Since the coronavirus pandemic first swept across Santa Clara County, the region’s top transit agency — the Valley Transportation Authority — has made massive cuts to its bus and light rail service as transit ridership has plummeted. But for many who don’t have cars and primarily rely on public transit to get around, adjusting to...
UPDATE: San Jose OKs trailers for homeless residents amid COVID-19
Already facing a severe housing shortage, San Jose leaders worry the newest crisis plaguing the region — the coronavirus pandemic — will spread among its homeless community, one of the city’s most vulnerable populations. With more than 6,000 unhoused residents in the city, lawmakers are ramping up their efforts to contain the virus. As part...
‘Forgotten heroes’: The plight of Silicon Valley homeless shelter workers
Employees who work at Silicon Valley’s homeless shelters are putting themselves on the frontlines of the pandemic to protect the county’s most vulnerable residents, even as many live on the margins themselves. Two homeless service providers in Santa Clara County told San José Spotlight that, between them, six of their hundreds of shelter workers have...
San Jose home sales slip in April amid coronavirus restrictions
Real estate agents are optimistic for a rebound now that they are again able to show homes to potential buyers, but long-range forecast remains uncertain
Controversial Vallco project can continue under SB 35, judge rules
Cupertino’s controversial Vallco Shopping Mall redevelopment is set to move forward after a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge on Wednesday ruled against a group of residents opposing the project. Judge Helen Williams instead ruled in favor of the city of Cupertino, which approved Palo Alto-based developer Sand Hill Property Co.’s Vallco Town Center development...
Silicon Valley real estate at ‘a turning point’ as construction resumes
The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has been felt in all industries, but one of the most stark representations of the virus’ impact is in the empty office buildings and rolling tech campuses in busy, work-obsessed Silicon Valley. Ripple effects of staying at home appear in small, nuanced ways in a new report, released by Joint Venture...
Report: Silicon Valley renters are ill-prepared for ‘eviction time-bomb’
Despite efforts to help people who have lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers say not enough has been done for renters, especially in areas that already had a housing crisis — like San Jose. Renters will struggle to pay off debt, even with measures like eviction moratoria and increased unemployment benefits from the...
San Jose council approves big affordable housing project in Willow Glen
The San Jose City Council on Tuesday approved a new a six-story, mixed-use Meridian Apartments affordable housing complex in the Willow Glen neighborhood. Councilmembers Maya Esparza and Magdalena Carrasco were absent for the vote. The nine members who were present voted in favor of the development. The Meridian Apartments will sit on a 2.09-acre site...
San Jose residents protest temporary homeless housing plan
More than 200 South San Jose residents and housing advocates spoke at a virtual town hall Monday night to express concern or applaud a plan to fast-track dozens of new housing units for homeless residents during the region’s shelter-in-place order due to the coronavirus pandemic. “As a city, we really have two emergencies on our...
Construction unions lobby Santa Clara County leaders to loosen restrictions
Statewide and regional stay-home orders have passed the one-month mark, and nearly all businesses are hurting as many employees remain unable to work, upending their finances despite a $2 trillion government stimulus package. Now, a local construction and trades union is asking the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to recommend the county to relax...