An obscure wage formula used by San Jose is getting an update — bringing a pay bump to some of the city’s lowest paid workers following a year when their wages didn’t rise at all. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to its “living wage” policy, a measure covering workers employed by companies...
Mountain View shelves plan that could displace RV dwellers
A project to add bike lanes in a part of Mountain View that is slated to gain hundreds of new homes looks like it will be put on hold for years, if not indefinitely. The City Council directed city staff last week to shelve a plan that would put in bike lanes on Terra Bella...
Report details missing, murdered Indigenous people in San Jose
Colonization, forced displacement and violence against Indigenous people in the U.S. have left years of generational trauma. Now, a first-ever report quantifies these impacts on Bay Area Native communities. The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley released a report this month showing the extent in which local Indigenous people survived sexual abuse, have missing or...
Santa Clara County workers put on leave amid child welfare crisis
Ten Santa Clara County employees are on leave and state officials are tightening their grip as another death in the county’s child welfare system has prompted calls for criminal accountability. The alleged sexual assault and killing of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez — who the Department of Family and Children’s Services placed in the home of a...
Sunnyvale officials say license plate cameras prevent crime
A heated debate over surveillance and public safety is unfolding in Sunnyvale, as residents fear license plate reader cameras could enable mass tracking — while city officials said the technology is critical to stopping crime. The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to continue using Flock Safety automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, after...
Residents push back against San Jose’s data center plans
San Jose’s plan to support the rapid development of new data centers in coming years is running into increasingly vocal pushback. What might have been a routine policy review session during Tuesday’s City Council meeting instead became a venue for a procession of angry residents to vent their concerns about the city’s efforts to attract...
Palo Alto orders demolition of former Stanford Terrace Inn
The Palo Alto City Council on Monday approved a demolition order for the dilapidated building in College Terrace that used to house the Stanford Terrace Inn, rejecting an appeal from the property owner. Between insufficient fire sprinklers, hazardous materials stored in the garage, broken doors and other issues, the conditions on the premises were among the...
Fed grant to cut San Jose’s homeless housing costs
San Jose is looking to offset a sizable portion of its homeless shelter expenses through Medi-Cal reimbursements, but homeless service providers aren’t making full use of the opportunity. That’s about to change with help from a federal grant. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept and match $1.3 million from the federal Providing...
Silicon Valley cities among top 10 best places to live in California
Several cities in Santa Clara County rank among the top 10 best places to live in California, highlighting the region’s strong job market and quality of life despite persistent affordability challenges. U.S. News & World Report has ranked 161 best cities to live in California, with Cupertino coming in third and Sunnyvale eighth. The rankings,...
Mountain View council approves public drinking zone downtown
With the FIFA World Cup coming to the area this summer, Mountain View is looking to boost the liveliness of its downtown area. One of the ways it plans to do this is by letting people drink alcohol outdoors in certain areas during city-sponsored events. In a unanimous April 14 vote, with Councilmember Alison Hicks recused,...