After a controversial congressional recount spurred by dark money, one lawmaker is introducing a bill to mandate automatic recounts for statewide elections with tight margins. Assembly Bill 996, authored by Assemblymember Evan Low, calls for any statewide election with a margin of less than 25 votes or 0.25% of the cast ballots to be subjected...
Santa Clara County could lose millions if Newsom changes law
Santa Clara County may lose millions of property tax dollars to charter schools while teetering on the edge of a fiscal cliff. That could happen under a law change that Gov. Gavin Newsom wants approved to tackle the state’s own cash-strapped budget this year. It stems from a yearslong fight between the state and five...
Recall efforts to remove Bay Area senator fall flat
A recall campaign against Bay Area state Sen. Aisha Wahab died yesterday due to a petition flaw leading to thousands of invalid signatures, proponents said. The campaign needed at least 42,802 signatures by May 23 to be placed on the ballot, according to documents from the California Secretary of State — which campaign proponents said...
Fight to stop anti-tax measure comes to Silicon Valley
A November ballot measure could profoundly change how essential government services are funded in California. The statewide fight to stop it has reached Silicon Valley. Labor, community and city leaders from Mountain View, Los Altos and San Jose rallied with signs and horns on Wednesday against a business community-sponsored initiative known as the Taxpayer Protection...
Lawmakers pass the buck on San Jose transparency bill
A state bill to increase public access to the communication of government officials died on the desks of lawmakers without consideration — a sign of the uphill battle transparency measures face in Sacramento. Senate Bill 908 — introduced in January by State Sen. Dave Cortese — would have required public officials to forward messages about government business...
Voters could decide future Bay Area public transit funding
Future funding for Bay Area public transit agencies could be left up to voters as part of a massive system overhaul. State Sens. Aisha Wahab, whose district covers Sunnyvale and Milpitas, and Scott Wiener of San Francisco have introduced Senate Bill 1031, calling for a 2026 ballot measure to provide more financial support to Bay...
Patrick Ahrens leads in early results for California’s 26th Assembly District
Local college trustee and political aide Patrick Ahrens is leading a field of six in a race to fill the open seat in California’s 26th Assembly District. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Ahrens is ahead with 34.4% of the vote. Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Tara Sreekrishnan is in second with 26.9% and...
Fact check: Did Omar Din create 200 homeless shelters?
Residents are questioning claims in a recent campaign ad from state Assembly candidate Omar Din that he helped create homeless shelters in San Jose. The advertisement asserts Din — Sunnyvale’s vice mayor and a candidate for Assembly District 26 — will prioritize public safety and includes examples of his past work, ranging from increasing funding for...
Silicon Valley senator wants to consolidate 27 transit agencies
Transit agencies across the Bay Area are suffering from low ridership and fiscal strain. One lawmaker thinks combining them may be a solution. State Sen. Aisha Wahab, whose district covers Sunnyvale and Milpitas, has submitted a bill asking the California State Transportation Agency to create a plan that would consolidate the Bay Area’s 27 transit...
Silicon Valley lawmaker targets AI political misinformation
Before election season heats up, one state lawmaker wants to eliminate potential threats from artificial intelligence spreading misinformation in political advertising. Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, who represents District 28, plans to introduce a bill in the coming weeks to ban political advertising materials deceptively altered through AI. District 28 includes Santa Cruz, Los Gatos and parts of San Jose,...