Author: Madelyn Reese (Madelyn Reese)

The state of Santa Clara County jails — both inside and out — will come before the Board of Supervisors Sept. 1, with topics ranging from suicide prevention to hiring practices that take officers’ past conduct into account. Up for review are suicide prevention measures at Main Jail North in North San Jose and the...

Citing alleged mismanagement that potentially put thousands of residents at risk, auditors are recommending the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors consider merging the Los Altos Hills and South Santa Clara County fire districts, along with the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District. A May 22 audit found the Los Altos Hills district spent funds...

Although the cultivation of industrial hemp in California does not yet have federal approval, Santa Clara County has approved guidelines to get farmers rolling as soon they get the green light. Supervisors added industrial hemp regulations to the county’s zoning ordinance Aug. 25, making regulation of the crop a part of county code. Supervisors unanimously...

After months of review of potential law enforcement reforms at the Sheriff’s Office, Santa Clara County Supervisors faced the reality that their hands are somewhat tied. The sheriff is an independently elected official and supervisors have limited authority over that office, said Michael Genacco, a law enforcement expert and project manager for the Office of...

Juneteenth is one step closer to becoming a holiday for Santa Clara County workers but not before the Board of Supervisors got an earful. During the course of budget talks addressing a multi-million dollar shortfall Aug. 21, supervisors entertained the idea of making Juneteenth a paid holiday. The sticking point, however, was that it would...

The ax is falling on jobs and social services in Santa Clara County’s next fiscal budget. Struggling to manage a massive deficit, supervisors debated for nearly six hours Aug. 21 before approving the budget 4-1, with Board President Cindy Chavez casting the sole dissenting vote. The budget gap largely stems from decreased revenues from both...

Tracy Tran and her husband fear they may soon have to file for bankruptcy. Tran works as a manicurist at La Orquidea Nail Salon and Spa in Los Gatos. Her husband runs the business, and Tran is one of 23 employees. The couple filed for unemployment benefits shortly after the salon shut down in March....

Santa Clara County supervisors started the daunting task of addessing an anticipated budget deficit of between $200 million and $600 million, with jobs as the first place to cut. Before kicking off discussion Aug. 17 of the specifics of how to address the shortfall, supervisors reviewed their challenges, including uncertainty in federal and state funding...