As efforts to clean up trash and clear homeless residents from local waterways continue, officials are working to make sure people don’t just move from one location to the next due to lack of housing. Valley Water has removed 462 homeless encampments from its land since implementing a no camping policy at the end of...
Cupertino residents pick backyard fruit for people in need
Cupertino resident Vidula Aiyer’s idea to address food waste and hunger in her community is simple — gather volunteers to pick fruit that would otherwise rot on residents’ trees and give it to people in need. All she requires is an 8-foot ladder, buckets and free access to strangers’ backyards. Aiyer, who leads the Rotary...
Silicon Valley lawmaker has plans to help high fire risk communities
One local lawmaker wants to put high fire risk communities at the forefront of wildfire prevention and mitigation, with federal help. Congressman Sam Liccardo is launching a regional partnership between the federal government and local cities to support wildfire prevention efforts. The partnership aims to strengthen multi-jurisdictional communication in the face of climate change, while...
Santa Clara County polluted creek cleanup near cement plant starts
A Santa Clara County hillside polluted for decades by a controversial cement plant and quarry is on the path to restoration. Heidelberg Materials, which owns the Lehigh Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant, detailed its restoration plans for a roughly 1.7-mile stretch of Permanente Creek at an annual community meeting Thursday. Company representatives also gave updates...
San Jose parks face budget cuts amid ongoing work backlog
San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services continues to wrestle with budget cuts and backlogs, and the upcoming year isn’t going to be easy. The city is facing a projected 2025-26 budget deficit of $35.6 million — and the parks department won’t go unscathed. The budget is expected to decrease park funding by $2.8 million...
Silicon Valley nonprofit’s purchase furthers Coyote Valley legacy
A multimillion-dollar purchase of 207 acres by the Peninsula Open Space Trust adds a critical safety facet to the preservation of Coyote Valley in South County. The $5.5 million purchase of a former dairy farm by the nonprofit protects the northwestern ridge of Coyote Valley from future development. Coyote Valley, which provides wildlife connectivity between...
Santa Clara County leaf blower ban dropped over ICE fears
A discussion among Santa Clara County supervisors on everyday gardening tools this week morphed into concerns about immigration witch hunts. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously axed Board President Otto Lee’s proposal for banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in unincorporated neighborhoods. Other supervisors worried the law would send a message encouraging residents...
Los Gatos group collaborates on reducing wildfire risk
One group is clearing hundreds of forestland acreage in one of the largest wildfire risk reduction projects in Santa Clara County. The Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaboration began testing tools to clear brush and restore the forest’s ecosystem on 155 acres along Montevina Road a little more than a week ago. The effort is part...
San Jose officials weigh ballot measure for maintaining parks
San Jose’s most passionate parks advocates say city leaders need to create a new stream of funding to address the multimillion-dollar maintenance backlog and ongoing disparity in park quality for residents who live in areas like East San Jose. On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council revisited the idea of a 2026 ballot measure that...
West Valley may build new homes in risky fire zones
California is requiring two West Valley communities to build thousands of homes, while the state is ringing alarm bells over increasing fire risk where some of these homes might be constructed. Cal Fire released updated fire hazard severity maps for the first time since 2011 last month — and Los Gatos and Cupertino are in...