Residents of Evergreen are raising new concerns over a proposed Buddhist temple in their San Jose neighborhood which now seeks to change zoning of the site. Wat Khmer Kampuchea Krom wants to rezone the lot from a residential zone to a Public-Quasi-Public (PQP) zone, which residents fear will lead to a more “intense” use of...
Author: Stella Lorence (Stella Lorence)
Watch: Silicon Valley leaders say struggle for racial equity is long but next steps are clear
Achieving racial equity in Silicon Valley and the nation will take more than protests and some changes in legislative bodies. It’s going to take deep, systemic and hard-fought change. That’s according to a diverse panel of five experts who discussed race and equity in a virtual forum hosted by San José Spotlight and moderated by...
Santa Clara County looking at eliminating medical marijuana ID fee
Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese wants to make obtaining medical marijuana products more accessible by waiving the $100 renewal fee on ID cards. Cortese said the fee is “pretty arbitrary” and was set by the Board of Supervisors based on a recommendation from the administration when the State Senate bill that established the card...
FPPC complaint alleges Chu skirted campaign finance laws
California Assemblymember Kansen Chu, who is running for Santa Clara County supervisor, is the subject of a complaint filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission. The complaint, filed by former Assemblymember Paul Fong, alleges Chu violated the Political Reform Act by using his campaign for state Assembly to skirt the donation limits on candidates for...
Community college faculty push to continue providing classes to residents in care homes
As the Bay Area heads into its sixth month of lockdowns, community college faculty who once taught classes to older adults in nursing homes and retirement communities are pushing for their classes to resume online. The West Valley-Mission Community College District’s Older Adult Program (OAP) consists of four classes offered for free to seniors living...
Santa Clara County takes steps to connect older adults to technology
Santa Clara County leaders this week set in motion a plan to connect older adults to technology, a need that has become more urgent since widespread shelter-in-place orders went into effect. Concerns about the impact of social isolation have grown as the majority of senior services have transitioned online. The increasing use of telehealth and...
A first look: Silicon Valley landmark designs revealed
After more than a year of anticipation, the wait is over. The new designs for San Jose’s landmark icon have been revealed — and now the public gets to weigh in. The Urban Confluence Silicon Valley project (UCSV), hosted by the nonprofit San José Light Tower Corporation, launched a worldwide contest in July of last year...
Santa Clara County restaurant CEO sued by landlord for late rent — despite moratorium
Despite Santa Clara County’s ban on evictions amid the pandemic, Flights Restaurant founder and CEO Alexander Hult is being sued by his landlord in Mountain View for back-rent payments. The county ordinance allows tenants impacted by COVID-19 to pay back rent payments within a year with no late fees and prevents landlords from evicting residential and...
New face of Silicon Valley Leadership Group announced
Barclays Capital executive Ahmad Thomas is the new CEO of the powerful Silicon Valley Leadership Group, becoming the fourth person to lead the 43-year-old organization and its first African-American CEO. “As the economic capital of California, Silicon Valley is looked to as a leader in economic growth, innovation, public policy and now, more than ever...
San Jose narrowing down designs for iconic landmark
After a yearlong international competition yielded almost 1,000 designs, San Jose is one step closer to getting its iconic landmark. The Urban Confluence Silicon Valley competition, hosted by the nonprofit San Jose Light Tower Corporation, was launched last July with the goal of creating an “impressive and recognizable” structure unique to San Jose that will transform the Arena...