Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County

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...

Will social housing in Silicon Valley find funding to break ground?

A local assemblyman’s goal of establishing social housing in California is one signature away from fruition, but lingering questions remain about how these projects will be funded. Assembly Bill 309 author Assemblymember Alex Lee said social housing—a method where governments own, manage and maintain homes designed as affordable housing—will help alleviate California’s housing crunch. But...

Santa Clara County official scolded for mass mailers

The Santa Clara County assessor has received a warning for violating political rules about mass mailings at the public’s expense. The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) sent a warning letter Sept. 7 to Assessor Larry Stone for violating the Political Reform Act when he mass mailed an annual property assessment report—exceeding the limit of 200 mailers...