken again, she said. In some locations where multiple candidate signs were displayed, hers were the only ones removed.

“It’s very disturbing,” she told San Josè Spotlight. “It shocks me people did that. Why do they just pick on my sign?”

Lee and her volunteers are frustrated. The thefts have also been costly. Each campaign sign costs $4 to $8. Le ordered 400 more signs after the first batch was taken and lost about 250 signs in the second batch.

“Volunteers who put out the signs for me are very upset,” she said. “My team and I worked very hard to raise funds to purchase all of the signs.”

Still, Le said this will not deter her from campaigning

In California, petty theft is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for up to six months, and/or a maximum fine of $1,000. Petty theft is defined as wrongfully taking or stealing someone else’s property when the value of the property is $950 or less. It’s deemed grand theft when over $950. This crime can carry a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison.

Bonilla said the removal of campaign signs is dirty politics. He said it’s sad that people resort to these tactics rather than debating issues.

“It is what’s wrong with this process,” he told San Josè Spotlight. “We should be talking about the candidates… but instead they spend hours stealing our signs.”

Bonilla said he suspects his volunteers are being followed, because within a few hours they find the signs torn down and tossed to the side. He said his campaign won’t be deterred by intimidation tactics.

“It’s a very organized effort attempting to quiet our perspective,” he said, “but it’s not going to work. For every sign lost, two will go up.”

Bonilla said he hasn’t contacted the police because they have more important things to do in the community. He posted a photo on social media allegedly showing a truck taking his signs and asked people to contact the police department if they see it.

“They can focus on negativity,” he said. We will not.”

Mahan said he lost hundreds of signs and has sites where his team had to replace signs daily. He said this is happening citywide both in front of people’s homes and commercial districts where they received permission to post their sign. Someone even pulled a sign off the hanger and tore it in half in front of his office, he said.

“It’s really bad,” Mahan said. “It’s much worse than it was in my council race two years ago. It does feel targeted.”

Mahan said the consistent sign removal is concerning as it has a chilling effect on civic engagement. He said if people are destroying his signs to discourage his campaign, it has had the opposite effect. His supporters are fired up.

“It’s a shame because it discourages civic participation when people feel attacked for getting involved in something they believe in,” he told San Josè Spotlight.

Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected]

Editor’s Note: Perla Rodriguez, spouse of Rolando Bonilla, sits on San José Spotlight’s board of directors.

Our work is essential to a better-informed community and a healthy democracy. But as a nonprofit newsroom, it would not be possible without the support of readers like you.

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

We’re changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering independent news to the nation’s 10th largest city.

Rumor has it that the Liccardo PAC is illegally placing campaign signs in public right of ways, medians etc. If true, this follows the same old pattern of Liccardo, and his ilk, disregarding the law.

Spotlight, can you investigate that?

What I love about the Matt Mahan signs? NO PLASTIC! I can recycle the sign afterwards by taking off the paper part and putting it in the recycling bin. The metal part I will use in the garden afterwards to let beans grow on! Such an improvement from the corrugated plastic of the past.

“Who’s stealing San Jose election signs?”

That’s easy. Criminals. They’re the same people stealing everything else throughout the city. Funny how politicians are complaining about the same laws they supported and voted for that decriminalized theft. Like the rest of us, we’re getting exactly what we voted for.

I have a campaign sign outside my residence. I have been stalked and yelled at by a supporter of Cindy Chavez. The woman even drove on the wrong side of the road so she could scream at me out of her car window. On another occasion, when I was passing out campaign flyers, she drove her car within inches of my body (witnessed by another supporter who was with me). I do not believe that Cindy is aware of this troublesome behavior not would she countenance it if she was aware. I have debated contacting her campaign about this woman and her extremely troublesome behavior. This is an example of “supporters” of one candidate harassing a supporter of another. Not good. And unfortunately it rebounds onto the candidate.

The next time you see this woman passing by your home and harassing you. If you can, get a picture of her and her license plate number and report this Karen.

Bonilla is the worst. I don’t know about the other two mentioned in the article but this guy should not be anywhere near politics anymore. He’s the kind of dirty politics that we don’t need and he’s no victim. Believe the reports about his abuse because he’s a bully and use intimidation tactics. Don’t vote this guy in if you want a brighter future for San Jose and especially in East San Jose.

