San Jose officials are restricting water use for new developments, but conservationists want to see the city take more aggressive steps. San Jose councilmembers voted Tuesday to amend the city’s water efficient landscape ordinance—a 1993 rule which is periodically updated. City officials said there’s an urgent need for new developments to only install drought-tolerant landscapes, citing...
Earth Day protesters want San Jose to do more for the planet
With a severe drought and the potential for early wildfires affecting Santa Clara County, Earth Day has protesters rallying to change the way people interact with the planet. Shouting “Carbon change is not a lie, do not let our planet die,” members of Sunrise Movement Silicon Valley marched from San Jose City Hall to rally...
Caltrans can’t keep trash out of the bay, Silicon Valley activists say
Environmentalists are concerned Caltrans isn’t doing enough to keep trash from washing off its properties into the San Francisco Bay. The state transportation department has been under a cease and desist order since 2019 requiring it to reduce trash over the next seven years. The order covers more than 8,000 acres of its property in the...
Valley Water breaks ground on North San Jose flood control project
A new project to reduce flood risks from rising sea levels is underway in North San Jose’s Alviso neighborhood. On Thursday, South Bay officials broke ground on the first phase of the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project—a local, state and federal partnership to provide tidal flood protection in the area, as well as restore...
Going to Santa Clara’s Central Park? Watch where you step
Santa Clara’s Central Park has a goose problem. More specifically, a goose poop problem. The park is home to—by one count—about 176 Canada geese, and each one drops roughly a pound of excrement every day. Over a year, that adds up to more than 63,000 pounds of feces dropped at the park, according to a...
Santa Clara County to connect Santa Teresa and Calero parks
In a move that’s beneficial to hikers, cyclists and equestrians, Santa Clara County will connect two beloved parks. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to purchase 47 acres of land between Santa Teresa and Calero county parks for $8.5 million. Conservationists hail this acquisition as another positive step in securing the county green...
San Jose flood victims close to settlement, sources say
After four years of litigation, victims of a devastating San Jose flood may be on the verge of compensation for their suffering. Sources told San José Spotlight a consolidated lawsuit against Valley Water brought by more than 200 residents affected by a 2017 flood is on the verge of settling. According to the sources—who have...
Santa Clara wants to be carbon neutral by 2045
Santa Clara is proposing a bevy of policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions over the next couple decades. The city is updating its Climate Action Plan, with goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2035 and for the city to be carbon neutral by 2045. The plan calls for carbon-neutral data centers and helping hotels,...
State water rules fail to make a splash in Santa Clara County
In an effort to combat one of the worst droughts in California’s history, state regulators adopted new emergency conservation laws this year, but they won’t make a big splash in the South Bay. The State Water Resources Control Board adopted the new emergency regulations in January. According to the National Weather Service, San Jose experienced...
Santa Clara County could commandeer controversial cement plant
A Santa Clara County supervisor wants the government to take control of a controversial cement quarry near Cupertino. Supervisor Joe Simitian said the county must find a way to acquire the Lehigh Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant property during a Thursday news conference. Simitian is introducing a referral to the full Board of Supervisors on Feb. 15...