One additional vote from San Mateo County today added to Evan Low's four-vote margin in Santa Clara County, giving him a five-vote lead over Joe Simitian, good for the second spot on the November ballot with frontrunner Sam Liccardo, the former San Jose mayor.

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

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.

While former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s 8,200-vote margin means he is a shoo-in for the top spot on the ballot, the recount could change the unprecedented tie between Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and State Assemblymember Evan Low.

One of San Jose Councilman Manh Nguyen’s ex-staffers made some bold allegations last week, accusing the District 4 rep of pulling a Mike Honda.

Something fishy is going on in the D4 Council office. Since Manh Nguyen took over the seat, he’s taken an unusual approach to filling out his staff.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District is looking for a temporary replacement for Dennis Kennedy, the South County board member who resigned.