In an effort to address drought and increase local groundwater supply, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is fast-tracking a plan to purify and recycle more water in San Jose. But city elected leaders — concerned for the environment and limited staff resources due to COVID-19 — are pumping the brakes and want more time...
Supervisors seek to protect Coyote Valley from development
Santa Clara County lawmakers this week moved to preserve open space, flood plains and wildlife corridors in the Coyote Valley but stopped short of adopting a development ban, despite pleas by environmentalists. Although more than 1,000 acres are protected from development in North Coyote Valley, the middle and southern sections remain threatened. Based on a...
Santa Clara County’s long-awaited sustainability plan prioritizes economy, environment and equity
Santa Clara County is doubling down on addressing climate change as an emergency, rather than a far-off threat. At its last meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved the county’s master plan for sustainability, which has been about five years in the making. The plan commits to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, electrifying more buildings and planting...
Valley Water directors move ahead with Pacheco Pass dam as price skyrockets
Valley Water leaders are moving forward with developing a new dam at Pacheco Pass in south Santa Clara County, despite recently learning that the price tag had doubled since 2019. “It seems to me that the directors of the water district need to take every extreme measure we can find to continue this project, moving...
San Jose bans natural gas in new commercial buildings
San Jose became the largest city in the country to ban natural gas in commercial buildings, but its plan to keep businesses running during a power outage was criticized by activists and lawmakers. The City Council voted 8-3 on Dec. 1 to approve the ban but in the wake of a public health crisis and...
San Jose to vote on extending natural gas ban
Eyeing an all-electric future, the San Jose City Council will vote Dec. 1 on whether to expand its existing natural gas ban to include new commercial developments. San Jose’s current ordinance, passed by lawmakers last year, bans natural gas in new residential buildings including single-family homes, low-rise apartments and condos — but incoming office and...
Pavement conditions, safety concerns blamed for drop in trail use in San Jose
When Liz Sewell moved to the area, she said she marveled at the number of trails San Jose has close to downtown. Sewell, the city’s trail manager, came to the South Bay from Philadelphia, a city that’s quickly transformed itself into a bike-friendly community. But she said San Jose’s push to encourage more biking across the city, particularly for commuting, interested...
San Jose invests in wind energy from New Mexico
By the end of 2021, thousands of San Jose homes will be powered by renewable wind energy — generated by a fleet of turbines 1,000 miles away in New Mexico. Since its launch in 2019, San Jose Clean Energy, the city’s electricity supplier, has invested in renewable energy such as solar and battery storage but the new...
San Jose considers gas ban for new commercial buildings
In its next phase toward a gas-free future, San Jose will soon consider whether to require all new commercial buildings to be powered entirely by electricity. “We need to move all of our energy to renewable energy,” said Kerrie Romanow, San Jose’s chief sustainability officer. “We want to stop the problem.” Expanding the gas prohibition...
Young South Bay activists mobilize to fight for climate justice
Marching down a narrow neighborhood street with signs reading “Green New Deal Now” and “We Can’t Breathe,” about 20 youth climate activists sought to surprise San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo with an early morning protest outside his home. “No justice, no sleep,” one of the protesters chanted through a megaphone while cars squeezed between the...