The sudden realization that most of San Jose’s lawmakers are law breakers is not the best way to end summer vacation. Not that they intended to end up on the wrong side of the law, of course.

The votes have been counted—most of them anyway—and it's time to reflect on all that went into the 2014 Midterm elections. But before we do that, here's a collection of photos from the night that was make or break for local politicos.

San Jose’s three council races couldn’t have been more lopsided by bedtime, with Tam Nguyen, Charles "Chappie" Jones, and Raul Peralez all holding commanding leads in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

There’s a lot riding on Election Day in Silicon Valley. Here's a breakdown of some locals races and where each candidate is expected to spend their night partying/crying into their drink.

Campaign disclosure forms covering the first half of 2014 came due Thursday, giving political nerds their first chance to break down exactly how much money was raised and spent in the first half of the year. The numbers also show who's well poised for the November runoff.

The November election will either shift the body politic in San Jose toward change or provide a continuation of the status quo. With the problems facing the city, change should be in the air.

Raul Peralez maintained a close edge over Don Gagliardi in the San Jose District 3 race. The two men will now face off November for the the downtown City Council seat.

It's election day and with it comes a ballot packed with key decisions for Santa Clara County, though voter turnout is expected to be pretty low.

Don Gagliardi is a longtime neighborhood organizer and champion of parks and soccer fields. He reflects downtown’s idiosyncratic nature just fine and knows the city blocks well.

Today was the deadline to file the first round of campaign finance forms for San Jose City Council and mayoral campaigns. Not all were uploaded online by the 5pm deadline, but here’s a look at the four mayoral candidates whose reports were available.

An intellectual property attorney has thrown his name into what is becoming a crowded race to replace downtown San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo. Gagliardi joins four others who have filed statements of intent to run in the June primary for the District 3 seat. Other candidates include community organizer Kathy Sutherland, San Jose police officer and sometimes-model Raul Peralez, downtown club owner Mauricio Mejia and youth sports league founder George Kleidon.