Silly not to report to the police. If not reported they will continue to take down the signs. They should report them. When Cupertino had a repeated sign stealing issue we staked out one of the repeated violation areas and caught the guy red handed. We reported it to the Sheriff and posted his picture during a City Council meeting!!

“For every sign lost, two will go up”. Sounds like the birth rate.

I’ve had to remove four signs off my drivestrip or front yard this election cycle already, and all of them were for Mahan. Nobody bothered to ask if they could put them up, they just presumed and continued throughout my neighborhood putting them up without permission.

If you want to put up a sign on your own property, more power to you. Some of my neighbors put up signs, and those should be respected.

If you’re leaving hundreds of these things on property on which you don’t have permission to post, these signs which have zero policy positions, zero information about the candidate’s history, and zero contrasting with opponents, stop pretending this is about substantive civic participation. You’re just being annoying and I’m kinda invested in trash-talking Mahan online. So great job.

Speaking of which, remember that time when Matt Mahan attacked worker bonuses for county employees who had to work through the pandemic? Not exactly pro-worker. Mahan’s also against SB9, making him quite the NIMBY (along with Deb Davis), and appears unclear as to why he’s against opportunity housing. Not great given the housing crisis. Coincidentally, some of Mahan’s biggest political donors are real estate executives. He also apparently has the backing from Liccardo’s business-funded PAC.

I’m happy to elaborate on social media if I find another Mahan sign on my property again.

I remember that. Federal aid that was supposed to cover shortfalls, not bonuses. I’d love to know how many got bonuses for working at home.

And SB9 is terrible. It’s not a nimby thing. It’s bad planning snuck through when no one was paying attention. The only ones benefiting are landlords who don’t live in the neighborhoods that they are trying to ruin. Funny you complain about business when SB9 is all about shady real estate business. Like the average homeowner can afford $800/sq ft to develop with.

Did you contact Mahan’s campaign office? This simply doesn’t add up. Four signs on your drive strip without asking for them? I just don’t believe it. Please let them know. Perhaps one of your neighbors added you to the sign distribution list? It just doesn’t make sense.

I find it appalling that anyone would take anyone’s sign. It’s very undemocratic.

At least someone is cleaning up the trash. Of course politicians complain about it, they obviously like a dirty city since that’s what they’ve given us.

City of San Jose has an important Code of Ethics, which in part states:

“In order to best serve the citizens and customers of the City of San Jose, the elected and appointed officials, and employees of the City must act individually and collectively to create a City government that is responsible, fair, honest and open. City employees and officials are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, honesty and conduct in all activities in order to inspire public confidence and trust in City employees. As stated in the City Charter, “The citizens of San Jose expect and must receive the highest standard of ethics from all those in the public service. City officers and employees must be independent, impartial and responsible in the performance of their duties and accountable to the members of the public.””

Spotlight is bringing campaign sign theft to our attention. But there is also the Liccardo Reed and now Rauh “Common Good Silicon Valley” PAC, which is ignoring this SJ Code of Ethics by illegally placing Rauh signs extensively and knowingly on public properties.

How can these be taken down? Only Liccardo Reed Rauh, or their supporters can take them down – but they knowingly haven’t.

Here are just 20 of the many Liccardo Reed Rauh illegal sign locations:

17th/9th and E Santa Clara; 1130/588/449 E Santa Clara; 888/696/388 S 11th; 695 N 11th; 96 S 10th; 515/1007 E William; 498 S 13th; 399 S 24th; 702 N 20th; 215 E Taylor; 709 N 2nd; 256 Grant; 1054 Mastic; 248 Willow

Respect and adherence to City Code of Ethics? Liccardo Reed and now Rauh continue to demonstrate that this is not important to them. It is critically important to me, and hopefully it is also important to everybody else.

What about people leaving signs on other people’s property? What about people putting up signs without permission? I’ve had to remove four Mahan signs from my property. Is littering civic participation?

This makes absolutely no sense to me. Why would the Mahan campaign put four signs on your property? I’m sorry but I find this hard to believe.

Good article. People that do this… We shouldn’t live with that state of mind. I know how I vote, it’s no longer Republican, Democrat, Independent, etc. I vote based on an item, singular issues, and and, last specifically related to this, the individual.. I find this sign stealing thing more than despicable, its adult childishness.

