Demolition has started at the Permanente Cement Plant near Cupertino, a massive manufacturing site that repeatedly ran afoul of environmental regulations before it officially closed three years ago. Heidelberg Materials North America, a multinational corporation that owns the cement plant, recently announced that it secured the necessary permits and a contractor to move forward with demolition. The plan is...
Parcel tax helps preserve Santa Clara County open space
A group that works to preserve open space in Santa Clara County will receive millions of dollars every year toward its efforts, following the approval of a parcel tax. Measure D will generate $17 million annually through a two-cent-per-square-foot of building area parcel tax to fund creek and water restoration, land stewardship, expansion of open...
San Jose District 9 candidates ‘noncommittal’ on climate policy
Ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions mingled with concerns about San Jose’s daunting fiscal challenges and potential overregulation during a climate-focused election forum quizzing the candidates running for District 9’s City Council seat. The race’s five candidates spent an hour at the Cambrian Branch Library Saturday answering questions and sharing their visions for how...
South Bay data centers present environmental challenges
With more than a dozen data center projects taking shape in Santa Clara County, local leaders have offered assurances that potential environmental impacts will be thoroughly assessed before any new facility gets switched on. But when it comes to water usage, a group of Bay Area researchers is warning such environmental reviews have an alarming...
Santa Clara County could build bike-only park trails
The Bay Area is a paradox – both the birthplace of mountain biking and a well of local opposition. Now Santa Clara County is poised to embrace the sport in a major way. County leaders are exploring the creation of bike-only trails in county parks to avoid illegal tracks in sensitive areas and conflicts between...
Cupertino applies plastic bag ban to more than grocery stores
Cupertino businesses and shoppers are adjusting to a future without plastic checkout bags but many said the alternatives don’t always work as well. Samiullah Memon, owner of Oakmont Sandwiches and Coffee, said adapting to Cupertino’s evolving rules has been both costly and confusing, particularly as guidance around acceptable materials has changed over time. “At first...
San Jose to name new park in honor of Chinese American pioneer
San Jose’s newest park will bear the name of a pioneering Chinese American business leader. Councilmembers unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to transform an undeveloped 1.2-acre parcel of land in southwest San Jose into a new park, named in honor of the late Bill Kee, who led a fight in the 1940s to preserve San Jose’s...
Cupertino college considers swapping its synthetic turf fields
Plans to upgrade the athletic fields at De Anza College in Cupertino are raising concerns from students and residents about what material should be used. The school’s aging artificial turf fields must be replaced because they’re nearing the end of their lifespan — and college officials need to chose between synthetic turf or natural grass....
Outdoor school could avoid closing if it moves to Cupertino
The Walden West Outdoor School in Saratoga could temporarily relocate to Cupertino next school year after uncertainty about the science camp’s future — and criticism of the Santa Clara County Office of Education over poor planning. Superintendent of Schools David Toston’s office initially roused uproar over plans to close the camp for two years for...
San Jose rolls out the welcome mat at Arena Green
For more than a year, a small army of city workers and volunteers — backed by both public and private funding — have been working to renovate Arena Green Park along the Guadalupe River. Now, with several major projects completed, San Jose leaders are trying to get the word out that this long-underused park is...