The best witness against Donald Trump is not a nameless whistleblower. It is Trump himself, his lawyer and the summary of his “perfect” call.

Santa Clara County’s six-term sheriff and her closest allies are the subject of an ongoing criminal inquiry led by the office of DA Jeff Rosen.

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.

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

Darcie Green's new husband said he took his bride's surname to honor her family, but those familiar with his record of domestic violence think that may have had something to do with it.

Bravado from the president makes for good theater, but isn't an effective policy. At least this president, unlike the last, understands the real enemy we are facing, Rich Robinson writes.

Here comes the clutter of political advertisements. The public's least favorite time of year, when mailboxes are full of negative mailers and television ads assault the senses. First rule to remember: there is nothing that can't be said in politics, no matter how outrageous the claim.

The last game at Candlestick Park had all the elements for an appropriate send-off for the now hallowed ground, soon to become a mixed-use housing and retail project. Rich Robinson reflects on how the last game showcased the good, the bad and the ugly of what Candlestick represented for the last 55 years.

Mike Honda—Silicon Valley’s globe-trotting, karaoke-singing, hard-partying congressman—has had a charmed career. Now, a well-funded challenger, Ro Khanna, asks whether being likeable is enough, or whether the public expects a lawmaker to work hard, write laws and fight to keep valley industries competitive.

Here it comes. The biggest, baddest sports spectacular in the United States of America. Super Bowl L—that is L as in roman numeral 50; and “L” as in “L”ove it—will be an unofficial national holiday. This is an extravaganza and event so special that it dwarfs all other sporting events. And to think it all started with one man’s vision, a letter and a personal visit.

The deadline for semi-annual campaign disclosure forms covering the last half of 2012 came due last week. The documents provide a clearer picture of how winning and losing candidates raised money and how they spent it—or misspent it—in the final weeks of the campaign. We also tracked a number of political action committees (PACs). The most interesting findings: How much money was wasted in trying to defeat Councilmember Rose Herrera, a potential quid pro quo between the ChamberPAC and a person quoted in its ballot statement against minimum wage, and hangover debt for losing candidates Jimmy Nguyen and Robert Braunstein.

The day you’ve all been waiting for is almost here. No, not Election Day. We’re talking about the day after tomorrow, when people can put partisan politics to bed and go back to calling each other $%&#! at the dinner table based solely on the content of one’s character. For now, here’s en election night preview of the two City Council races.

Metro reported this week that Supervisor George Shirakawa—the top elected official in the county—has been submitting fraudulent expense reports. He has spent thousands of dollars on lavish dinners, alcohol and luxury hotel rooms and rental cars with a county credit card. Amazingly, he avoided detection despite two audits of his county credit card purchases. Many of the people Shirakawa treated to meals were unaware that taxpayers were picking up the tab, and have since sent checks reimbursing the county. This group includes San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore.

Santa Clara County’s scofflaw Supervisor George Shirakawa had no problem admitting in last week’s Metro cover story his four-year failure to file campaign disclosure forms. But that seems to have changed now that the reported illegal conduct —along with payments he made to friends and family members with money he raised to run for office and retire campaign debts—has resulted in a Fair Political Practices Commission investigation into the supervisor’s secretive activities.