2025 in review: Silicon Valley’s biggest stories

It was a transformational year for Silicon Valley.

A county assessor’s 30-year reign came to an end. Two city leaders were sentenced in court. Superintendent firings and mass layoffs rocked a host of local schools. And a judge brought an end to a historic transit labor strike.

But for each chapter that was closed this year, 2025 opened new ones. A special election turned a hopeful page for downtown San Jose. A gutted hospital was restored, preventing a health care desert in East San Jose. Another special election this month will decide the region’s first new property taxer in decades.

As the year comes to a close, San José Spotlight is looking back on its definitive moments.

New era for downtown San Jose

For more than a year, a child sex abuse probe into former downtown Councilmember Omar Torres faced San Jose with one of its darkest and most divisive chapters. The scandal finally came to a close in August, when Torres was sentenced to 18 years in prison for child sex abuse crimes, after a dramatic courtroom hearing where Torres’ victim spoke publicly for the first time.

It came just weeks after residents took steps toward a brighter and more hopeful future, installing Anthony Tordillos to fill the remainder of Torres’ term after Tordillos won a June special election.

Santa Clara leaks

This year saw the court sentencing of another city leader. In April, a judge ordered former Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker to spend 40 days in a county work program on specific days of the week.

It came four months after a jury found Becker guilty of perjury and failing to uphold his duties as a public official. Becker was accused of leaking a 2022 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report — which focused on the San Francisco 49ers’ influence over city politics — before its official publication date. Becker was also accused of lying about it to the grand jury during its investigation.

Becker is appealing his sentencing and still fighting to get his electronic devices back.

East San Jose hospital restored

For years, East San Jose’s only hospital withered under profit-driven cuts to maternity, stroke and trauma care under its former owner, HCA Healthcare. But after a bold $150 million purchase, Regional Medical Center joined the Santa Clara County public hospital system —now the second largest in the state — and officially reopened several key services in April.

The hospital revived its trauma, stroke and heart attack care that HCA cut the prior year. Then came the return of maternity care in October, after its elimination in 2020, enabling East Side mothers to give birth closer to home.

Voters approve sales tax increase

The joy of Regional Medical Center’s restoration was in many ways short-lived. President Donald Trump’s July signing of his watershed federal spending legislation, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” spelled massive cuts to health care funds keeping the county’s hospital system afloat.

The expected annual loss of $1 billion poses an existential threat to the hospital system. So county leaders hatched an 11th hour plan to place a five-eighths cent sales tax measure on the November ballot.

The Measure A campaign faced an unusually short — and difficult — runway. The county had to fend off skepticism among the ranks of its own employees, as well as a lawsuit seeking to strike the measure entirely.

Election night results showed Measure A passing with a wide margin of voter support, but much uncertainty lies ahead. The extra $330 million in annual revenue isn’t enough to stave off cuts. Meanwhile, District Attorney Jeff Rosen has threatened an investigation into the county after alleging mixed messages about the tax revenue’s use. The state Fair Political Practices Commission, however, dismissed taxpayer complaints on the grounds that they had no merit.

Game On Silicon Valley!

Silicon Valley cities are preparing to host a slate of global sports events — Super Bowl 60, the FIFA World Cup and NCAA March Madness — that will turn their communities into critical population centers. They’re hoping to avoid a repeat of 2016, when San Francisco took most of the tourism and branding from 60 miles away. But a lineup of official NFL events indicates SF might steal the spotlight yet again.

Meanwhile, preparation for the event has sapped the resources of county officials, who are scrambling to cover security costs during an unprecedented budget crisis.

Standing up to ICE

Trump’s immigration agenda has met fierce resistance in Santa Clara County. County officials took steps to fund immigrant support services better than any of its Bay Area neighbors.

Meanwhile, the San Jose City Council approved a policy requiring masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to identify themselves. The city also joined the county in enacting policies banning ICE from using public facilities for immigration enforcement.

Lawsuit after lawsuit

Santa Clara County leaders carried the torch for Silicon Valley’s Trump resistance — mainly through lawsuits that forced the federal government to momentarily back off from upending federal grants to permanent housing programs.

It was one of nine lawsuits the county has filed, including one blocking an executive order ending birthright citizenship. The county has also sued the Trump administration for withholding millions of dollars in FEMA disaster preparedness funds. So far, the county has prevailed in five of its lawsuits.

Historic transit strike

The first labor strike in VTA history lasted 17 days this year, halting transit and bus service as workers decried insufficient wages.

The saga was marked by tense negotiations — and ultimately a legal battle between workers and VTA, which asked a judge to force employees back to work. The labor dispute exposed service gaps and connectivity issues with BART and San Jose State University. A judge ultimately ruled in VTA’s favor, arguing that workers had violated a no-strike clause.

County assessor bows out

Larry Stone, who served as Santa Clara County assessor for 30 years, stepped down in July. The move opened a vacancy — and a special election to fill the remainder of his term.

The race to replace Stone could reshape the valley, and candidates are fighting hard to win, throwing out promises as lofty as senior property tax exemptions. Candidates Neysa Fligor and Rishi Kumar are headed to a Dec. 30 runoff. There’s palpable concern that turnout will be meek during the holidays.

School district turbulence

The abrupt July firing of Alum Rock Union School District Superintendent German Cerda raised eyebrows. But the real drama started when Cerda publicly explained why. The former leader alleged he was fired for looking into questionable district reimbursements to board members.

Namely, Board Vice President Andres Quintero received more than $27,000 in reimbursements from the district for an online doctorate program he took with the University of the Cumberlands. Quintero also owed the district $5,000 for health benefits premiums, he said.

Cerda’s firing prompted a wave of scrutiny over Quintero — even attracting the DA’s attention. In recent months, parents at school board meetings have demanded Quintero either return the money or resign.

Meanwhile, the Santa Clara County Office of Education weathered backlash for laying off hundreds of teachers serving low-income preschoolers, migrants and special education students. The decision stoked uproar from state lawmakers and county leaders.

The office of education also diminished numerous essential programs, including Head Start, special education, migrant education, mental health and wellness, and numerous other departments funded through the district’s general fund.

Sharks’ big win

For the past year, the San Jose Sharks lobbied for city funds — arguing their 30-year-old arena was in dire need of repairs. The hockey team got its wish in August, when the city council agreed to pay for most of the renovations with a $351 million taxpayer subsidy, championed by Mayor Matt Mahan. The Sharks, meanwhile, will only pay $100 million.
The deal also commits the city and Sharks to begin planning a new arena by September 2027.

But some residents questioned why taxpayers have to foot the bulk of renovation costs at a time of economic hardship and threats to social safety net programs. Sharks owner and SAP Chairman Hasso Plattner possesses a net worth of $14 billion, according to Forbes.

Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.