A powerful union leader violated agency policies by failing to report hate speech—and the former undersheriff leapt to his defense.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith is heading for a runoff for the first time since her election five terms ago in 1998.

Hunger strikes, an in-custody death and the new politics of criminal justice define the race for Santa Clara County sheriff.

Sheriff candidates Laurie Smith and John Hirokawa sat down for no-holds-barred interviews to make their case for the June 5 primary.

Sheriff Smith making herself inaccessible to reporters comes amid criticism that she’s also disengaged from constituents.

Decades-old claims of sexual harassment and abuse of power have come back to haunt Sheriff Laurie Smith.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office violated state and local sanctuary policies by allowing federal immigration agents to interview inmates.

Laurie Smith won two key union endorsements, making the bid to unseat her that much more of an uphill battle.

NAACP chapter president Rev. Jethroe Moore accused the head of the Santa Clara County sheriff deputies union of sending racist texts.

All but one of the candidates vying for county Supervisor Ken Yeager’s seat have surpassed the quarter-million dollar fundraising mark.

There’s no telling the future, but here we give you some cursory predictions about a handful of local issues.

After calling off a planned hunger strike, Santa Clara County inmates began refusing food anyway to protest comments by Sheriff Smith.

Santa Clara County inmates are set to refuse food to protest what they call the arbitrary use of solitary confinement and other jail conditions.

Sheriff candidate Joseph LaJeunesse may have put in 14 years at the Santa Clara County law enforcement agency, but he still feels like an outsider.

Activists rallied today to protest plans by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office to arm jail and patrol deputies with Tasers.

Former Undersheriff John Hirokawa will face off against his former boss, Laurie Smith, in the 2018 sheriff's race.