While taking responsibility for managing hazardous and biological waste, county officials today said private contractors – not hospital employees – had been hired to handle hazardous and medical waste identified by the DA.

The debate at the end of the first week after ballots were mailed to registered voters was combative but offered voters few real differences of opinion between the progressive Evan Low and the moderate Sam Liccardo.

Sam Liccardo urged his fellow candidates – and the public – to embrace the results of the 16th Congressional District recount.

Op-Ed: We must respect whatever findings that elections officials reach in the recount of ballots in the 16th Congressional District.

The counting process exploded into a controversy involving political action committees, campaign surrogates, the Federal Election Commission, members of Congress and the counting of previously discarded ballots.

Evan Low says, Thanks but no thanks, to the recount, and accuses Sam Liccardo of Trumpian tactics in engineering a recount plot to benefit from a two-man race.

Because of a tie vote for second place, voters in November will choose from among three candidates for the coveted Silicon Valley congressional seat: former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Santa Clara Supervisor Joe Simitian and state Assemblymember Evan Low.

Joe Simitian was ahead of Evan Low by five votes Monday evening, after a week of seesaw results. The eventual winner of the race will be decided by how many of the remaining 1,000 voters who mailed in unsigned ballots show up before 5 pm Tuesday, April 2 to sign their ballots.

Weekend processing of ballots by voters who were same-day registrants and the results of challenges to others could leave the race to be Sam Liccardo’s opponent in November a virtual dead-heat.

The contest between Joe Simitian and Evan Low could be decided by Friday's report from San Mateo County, which last reported results on Wednesday, March 13.

Tech security entrepreneur Peter Dixon of Portola Valley filed his FEC candidate statement on Thursday and announced he already had raised $350,000; and Palo Alto Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims became the seventh Democrat – and first woman – to announce as a candidate for the seat held for 16 terms by Rep. Anna Eshoo.

The combination of the new early primary date, March 5, plus the prospect of the most hotly contested congressional primary in the Bay Area in decades boosts the likelihood of campaign war chests in the millions.

With the March 5 primary just three months away and a campaign period interrupted by the holidays, the candidates – a total of five Democrats and two Republicans so far – have a big fundraising challenge ahead of them.

The Santa Clara County supervisor says he already has raised $600,000 in federal campaign funds.

Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo's hopes of filling the seat vacated by retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo were energized this week by results from a weekend poll showing the former mayor topping a field of eight possible opponents.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian says he'll likely make it official next week and Assemblymember Evan Low says he is a few conversations away from his announcement, but the pair are likely opponents in California's 16th Congressional District.