Santa Clara County transportation projects could be hurt if a regional tax measure to fund public transit is rejected by voters on Nov. 3, but the impact would be less than other parts of the Bay Area — and the details of service reductions are unclear. Senate Bill 63, also known as the Regional Transit Measure,...
Newsom signs Silicon Valley lawmakers’ bills to combat ICE
While federal immigration agents have stoked fear in Silicon Valley, California has passed a number of bills to keep them and those who run detention centers accountable. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 29 signed nearly two dozen bills, with some spearheaded by Silicon Valley lawmakers to protect immigrants from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)...
VTA workers offered affordable housing built by transit agency
For VTA workers, living in Santa Clara County might become a reality in the future due to a unique piece of state legislation. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a bill co-authored by Silicon Valley Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Patrick Ahrens that gives VTA employees preference to buy or rent an affordable home built...
San Jose school trustee admonished for discriminatory remarks
A San Jose school board has publicly admonished a trustee in response to his conduct, and signed a resolution supporting diversity. Franklin-McKinley School District trustees on Sept. 22 voted 4-1 to rebuke Trustee Marc Cooper for discrimination against Muslims and incorrectly stating the U.S. Supreme Court ruled America is a Christian nation. As part of...
San Jose increases parking garage rates, but not meters
It took three attempts for the San Jose City Council to reach a compromise Tuesday on contentious parking rate changes, with officials approving higher garage rates and special event fees while putting off plans for downtown meter rate increases and extended evening meter hours. The final proposal passed 7-3 — with Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Bien...
Santa Clara County fends off legal challenge to sales tax increase
A court ruling invalidates a lawsuit that claimed Santa Clara County incorrectly applied an emergency clause to Measure A that allowed the county to put the sales tax increase on the ballot as a general tax. California’s Sixth District Court of Appeal on Sept. 23 affirmed the county Board of Supervisors’ declaration that the county...
State Prop. 43 aims to raise tax measure threshold
A proposition going before California voters in November could make it more difficult for local governments and agencies to get funding from tax measures by raising the approval threshold. Proposition 43 would require a two-thirds majority vote for citizen initiatives pertaining to sale taxes — such as real estate, utilities and transit — which under...
San Jose parking official raises alarms about rate hike plan
A San Jose parking official is calling for the city to pause discussions on a controversial plan to hike parking rates, arguing it must first address longstanding concerns over the management of revenue from parking fees. In an open letter sent Friday to councilmembers and city administrators, Downtown Parking Board Vice Chair Tamiko Rast leveled...
Santa Clara looks to ban recreational nitrous oxide sales
Santa Clara is preparing to ban recreational sales of nitrous oxide products, also known as whippets. But smoke shops within city limits have already started moving away from selling them. The City Council on Tuesday received an update on the proposed ban, which would prohibit the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide for recreational use...
Pending San Jose airport road closure poses risk to cyclists
San Jose residents and bicycle advocates are fighting to stop a looming obstacle in their path. Recreational cyclists and bike commuters traveling from San Jose to Santa Clara and Sunnyvale on Ewert Road have been horrified to learn of a planned Oct. 1 closure. The road, which borders the airport, is an essential conduit to...