San Jose Massage Parlors: North county Democratic headquarters to open
The yellow building, located at the end of a strip mall that houses a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant and a kung-fu dojo, has a long history of housing Democratic efforts. Assembly candidate Josh Becker used the 2,000 square feet for his 2010 primary campaign. Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign efforts were hosted there. The building also headquartered the “Silicon Valley for Obama” group in 2008.
Obama volunteer Lisa Altieri worked in the office on Election Day 2008.
“We were phone banking to every state in the West up till 7 p.m.,” she said.
The office, parking lot and Happy Donuts next door were completely packed, Altieri said. “It was amazing, watching the states turn blue on the television screen.”
In the 1970s, before the Democrats got a hold of the space, 3898 El Camino Real was home to an X-rated theater called the Copenhagen, according to local historian Matt Bowling’s website, The Palo Alto History Project. The area was then known for massage parlors and prostitution, but a crackdown in 1976 led to more law-abiding activity in the area.