English
Spanish
Vietnamese
More than 3,000 Santa Clara County nurses are at an an impasse with county officials and are headed to the picket lines over pay increases and workplace conditions. The Registered Nurses Professional Association plans to strike from April 2-4, with members saying they’re struggling to live in the county, facing violence from patients and opposed...
San Jose not diverting 911 calls to mental crisis hotline
San Jose is struggling to divert 911 calls related to mental and emotional distress away from police, despite the county adopting the 988 mental crisis hotline two years ago to handle those situations. A recent report shows county mental health teams in 2023 responded to just 2% of nearly 60,000 San Jose 911 calls that...
The Biz Beat: Jun Bistro in Milpitas offers natural fusion of Chinese cuisine
The recently opened Jun Bistro in Milpitas has its improbable origins in co-owner Amy Duan’s “Chihuo” — slang for “foodie” in Mandarin — a Chinese-language food blog that currently boasts more than 1.8 million followers and a full-time staff. “I didn’t realize it at the time,” she told San José Spotlight, “but I was using...
Neighboring San Jose cities face development woes along borders
Campbell resident Stacia Lumley should hear birds chirping in her backyard and feel the warm sun on her face. Instead, the songbirds are drowned out by construction noise, and the sun is partially blocked by a six-story apartment development looming over her home. Lumley has lived in her red two-story house on Moneta Way for...
San Jose officials say large homeless shelters are obsolete
Two San Jose councilmembers have an ambitious plan to house thousands of the city’s homeless residents — but some of their colleagues say it will move the city backwards. Councilmembers Bien Doan and Arjun Batra have proposed a pilot program to build massive assembly room-style homeless shelters, with the option for private rooms. While their...
Sunnyvale to accelerate its housing growth
Santa Clara County’s second largest city just got its housing plans approved by the state, kickstarting 45 programs to increase development and put a dent in the housing crisis. After three rounds of review by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, Sunnyvale’s housing element was approved March 6 — more than a year...
Homeless nonprofit to stop running Sunnyvale shelter
One of Santa Clara County’s largest homeless service providers is stepping back from operating a 145-bed shelter in North County. HomeFirst will stop operating the North County Shelter in Sunnyvale by the end of June, passing shelter operations to another provider which the county has yet to identify. Over the past few months, HomeFirst has...
San Jose leaders want budget to focus on housing, homelessness
San Jose officials have a daunting task of balancing the budget as they attempt to preserve city services with a $52.1 million shortfall. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message on Tuesday, but not before numerous councilmembers added their own amendments around housing, homelessness and other city services. Over the next few months, councilmembers,...
San Jose fast-food workers grill city leaders for better rights
Dozens of fast-food workers flooded the San Jose City Council chambers on Tuesday, demanding their representatives pass a policy to expand workers rights. Workers asked councilmembers to include a rule that enables fast-food workers in the city to accrue paid time off and get a paid day for an annual training that educates workers on...
San Jose pushes to expand police alternative for mental health crises
Weeks before the San Jose City Council sat down to discuss this year’s budget, advocates and residents sounded the alarm about gaps in mental health services and asked officials to expand access to a non-police response program. Councilmembers on Tuesday unanimously voted to explore adding another mobile field team, known as TRUST, in the budget...