Santa Clara County, California

Santa Clara County rejected a DOJ demand for data on 902 voters it suspects are noncitizens and to set aside their ballots, calling it unlawful and infeasible before Election Day; San Mateo and Contra Costa counties raised similar objections, noting the DOJ letters carry no court order. The dispute escalated after a federal judge and a 9th Circuit panel both rejected a related Trump administration effort to block roughly 20,000 California ballots statewide, calling the claims about noncitizen voters not credible and the intervention unconstitutional. The DOJ has appealed again. Gov. Newsom says California is deploying election attorneys to monitor DOJ observers at polling sites.

Lighthouse Food Rescue and Distribution, a South Bay food bank run by Pastor Ralph Olmos, has drawn a city zoning violation notice warning of fines up to $20,000 per day unless it addresses lines of people waiting for groceries that spill onto the sidewalk. The food bank operates under California's SB 33, which allows it to redistribute surplus grocery store food and let recipients choose their own items. Olmos says similar violations were issued in 2022 but later waived, and he is hopeful for a similar outcome this time after discussions with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

In a joint statement, Mahan and councilmember Anthony Tordillos said no fines have actually been assessed, calling Lighthouse's work valuable while acknowledging neighbors' need for clear sidewalks, especially for elderly and disabled residents. The city says it is working with its housing and code compliance departments to find Lighthouse a new location and has offered to help cover relocation costs, framing the effort as a solution rather than a punitive measure.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1905, which restricts law enforcement from using "Perkins operations" against most people under age 26 who allegedly committed a crime at 17 or younger. These undercover stings place agents posing as incarcerated people in jail cells with suspects to elicit incriminating statements, a tactic the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1990 does not count as custodial interrogation, leaving it exempt from prior protections for minors. The new law, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, closes that gap, with exceptions when someone's life may be at risk. It takes effect January 1.

A CalMatters investigation found the practice widespread across several California counties, often involving false evidence ploys, recording devices, and paid operatives who posed as violent gang members. Ten related cases challenging convictions are pending before the California Supreme Court. Defense attorneys and some lawmakers argue the tactic is coercive and risks false confessions, disproportionately affecting Black and Latino defendants, while law enforcement groups, including the California State Sheriffs' Association, opposed the bill as a loss of investigative tools. The measure passed largely along party lines.

The California attorney general's office has dropped all felony charges against five Stanford University students prosecuted over a June 2024 campus protest against Israel's actions in Gaza. The students were among 12 who barricaded themselves in the university president's office for an hour, demanding Stanford divest from companies tied to Israel. They had faced felony conspiracy to trespass and vandalism charges, first announced in April 2025 by Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen.

Five students went to trial in early 2026, which ended in a hung jury. A judge later ordered Rosen to recuse himself over a conflict of interest, after evidence emerged he was using the case to fundraise for his reelection campaign. The state attorney general's office then took over and reached a resolution dropping all charges in exchange for 100 hours of community service and roughly $50,000 in restitution. Three students who had earlier accepted plea deals will also have their convictions overturned. Civil rights groups, including CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area chapter, welcomed the outcome, arguing the felony charges were disproportionate to the protest activity.

Former Santa Clara County undersheriff Rick Sung pleaded guilty Monday to two felony bribery counts as part of a plea deal ahead of a scheduled retrial, the county District Attorney's Office announced. A previous trial ended in a mistrial after a hung jury. Sung, who was second in command under former Sheriff Laurie Smith, was accused of leveraging rarely issued concealed weapon permits in exchange for benefits including a promise of 200 Apple iPads and access to a luxury suite and tickets at SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks. A related bribery charge against businessman Harpreet Chadha, who held the suite license, was dismissed at the hearing.

The plea closes out an eight-year investigation that began after a tip about an unusually large contribution to a committee backing Smith's 2018 re-election. The probe produced six convictions, including former Captain James Jensen, and led to Smith's 2022 resignation. Sung must permanently surrender his California peace officer certification and complete 400 hours of community service.

Two years after California voters passed Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime measure that let people charged with drug felonies opt into treatment instead of jail, an analysis of data from the state's largest counties finds few defendants actually completing treatment or having charges dismissed. Of 18,666 felony drug cases charged statewide last year, only 17% of defendants opted for treatment, and just 57 cases ended in dismissal after graduation. Implementation varies widely: some counties, like San Francisco, have made almost no arrests under the law, while others impose treatment periods ranging from three months to two years.

Prop. 36 passed without dedicated funding, and subsequent state budget allocations have fallen far short of what counties say they need. Shortages of treatment beds, case managers, and housing have left many participants, a large share of them homeless, unable to get consistent care. Old convictions with no statute of limitations have also triggered felony charges for people who had been sober for years. Prison admissions under the law are rising, though supporters argue the program is still helping people who otherwise would not seek treatment.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County have secured a preliminary injunction further halting construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on a 24.5-acre parcel near Gilroy. U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee granted the injunction Saturday and ordered the federal government to submit a proposed order by September 30 addressing the ruling.

The site, leased by the General Services Administration from a private developer for what officials describe as a likely Enforcement and Removal Operations holding facility, has been at the center of a lawsuit Bonta and county counsel filed in June. The complaint alleges builders blocked county inspectors from accessing the property and warns that known hazardous waste contamination — including in soils, structures, the septic system, and groundwater — could worsen if construction proceeds before hazards are assessed. Construction had already been delayed once, to September 9. County officials say the ruling reinforces that the project followed the wrong process at the wrong location.

Teachers in San Jose spent Saturday canvassing neighborhoods to build support for Proposition 3, a California ballot measure set to appear before voters on Nov. 3, 2026. The measure would make permanent the higher state income-tax rates on high earners approved by voters in 2012, which are currently set to expire in 2031.

Organizers say the measure would help protect funding for public schools and other state programs, with the state estimating it would preserve between $5 billion and $15 billion in annual tax revenue. Not all proceeds go directly to education: of the education-designated funds, 89% would go to K-12 schools and 11% to community colleges, with local school boards deciding how the money is spent and administrative uses prohibited. Remaining revenue would support health care and budget reserves.

Teachers who joined the canvassing effort cited concerns about shrinking shares of school budgets going to instruction. Opponents argue California already has high taxes and costs of living, and say the state should address spending before locking in the higher rates permanently.