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When longtime Sheriff Laurie Smith faced a corruption scandal in 2021, she kept her job for months with little consequences. County officials want to prevent that from happening again. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to explore a policy allowing the county to suspend an elected official if the person faces charges from the Santa Clara...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County commits to millions in child care services
Santa Clara County is making a historic investment in child care services and workforce development in an effort to stave off an ongoing crisis. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to spend $20 million to help fund three programs run by FIRST 5 and establish a grant program to help reopen day care...
Santa Clara County hospital workers struggle with shortage
Santa Clara County health care workers are demanding leaders address ongoing worker shortages they said are leading to unsafe working conditions. Dozens of nurses, physicians, medical assistants and hospital janitorial staff took to the streets in front of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) in San Jose Wednesday to protest what they said is a longstanding...
Lawsuit alleges Santa Clara County violated disability law
A Northern California man is suing Santa Clara County’s legal system, claiming he was denied proper hearing accommodations to help him communicate during jail time and in court proceedings. Howard Herships, 79, alleges in a federal lawsuit that the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office and a judge in county court...
Silicon Valley community college district could offer free tuition
Free community college is the ultimate goal for one newly-introduced state bill. California Senate Bill 629, introduced by state Sen. Dave Cortese, would allow the West Valley-Mission Community College District to stop charging its students tuition and cover other costs such as transportation and books. The bill, if approved, would expand access to higher education and...
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office sorry for ‘heartless’ tweet
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office is under fire this week after sending out a Valentine’s Day tweet considered insensitive and unprofessional. The now-deleted tweet appeared to make a joke about the department providing a free ride to jail for people with outstanding warrants who forgot to buy a Valentine’s Day gift. The social media...
Booms and busts: Silicon Valley economy divided
Silicon Valley’s economy is waiting to see how recent changes like remote work culture and the slowdown of pandemic-driven booms in the tech sector play out, according to a new regional report. Even with that in play, the most consistent indicators show Silicon Valley is still a place of drastic divides, with gaps between the haves...
FAA pauses investigation of Santa Clara County leaded fuel ban
The Federal Aviation Administration is temporary suspending its investigation into Santa Clara County’s ban on the sale of leaded fuel at its airports. The investigation is on hold for six months as part of an agreement signed this week between the FAA and county officials. The agreement also serves as an invitation for the two county...
Santa Clara County sued for missing housing plan deadline
Housing advocates are taking Santa Clara County and several cities to court for their lackluster efforts in new housing amid an ongoing crisis. Californians for Homeownership, California Housing Defense Fund and YIMBY Law filed 12 lawsuits this week after numerous Bay Area cities and Santa Clara County failed to submit plans on how to achieve state mandated...
How clean is Silicon Valley’s drinking water?
It’s been more than two decades since the movie “Erin Brockovich” brought the real-life issue of contaminated drinking water in a small Southern California town to a mass audience. But the harmful compound at the heart of the film, Chromium-6, is still present in much of the drinking water around the state, including in the...