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Before all the votes were counted Tuesday night, incumbent Laurie Smith and retired Undersheriff John Hirokawa said they were preparing for a runoff battle for Santa Clara County Sheriff.

Early returns from the four counties in the sprawling 30th Assembly district left no doubt about the front-runner, San Benito County Supervisor Robert Rivas. He will likely face first-time Republican candidate Neil Kitchens in a November runoff, as fellow Democrat and Gilroy City Councilman Peter Leroe-Muñoz trailed late Tuesday.With 54 percent of partial returns from mostly rural precincts at 11:15pm, the California Secretary of State reported Rivas leading balloting with 44 percent, with Kitchens at 32 percent and Leroe-Muñoz at just 11 percent.“I’m elated, and I’m grateful to the voters of Assembly District 30,” Rivas said election night. “I’m ready to continue in November, to talk about the issues important to the voters in this district and California.”The Rivas campaign, accompanied by mariachi music, food, drinks and a generally festive mood, exuded confidence in the early results.With the Democratic vote split, Kitchens, a national delegate for the Republican National Committee, emerged as the likely foe for Rivas on the runoff ballot. Kitchens has listed his jobs as a professional forester, rancher, lawyer, criminologist, real estate investor and residential property manager.District 30 includes San Benito County and parts of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, including the cities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister, with about a half million residents.The district is currently represented by Anna Caballero, who is running for state senate in the 12th District.Leroe-Muñoz, is a former San Benito County deputy district attorney who works in San Jose for the tech industry’s Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and ran on a public safety and economic development platform.Two-term Supervisor Rivas was a leader in the successful anti-fracking measure in San Benito County who ran a primary campaign emphasizing diversity and his rural roots, which has been heavy on endorsements, including Caballero, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, and the political arms of the state teachers, nurses and public employee unions.

School resource activityTwo students were suspended from Live Oak High School for vaping THC, a marijuana product, on the school’s 1505 E. Main Ave. campus. The vape pipe was confiscated by a school employee. The incident was reported to police 3:17pm May 24.FightPolice responded to a gang fight in the rear parking lot of the M&H Tavern, 17365 Monterey Road. A victim with an injury to his face declined medical attention. The fight was reported 10:11pm May 27. BrandishingA woman reported she was standing outside The Hill, 17330 Monterey Road, about 12:30am May 26, when a group of patrons from the M&H Tavern across the street threatened them and brandished knives.Grand theftThree male suspects stole several iPhones from the T Mobile store at 1041 Cochrane Road. The suspects allegedly matched a crew that has been stealing electronic devices from similar stores throughout the state. The theft in Morgan Hill was reported 4:27pm May 27.Someone stole 15 jerseys from Big 5 Sporting Goods, 1011 Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 5:06pm May 26.AccidentA blue Dodge Charger collided with a white Toyota Highlander near the intersection of Tilton and Dougherty avenues. Nobody involved in the accident reported any injuries. The accident was reported 2:59pm May 25.Petty theftTwo young men stole a bottle of tequila worth about $22 from Fast Stop Food Store, 15878 Monterey Road. The theft was reported 9:10pm May 25.Someone stole a rear license plate off a vehicle that was parked at a Morgan Hill shopping center. The theft was reported 6:57pm May 22.A thief or thieves broke into a Ford F150 pickup parked on Katybeth Way, and stole an iPad worth about $700. The crime was reported 12:55pm May 19.TheftA thief or thieves stole a gym bag containing an ID and credit cards from a locker at 24 Hour Fitness, 850 Tennant Station. The victim said someone cut his lock off the locker. The crime was reported 7:51pm May 22.Auto burglaryA thief or thieves broke into a vehicle parked at Monterey Road and First Street, and stole a purse, wallet and ID card. The victim also told police a screwdriver had been punched into the ignition. The crime was reported 3:34pm May 26.Someone broke into a brown Land Rover parked at Morgan Hill Athletic Club, 126 Cochrane Plaza. Stolen was a cell phone. The crime was reported 8:54pm May 22.A thief or thieves broke into a yellow Ford Mustang parked outside Red Robin, 1045 Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 10:38pm May 23.Someone broke into a Ford Escape parked outside Anytime Fitness, 795 Cochrane Road, and stole a bowling bag. The crime was reported 10:55pm May 23.A thief or thieves broke into a Chrysler Caravan and a Ford Ranger on Le Sabre Court. Stolen were vehicle registration, tennis equipment, tools and cell phones. The crimes were reported 12:14pm May 19.BatteryFollowing a disturbance between a female and male customer at Ladera Grill, 17305 Monterey Road, the woman retrieved her husband who entered the restaurant and physically attacked the male customer. The battery was reported 10:39pm May 24.A student of Sobrato High School, 401 Burnett Ave., was hit on the head four or five times by a classmate as he was walking out of class. The attack split the victim’s head open, resulting in bleeding. The incident was reported 4:13pm May 23.Drunk in publicA student at Sobrato High School, 401 Burnett Ave., was allegedly intoxicated while on campus during school hours. The male student’s father picked him up from school. The incident was reported 11:27am May 24.BurglaryA resident of Wright Avenue returned home to find the front door open and the windows next to the door smashed out. It appeared a broken garden statue nearby was used to smash the windows. The crime was reported 6:37pm May 21.A homeowner on Jasmine Way returned home to find the front door had been forced open and the residence ransacked. The burglary was reported 11:12am May 18.DisturbanceThree male teens were seen skateboarding down the downtown parking structure, 50 E. Third Street. The disturbance was reported 6:46pm May 18.Animal controlSomeone reported a goat on the side of the road in the area of Hill Road and Barrett Avenue. The goat was reported 8:32am May 19.Stolen vehicleA white Cadillac Escalade was stolen from a spot on East Dunne Avenue. The theft was reported 7:16am May 28.Someone stole a white work van with the words “Duplan Construction” on the side. The vehicle had been parked on Berkshire Drive. The theft was reported 6:23am May 27.A white GMC Sierra pickup was stolen from a spot on Butterfield Boulevard. The crime was reported 1:04pm May 27.A thief or thieves stole a white 2013 Ford Escape from a parking spot at the Centennial Recreation Center, 171 W. Edmundson Ave. The crime was reported 6:58pm May 19.Someone stole a blue Nissan Rogue from the zero block of West Second Street. The crime was reported 2:50pm May 16.Recovered stolen vehicleA 1997 Honda Civic, previously reported stolen, was recovered outside McDonald’s in Cochrane Plaza. The vehicle was recovered 7:53pm May 20. Petty theftSomeone stole key chains and pencils from Star Gifts, 626 Tennant Station. The crime was reported 12:19pm May 18. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

