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A new report bolsters the importance of guaranteed basic income programs as a lifeline for families in Santa Clara County who can’t afford the necessities. More than a quarter of working families in the county do not make enough money to cover their basic needs, according to a recent study from Joint Venture Silicon Valley....
Santa Clara County reports alarming property value trend
Santa Clara County may be about to experience one of its worst declines in property value in 15 years. New data from the Santa Clara County assessor’s office shows a significant number of properties declining in value from 2,595 last year to 19,325 this year. Aside from a brief uptick in 2020 during the first...
Santa Clara County settles dispute over threats to doctors
A prolonged dispute between Santa Clara County and its doctors appears to have come to an end. Santa Clara County has settled an unfair labor practice charge with Valley Physicians Group, a union representing more than 450 doctors in the county health system. The complaint stemmed from letters threatening unionized doctors against striking over stalled...
Santa Clara County pilot program to up bail for repeat offenders
Local law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County want higher bail for repeat offenders, in what they say is a move to reduce recidivism. A pilot program developed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney, county office of pretrial services, sheriff’s department and the San Jose Police Department will amend a form officers use when...
Silicon Valley transit agency unsure of when it will ban problem riders
Beginning next year, VTA will have the ability under state law to ban troublesome passengers who attack frontline transit employees. But there’s a catch—the transit agency won’t actually be able to wield that authority until it completes a series of critical steps. These include creating an advisory committee to define why someone could be prohibited from VTA’s...
Latino leaders who shaped Silicon Valley
Hispanic or Latino residents make up about 31% of San Jose’s population and 24.7% of Santa Clara County, according to U.S. Census data—and the impact of local leaders is visible across the region. Activists have worked for decades to give Latino residents equity, representation and access to services. The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican...
Silicon Valley homeless nonprofit accused of racial profiling
NAACP representatives have accused HomeFirst of racially profiling employees and voiced their anger in front of the homeless service provider’s headquarters. The allegations include displaying photos of former Black employees in a handbook “like criminal mugshots,” rescheduling Black employees who needed child care and recently firing a Black employee who is now facing homelessness himself...
San Jose hospital is losing critical workers
The workers charged with keeping critical medical equipment online at a Santa Clara County-owned hospital are about to be out of the job—and hospital staff fear patients could pay the price. The 17 engineers at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose are members of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 39. But last month,...
Santa Clara County DA’s embattled investigator will retire
A high-ranking official in the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office under fire for alleged discriminatory remarks against coworkers is set to retire in December. Moises Reyes, chief of the DA’s Bureau of Investigations, will retire on Dec. 19, a spokesperson for the DA’s office told San José Spotlight. This follows more than a dozen claims...
Silicon Valley female officials face violence and family threats
A woman who runs for office in today’s political climate can find herself navigating a minefield of hostile, threatening public behavior, and she will face higher levels of harassment and danger than her male counterparts. In a first of its kind survey, the California Women’s List collected more than 100 responses from various gender identities...