Politics

Election officials in Santa Clara County on May 9 began mailing ballots for the June 7 primary to the county’s one million registered voters, who will cast 2022's first ballots in local and state races and on some ballot measures. The vote-by-mail ballots can be...

Morgan Hill’s city attorney has recused himself from a lawsuit filed by former Mayor Steve Tate earlier this month over city council redistricting. Defending the city from the legal action instead is a local lawyer who had threatened to sue the council if it...

Morgan Hill’s voters will get to decide in the Nov. 8 election if any future attempt to reduce the number of lanes of Monterey Road through the city’s downtown should be determined by a popular citywide vote. But it’s possible the city council will implement...

After the Morgan Hill City Council spent months in public discussions and soliciting input from residents and redistricting experts, the courts are likely going to decide which boundaries will apply in local elections for the next 10 years. Former Mayor Steve Tate is one of...

Four Morgan Hill residents—including former longtime Mayor Steve Tate—are threatening to sue the city over the council’s recent approval of a redistricting map that they say is illegal under state law.  Attorney Christopher Skinnell, of the San Rafael-based Nielsen Merksamer law firm, sent a demand...

Santa Clara County supervisors approved a quartet of housing projects March 22 that will convert existing properties into more than 300 affordable housing units. The board unanimously approved the purchase of four properties—two in San Jose, one in Morgan Hill and one in Santa Clara—that...

Former Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin is running for the 28th Assembly District in the upcoming June 7 primary after receiving the nod from current representative Mark Stone, who is reportedly not seeking reelection. Over the past few months, Pellerin has encouraged women to...

Facing corruption probes and a potential trial that could expel her from office, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said Thursday she will not run for reelection and will retire when her sixth term ends in January. Smith, who was the first woman to be...

Following a months-long discussion that grew increasingly contentious, the Morgan Hill City Council last week narrowly voted to approve a new elective district map that could expose the city to a lawsuit. But late in the March 2 council discussion, it became clear that the...

Gary Kremen last weekend withdrew from the race for Santa Clara County assessor, dropping his aggressive challenge to 27-year incumbent Larry Stone and promising to return thousands in campaign donations. Kremen’s surprise announcement to local media the afternoon of Feb. 26 came several hours after...