We have an opportunity on Election Day to protect two critical resources that are inextricably linked: open space in our local watersheds and the life-giving water that flows through our valley.

California made history this month by ending its "Wild West" policy of allowing uncontrolled groundwater pumping by nearly any landowner in the state.

A pending catastrophe has caused our local leaders to finally call for recharging our groundwater basins.

San Jose may enact water-rationing measures to cope with the state’s dogged drought.

San Jose Water Company proposed in 2012 to increase water rates nearly 40 percent over three years. A report on the proposed rate increase shows that, to a large degree, the project is tied to a a worthwhile expansion of our water recycling infrastructure.

San Jose officials want to travel to Copenhagen, which has branded itself the "City of Cyclists," to study how the area has adapted to cyclists and pedestrians. That and more will be discussed at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

A man is only as good as his word, and some South County farmers are putting Dennis Kennedy to the test. A comment Kennedy made last year about not running for re-election if appointed to the Santa Clara Valley Water District is now under close inspection.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to volunteer leaders and a few hundred citizens who have been cleaning our creeks, clearing our trails and preserving our parks while the City Council debates how to allocate its limited resources.

Future droughts will become increasingly frequent and severe, according to climate predictions. Officials are so concerned about the current shortage that many are now looking for new sources of water, including the use of treated sewage discharge for—gulp—drinking water.

It’s been two decades since water officials have asked the public to cut back this much on water consumption. But with reservoirs at just a third of capacity and rain a rarity aside from the last couple weeks, the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) is asking residents to dial down water use by 20 percent.

Agencies in Santa Clara Valley have finalized a sweeping conservation plan that will set out guidelines for development in exchange for preserving South Bay creeks, trails and open space. State, county and local agency leaders will meet Thursday morning at the Anderson Dam in Morgan Hill for a signing ceremony to launch the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District became the first water agency in the nation to join a movement to divest from fossil fuels, retracting investments from companies considered to contribute to climate change and harm the world’s water supply.

Every two years, Santa Clara County does a Homeless Census and Survey to receive federal homeless funding. The most recent survey, conducted in January 2013, shows an increase in homelessness, as more and more people are setting up encampments in San Jose. Here are some possible steps San Jose and Santa Clara County can take to address the issue in a more humane way.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District paid nearly $70,000 in membership fees last fiscal year to a long list of chambers of commerce and other networking associations. Not surprising, almost every single chamber of commerce on the list endorsed the Measure B water tax.

STORY OF THE WEEK: The Mercury News provided a brief statement to San Jose Inside regarding an inappropriate email the newspaper’s opinion editor sent to a political candidate. The statement not only reflects on how the paper views its mission, but the state of media in the South Bay.

Count Barbara Keegan among those most flabbergasted with her landslide victory last week for a seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board. But if it were up to the opinion editor at our local daily, Keegan would have pulled out of the race months ago. That would have allowed David Ginsborg, deputy to the county’s tax assessor, to easily claim retiring Joe Judge’s board seat. Barbara Marshman, the Mercury News’ editorial writer and decider of all things good and natural emailed Keegan in early August to try and cajole her into dropping out of the race.