A community of 40 mobile homes in South San Jose sits next to one of the city’s staging grounds for trash collection, which is creating health hazards for residents. The Walnut Mobile Home Park, which houses more than 100 residents, butts up against the city’s South Yard on Monterey Road. Beautify San Jose, a city...
‘Absolutely stunned’: San Jose mayor inflates costs of not sweeping homeless camps
State officials are contradicting claims made by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan in his push to redirect affordable housing money to homeless sweeps and shelters. Mahan has argued the city faces $60,000 in daily fines per pollutant if the city doesn’t address pollution from homeless encampments near creeks by June 2025. It’s driving his renewed...
Santa Clara County to study ban on artificial turf
Santa Clara County may need an abundance of lawn mowers if artificial turf is banned on public playing fields. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 3-2 to study the ramifications of artificial turf on county land, with Board President Susan Ellenberg and Supervisor Cindy Chavez voting no. The proposal came from...
Silicon Valley water supplier plans rate hikes
Santa Clara County residents could see higher water bills in the upcoming year, as one water agency looks for ways to cover costs. Valley Water, the region’s main water supplier, is proposing raising groundwater production charges on cities and private water retailers. The increase will be passed on to household ratepayers through local water companies such...
Santa Clara County to eradicate aggressive mosquito species
Santa Clara County officials are prepping to remove a foreign, invasive and aggressive yellow fever mosquito species that’s returned to the region just in time for peak mosquito season. It was easy to eradicate the species after it first arrived in the county in 2022, when vector officials trapped and removed two mosquitoes in a...
Silicon Valley agency freezes hiring amid deficit
Silicon Valley’s main water supplier is tightening its wallet in the face of a structural deficit and in an effort to keep water rates from rising. Santa Clara Valley Water District officials have frozen hiring for 72 job vacancies amid a $222 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year ending in June. The skyrocketing...
Silicon Valley dam upgrade draws scrutiny over price tag
Residents and environmental activists continue to scrutinize the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s plans to expand a regional dam. Valley Water employees presented updates and fielded questions about the controversial Pacheco Dam expansion — including questions about costs. The project’s estimated cost is $2.78 billion, but factoring financing and other contingencies could escalate the price...
San Jose helps evacuate homeless residents amid storm
Heavy rain and powerful wind raged through San Jose over the weekend, affecting the most vulnerable communities. Luckily, the worst of the weather is behind us, officials say. The recent atmospheric river storm resulted in broken trees that blocked roads, fell on homes and damaged cars. Approximately 700,000 people lost power throughout the Bay Area,...
Santa Clara County to buy hundreds of acres for conservation
Just weeks after a deal fell through to buy the Richmond Ranch for development, county leaders are moving forward with turning the open space into a massive park. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to begin acquiring a nearly 1,500-acre portion of the 3,654-acre ranch, with the remaining space being...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley water board elects new chair
In an unexpected turn of events, Valley Water’s board of directors reelected Director Nai Hsueh to be its next chair. After a motion to elect Director Barbara Keegan failed, the board voted 5-2 to make Hsueh chair. Directors John Valera, Richard Santos, Tony Estremera, Rebecca Eisenberg and Hsueh voted yes, and Director Jim Beall and...