If these people are taking down signs or stealing Campaign signs, Just think about what some of these Bullies are saying to the people who support those Candidates whose Signs they stole.

Talking about Candidates to Neighbors is one thing.

Bullying and intimidation is totally different – intimidation leads to Violence eventually.

Vandalized Property and Businesses is out of line.

I lost signs. That was a Wakeup Call about how childish the Politics can be.

I was actually confronted pretty strongly for running – I totally get what the Frustration is from Candidates.

I travel my Neighborhood daily as Neighborhood Association and N.A.C. President and so far everyone’s signs are still up.

Let’s hope it stays that way.

In Community Spirit, Danny Garza

President Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association and Eastgate N.A.C.

Stealing signs is not new, especially in hot contested races, but it is a sign of the times. What happened to civic engagement? One may not agree with a candidate’s views,, but that does not give them the right to resort to child-like behavior to steal an opponent’s signs. Debate, and engage in civil conversation. For all anyone knows, the stealing of signs could also just be kids playing a prank..

Stolen campaign signs are unfortunately part of the territory. So are overzealous sign “placers.” Perhaps campaigns can strategize on additional/optional ways to reach voters. Perhaps campaigns can request that anyone who asks for a lawn sign place them in a location that makes it difficult to just yank out of the ground. (example: Closer to the house but still in full view from the street). Below is a reposted comment that I made on a previous Spotlight SJ article about the blight that too many “lawn” signs create:

“I recently sent an email to all of the D3 candidate’s campaigns advising them of the San Jose ordinance governing placement of campaign signs. (And citing the source*).

I grow weary of all the campaign signs placed “anywhere and everywhere.” It creates blight and heaven knows we have plenty of that already.

Campaigns should be responsible for educating their volunteers (and anyone else) who place campaign signs about the proper location. At the end of the campaign, they need to pick them up and dispose of them properly too.

* * SOURCE [ under Part 8 – ELECTION SIGNS ] https://library.municode.com/ca/san_jose/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT23SI_CH23.04SIRE_PT8ELSI

23.04.730 – Prohibited on public property. A.No person shall erect or display, or cause or authorize any person to erect or display, any election sign on public property.B.The provisions of Sections 23.04.840, 23.04.850, and 23.04.860 shall apply to election signs posted on public property. (Ords. 24201, 24835.)

23.04.810 – Only city may post. A. Unless otherwise expressly allowed in this part, no one may post public right-of-way signs except the city. B. The Redevelopment Agency may post signs on public rights of way in the downtown sign zone, but only after the review required by Section 23.04.820.A. C. Nothing in this part shall prohibit the painting or applying street address numbers on curbs otherwise expressly allowed in this Code.”

Spotlight: How about a companion piece on the big money PACs tactic of placing yard signs in illegal locations just before the elections when reporting will only be addressed after the election?

Do we want people voting based on sign counts instead of doing the research on the candidates? Ddg smartvoter to get info/candidates’ website/issues page. Then vote.

Moron voters is why we have moron government. Truly representative government.

Cindy Chavez took Bellarmine Bell, Tony West out in her first Run doing it. Right here in my front yard. Wait till the stamp lickers start getting busy with the hit pieces.

My neighbor put up two Dev Davis for Mayor signs in her front yard, and somebody stole them. They were on her lawn close to her house. She got two more and put them up again. Unbelievable.

Every campaign gets reports of lawn signs gone missing. Interesting that Spotlight only shared these three candidates as if they were the only ones dealing with this problem.

Everyone remember when Pierluigi was caught with a trunk full of opposing campaign signs? Nothing happened except he hasn’t been elected since.

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

We’re changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering independent news to the nation’s 10th largest city.

Now in the App Store and Google Play

San José residents deserve a trusted source for unbiased, independent political news. And we’re here to provide it.

San José Spotlight is the city’s first nonprofit, community-supported digital news organization. We’re changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering reliable, truthful news to the nation’s 10th largest city. We’re partnering with you – the readers – to make it happen. This is your newsroom.

San José Spotlight is a project of the San José News Bureau, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization | Tax ID: 82-5355128. | All donations are tax-deductible

Your gift to San José Spotlight today will be TRIPLED!

Your support allows us to staff amazing reporters like Tran Nguyen, who works tirelessly to bring you in-depth stories that directly affect your life.

No thanks, I’m not interested!

Thanks, I’m not interested or already a subscriber