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Santa Clara County Elections & Politics Articles



Image caption: The streets of San Francisco saw one of the many women's marches held after the 2016 election.
A League of Our Own

Founded in 1920, the year that suffragettes triumphed, the League of Women Voters now protects the entire electorate’s rights.

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Meet the candidates: MHUSD Trustee Area 2

Running for the Morgan Hill Unified School District Trustee Area 2 seat are James Dill and incumbent John Horner.  Horner is running for his second four-year term on the MHUSD Board of Trustees. His professional experience started out as an …

Metro Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Cindy Chavez and Matt Mahan Battle for Votes

Four weeks out from San Jose’s Nov. 8 mayoral election, San Jose mayoral candidates Matt Mahan and Cindy Chavez will meet for a two-hour long mayoral candidate forum today at 7 p.m.  The forum is sponsored by KQED and Univision, …

Image caption: Mayor Sam Liccardo was on the San Jose City Council when a judge ruled that personal emails of public officials are public records. That decision set the precedent for the lawsuit he now confronts.
SJ Spotlight & First Amendment Coalition vs. Liccardo

Liccardo faces accusations of using a personal email account to conduct official city business and withholding public information contained in numerous email exchanges. A lawsuit filed eight months ago by the news site San Jose Spotlight and the First Amendment …

Image caption: California Secretary of State Shirley Weber is interviewed at the CalMatters offices on Oct. 5, 2022.
What Would Shirley Weber Do Next as California Secretary of State?

In an hour-long interview with CalMatters, Secretary of State Shirley Weber talks about changing California's recalls for governor, increasing voter participation and other issues.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Voting begins for Nov. 8 election

Voting has begun in the Nov. 8 general election, as voters throughout California will receive ballots in the coming days—and can drop them off, completed and signed, at authorized locations now through Election Day. Elections officials in Santa Clara County …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Meet the candidates: MHUSD Trustee Area 1

Vying for one of four Morgan Hill Unified School District Trustees’ seats that will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot are former educator Nancy Altman-Palm and incumbent Wendy Sullivan.  Altman-Palm’s experience in education spans more than 25 years with MHUSD …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Leak of Grand Jury Report on 49ers Influence in Santa Clara Draws Fire for Political Timing

With few exceptions, the grand jury report’s observations, conclusions and recommendations landed squarely on one side of the city’s political divide–led by Mayor Lisa Gillmor–that was on the losing end of the 2020 council elections, promping the 49ers to call …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Meet the candidates: Morgan Hill City Council District B

Running for Morgan Hill City Council District B in the Nov. 8 election are incumbent Yvonne Martinez Beltran and Bryan Sutherland.  As part of the Times’ ongoing election coverage, we presented candidates with a series of questions to give them …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Mayoral candidates on climate change

Climate change is a problem that will take global action to solve, but its effects are already being felt here in Morgan Hill. Wildfires forced some residents to evacuate in 2020. Drought and water security continue to be hot topics …

Metro Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Gilroy Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz Says She Will Not Resign

Following a testy Oct. 3 meeting where a majority of the Gilroy City Council requested she relinquish her seat if a recall effort against her qualifies for the ballot, Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz said she will not resign from her position. …

Image caption:
Newsom Steps Up His (Nonpresidential?) Campaign

California Gov. Gavin Newsom insists that he's not running for president but continues to cultivate a national political profile that may indicate otherwise.

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Meet the candidates for Morgan Hill Mayor

With the Nov. 8 election rapidly approaching, this newspaper is committed to helping the voters of Morgan Hill to become as informed as possible about the candidates and issues in local races. City of Morgan Hill offices that will appear …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Gilroy councilmember files police report over ‘threats against public officials’

A heated exchange during the Gilroy City Council’s Sept. 19 meeting led one councilmember to file a police report after a resident claimed the public would “do stuff to make your life miserable.” Ron Kirkish of Gilroy, who made the …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Gilroy City Council could ask Armendariz to resign

The Gilroy City Council will soon consider asking Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz to resign if a recall effort against her qualifies for a ballot. During the council’s Sept. 19 meeting, Mayor Marie Blankley requested the item be brought to the council …

Image caption: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a number of climate-related bills surrounded by state legislators at a press conference at the USDA Forest Service Regional Office on Mare Island in Vallejo on Sept. 16, 2022.
Newsom’s California Economic Forecast: Veto Message Edition

Loyal readers of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto messages may have noticed a new theme popping up lately; Newsom, again and again: “With our state facing lower-than-expected revenues over the first few months of this fiscal year, it is important to …

Image caption: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations.
International Day of Democracy

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres defends "the cornerstone of democratic societies—free, independent, and pluralistic media.”

Image caption: Supporters of Donald Trump have been behind a series of disruptions and threats at local government meetings.
New California Law Aims to End Public Meeting Disruptions

A wave of public government meeting disruptions by right-wing groups often inspired by Donald Trump has inspired a new law designed to help officials restore order to the process of running local government.

Image caption: The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters office in Sacramento on June 7, 2022.
CalMatters 2022 General Election Voter Guide

The nonpartisan CalMatters 2022 Voter Guide was crafted by reporters, editors, data journalists, visual journalists and product designers.

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
New Poll Shows Mahan, Chavez Neck and Neck for SJ Mayor

The first poll results in the San Jose mayor general election campaign, of 674 likely city voters polled in the last week of July, showed Chavez leading slightly with 38% of the initial vote preference and Mahan with 37%, with …

Featured

California cities switch to more inclusive, district-based elections system.
Voting Rights...the Final Frontier
Pushed by activists, cities move from at-large elections to district races.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
California continues to work on legislation that would make voting easier.
Voting Rites
And more bills are on the way to help you make your mark on Election Day.
The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think
What causes the cycle of homelessness and crime, and how to stop it.
The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.
How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails
From its beginnings in the Gold Rush, the state Supreme Court continues to define the state today.
Translated from the Greek, “Democracy” means “people power.” How much power do the people have in California?
People Power! What Is Democracy, and How Does It Work in California?
The Goddess of Democracy is alive and well in California, but that hasn’t always been true.