Silicon Valley voters this November will cast ballots in one of the region’s most consequential elections: From deciding who to send to Washington to a historic county supervisorial election, there is no shortage of major decisions up and down the ballot.
Nearly 20 Silicon Valley education leaders tell Liccardo to stop politicizing reopening schools
Nearly 20 school board trustees from across the South Bay are demanding San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stop politicizing school re-openings. The trustees penned a letter, signed by leaders across nine school districts, criticizing Liccardo’s new advocacy group, Solutions San Jose, which launched a campaign with a petition to quickly reopen schools in the 19 districts across...
Santa Clara County could move to red tier, allowing indoor dining to resume
If COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County keep trending downward, the region could move to the state’s less-restrictive red tier by Wednesday. The county has been within the state’s most-restrictive purple tier since Nov. 16 —103 days as of Friday. But if cases continue their downward trend, Santa Clara County could be reclassified in the...
San Jose, facing service cuts, looks to hire workers to boost COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Struggling to meet its COVID-19 vaccination goals, Santa Clara County is calling on San Jose to help. But helping the county ramp up vaccinations could mean a reduction in some city services. In response to the county’s call for mutual aid, San Jose could recruit up to 250 people — hired and funded by the...
Santa Clara County approves scaled back hazard pay plan
After intense backlash from business groups, Santa Clara County lawmakers are scaling back a plan to give low-wage workers a pay bump for risking their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal is called hazard pay and it offers frontline employees a pay bump for working during the pandemic. San Jose approved a plan earlier...
New vaccination site opens at Emmanuel Baptist Church in hard-hit East San Jose
Santa Clara County on Tuesday opened a COVID-19 vaccination site at Emmanuel Baptist Church in East San Jose in an effort to further reach communities hit hardest by the virus. The church, located in the heart of one of the most impacted ZIP codes in San Jose, has served as a testing site, administering more...
East San Jose education leaders at odds with push to reopen schools
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s efforts through his new advocacy organization to reopen San Jose schools is sparking frustration for some — particularly communities of color. Liccardo launched a petition through Solutions San Jose — sending two emails within 24 hours — to gather signatures demanding COVID-19 vaccines be prioritized for teachers and to reopen...
New petition calls for opening San Jose businesses
In the year since Santa Clara County issued its first shelter-in-place order to curb the spread of COVID-19, businesses have faced a rollercoaster of directives — open, close, open and close again. But one former lawmaker says it doesn’t have to be that way. Other states have less restrictions and allow businesses to open with...
San Jose neighborhoods hit hardest by COVID-19 have lowest vaccine rates
In East San Jose, one of Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 hotspots, infections surged past most areas in the region. Vaccinations did not. Less than 40% of residents age 65 and over in some East Side neighborhoods with the highest COVID-19 case rates have received a vaccine, according to Santa Clara County data. In a few...