Author: Lorraine Gabbert (Lorraine Gabbert)

San Jose police department insider named top cop

San Jose officials on Tuesday announced their pick for the top police job—department insider Anthony Mata will be the city’s new police chief. Five of the candidates were either current or former officers with the SJPD, with four of them, including Mata, still with the department. Mata replaces former Police Chief Eddie Garcia, who retired...

One-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Santa Clara County

After weeks of waiting, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine just arrived in Santa Clara County. Today, the county received 7,500 doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine, according to public health officials. Additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are expected to arrive in Santa Clara County on March 23. The highly-anticipated Johnson & Johnson’s...

COVID-19 pushes Santa Clara County dropout rate up

Distance learning has led to an increase in students dropping out of high school in Santa Clara County. The 2021 Silicon Valley Index, released by nonprofit Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies, showed this was especially true for homeless youth, English-language learners, Hispanic and low-income students. Rachel Massaro, vice president and director of...

East San Jose education leaders at odds with push to reopen schools

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s efforts through his new advocacy organization to reopen San Jose schools is sparking frustration for some — particularly communities of color.  Liccardo launched a petition through Solutions San Jose — sending two emails within 24 hours — to gather signatures demanding COVID-19 vaccines be prioritized for teachers and to reopen...

New petition calls for opening San Jose businesses

In the year since Santa Clara County issued its first shelter-in-place order to curb the spread of COVID-19, businesses have faced a rollercoaster of directives — open, close, open and close again. But one former lawmaker says it doesn’t have to be that way. Other states have less restrictions and allow businesses to open with...