Two San Jose councilmen duke it out after dramatically narrow vote results led to the incumbent's loss -- ultimately stirring up a lawsuit.
Ramona Giwargis reports in Mercury News: "After losing a second ballot recount this week costing him nearly $15,000, Councilman Manh Nguyen filed a lawsuit to overturn the results of the June election that handed him a narrow defeat -- a case experts say will be tough to win."
"But the incumbent councilman, who's been in office a little more than a year, is not giving up. His attorney claims the June 7 primary election was botched by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters and Nguyen should get a second bite at the apple."
"Nguyen did not return calls Wednesday. He lost the election by 12 votes to challenger Lan Diep, an attorney who originally trailed Nguyen by 193 votes. Diep narrowed the gap as additional ballots were counted."
A Sacramento campaign is catching flack for neo-nazi ties, and now the movement is trying to distance itself from its white supremacist supporters.
Ed Fletcher with Sac Bee reports: "A campaign dotting a Sacramento suburb with blue ribbons tied to trees and posts in support of area law enforcement is distancing itself from two supporters who have neo-Nazi ties."
"Two Sacramento television stations aired stories about the blue ribbon campaign earlier this week. Some viewers recognized self-described white supremacist Derik Punneo acting as the group’s spokesman on the air. Many took to social media, accusing the outlets of promoting Nazis. Punneo participated in the June 26 clash between neo-Nazis and counterprotesters at the state Capitol."
"Jamie Lopez, the Folsom woman who started the blue ribbon campaign, called the turn of events a “nasty, icky turn” to a sincere effort to support law enforcement in the wake of a rash of shooting of officers around the country."
READ MORE in Public Safety: Prayer vigils to support police planned all across Inland valley -- Beatriz Valenzuela with Daily Bulletin
Measure A could see a 20-year tax extension in San Mateo County, which supporters say providing myriad improvements to quality of life and education.
Kevin Kelly with Mercury News writes: "County officials have placed a 20-year extension of an existing sales tax on the November ballot to possibly combat the housing crisis."
"Supervisors unanimously voted on July 26 to seek an extension of the half-cent Measure A tax through 2043. It needed a four-fifths majority to be placed on the ballot."
"The measure, which took effect in April 2013 and generates about $80 million a year in revenue, is set to sunset in 2023. The extension is being sought to fund "critical local services and infrastructure," according to a news release."
And in the Beltway, Trump's Gold Star family feud continues to cripple his standing before the election, resulting in the presidential candidate's own military service history being put under a microscope.
L.A. Times' Kurtis Lee reports: "Donald Trump’s public feud with the Muslim family of a fallen solider has drawn attention to the businessman’s own record of military service."
"Khizr Khan delivered an emotional speech at the Democratic National Convention in which he told the story of his son, Humayun, who was killed in 2004 by a car bomb while serving in Iraq. In his remarks, Khan, with his wife at his side, said the Republican presidential nominee had “sacrificed nothing” for his country."
"And in a response condemned by both Democrats and Republicans, Trump criticized the Gold Star parents and insisted his own “sacrifices” included creating jobs and helping establish a Vietnam War memorial in New York."
A refinery in the small town of Rodeo, California, has just been slapped with an $800,000 ticket for failing to meet pollution limits -- an example that the government is hoping will help deter future deviant pollution.
The Chronicle's J.K. Dineen reports: "Phillips 66 Refinery has agreed to pay $793,250 to settle air pollution violations at its refinery in Rodeo, the the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said Wednesday."
Meanwhile, with the 2016 Olympics in Brazil just around the corner, many challenges still face the hosting country before the start of the event.
Mark Purdy reporting for Mercury News says: "With a little effort and a walk down a shantytown street, I located the most optimistic person in Brazil this week."
"Her name is Cris Rosario. She runs a tiny gift shop in a small room at the top of a very steep and dim staircase in a chockablock structure on a narrow street in the amazing Rocinha favela community that is home to 70,000 or more people."
"Cris was delighted when our guide, Gabriel Santos, led us up the stairs and showed us into her place of business. Speaking in Portuguese, she pointed out several modest Olympic souvenirs that we might purchase."
SEE MORE related to 2016 Olympics: How Olympic development is uprooting poor families in Rio -- Vincent Bevins with L.A. Times; Rio Games on TV: How, when and where to watch -- Chuck Barney with Mercury News; Bay Area Olympians: Stanford-bound Katie Ledecky writing her own history -- Elliott Almond with Mercury News