While most Americans drift further and further from their agricultural past, the business of farming in the Valley of Heart’s Delight is still booming. But it is changing—and technology is a big part of that. On Tuesday, May 22, the Silicon Valley Business Journal hosted “Disruption on the Farm,” a panel discussion that included California Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, former state ag Secretary A.G. Kawamura and was moderated by former Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue.  

The crowds enjoyed sunny Memorial Weekend weather at the 39th annual Mushroom Mardi Gras on Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27.The event, held for the 14th year in downtown Morgan Hill, turned out record numbers—and profits.“Our attendance was up from the previous year so we’re estimating we had about 75,000 attendees,” said Executive Director Sunday Minnich. “We had the best year we’ve had since being downtown as far as beer and wine sales—with record-breaking attendance on both days.”Minnich said the committee usually begins the next year of planning in the weeks following the event, when the committee meets for review.Despite the event’s success, Minnich is on the constant lookout for volunteers. “Volunteerism is always a struggle.”Folks interested can contact the event coordinators at mhmmg.org and volunteer on behalf of their service organization, who will receive a donation for their service hours, Minnich said.With 100 percent of the proceeds going toward education opportunities for local high school students, Minnich said they can already begin looking at scholarships for next year.

Labor rights icon Dolores Huerta, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2012, was in South County and San Benito County last week campaigning for her preferred candidate in the 30th District State Assembly race.

From Yosemite to the Teutoburg Forest in Germany, and through the world's highways, byways, and dirt roads, Airstream enthusiasts have been there with their silver-bullet looking, aircraft-inspired adventure travel trailers.

A Sacramento man who was in town for the Mushroom Mardi Gras festival was accidentally stabbed by his friend when two groups clashed in a fight outside a downtown Morgan Hill bar Sunday night, according to police.

Nearly 500 participants helped raise more than $105,000 as they set up camp May 19-20 at Morgan Hill Community Park for the inaugural Relay For Life of South County.

The state’s petroleum industry is spending $320,000 in the District 30 State Assembly race to defeat fundraising frontrunner Robert Rivas. The San Benito County supervisor hopes to succeed Anna Caballero, who is running for state senate this year and represents a district that stretches from Morgan Hill to King City and includes Watsonville and all of San Benito County.