What’s in a candidate statement? According to critics of Santa Clara City Council contender Robert Mezzetti, a lie. 

Sanjeev Acharya branded himself as a commercial real estate innovator, but regulators call him a con man.

Kansen Chu says he’ll refrain from endorsing anyone in the race to replace him. But he came close by donating to the longtime SCUSD trustee.

Santa Clara has called off its long-running candidate forums in one of the most consequential election years in the city’s history.

A judge is hearing proposals for how to carve Santa Clara into as many as seven election districts to ensure fair representation for minorities. 

Santa Clara city officials are cutting ties with the local chamber of commerce, citing a preliminary audit that identified potential self-dealing.

A Santa Clara political operative and legally banned blogger accused council members of trying to hide payments to a political consultant.

The 49ers and Santa Clara are locked in an epic grudge match over how money moves at Levi’s Stadium, and neither appears willing to blink.

Santa Clara voters are under siege. Each week a new accusation of campaign impropriety crops up.

Santa Clara enacted a new lobbyist rule this year, and the first suspected violation has apparently created additional conflicts of interest.

A fresh round of campaign finance data triggered two unrelated claims about “dark money” influence in Silicon Valley politics.

The civil grand jury has been quietly investigating the stadium authority for Levi’s Stadium, home to the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50, while billionaire developers play chess for Santa Clara’s future.

Elected officials in Santa Clara can’t get on the same page over alcohol sales, mirroring the efforts of the city’s beleaguered football team.

Since his unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Santa Clara City Council last year, attorney John Mlnarik has been on the legal warpath. To date, Mlnarik has sued: a couple whose diminutive dog allegedly nipped him on the hand while he was campaigning; blogger and political operative James Rowen for defamation; and a former employee, attorney Elena Rivkin Franz, who supposedly misused company resources to start her own firm and steal clients. The last two targets on that list are fighting back, however, and the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)—the state political watchdog—could have an interest in their allegations.