Brandon Pho

Brandon Pho (he/him) is a reporter covering politics and government in Santa Clara County for San José Spotlight with a focus on the Vietnamese community.

He has experience reporting on law enforcement, homelessness, quality of life and Vietnamese American communities across California. Previously, he reported for the Voice of OC, where his investigative work prompted a push by city leaders to overhaul their police department manual. Before that, he was a news editor for the Daily Titan, a completely independent student newspaper at his alma mater, Cal State Fullerton.

He aims through his writing to explore what it means to be a Californian, and enjoys taking walks for hours on end through different cities and public parks.

DevelopmentSan Jose
A single-family home on a tree-lined street in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San jose
May 2, 2024May 2, 2024by

What the demise of contentious housing law means for San Jose

A brewing battle in the California courts may lift San Jose from the mandates of a controversial law that ended exclusionary single-family zoning statewide. The prospect has local experts shrugging and questioning what effect, if any, Senate Bill 9 has had on San Jose’s housing stock. The law has underperformed in new home approvals since...

ElectionsThe Washington Report
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian
May 1, 2024May 2, 2024by

BREAKING: Joe Simitian concedes after Silicon Valley congressional recount

Assemblymember Evan Low has won a contentious and highly-politicized recount in Silicon Valley’s open congressional race, beating Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian for second place by five votes. Of the 16 challenged ballots in San Mateo County’s portion of the recount, election officials accepted seven and rejected nine. Low picked up one vote and...

HealthSanta Clara County
Nurses standing in their scrubs holding protest signs calling for better pay and working conditions
May 1, 2024May 1, 2024by

Silicon Valley deluged by health care workers’ labor fights

A wave of labor disputes is hitting Silicon Valley’s overburdened hospitals as health care workers reach their breaking point with pay and working conditions. Resident physicians working in county hospitals are protesting for higher wages in front of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) Wednesday at noon amid ongoing contract negotiations. Union officials said the...

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