Former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has lost her appeal of a court case that barred her from public office in 2022. Smith argued that by retiring prior to being found guilty of six corruption and willful misconduct charges that year, the removal proceedings that disqualified her from jury service and her job were...
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San Jose labor leader questions strength of city’s wage theft rules
San Jose officials have gotten stricter about labor protections over the last year, disqualifying companies with a history of wage theft from winning city contracts. But labor advocates say the city still isn’t doing enough to protect workers. South Bay labor leaders question whether companies with a history of lower level infractions and no state...
San Jose Water proposed increases rankle residents
Roughly 1 million people in and around San Jose are facing significant increases to their water bills starting next year, if state regulators approve a local company’s plan. San Jose Water Company, a for-profit water retailer, is asking the California Public Utilities Commission to allow an increase of the company’s average water rates by about 22% over three...
San Jose’s new airport director lands Monday
San Jose’s airport is getting a new director with three decades of experience, including gigs at major hubs in Denver and Austin. Starting Monday, Mukesh “Mookie” Patel will take over as the city’s director of aviation at San Jose Mineta International Airport, the city announced this week. “Our next airport director has big shoes to fill,”...
NBC Bay Area: Lawsuits claiming sexual assault by Uber drivers could take a decade to decide
Thousands of women are suing San Francisco-based Uber claiming their driver sexually assaulted them during a ride. Some are now being told due to the backlog of cases and legal motions, their cases may not be resolved until the next decade. See the full NBC Bay Area report here.
San Jose firefighters demand protection following break-in
Two recent incidents have San Jose firefighters questioning the dangers of their job beyond the blazes they battle. On March 2, someone broke into San Jose Fire Department’s Station 8 on E. Santa Clara Street in downtown and stole equipment and personal property. A few days later, a firefighter responding to a call at Santa...
Silicon Valley official censured for conduct and removing documents
Valley Water leaders have censured one of their colleagues and stripped her of some responsibilities for taking confidential documents from district offices and allegedly making discriminatory and harassing remarks against district officials and workers. In a nearly five-hour special meeting Thursday, the water district board of directors voted 6-1 to censure Director Rebecca Eisenberg, with...
San Jose mayor’s budget plan saddled with a shortfall
A looming multimillion-dollar deficit will force San Jose to make cuts in the next budget. Instead of detailing what will be lost, Mayor Matt Mahan has outlined his nonnegotiables. His March budget message prioritizes addressing street homelessness and blight, increasing public safety and making San Jose easier to invest in. Those may seem like the same...
San Jose police’s failure to stop cannabis robbery fuels fight over fees
San Jose cannabis entrepreneurs say police don’t care about protecting their property, and a shocking video appears to validate their frustrations. Security camera footage obtained by San José Spotlight shows three getaway cars easily maneuvering around two San Jose Police Department vehicles and escaping unscathed after suspects robbed Exotix, a South San Jose weed shop...
Santa Clara County may fund safe parking for homeless residents
Santa Clara County officials may help finance San Jose’s multimillion-dollar safe parking efforts and set up more sites on unused public property for the region’s homeless residents. The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed on Tuesday to look into both possibilities and requested more information by May. Debate ensued over whether the funding could be justified...