Santa Clara County and San Francisco are working to stop President Donald Trump from giving federal agents sweeping discretion on who can obtain a green card. A Sept. 14 lawsuit filed alongside New York City, Chicago, Seattle and King County, Washington alleges the Trump administration’s new criteria for barring immigrants from becoming lawful, permanent residents if they...
Silicon Valley water agency selects new CEO
Santa Clara County’s largest water supplier is turning to a longtime employee to lead the agency into its next chapter after a tumultuous split with the last CEO. The Valley Water board of directors voted 5-2 Tuesday to appoint Aaron Baker as its next CEO. Baker, chief operating officer of water utility, takes over Jan....
Silicon Valley immigrants to face stricter green card requirements
Federal rule changes taking effect later this month will make it harder for immigrants applying to live and work in the U.S. Starting Sept. 18, obtaining a green card will require a greater burden of proof that the applicant won’t become a “public charge” who is dependent on government benefits. As part of the process, green...
Bay Area lawmakers’ bills to combat ICE head to Newsom’s desk
Several state bills spurred by Silicon Valley lawmakers to keep federal immigration agents accountable and uphold rights for detainees are headed to the governor’s desk. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities have been rife with alleged human rights violations, with reports of inhumane living conditions, sexual abuse, unsanitary food and inadequate medical care. In...
Silicon Valley public transit service strengthens rider code of conduct
Caltrain just got its first passenger code of conduct, hoping to make behavior expectations more transparent for rowdy riders. The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain’s governing body, unanimously approved the commuter rail service’s code of conduct at its Thursday meeting. Officials said doing so will bring Caltrain up to speed with peer transit agencies and...
Santa Clara County schools united in opposing ICE facility
School districts across Santa Clara County are taking a stand against a proposed immigration enforcement facility in South County. A coalition of education and county leaders gathered Wednesday to denounce the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center being planned in an unincorporated area just outside Gilroy. The group is sending a joint letter —...
Sunnyvale launches inexpensive ride-hailing service for residents
Sunnyvale residents can now literally get on board with one of the newest public transportation trends: hailing a ride with a local microtransit service. City officials on Tuesday officially launched Sunnyvale Beam with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at City Hall, two weeks after the service quietly started operating. Through the Beam app or with a phone call,...
East San Jose hospital adds more emergency beds
An East San Jose hospital continues to increase services under Santa Clara County’s ownership — including the latest expansion of its emergency department. This comes after the hospital faced years of divestment under a previous corporate owner. The county has increased emergency beds at Regional Medical Center from 34 to 54 at a time when...
Santa Clara County moves forward with jail transformation
Santa Clara County’s efforts to construct new jail facilities have repeatedly stalled due to rising costs and ongoing disagreements among officials and residents, but the deteriorating infrastructure is propelling the county to finally move forward. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to proceed with a multistep plan to overhaul and...
Rezoning of San Jose IBM site raises environmental concerns
Residents are voicing concern about the rezoning of the former 35-acre IBM Almaden Research Center nestled in the rolling hills of South San Jose. They fear it will attract more data centers to the region. The San Jose City Council sees it differently and voted 9-2 to approve the industrial park rezoning on Aug. 18....