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Santa Clara County Elections & Politics Articles



Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Seven Pull Papers to Run for Gilroy Offices

With more than two weeks to go in the nomination period for local candidates for the Nov. 5 general election, a total of seven people have pulled papers to run for mayor and three city council seats, according to Gilroy …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
List of Possible Morgan Hill Election Candidates Grows

With more than two weeks left to go for the official nomination period for candidates for local offices in the Nov. 5 general election, the list of potentially interested names on the ballot is growing.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Silicon Valley Lawmaker Running for Congress Doesn’t Live in His District

Assemblymember Evan Low is living outside his state legislative district in Campbell, raising questions about whether the lawmaker — and now congressional candidate — has turned his back on the people he was elected to serve.
Campaign finance and voter …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Silicon Valley Campaign Contributions Expose Financial Loophole

Money pouring into a tight Silicon Valley congressional race is drawing attention to a loophole in campaign finance rules that obscures the influence of special interests.
Three political action committees — Equality PAC, Equality California Federal PAC and Voter Protection …

Local News Matters Stockton logo LOCAL NEWS
Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs Files to Run for California Lieutenant Governor

MICHAEL TUBBS, THE former mayor of Stockton, will run for lieutenant governor in 2026, according to campaign paperwork filed this week.

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
City of Santa Clara to Place $400M Infrastructure Bond on November Ballot

Bond proceeds would pay for street, fire station, police, parks, storm drain and historic building projects across the city.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Campaign Filings Reveal Silicon Valley Recount Donors

Tech CEOs and business leaders were the main sources of funding behind a contentious Silicon Valley congressional recount earlier this year.
That's according to recent campaign filings from Count the Vote, the super PAC that directly paid for the Congressional …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Silicon Valley Candidates Spent Hundreds of Thousands on Recount

New campaign finance filings show Assemblymember Evan Low significantly outspent his opponent, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, on lawyers related to the April recount that solidified both their spots in the November runoff for Congressional District 16.
While both …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara Asks Voters to Pass Multimillion-Dollar Bond

Santa Clara voters will decide in November whether to give the city roughly $400 million for various infrastructure fixes around the city.
The Santa Clara City Council approved the bond measure on Tuesday 6-1, with Councilmember Kevin Park dissenting. City …

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
Gail Pellerin Among Top 4 Stock Investors in California Legislature

The total stock portfolio of the Legislature was worth as much as $112 million last year but experts say the public should know more about a politician’s total wealth.

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Gail Pellerin Among Top Four Stock Investors in CA Legislature

The total stock portfolio of the Legislature was worth as much as $112 million last year but experts say the public should know more about a politician’s total wealth.

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Bay Area Will Decide California’s Biggest Housing Bond Ever

A newly created regional housing finance authority for the entire San Francisco Bay Area will send a bond of up to $20 billion to the ballot. But the fate of its statewide counterpart looks bleak.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Loses Top Election Official Before November Races

Santa Clara County’s top elections official is bowing out four months before the November election and shortly after her office landed in the hot seat over a historic recount.
After nearly 30 years leading the Santa Clara County Registrar of …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Former Santa Clara County Sheriff Loses Another Appeal

The California Supreme Court won’t hear former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith’s appeal of a case that disqualified her from holding public office.
The high court denied Smith’s petition for review on June 18, records show. It comes after …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Sales Tax Ballot Measure Headed to Gilroy Voters

Voters in Gilroy will be asked in the Nov. 5 election to approve a quarter-cent local sales tax that would be dedicated strictly to increased police, fire protection and related public safety services.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Lawmaker Introduces Bill Requiring Automatic Recounts

After a controversial congressional recount spurred by dark money, one lawmaker is introducing a bill to mandate automatic recounts for statewide elections with tight margins.
Assembly Bill 996, authored by Assemblymember Evan Low, calls for any statewide election with a …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Sunnyvale Considers Major Changes to Its City Charter

Sunnyvale voters will have multiple opportunities to change the city charter in the coming years.
The Sunnyvale City Council voted unanimously earlier this month to create a committee to review the city’s charter and propose potential amendments by November 2026. …

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
New Schools Tax Squeaks Past Threshold

Voters in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District narrowly approved the district’s first parcel tax in more than a dozen years by a narrow eight-vote margin, according to the election offices in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Explores Ranked Choice Voting

Santa Clara County leaders this year may move forward with overhauling how they’re elected with a system called ranked choice voting.
The Board of Supervisors could discuss adopting the system in August. The change would rid the county supervisors, district …

KSQD logo LOCAL NEWS
Student Protestor Voices on Israel-Gaza-Palestine

In this field-produced, bonus episode, the Moment of Truth team interviews pro-Palestinian, student protestors and campers at encampments at UCSC‘s Quarry Plaza, and at Stanford University, in the courtyard in front of the Stanford campus bookstore—one of the longest-lived encampments …

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.