San Jose - Politics & Govt

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has voted to confirm a new county CEO, but the closed-door vote and the way it was announced is raising concerns — and has a lot of people upset.

Sheriff Laurie Smith has left the building at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, having suddenly submitted her resignation Monday effective immediately. Smith remains on trial over corruption charges relating to concealed-carry gun permits that she reportedly issued in exchange for campaign donations, as well as other charges.

The city of San Jose is trying a new tactic to help clear out a large homeless encampment near Mineta San Jose International Airport that is filled with old RVs, trailers, and cars.

The 49ers and the city of Santa Clara have settled their lawsuits stemming from management issues at Levi’s Stadium, including fraud allegations and a disagreement about concert noise levels. But it was not without drama.

Calvary Chapel in San Jose has scored a legal victory in its battle to fend off massive fines levied during the coronavirus pandemic.

Plans for a tiny home village for the homeless in North San Jose may get scrapped because the area where it is proposed could turn out to be land only meant for parks.

The investigation into a history book written about the Santa Clara County government, much of which was apparently plagiarized from Wikipedia and other sources, has become even more of a debacle after details about the sky-high cost of the book have been revealed.

Cruising was originally banned as a way to deter crime and traffic-related infractions from gatherings of cars slowly rolling down an urban street, but the Latino community looks at the ban as highly discriminatory, since cruising lowriders on city roads has been a part of the culture since the 1940s. 

It’s been more than two years since cars have been able to drive down San Pedro Street in downtown San Jose and it appears that trend may last forever.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, who has held that position for 24-years, says she will not run for re-election and that she will be retiring when her term ends in January.

The city of Santa Clara is now operating without its top two administrators after city council members voted to fire City Manager Deanna Santana.

For 35 years, the city of San Jose had extremely strict rules banning the erection of new billboards. Now, city officials are easing up and cashing out.

About 100 unhoused people have been living in a 40-acre encampment near San Jose’s airport, and the area has been ordered cleared by the FAA.

If you have court business to take care of in the South Bay you may have to put it off.

The city of Sunnyvale has added a new task to its to-do list: Get rid of hundreds of noisy, messy crows, and officials will apparently use lasers to do it.

San Jose could become the first city in California to approve a mandate that would require vaccine booster shots for visitors and workers at all city-owned venues.

Santa Clara County’s political districts are about to undergo some major changes after a key Board of Supervisors vote Tuesday.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez Chavez will hold a private event Thursday where she will officially announce her run for San Jose Mayor.

District 10 Councilmember Matt Mahan has a plan that would drastically ratchet up the use of prefab tiny homes as a temporary housing solution for the homeless.

Local government redistricting may not sound like the most exciting of political activities, but it actually has a direct impact on the day-to-day issues and challenges that your community faces.

There is now a request from two Santa Clara County supervisors for a no-confidence vote over Sheriff Laurie Smith’s job performance, as she is accused of rampant mismanagement inside her jails.

Six-term Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith held a press conference Tuesday in response to calls to resign from San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, and she says she will not be stepping down.

A homeless encampment is growing on a property owned by Apple in North San Jose, and the site off Component Drive could soon see the arrival of even more residents if nothing is done soon. 

San Jose City Hall is back open for in-person business, including City Council meetings which started up again this week inside the chambers.

There’s growing controversy surrounding the mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo, and his alleged inappropriate use of public and private email accounts.