Neglected public restrooms in an overlooked part of San Jose are finally getting attention from the city. City workers recently opened the restrooms in Alviso Park next to the public swimming pool. Councilmember David Cohen, whose district includes the park, told San José Spotlight the restrooms have been mostly closed to the public for the...
Santa Clara County petition sparks EPA inquiry of leaded aviation fuel
Santa Clara County officials and advocates are rejoicing as the federal government agrees to reassess the use of leaded aviation gasoline nationwide. During a news conference Wednesday, County Counsel James Williams announced the Environmental Protection Agency approved a petition from the county and several environmental organizations to evaluate whether leaded fuel used by airplanes is...
San Jose extends Coyote Creek Trail, adds patrol program
In an effort to encourage residents to use a new section of the Coyote Creek Trail, San Jose is partnering with Valley Water to start a police patrol around the area that was once the region’s largest homeless encampment. The patrol program, which costs $800,000, is part of the city’s new safety plan for the...
State law changes what Silicon Valley residents can throw away
Scraping food off your plate into the trash just become a no-no in more Santa Clara County cities as of 2022. California’s new composting law ushered by Senate Bill 1383 aims to fight climate change by reducing methane emissions created by organic material in landfills. The bill requires a 75% reduction in organic waste disposal...
FAA to investigate Santa Clara County leaded fuel ban at airports
The Federal Aviation Administration has started a formal investigation into Santa Clara County’s policy to ban the sale of leaded fuel at its airports starting Jan. 1. In a letter sent to the county on Thursday, the FAA said it will investigate to determine whether the policy is a violation of the United States Constitution and...
Santa Clara County shields Coyote Valley from development
Climate advocates and conservationists are praising Santa Clara County lawmakers for creating protections for one of the last green open spaces in the South Bay. The Board of Supervisors voted last week to drastically limit development in Coyote Valley, preserving it for open space and agriculture and helping the region achieve climate change goals. “I commit...
How San Jose plans to be carbon neutral in nine years
San Jose pledged to go carbon neutral by 2030, but the feasibility of this ambitious goal is still up in the air. The City Council voted unanimously to approve the pledge on Nov. 9. To be carbon neutral, the city needs to either offset all carbon emissions to reach a net-zero, or eliminate carbon emissions...
San Jose settles flood claims, but Valley Water litigation continues
San Jose residents affected by a devastating flood in 2017 are finally getting a settlement from the city, but litigation over the natural catastrophe isn’t over. The San Jose City Council approved a $750,000 settlement Tuesday for more than 250 plaintiffs suing the city for allegedly failing to warn them about flood dangers following heavy rainfall...
UPDATE: San Jose council keeps Coyote Valley as open space
“Amazon-style” warehouses won’t be in the future of San Jose’s Coyote Valley for now, as the city plans to preserve 314 acres of green space, marking a victory for local environmentalists. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to rezone portions of the valley south of the city from industrial use to agricultural and...
San Jose residents demand better care of Tamien Park
After more than three decades fighting for a public park, residents in a struggling San Jose neighborhood got one. But three weeks later, the grass withered and turned brown. The Tamien Park Soccer Field opened in early June in the city’s low-income Guadalupe-Washington neighborhood. Just three weeks later, the park had fallen into a state...