Santa Clara County’s crumbling jail conditions, which have been described as a “hellhole” and led to hunger strikes, could land the county in court The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley on March 17 sent the county a letter demanding conditions be addressed before the end of the month — or else it will sue. “We are deeply...
Santa Clara County moving into orange tier, expanding indoor dining and retail
Santa Clara County on Wednesday will move into the less-restrictive orange tier of the state’s reopening plan, removing capacity limits for retailers and doubling capacity for indoor dining and other businesses. The county is currently in the red tier since March 2. Local health officials say COVID-19 cases are steadily falling, which means restaurants, movie...
How Santa Clara County is vaccinating homeless people
A group of outreach workers roamed Guadalupe River Park this month, looking to give the park’s houseless residents food, clothing – and COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Along a narrow trail, they found Tony McCann, who lives in the park in a community stashed amongst the trees and surrounding tanbark. He received the vaccine last week at...
When will tourists return to downtown San Jose?
Those seeking stillness and quiet can find refuge in downtown San Jose on Tuesday mornings. The city’s sidewalks—where visitors, students and workers once competed for space—now offer an abundance of empty concrete where desperate birds scavenge for rare crumbs. “There was a certain traffic on First Street,” said Bertrand “Patrón” Paule, a visual artist and...
San Jose sued over hazard pay ordinance; is Santa Clara County next target?
San Jose is facing a lawsuit over its decision last month to give grocery store workers a hazard pay bump of $3 per hour. The California Grocers’ Association on Friday announced that it had filed a federal lawsuit over the pay mandate in both San Jose and Daly City. The two suits follow similar fillings...
San Jose business owners brace for end of eviction moratorium
In just a few weeks, San Jose businesses could be on the hook for rent they couldn’t pay during the pandemic when an eviction ban expires. Unlike an eviction ban for renters that’s been extended until June, a similar safety net for small businesses, many badly impacted by COVID, is still set to expire March 31....
A year of despair and resiliency: How COVID-19 changed San Jose
For many residents in the South Bay, March 17, 2020 marked the beginning of a year like no other. One year ago, Santa Clara County and five of its neighbors became the first in the nation to impose a shelter in place order, as the COVID-19 virus silently engulfed the globe. There were 258 confirmed...
Santa Clara County could move to orange tier next week; vaccine eligibility expands
Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 cases are still on a downward trend, meaning the county could move to the state’s orange tier next Wednesday. Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody confirmed at the county’s Health and Hospital Commission meeting Wednesday that if the county continues to see decreasing COVID cases and hospitalizations through...
San Jose City Council adds encampments, COVID recovery to its priority list
The San Jose City Council picked its new priorities Monday—deciding what topics to focus staff time on from many proposals delayed by the pandemic, including items to regulate the use of surveillance technologies to allowing marijuana dispensaries in retail centers. Two items rose to the top: implementing a plan to help deal with the city’s...
Blue Shield, Santa Clara County argue over COVID vaccine shortage
The company running California’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts refused a request for more vaccines for Santa Clara County from Kaiser Permanente, county leaders said today. Kaiser is one of the region’s largest health care providers but has been given too few doses of the vaccine to cover its patients. That sparked the creation of the county’s “no...