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San José Spotlight earlier this month welcomed Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone in its latest San Jose Speaks series, which features interactive conversations with South Bay leaders, influencers and decision makers. Stone discussed Proposition 19, which was approved by voters in 2020 and significantly complicated the rules for transferring property tax assessments. The March...
San José Spotlight wins SPJ’s James Madison Freedom of Information Award
San José Spotlight has received the Northern California Chapter’s Society of Professional Journalists’ prestigious James Madison Freedom of Information Award for its “regular and inventive use” of public records in covering local government in Santa Clara County. “This honor is a testament to the great work produced by our talented team of journalists,” said Ramona...
San José Spotlight celebrates two years, announces new partnership
San José Spotlight, the city’s first nonprofit newsroom dedicated to independent political and business reporting, turned two in January and announced an exciting new partnership to expand its award-winning coverage. The news organization, founded by Ramona Giwargis and Josh Barousse in Jan. 2019, will partner with Oakland-based Post News Group, which operates 8 Black and...
New COVID-19 variant found in Santa Clara County, linked to large outbreaks
A new variant of COVID-19 has been discovered in Santa Clara County, health officials confirmed Sunday, and it’s linked to several large outbreaks. The new strain was rare until recently. The variant known as L452R was first discovered last year and is increasingly appearing in California counties since November, officials said. In addition to Santa...
San Jose Mayor Liccardo calls for Trump to be ‘tried for sedition’ after rioters storm U.S. Capitol
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo thinks President Donald Trump should be charged and tried for conspiring to overthrow the U.S. government, after his supporters violently confronted Capitol police and forced their way into the U.S. Capitol. The rioters — at Trump’s repeated encouragement, including at a rally earlier on Jan. 6 — were seeking to...
How COVID-19 is straining Santa Clara County’s 911 system
The rise in COVID-19 cases isn’t just straining hospitals — it’s also taking a toll on the county’s 911 system. Santa Clara County officials on Wednesday shared a sobering picture of Silicon Valley’s ambulance system crumbling under the pressures of the pandemic. “Our health care system is inundated with patients. This also includes our 911...
Businesses must close employee break areas in Santa Clara County under COVID-19 restrictions
Santa Clara County health officials kicked off 2021 by adding new restrictions on businesses — they must now close their employee breakrooms. While officials told San José Spotlight they had issued previous “guidance” on breakrooms, an earlier version of the county’s directive did not include any language about closing indoor employee breakrooms. There are new...
After getting a COVID-19 vaccine, can we ditch our masks? Santa Clara County weighs in
The moment America has been waiting for since mid March has arrived. Truckloads of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines departed a warehouse in Michigan this week and made their way by truck or plane to hundreds of locations across the country. Santa Clara County received its first batch of 17,550 shots Dec. 15, kicking off the start...
Facebook, Destination: Home partner on new fund for extremely low-income housing
An affordable housing complex with 123 units in downtown San Jose is one of the first projects to be funded by a new Community Housing Fund announced Wednesday morning. The fund was launched using $150 million of a $1 billion commitment from Facebook to affordable housing, in addition to $5 million from local nonprofit Destination:...
WATCH: What has San Jose learned from a season of protests?
As the country grappled with the police killing of George Floyd, San Jose found itself at the center of widespread protests, confrontational policing and conversations about police brutality, racial bias and First Amendment rights of protesters and journalists. What has San Jose — its people, elected leaders and civic institutions — learned from a season...