Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, sat empty Thursday amid the county’s “shelter in place” order to slow the spread of coronavirus, as the NFL team announced plans to help residents get back on their feet. 49ers President Al Guido announced the team donated $49,000 to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s newly-created emergency...
Paying it forward: How coronavirus has inspired generosity in San Jose
Despite the growing fear and anxiety from the rapid spread of the coronavirus and shelter-in-place orders across the Bay Area, a slew of local business owners are stepping up to make things a little brighter. Tony & Alba’s, a family-run San Jose gem that serves pizza and pasta, last weekend offered free pizza and free...
Silicon Valley cities launch new coronavirus initiatives as companies step up
Silicon Valley government and nonprofit leaders on Wednesday launched a new initiative, called Silicon Valley Strong, to centralize coronavirus resources for residents and small businesses. Those leaders also called on residents and companies to step up with their time, energy and perhaps most importantly, money. But across the Bay Area, organizations have already begun to...
As coronavirus spreads, Newsom works to secure hospital beds, find rooms for homeless
California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the past 36 hours has announced a slew of measures to combat coronavirus, including placing the state’s National Guard on alert, devoting money to secure hospital beds, trailers and shelters for homeless residents and signing orders to peg $1 billion to slow the spread of the deadly virus. As of...
San Jose: Paid sick leave proposal stalls as lawmakers raise questions
The fast-moving spread of the novel coronavirus has forced millions of Bay Area residents to stay shuttered in their homes, threatening the local economy and disrupting countless lives. But the hundreds of thousands of employees in San Jose who don’t have paid sick leave could face a difficult choice of risking their health by working while...
How will the coronavirus affect the 2020 Census?
On Wednesday, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that in response to the national COVID-19 outbreak it would suspend all field operations until April 1. For 90 years, the first day in April has been designated “Census Day” by the bureau, the day when counting is supposed to begin in earnest. Millions of households respond early....
Bay Area transit measure delayed as business sector focuses on COVID-19
The novel coronavirus has set back a transit measure that local leaders were pushing to get on the November ballot. A measure, known as FASTER Bay Area, to raise an estimated $100 billion for transit investment over the next 40 years, was expected to appear on the ballot near the end of the year, but...
Coronavirus death toll rises as San Jose State student, first responders test positive
Five people have died from coronavirus in Santa Clara County as of Tuesday evening. Officials announced a man in his 50s died Tuesday after being hospitalized since March 9. One of the deaths in Santa Clara County so far includes a homeless resident, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. As of Monday night, 392 people had...
Santa Clara declares local emergency due to coronavirus
The Santa Clara City Council ratified a local emergency Tuesday in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus, following the lead of Santa Clara County, which issued a heightened shelter in place order on Monday. “There is a hollow sound in this chamber,” Mayor Lisa Gillmor said, sitting six feet from her fellow councilmembers...
San Jose adopts measures to help businesses amid coronavirus closures
As cancellations, school closures and mandatory quarantines ramp up, San Jose leaders are scrambling to help the city’s most vulnerable residents, fearing devastating economic consequences for residents and local small businesses that are losing income. Following last week’s call to place a moratorium on evictions for residents who can’t pay rent because of lost income,...