Escalating Sign Spat Riles San Jose District 9 Candidates

San Jose Spotlight

May 13, 2026

Campaign signs go missing in just about every election cycle in San Jose — and accusations begin to swirl of theft and sabotage.

Usually, the sign takers go to great lengths to hide their identities. But in the ongoing race for the District 9 City Council seat, the man behind a rash of sign disappearances not only reached out to the candidates to let them know what he had done — he gave them his home address so they could come by and pick the signs up.

Cambrian resident Jeff Bollini, who describes himself as a “part-time volunteer,” said he’s providing a lawful public service by going out on regular excursions to remove signs he claims have been illegally placed.

But two District 9 candidates who have reported scores of missing signs — tech worker Rick Ator and entrepreneur Mike Hennessy — see things differently. They contend Bollini is an unsanctioned sign vigilante who is single-handedly undermining the integrity of the five-way District 9 primary election on June 2, which also includes licensed family and marriage therapist Genny Altwer, current District 9 Chief of Staff Scott Hughes and longtime city employee Gordon Chester.

“It completely handicaps the campaign,” Ator told San José Spotlight. “Every day if I put one sign, two signs out — they’re gone.”

A collection of signs piled in front of Jeff Bollini’s home. Photo courtesy of Rick Ator.

Ator and Hennessy said the alleged thefts — clustered along Almaden Expressway, Blossom Hill Road, Capitol Expressway and Hillsdale Avenue — have cost their campaigns thousands of dollars, and caused them to fear they have become the targets of a harassment campaign. Both have made reports to law enforcement authorities, but their signs continue to disappear.

Increasingly frustrated, the pair have at times taken matters into their own hands, in an escalating row that has involved a series of tense confrontations, use of video surveillance and reports of an unknown chemical agent found on some signs. In one incident, Hennessy entered Bollini’s home without permission to retrieve signs.

For his part, Bollini, a District 9 resident, remains unmoved by the candidates’ objections. He contends the candidates have overreacted to a legitimate attempt to clear away neighborhood blight, though San Jose officials have rejected his interpretation of the city’s sign rules. He also denies that he has targeted any specific campaign, claiming he has removed illegally placed signs for other candidates as well.

An example of a campaign sign placed on public land. Photo courtesy of Jeff Bollini.

Bollini said he has been removing rule-breaking signs — both campaign postings as well as commercial advertisements — for years.

“I pull illegal signs because they look trashy, and nobody else is going to do it,” he told San José Spotlight. “I don’t want to pull the signs. If they’re legal, I’ll never touch one of the signs.”

While it’s common to see campaign signs staked along sidewalks or roadway medians during San Jose elections, such placements violate the city’s rules against putting signs on public property. Meanwhile, political campaigns also frequently run afoul of city code by placing signs on private property without permission.

Ator and Hennessy claim they take pains to follow the rules, though they acknowledge campaign volunteers who are not well versed on the regulations may place signs in unsanctioned locations on occasion. Still, they balk at Bollini’s “volunteer” work.

“Are you the sign monitor for the area? Are you code enforcement?” Hennessy, posing a rhetorical question, told San José Spotlight. “My guys made a mistake. They get overzealous. Talk to me about it. It’s not up to you to go ahead and police this.”

Bollini, who keeps a copy of San Jose’s sign policy in his car, said his actions are covered by a rule that allows volunteers working on behalf of the city to remove illegally placed signs.

A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement told San José Spotlight that rule only applies to volunteers who have been granted express permission by the city to remove signs. People who take signs without permission could be guilty of petty theft, a misdemeanor offense, the spokesperson added.

Bollini contests this interpretation, though he said he will stop removing signs while he seeks clarification from the city.

District 9 San Jose City Council candidate Mike Hennessy hauled off a batch of campaign signs retrieved from Jeff Bollini’s home after a confrontation on April 15, 2026. Photo courtesy of Mike Hennessy.

Clashing with campaigns

Bollini first reached out to the campaigns to discuss their signs on April 8. At first, Bollini agreed to let Ator retrieve his campaign signs, which were piling up inside Bollini’s Cambrian home. But their initially cordial dialogue eventually broke down over Bollini’s demands that Ator inform him when he’s granted permission from a property owner to place a sign.

Hennessy made his own attempts to dissuade Bollini. When a phone call didn’t work, he decided to visit Bollini’s home personally to serve a cease and desist letter.

In a video of the April 15 incident viewed by San José Spotlight, Hennessy can be seen walking off Bollini’s property carrying stacks of campaign signs.

“Can you please leave those here. You’re not allowed to take those off my property. You came on my property and are taking those,” Bollini said.

Hennessy responded with an expletive and later threatened legal action against Bollini.

“You’re actually ruining the campaign, and that’s what you’ll be sued for if you continue to do it,” Hennessy said.In the latest twist, Bollini and Hennessy said they have encountered signs covered in a strong-smelling chemical agent. The alleged attempt at sabotage has led to accusations from both men. Ator said he was unaware of the development.

A spokesperson for the San Jose Police Department has confirmed it has received reports of stolen signs, and that their detectives conducted an investigation. The case has been referred to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. It was transferred out of Santa Clara County to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

Ator said his signs have continued to go missing and he plans to plant cameras around the neighborhood to catch Bollini in the act. He attempted to obtain a restraining order against Bollini, but a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge rejected his request, Ator and Bollini confirmed. Following the Tuesday court decision, Ator said he plans to file a civil lawsuit against Bollini over the missing property.

“We just want them to stop,” Ator told San José Spotlight. “We want to be able to get our name out for the election, just like everybody else.”

San José Spotlight is the city's first nonprofit news organization dedicated to independent political and business reporting. Please support our public service journalism by clicking here.