Politics

Two candidates seeking to become Santa Clara County’s next Assessor emphasized their contrasting backgrounds and visions for modernizing the office during a Meet the Candidate forum Sept. 8 at the Morgan Hill Grange. Yan Zhao, a Saratoga city council member and two-term mayor, and Neysa...

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...

The City of Gilroy has hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into whether City Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz violated any city codes or administrative rules in relation to the deadly Oct. 30 shooting on her property. Gilroy City Administrator Jimmy Forbis informed Mayor...

Hundreds of people in Morgan Hill and Gilroy hit the streets April 5 to deliver the message that they are not happy with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk as part of the nationwide “Hands Off!” protests.  On just the 76th day of Trump’s presidency,...

Millions of people in cities and towns throughout the nation joined the “No Kings” protest on June 14—a crowd that included several hundred protesters in west Gilroy.  The event was organized in 2,000 cities in the U.S. to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and...

Gilroy Prep School was recently approved to receive $4.68 million from the state of California’s Charter School Facilities Program. The funding will support the rehabilitation of existing school property and the construction of new K-8 classrooms.  California State Treasurer Fiona Ma’s office announced the local...

Sig Sanchez—former mayor of Gilroy and loyal advocate for South County throughout his 55-year public service career—died peacefully Jan. 30, according to family members.

The Gilroy City Council last week decided to add another public hearing to its scheduled outreach efforts to create new districts that will take effect in the 2026 and 2028 elections.  That leaves two more public hearings before the council decides which district map to...

The Gilroy City Council approved a $207.2 million budget June 2 that provides funding for new pickleball courts but will “delay” the hiring of three new recreation staff, according to city officials.  The 2025-26 budget includes a general fund of $75.6 million, and a full-time...

The City of Gilroy held its third public hearing on district based elections on April 7, where the city council reviewed and discussed draft maps submitted by the public more than a week earlier. Extensive public input is designed into the city’s transition process to...