The retired judge, who served for more than a decade as police auditor and spent a dozen years on the bench, died in her home Sunday.

San Jose City Manager Norberto Dueñas announced his retirement at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. His last day is set for Oct. 13.

A recent column in the Mercury News listed the best and worst local decisions in the last 50 years. Here’s a few more to add to the pile.

Former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer taught me that my voice was important and that I could—and should—participate in our democratic process.

City officials are poised to approve a three-year lease that would breathe new life into Hammer Theatre Center, a.k.a. The San Jose Rep, which went dark a year ago due to bankruptcy.

A curious cultural taboo has been openly flouted over the last two decades in San Jose, and it seems one local institution could soon double down.

San Jose Mayor-elect Sam Liccardo announced that an eight-person transition team will help him “identify key initiatives to focus on” during his first term. It appears Carl Guardino, his close friend and CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group, will have the loudest voice in the room.

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 November election will either shift the body politic in San Jose toward change or provide a continuation of the status quo. With the problems facing the city, change should be in the air.

Santa Clara County was once the nation's capital for electing women into office. But a look at our current political landscape shows successful female candidates have become scarcer.