{"id":496369,"date":"2026-10-15T00:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T00:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/496369\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T00:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T00:30:10","slug":"santa-clara-candidate-faces-complaint-over-campaign-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/496369\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Clara candidate faces complaint over campaign post"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Kimberley Williams, who’s running for Santa Clara City Council, learned a volunteer posted a photo of her with a logo of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation at the city’s Arts & Wine Festival on her Facebook campaign page. She took it down once she learned of the error. Photo courtesy of Kimberley Williams. <\/p>\n

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A Santa Clara City Council District 2 candidate is facing questions about campaign posts that feature the branding from the nonprofit she leads. It\u2019s prompting the organization to establish new guidance for board members running for public office.<\/p>\n

Kimberley Williams, who became board president of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation in June, appeared in social media campaign photos taken at the nonprofit\u2019s booth during the Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival on Sept. 20. The post from Williams\u2019 campaign tagged the foundation and photos showed the foundation\u2019s banner and branded tablecloth, giving the impression that the foundation had endorsed Williams.<\/p>\n

Williams said a campaign volunteer posted the photos without understanding the implications \u2014 as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity, Santa Clara Schools Foundation is prohibited from participating in political campaigns. She removed the photos from Facebook after learning of a complaint made to the foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have some youth volunteers who are working on the campaign. I\u2019m not gonna throw them under the bus. The buck stops with me,\u201d Williams told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cAs soon as I was made aware that this was an issue, we took it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A screenshot of Diana Torres\u2019 Sept. 24 letter to the Santa Clara Schools Foundation board raising concerns about campaign posts featuring Kimberley Williams at the foundation\u2019s Art & Wine Festival booth.<\/p>\n

Steven Neese, executive director of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation, said the foundation had not authorized the posts and does not endorse or oppose political candidates. On Sept. 25, he directed board members who hold or seek public office not to use the foundation\u2019s logo or sponsors\u2019 logos, or tag the organization in campaign materials. The guidance will be added to the board member commitment form, and the foundation now reviews tags on its Facebook and Instagram accounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Santa Clara Schools Foundation is not involved in political campaigns,\u201d Neese told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWe do not take sides on candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n

The direction followed a Sept. 24 letter sent to the foundation\u2019s board by freelance political consultant Diana Torres, who questioned whether the campaign photos could give voters the impression that the nonprofit endorsed Williams.<\/p>\n

She said she plans to submit a complaint to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s extremely concerning that Kimberley Williams, president of the Santa Clara Schools Foundation board, is using the foundation\u2019s name and events to promote her city council campaign,\u201d Torres told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThe foundation exists to support students and families, not political campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teresa O\u2019Neill, a former Santa Clara councilmember<\/a> and longtime Santa Clara Schools Foundation board member who volunteered at the Art & Wine Festival, said she had similar concerns that Williams could give the impression the nonprofit endorsed her campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was concerned that it looked like an implied endorsement by our organization, and we can\u2019t do that because we\u2019re a 501(c)(3),\u201d O\u2019Neill told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n

Williams is running against Yvonne Inciarte, former director of intergovernmental strategy for Congressman Ro Khanna, for the District 2 seat<\/a> in the Nov. 3 election.<\/p>\n

\"In-line<\/a><\/p>\n

In her complaint, Torres\u00a0also questioned whether the family of a student volunteer pictured with Williams had consented to the appear in campaign materials.<\/p>\n

Williams said the student was her daughter, who serves as the elected student representative of the Santa Clara High School PTSA, and that a volunteer took the photo after they finished setting up the booth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs her mother, I am fully able to give consent for her to appear in a photo with me,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tTags:centerpiece<\/a>Election 2026<\/a>Santa Clara City Council<\/a><\/p>\n


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