Despite the past year’s 1,700-plus COVID-19 deaths, gaping budget shortfalls and widespread job loss, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Mike Wasserman sees light at the end of the tunnel. In his first State of the County address earlier this month, Wasserman called for unity and preparedness for a post-pandemic world and made an...
Good Samaritan Hospital CEO resigns following COVID-19 vaccine scandal
Weeks after a scandal involving inappropriate COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Good Samaritan Hospital’s top administrator is stepping down and leaving the hospital’s parent company, San José Spotlight has learned. The hospital’s CEO, Joe DeSchryver, submitted his resignation Tuesday morning, telling staff in an email that he would no longer be with the hospital’s parent company, HCA...
San Jose police plans to expand new approach to mental health calls
Phil Watkins was 23 when he was shot to death by San Jose police after he called 911 saying he was going to kill himself and was holding children hostage. Sharon Watkins said her son was shot 10 times when he ran toward officers holding a pocket knife. Recalling the confrontation six years ago, she...
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...