Santa Clara County Government Digest

Every morning for the last quarter of a century, Reggie Roberts ensures Silicon Valley’s most powerful politicos get their mail.

Amid finger pointing, Milpitas officials plan to hire an outside investigator to look into who on the City Council leaked confidential information to a person threatening litigation against the city.

In February, the Milpitas City Council voted 3-2 to not renew the contract of City Manager Steve McHarris, with members Anthony Phan and Hon Lien voting to keep him on.

Nonprofit leaders meet regularly with San Jose officials to influence policy decisions. But though they are often awarded millions in city contracts, nonprofit reps don't have to disclose their meetings like other lobbyists.

A state-appointed panel inching toward recommendations for reparations wants a new state agency to handle compensation and services to Black people.

A Cupertino official who repeatedly berated city employees and harassed residents may soon be booted from a powerful commission. The city council will consider removing Cupertino planning commissioner R "Ray" Wang at its March 7 meeting. Councilmember J.R. Fruen, who was elected recently, called for Wang's removal last month.

Since April, Craig Hartley has been the chief enforcement officer in charge of administering Palo Alto's ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.

Frustrated Milpitas residents and councilmembers are calling for a reversal on the sudden decision to let go of City Manager Steve McHarris—the third city manager to be let go in Milpitas since 2017.

State regulators set the regional’s target of new units based on a formula meant to determine how much more housing is needed for the current and future population. The Association of Bay Area Governments then divvied up that number among local cities and counties.

The Santa Clara City Council appointed Jovan D. Grogan as City Manager on a 4-1 vote. Grogan, currently San Bruno’s city manager, will assume his new duties on May 1.

Housing, climate change, economic recovery and community safety will continue to dominate City Council discussions in the coming year after members voted to adopt these official priorities.

Christian Di Renzo brings with him a wealth of experience, having served in the public sector for 15 years—12 of those years working in management roles in the area of public Works.

Despite facing criticism from free speech experts, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan supports his predecessor's vision to address how San Jose responds to public records requests.

In one of his last actions in office, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo wants to reform how the city complies with transparency laws—a move experts say could limit the public’s access to the inner workings of City Hall.

Santa Clara County is eliminating hybrid committee meetings in favor of an in-person only format, which residents said could reduce community engagement.

Lydia Kou, a real estate agent who in her six years on the City Council has been a leading critic of housing mandates and a skeptic about new developments, will serve as Palo Alto mayor in 2023.

Glen Googins, Santa Clara’s new city attorney, will be able to hit the ground running with extensive experience in municipal real estate transactions, entertainment venues and public-private partnerships.

From beavers to brazen crimes to long-awaited resolutions, 2022 was a year when we could finally think about something other than COVID-19.

This past year has been highly consequential in South Bay politics, and some decisions are laying the groundwork for future changes.

SCOTUS rejected a last-minute plea from the tobacco industry and cleared the way for enforcement of a statewide ban that includes menthol cigarettes.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian of Palo Alto said he voted to make County Council James Williams the county CEO without community engagement because that’s how counties have selected their top executives.

The city of Santa Clara is updating its public outreach policy for planning and redevelopment applications and is asking for community input.

After Santa Clara County elected officials were found to have violated the state's transparency laws, they simply revoted with minimum discussion to appoint a new county executive. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors revoted 4-1 to appoint County Counsel James Williams as the new county CEO.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is demanding the Board of Supervisors nullify and revote on its appointment of a new county executive, saying the decision—which happened behind closed doors—violated the state's transparency law.

After months of refusal, San Jose will be forced to disclose critical details about the records it's withholding—a victory for San José Spotlight and the First Amendment Coalition. At a Thursday hearing, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Julie Emede ordered the city to produce a new log disclosing details about the hundreds of records it's shielding.

Early results show Mountain View City Council member Sally Lieber with a definitive lead over her opponent in the local politician's bid for a seat on the state Board of Equalization.

An attorney and former Milpitas planning commissioner whose rude and threatening language landed him in trouble before is sending curse-laden emails to the city attorney on behalf of the frontrunner in the mayor's race.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is not pleased with local leaders' plans to reduce homelessness, and will hold back state funding until they take more aggressive action: “Everyone has to do better.”

Low-income patients who need specialized cancer treatment often struggle to get it. Advocates say a new law is a small step toward improving services for those patients.

Now that downtown parking permits are available for purchase, time limits on parking will be enforced beginning Nov. 7.

As drought drives prices higher, families are facing water bills of more than $200 a month. With 1 in 10 households behind on water payments, calls are mounting for the state to step in and help.

The new rules were sparked after a Bay Area councilmember hired his 14-year-old cousin to be his treasurer during a 2016 campaign.