Sign Theft Tensions in San Jose D9

Rick Ator and Mike Hennessy, two candidates in San Jose’s District 9 City Council race, say missing campaign signs have become a recurring problem ahead of the June 2 primary. San José Spotlight reported on May 12 that both men have accused Cambrian resident Jeff Bollini of removing signs in multiple parts of the district and storing them at his home. (sanjosespotlight.com) Bollini has not denied taking signs. He told the outlet he believed he was lawfully removing signs that had been placed in violation of city rules. The dispute has widened beyond a typical complaint about campaign clutter because it now includes police reports, direct confrontations and conflicting readings of San Jose’s sign rules. (sanjoseca.gov) San José Spotlight reported that one confrontation on April 15 ended with Hennessy entering Bollini’s home without permission to retrieve signs. The same report said candidates also described using video surveillance and finding an unknown chemical agent on some signs. ### Who says the signs are being taken, and where? Rick Ator and Mike Hennessy told San José Spotlight that signs have gone missing along Almaden Expressway, Blossom Hill Road, Capitol Expressway and Hillsdale Avenue. (sanjosespotlight.com) The two candidates said the losses have cost their campaigns thousands of dollars and disrupted outreach in a five-way race for the open District 9 seat. The June 2, 2026 primary includes Ator, Hennessy, Genny Altwer, Scott Hughes and Gordon Chester, according to the city clerk’s election page and separate local coverage of the race. District 9 is the only open San Jose City Council seat on this year’s ballot. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### Why is Jeff Bollini at the center of the fight? Jeff Bollini told San José Spotlight he has been conducting regular sign-removal trips as what he described as a public service. The report said he contacted candidates after taking signs and gave them his home address so they could retrieve them. (sanjosespotlight.com) Ator and Hennessy told the outlet they see Bollini not as a volunteer but as someone interfering with their campaigns. Bollini denied targeting any one campaign and said he had removed signs for other candidates as well, according to the same report. (sanjoseca.gov) ### Does San Jose actually allow private residents to remove campaign signs? San Jose officials told San José Spotlight that Bollini’s interpretation of the rules was wrong. SFGATE, which republished the report, said a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement said only volunteers with express city permission may remove signs, and that people who take signs without permission could be guilty of petty theft, a misdemeanor. (sanjosespotlight.com) The city’s own complaint guidance draws a line between campaign-finance issues and sign-placement disputes. The Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices says it does not investigate complaints about the placement and size of political signs and directs people instead to San José Code Enforcement. (sanjosespotlight.com) The code enforcement page says issues on public streets, public grounds or other public property should go through San Jose’s 311 system. ### Have police or prosecutors gotten involved? San José Spotlight reported that both Ator and Hennessy made reports to law enforcement authorities as the signs continued to disappear. (sfgate.com) Hoodline, citing San José Spotlight, reported that San Jose police investigated and that the matter was referred to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office after being transferred out of Santa Clara County because of a potential conflict. Reuters could not independently confirm the referral through a direct statement from the district attorney’s office. The San Jose Police Department says theft reports can be filed online, by phone or in person, and its financial crimes unit handles property theft investigations. (sanjoseca.gov) The department’s public guidance does not mention campaign signs specifically. ### What happens next before voters cast ballots? June 2, 2026 is the date of San Jose’s primary for City Council District 9, according to the city clerk. The city’s election page says campaign finance records and candidate materials are available through the public access portal, while sign-placement complaints can be directed to code enforcement or 311 depending on location. (sanjoseca.gov) (sjpd.org) (sanjosespotlight.com)