RECOMMENDATION
Award the contract for legal advertising for Fiscal Year 2026-27 to the Daily Journal Corporation, doing business as San Jose Post Record , as the lowest responsive, responsible bidder in an amount of $11,500 and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute subsequent change orders in an amount not to exceed $13,500, for a total contract amount not to exceed $25,000.
BACKGROUND
The Mountain View City Charter (Charter) requires the City to conduct a bidding process each year to select a newspaper to publish official City notices. Section 1109 of the Charter states:
“The council shall let annually contracts for the official advertising for the ensuing fiscal year. In the event there is more than one newspaper of general circulation published and circulated in the city, the council shall advertise for one day, setting forth distinctly and specifically the work contemplated to be done, and asking for sealed proposals therefor. The proposals shall specify the type and spacing to be used at the rate or rates named in the bids. The council shall let the contracts for such official advertising to the lowest responsible bidder publishing a newspaper in the city which is a newspaper of general circulation and has been in existence at the time of the awarding of the contract at least one year; provided, that the council may reject any or all bids and advertise for new bids.”
Since there is currently no newspaper of general circulation published in the City of Mountain View, the City has historically solicited bids from newspapers that serve the region in order to satisfy the intent of the Charter and provide broad public notice of City business.
State Law also requires the City to provide notice of upcoming land -use decisions either by publishing the notice in a newspaper published in the City or by posting the notice at designated locations. The City meets its legal noticing obligations by posting the notices of hearings as required by State Law because there is no newspaper of general circulation in the City of Mountain View as defined by state law. In addition to satisfying the legal notice requirements, the City provides additional notice of agenda items by publishing them in the newspaper.
DATE: June 23, 2026
CATEGORY: Consent
DEPT.: Finance and Administrative Services
TITLE: Newspaper Advertising Bid Award
Newspaper Advertising Bid Award
June 23, 2026
ANALYSIS
The City has advertised and solicited bids for advertising for Fiscal Year 2026 -27 to meet the intent of the Charter provision and provide notice of upcoming agenda items, in addition to posting notice at City facilities and on the City’s website. The bid specifications requested pricing based on an estimated annual volume of one thousand one hundred inches (1,100”) of advertising in the legal notice section of the newspaper. Although staff contacted other potential bidders, the City received two bids as follows:
• Daily Journal Corporation, d.b.a The San Jose Post Record, in the amount of $10.50 per column inch, $11,500 total.
• San Francisco Daily, LLC, d.b.a The Daily Post, in the amount of $15 per column inch, $16,500 total.
For reference, the City awarded the bid to The Daily Post in the amount of $1 5.00 per column inch, no minimum charge, for an initial amount of $16,500 with subsequent change orders in an amount not to exceed $ 8,500 for a total amount of $2 5,000, for Fiscal Year 202 5-26. The recommended award represents a reduction of approximately 30 percent in the per column inch rate compared to the Fiscal Year 2025-26 contract rate of $15.00 per column inch.
Staff reviewed the submitted bids, performed due diligence , and determined that The San Jose Post Record met all bid requirements and is the lowest responsive and responsible bidder .
Accordingly, staff recommends award of the contract to The San Jose Post Record.
The City’s noticing requirements generally include solicitation of purchasing and construction bids, municipal elections, public meetings, and public hearings, including land-use hearings. For the past several years, the City has averaged 29 City Council meetings per year, in addition to Regular Meetings of advisory bodies. The City also has a policy that establishes additional timelines for notifying the community of upcoming agenda items. Publishing notices in the newspaper is essential, as data services (used by vendors and contractors) collect information for their clients from the newspaper. The information is also accessible online.
The placement of notices in the legal advertising section of The San Jose Post Record for public meetings may also be supplemented with additional ads in the following: Mountain View Voice, the San Jose Mercury News , La Oferta when non- English-language noticing is required, direct mailings to residents, email, traditional agenda subscriptions, local- access television ads, and notices on the City’s website.
The San Jose Post Record, in combination with other noticing approaches used by the City, is an efficient means of reaching the target audience for which different notices are intended.
Newspaper Advertising Bid Award
June 23, 2026
FISCAL IMPACT
Sufficient funding for legal advertising costs is included in the Fiscal Year 2026 -27 Recommended Budget. The recommended contract amount of $11,500 is lower than the Fiscal Year 2025 -26 awarded amount of $16,500. Authorization of change orders up to the total not-to-exceed contract amount of $25,000 provides flexibility to accommodate variations in legal advertising requirements during the fiscal year.
LEVINE ACT
California Government Code Section 84308 (also known as the Levine Act) prohibits city officials from participating in any proceeding involving a “license, permit, or other entitlement for use” if the official has received a campaign contribution exceeding $500 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant within the last 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information, see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to- play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
Please see below for information about whether the recommended action for this agenda item is subject to or exempt from the Levine Act.
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
☒ Competitively bid contract
☒ Contract valued under $50,000
ALTERNATIVES—Reject all bids and readvertise for new bids.
PUBLIC NOTICING—Agenda posting.
Prepared by:
Ann Mehta
Purchasing and Support Services Manager
Approved by:
Derek Rampone
Finance and Administrative Services Director
Arn Andrews
Assistant City Manager