Politics

As the March 5 presidential primary election approaches in California, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are enjoying significant leads in the polls and appear to be well on their way to securing their political parties’ respective nominations.  In Santa Clara County, there are also a...

From an early age, Juan Miguel Munoz Morris saw firsthand the value of being civic-minded and helping others. His grandfather fought in World War Two and the Korean War, his grandmother was a social worker and his father was actively involved in local politics in Spain, as the country transitioned from a dictatorship to a democracy in the mid-1970s.

After celebrating the holidays with her family and recovering from a bout of Covid, Zoe Lofgren flew back to Washington, DC on Jan. 2 to begin her new term representing California’s 18th Congressional District in the US Congress. The district follows Highway 101 from...

Don Gage—a South County icon of politics and a beloved member of the Gilroy community—died on March 25 at age 79.  Gage’s political career started in 1981 and spanned a range of local offices and specialties. He served as a Gilroy City Council member from...

Robert Rivas, who represents 29th California district, was re-elected this week as Speaker of the California State Assembly.  Rivas, of Hollister, now begins his second year as Assembly Speaker following a unanimous vote by his Democratic colleagues on Dec. 2.  “I am filled with great pride...

A suite of five bills introduced this week seeks to protect election integrity from bad actors using AI, especially on social media. Concerned that AI-generated fake political ads can discourage voter participation, 28th District Democratic Assemblymember Gail Pellerin of Santa Cruz said she’ll propose a...

Only 10 members of the public showed up for a July 10 workshop encouraging participation from residents in shaping new Morgan Hill City Council election districts, but the experienced demographer hired by the city to gather data and coordinate the process described that as a “good turnout.”

More than a dozen city council district map proposals, submitted by residents and a professional demographer, are available for public review on a website created to set up the new election system.The draft maps can be viewed at drawmh.org, which provides a wealth of map drawing tools and demographic information about the City of Morgan Hill.Citizens can review the submitted draft maps and offer suggested changes, or create their own maps depicting four council districts equal in population, according to Morgan Hill Communications Manager Maureen Tobin. Residents can submit maps until Aug. 14.The city council is scheduled to approve an official four-district map in late August or early September. The map they approve will take effect with the November 2018 council election, and remain in place at least until the 2020 U.S. Census is completed.The five-member (including the mayor) Morgan Hill City Council approved the change from the current at-large election system to the new district-based system at their June 7 meeting. The change was a response to a demand letter from an Oakland law firm that claims the at-large system is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act because it limits the influence of minority groups.Under the by-district system, the city’s four council members will be elected by voters within the council district in which they reside. The mayor’s seat will continue to be elected on an at-large, citywide basis, according to city staff.By approving the change, the council aimed to protect the city from a potentially costly civil rights lawsuit. But it also forced the city to fast track the process of notifying the public and creating four new districts equal in population, without gerrymandering.The draft maps posted on drawmh.org include 10 “population balanced” maps with four districts each containing roughly 9,500 Morgan Hill residents. Seven of these were created by Morgan Hill residents. The other three were drawn by National Demographics Corporation, with whom the city contracted for $43,000 to help with the districting process.Also posted on the website are three maps created by residents that are not population balanced, and two maps that depict a single district.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced Dec. 5 that he will deactivate his office's Twitter account due to the recent rise in hate speech on the platform. In a statement, Rosen called on other district attorneys around the country to leave Twitter in...

Three California assembly members on Tuesday introduced a newly minted bill which, if it becomes law, would bring financial assistance to storm and flood victims who are ineligible for state and federal assistance. Assembly Bill 513, also known as the California Individual Assistance Act, was...