Politics

A Superior Court jury on July 17 found former Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Capt. James Jensen guilty of felony bribery and conspiracy charges in connection with a gun permit bribery scandal. The same jury acquitted co-defendant Harpaul Nahal, a Santa Clara attorney, of both charges...

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the 2024-25 budget into law on June 29, solidifying $16 billion in cuts and other moves that closed a $46.8 billion deficit.  The budget is $297.5 billion, with $211.5 billion committed from the general fund. It maintains $22.5 billion in reserve...

Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders reached a nearly $300 million budget agreement on June 21 that closes a $46.8 billion deficit that was projected for the coming fiscal year with across-the-board cuts of nearly 8% to every department.  The $297.5 billion budget is proposed...

Voters in Gilroy will be asked in the Nov. 5 election to approve a quarter-cent local sales tax that would be dedicated strictly to increased police, fire protection and related public safety services.  At the June 17 meeting, the Gilroy City Council voted 6-1 to...

The City of Gilroy has halted negotiations with a company that previously showed interest in purchasing the city’s 536-acre property that includes Gilroy Gardens.  In a May 9 announcement, Gilroy Communications Manager Rachelle Bedell said the city has ceased talks with BayEcotarium that began under...

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is moving to eliminate the county’s death row, looking to sentence the 15 local men still sitting on it to serve life in prison without the chance of parole instead, according to an April 5 press release.  “Judges...

Longtime U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren cruised to a commanding lead as ballots were counted for the March 5 primary election.  Lofgren, who is running for her 15th term in office, will face Hollister resident Peter Hernandez—the only Republican in the five-candidate primary field—in a runoff...

The Gilroy City Council on Feb. 26 rejected a proposed resolution calling for an Israel-Gaza ceasefire.  The council’s vote followed more than an hour of public comments presented by more than 70 people in the audience who spoke passionately about whether a local resolution on...

All voters in Santa Clara County can drop off their March 5 primary election ballot at any ballot dropbox location throughout the county. There are also a total of 104 vote centers open in the county this weekend for the presidential primary election, and...

Former San Benito County supervisor talks about 18th District issues