Candidates seeking to represent Silicon Valley in Congress are pointing the finger at who has closer ties to a Bay Area recycling company under surveillance by the FBI.

In the 16th Congressional District race, Rep. Evan Low's campaign distributed an ad titled “Dirty Politics” in which he pointed out Low's opponent and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo's ties to California Waste Solutions Recycling company whose owners, including CEO David Duong, along with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, were raided by the FBI in June. However, Low and his campaign received direct and independent support from the company and its executives in this election.

Duong did not respond to requests for comment.

The ad highlights Liccardo's history with California Waste Solutions. In 2022, the company donated $10,000 to a committee Liccardo and his allies formed to support their election for local office and $3,000 to a committee opposing San Jose's 2018 Measure B announced a ballot initiative to promote urban sprawl. Liccardo is also connected to the company through the co-employment of Jonathan Padilla, who worked on Liccardo's mayoral campaign in 2014 and lobbied on behalf of the company in 2018.

What is not mentioned is that Low himself has received $16,300 directly from Duong in recent years. Of that money, $6,600 was donated to Low's congressional committee in December 2023.

Gil Rubinstein, Liccardo's campaign spokesman, pointed out that neither Duong nor his company ever actually donated to Liccardo, but instead spent thousands supporting Low.

“It is ironic but not surprising that Rep. Low is using illegal funds from executives at Cal Waste Solutions, PG&E, major oil companies and private prisons to denigrate his opponent,” Rubinstein told San Jose Spotlight. “Voters deserve a representative who will be honest with them and follow the law.”

After the FBI raid, politicians and political candidates across Silicon Valley began getting rid of the money they received from California Waste Solutions or the Duong family, either returning it or donating it to other groups. Low was among them, and his campaign said it donated the $6,600 in June to Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, a Half Moon Bay-based nonprofit that supports the local Latino community.

A spokesperson for Ayudando Latinos A Soñar could not confirm receipt of the donation and referred San José Spotlight to the CEO, who did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to donations to his congressional campaign committee, Low received a $5,500 donation from Duong to his 2024 Assembly committee in June 2023. Receipts from previous Assembly committees show Duong also made a donation during Low's 2016 re-election campaign Donated $4,200.

Low's campaign did not respond when asked whether the money Duong gave to his caucus committee was donated.

Lam Nguyen, Low's deputy campaign manager, called the comparison between Low and Liccardo's involvement in the company “ridiculous.”

“Liccardo oversaw and was responsible for awarding (California Waste Solutions) recycling contracts worth millions. To this day, he refuses to give away the $13,000 in funds the Duongs gave him,” Nguyen told San Jose Spotlight, referring to the company’s donations to PACs that Liccardo supports. “Liccardo must answer for his blatant corruption.”

Liccardo does not have the authority to return the funds because he does not control super PACs and the 2018 committee was dissolved.

Beyond direct donations, California Waste Solutions invested $10,000 in a super PAC called Voter Protection Project, which then spent $82,000 in February to support Low's candidacy. This included digital ads on Facebook and Google that reached thousands of potential voters.

Representatives for the Voter Protection Project did not respond to requests for comment. The website says it is one of the largest voting rights organizations in the country, spending money to support candidates who want to expand and protect voting rights.Nguyen emphasized Liccardo's ties to the recycling company compared to Low's.

“Unlike Evan, Sam Liccardo has refused to pass on the donations, and to date, Liccardo has not answered questions about (California Waste Solutions) lobbyist Padilla or provided any details about his discussions surrounding their contract,” Nguyen said. “Voters in CD 16 deserve answers.”

For more information about voting in Santa Clara County and other candidates and measures on the ballot, visit San Jose Spotlight's election guide. The election will take place on November 5th.

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at (email protected) or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Editor's Note: California Waste Solutions donated to San Jose Spotlight.