To create a more responsive government, we need to ensure that the public—and not powerful moneyed interests—are financing our elections.

Cupertino’s former city attorney, Randolph Hom, is gearing up to sue his former employer for wrongful termination.

Six people are running for three seats on the Santa Clara County Board of Education, including two incumbents and some controversial challengers.

The city of Santa Clara’s success is largely due to its political leadership. Elected leaders in Cupertino, on the other hand, have been an embarrassment, and none of those incumbents should be allowed to return to office.

Barry Chang saying something inappropriate in public is hardly earth-shattering news, but this time the Cupertino councilman and state Assembly candidate may have actually broken the law by bringing up a closed-session discussion out in the open.

Michael Hunsweck won’t apologize for his politics, which is great, because the neoconservative could be a YouTube celebrity if he keeps it up. A candidate in next year’s race for State Assembly District 28—which includes west San Jose, Cupertino, Campbell, Saratoga, Los Gatos and Monte Sereno—Hunsweck will face off with Campbell Mayor Evan Low and Cupertino Councilman Barry Chang. It’s unclear if the field to replace Assemblyman Paul Fong will grow more crowded—Ken Yeager, president of the county Board of Supervisors, already pulled out of the race earlier this year—but one thing is certain: Hunsweck has a deliciously awkward style all his own.

A number of local elected officials have recently shown signs of unstable and unacceptable behavior in public life. All of these extreme actions indicate people dealing with mental-health related issues. That does not mean they are all mentally ill. Then again, the absence of a diagnosis is not the same as being “not sick.”

Money talks during election season, and it seems the closer a person is to San Jose’s City Hall, the louder their voice. That could be why San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio and planning commissioner Edesa Bitbadal raised the most money in the first two and a half months of the year with more than $121K and $86K in campaign contributions, respectively. Councilmember Rose Herrera didn’t do too shabby either, hauling in almost $49K. But Kansen Chu just topped Herrera’s total and, according to his campaign disclosure forms, the money he spent suggests he might be currying votes and/or future favors with cash.

The race for Liz Kniss’ soon-to-be vacant seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors just lost Kathleen King, a candidate many considered to be Joe Simitian’s main challenger after Margaret Abe-Koga bowed out in early January. In a letter to supporters Tuesday, King, a former mayor of Saratoga, cited personal issues as the reason for bowing out.

Move over Google, it seems public service is one of the valley’s most desired jobs. Two Cupertino councilmembers, Kris Wang and Barry Chang, are supposedly interested in the race for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors.

A political comic strip/hit-piece lampooning Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong was sent to 7,200 Cupertino voters over the weekend, just two days before the city’s election on Tuesday. Titled “The Adventures of Gilbert Wrong, Mayor of Cupertino,” the comic strip sets out four different scenarios in which Wong is contacted by a secretary with someone waiting to bend the mayor’s ear. Nonetheless, Wong was able to be re-elected as mayor.