Catch up on our current Coronavirus LIVE BLOG here. 6:45 p.m. April 22: Santa Clara sees rise in illegal dumping Santa Clara officials said Wednesday that the city is getting “increased reports” of residents leaving things like mattresses and other bulky household wares on public streets. The dumping comes at about the time that the city...
Silicon Valley schools scramble to close enduring gaps during COVID-19
When Bay Area schools closed overnight in mid-March, Miyuki Takeda-Bajan’s daughter couldn’t afford to take time off from her studies — she had an upcoming SAT exam and AP courses. But direction from the school district was slow to arrive. The junior at Pioneer High School in San Jose’s Blossom Valley scoured the web for free testing materials...
San Jose eviction bans leave renters more confused than confident
Renters affected by the novel coronavirus in San Jose are triple-protected from evictions through May 31, following city, county and state-passed laws stopping landlords from removing residents for not paying rent. But rather than feel protected, the separate laws have created confusion for many residents and small businesses untangling the details as record numbers of Californians...
Santa Clara County’s unemployment rate rose to 3.3 percent in March
Unemployment rates across California spiked last month following record lows across the state and Silicon Valley, according to data released Friday. Santa Clara County’s unemployment rate rose to 3.3 percent last month, according to the California Employment Development Department, which handles workforce services including Unemployment Insurance. While these preliminary labor market numbers lag several weeks, that’s...
Post
Unsung heroes of Silicon Valley: Dominique Pacolba
In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s a nerve-wracking time to be over 60. But Dominique Pacolba, recreational supervisor at Seven Trees Community Center in San Jose, is determined to bring a little positivity to seniors’ lives through her nutrition program. With a nifty drive-thru system, Seven Trees serves up to 60 meals for...
Gov. Newsom stops in Silicon Valley to announce motel rooms for homeless
Standing in front of Motel 6 in Campbell, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday announced an agreement with the chain to house the homeless during the coronavirus outbreak, and possibly beyond. This deal is part of Project Roomkey, an initiative Newsom announced two weeks ago, which seeks to identify 15,000 hotel rooms throughout the state for...
Surviving the pandemic: Can’t pay rent? Here’s what you should do
Living paycheck to paycheck works well enough until the paycheck disappears and employees are left scrambling to pay rent. That’s the reality for many Santa Clara County residents who are out of work due to the shelter-in-place restrictions spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. The immense financial need in Silicon Valley came into focus last month,...
Newsom, local officials tap business leaders to plan economic recovery
Though Californians are likely weeks away from seeing restrictions loosen around the statewide mandate to stay home due to the novel coronavirus, officials are making plans to jump-start the economy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday announced a new task force to “pave the way toward a fast, safe recovery of jobs.” The Task Force on...
Santa Clara County schools leader talks transition, barriers to online learning
California’s nearly 6.3 million students and 300,000 teachers officially learned April 1 they wouldn’t return to physical classrooms this year, due to shelter in place orders mitigating the spread of the contagious coronavirus. “The decision to close schools is a painful one,” said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County’s Office of Education Superintendent, who...
Major San Jose State University employer furloughs hundreds of students
Hundreds of San Jose State University students lost their on-campus jobs amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic that’s shuttered schools, businesses and forced Silicon Valley residents to stay indoors since mid-March. San Jose State became one of countless campuses across the nation to shut down following government directives to shelter-in-place. Then one of the largest private...