Santa Clara County officials are prepping to remove a foreign, invasive and aggressive yellow fever mosquito species that’s returned to the region just in time for peak mosquito season. It was easy to eradicate the species after it first arrived in the county in 2022, when vector officials trapped and removed two mosquitoes in a...
Silicon Valley agency freezes hiring amid deficit
Silicon Valley’s main water supplier is tightening its wallet in the face of a structural deficit and in an effort to keep water rates from rising. Santa Clara Valley Water District officials have frozen hiring for 72 job vacancies amid a $222 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year ending in June. The skyrocketing...
Silicon Valley dam upgrade draws scrutiny over price tag
Residents and environmental activists continue to scrutinize the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s plans to expand a regional dam. Valley Water employees presented updates and fielded questions about the controversial Pacheco Dam expansion — including questions about costs. The project’s estimated cost is $2.78 billion, but factoring financing and other contingencies could escalate the price...
San Jose helps evacuate homeless residents amid storm
Heavy rain and powerful wind raged through San Jose over the weekend, affecting the most vulnerable communities. Luckily, the worst of the weather is behind us, officials say. The recent atmospheric river storm resulted in broken trees that blocked roads, fell on homes and damaged cars. Approximately 700,000 people lost power throughout the Bay Area,...
Santa Clara County to buy hundreds of acres for conservation
Just weeks after a deal fell through to buy the Richmond Ranch for development, county leaders are moving forward with turning the open space into a massive park. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to begin acquiring a nearly 1,500-acre portion of the 3,654-acre ranch, with the remaining space being...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley water board elects new chair
In an unexpected turn of events, Valley Water’s board of directors reelected Director Nai Hsueh to be its next chair. After a motion to elect Director Barbara Keegan failed, the board voted 5-2 to make Hsueh chair. Directors John Valera, Richard Santos, Tony Estremera, Rebecca Eisenberg and Hsueh voted yes, and Director Jim Beall and...
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San Jose avoids flooding with recent rain
This year’s winter may not be deluging San Jose in atmospheric rivers, but officials are still preparing for another wet season. San Jose just experienced its first heavy rainfall of the season, receiving between one-half inch to 1.5 inches of rain over the past three days, according to the National Weather Service. During this time,...
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Part of San Jose’s Coyote Valley could become a cemetery
Environmentalists are urging San Jose leaders to reconsider plans for a new cemetery in Coyote Valley, claiming it will harm large swaths of natural habitats. The Heritage Oaks Memorial Park cemetery project would be built on 102 acres of Coyote Valley’s ridge on the south side of Bailey Avenue, east of McKean Road. The hillside...
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San Jose starts preparing for wet winter weather
San Jose officials are gearing up for a wave of expected atmospheric rivers this winter as the rainy season hits the region. The rain has started light, but San Jose leaders say they are preparing for another abnormally wet season. The National Weather Service indicates Wednesday’s rain will continue through the weekend, bringing in nearly...
Sunnyvale officials nix artificial turf on athletic field
For North Sunnyvale residents near Lakewood Park, the grass is literally greener on the other side of town. Residents who live in a historically underserved, low-income community fought to add more green spaces in their neighborhood at Tuesday’s Sunnyvale City Council meeting. They convinced councilmembers to switch plans from installing artificial turf to grass on...