Politics

Gilroy City Councilman and mayoral candidate Dion Bracco has a criminal record that includes a 1990 felony conviction for possession of methamphetamine for sale, according to court records obtained by the Dispatch.

The bizarre events of December 2015 will be long etched in Gilroy’s political history. Mayor Don Gage stunned the city by resigning without warning a year before his term ended, effectively handing the reins to his political ally, Perry Woodward. The handoff allowed Woodward to run as an incumbent—but not before the duo pushed through approval of a massive farmland annexation that would have, along with other planned developments, made Gilroy one of the Bay Area’s biggest cities—a sprawling urban mass of 120,000 residents, more than double the city’s population today.

With nearly 438,000 children living in Santa Clara County, it is important elected officials and voters understand how funding and policy decisions impact children’s lives, according to an Oct. 11 announcement from the County Office of Education. In partnership with the Local Early Education Planning...

If you have ever considered running for local office in Santa Clara County, now is your chance. Monday kicked off the nomination period for the June 5, 2018 Statewide Primary Election. The nomination period ends on Friday, March 9, but can be extended to Wednesday,...

The last day for candidates to submit qualifying paperwork to run in local elections on the November ballot is Aug. 9.  As of Aug. 7, two of three Gilroy City Council incumbents—Zach Hilton and Fred Tovar—whose terms expire this year have declared their candidacy to...

A new neighborhood will eventually carpet 112 acres of pastoral property nestled south of Hecker Pass Highway, following City Council's unanimous initial approval of 186 single-family homes set to be constructed this spring, if not sooner.

Longtime public servant Paul Kloecker, 82, died Friday morning. Kloecker, who lived in Gilroy for more than three decades, served on the City Council from 1983-1995 and rejoined the City Council in 2016. He was a dedicated public servant and was committed to the community in...