Sign Spat Escalates Among District 9 Candidates

The dispute in San Jose’s District 9 race is not a typical anonymous sign-theft complaint. On May 12, San José Spotlight reported that a Cambrian resident, Jeff Bollini, had been removing campaign signs and telling candidates where to pick them up. The fight has drawn in two candidates, Rick Ator and Mike Hennessy, who said their signs have disappeared in large numbers. The race is one of five San Jose City Council primaries on the June 2 ballot, according to the city clerk. ### Who is taking the signs, and what does he say he is doing? Jeff Bollini told San José Spotlight he is a “part-time volunteer” who removes signs he believes were placed illegally. The article said he did not try to hide his role and instead contacted candidates and gave them his address so they could retrieve the signs. (sanjosespotlight.com) San Jose officials disputed Bollini’s reading of the rules. A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement told San José Spotlight that the rule Bollini cited applies only to volunteers who have express permission from the city to remove signs. The spokesperson added that people who take signs without permission could be committing petty theft, a misdemeanor. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### Which candidates say they were hit hardest? Rick Ator and Mike Hennessy told San José Spotlight that scores of their signs had gone missing. Ator said the losses “completely handicaps the campaign,” and described signs disappearing almost as soon as they were placed. The missing signs were reported along Almaden Expressway, Blossom Hill Road, Capitol Expressway and Hillsdale Avenue, according to the same report. (sfgate.com) Ator and Hennessy said the losses cost their campaigns thousands of dollars and raised fears that they were being targeted. Bollini denied singling out any one campaign and said he had also removed signs for other candidates. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### How did the dispute move beyond a campaign complaint? Both candidates reported the matter to law enforcement, San José Spotlight said. The same report said frustration over the disappearing signs led to confrontations, video surveillance and reports that an unknown chemical agent had been found on some signs. In one incident, the outlet reported, Hennessy entered Bollini’s home without permission to retrieve signs. (sanjosespotlight.com) A later account cited by other outlets said San Jose police investigated and referred the matter to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office after the case was moved out of Santa Clara County because of a potential conflict. Reuters could not independently confirm that referral from police or prosecutors based on publicly available statements reviewed here, but the claim has been attributed to San José Spotlight by follow-on coverage. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### What are the actual city rules on election signs? The City of San José’s 2026 candidate materials direct candidates to city rules on “Election Signs Size and Placement” and to local campaign rules. The city attorney’s office says it provides legal interpretation of San José election law, while the Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices reviews and investigates alleged violations of the municipal code. (hoodline.com) The city’s sign code governs signage, and the planning department says the ordinance is meant to address traffic safety, streetscapes and visual blight. The dispute in District 9 has centered less on whether signs can be regulated than on who, if anyone, is authorized to remove them. (sanjoseca.gov) ### Who else is in the District 9 race? The City of San José says District 9 is one of the council seats on the June 2, 2026 primary ballot. Ballotpedia and the city’s candidate pages list five candidates: Genny Altwer, Rick Ator, Gordon Chester, Mike Hennessy and Scott Hughes. (sanjoseca.gov) A District 9 candidate forum was held on March 11 at Camden Community Center in partnership with San José Spotlight and the League of Women Voters of San José/Santa Clara. The city said the event was informational and open to the public. ### What happens next before voters cast ballots? June 2, 2026 is the primary date for the District 9 contest, according to the city clerk and Ballotpedia. (sanjoseca.gov) The city’s elections page also says campaign contribution limits for council candidates are $800 per election and directs voters and campaigns to public filing portals for disclosures and advertising records. (sanjoseca.gov) The next formal milestone is the vote itself. District 9 voters will choose among Altwer, Ator, Chester, Hennessy and Hughes in the June 2 primary, the city’s elections pages show. (sanjoseca.gov)