Watching friends and family without health insurance struggle to cover the costs of doctors’ appointments and medicines left a mark on Meriam Ahmad. In fact, the experience launched the high school junior to lobby for change. “It is something that I don’t want to be dealing with later in life, and it is something I...
San Jose school district denies improper lobbying charges
Officials with San Jose’s biggest school district denied charges they improperly hired lobbying firms to push a teacher housing proposal—saying that at least one of the firms never lobbied for them at all, despite meeting with officials who would approve the plans. The allegations stem from a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report released...
Scooter aware: AI-endowed e-scooters hit San Jose streets
Thinking of taking the electric scooter you rented for a fast ride? Want to do wheelies off the curbs? You could find yourself banned from using a Link scooter ever again. The latest company approved to rent e-scooters in San Jose deploys artificial intelligence to make sure riders follow the rules. Riders who zip over...
Developmentally disabled kids in San Jose left behind amid COVID-19
Access to a COVID-19 vaccine may be the first step to getting students back on campus, but youth are in the back of the line for vaccines in California. That’s especially tough for students with special needs and developmental disabilities for whom distance learning is not conducive. For these students, online education halts months of...
South Bay education leaders: Teachers need vaccines faster
Santa Clara County education leaders are advocating for teachers to get vaccinated before they step foot inside a classroom — but not all teachers should get first dibs. A group of county educators Thursday said that vaccine priority should be given to teachers who are already working with students in person, followed by employees of...
San Jose mayor celebrates school reopenings as critics fight back
Mayor Sam Liccardo claimed a political victory when the San Jose Unified School District announced recently it would reopen for indoor instruction April 21. But advocates say the mayor and his new advocacy group had nothing to do with the decision. In a mass email from Liccardo’s recently-formed organization Solutions San Jose, he praised the district’s decision...
BART funding pulled from stimulus bill
Congress pulled a $141 million grant for a Bay Area Rapid Transit extension into Silicon Valley from their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill Tuesday. The grant would have eased the burden that the project places on local funds—revenues that have tumbled in the face of COVID-19-related closures. But local officials noted they didn’t expect losing...
VTA ponders shifting public comment, advocates cry foul
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority deferred voting on a proposal to limit time for public comment on Thursday, following outcry from transit advocates. VTA’s Governance and Audit Committee — Morgan Hill Mayor Rich Constantine, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Glenn Hendricks and San Jose councilmembers Chappie Jones and Raul Peralez...
COVID-19 pushes Santa Clara County dropout rate up
Distance learning has led to an increase in students dropping out of high school in Santa Clara County. The 2021 Silicon Valley Index, released by nonprofit Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies, showed this was especially true for homeless youth, English-language learners, Hispanic and low-income students. Rachel Massaro, vice president and director of...
Biden’s stimulus plan would give $140M to new BART stations
BART could get a $140 million grant to begin the second phase of construction on a South Bay transit project — more than four decades in the making — from the latest COVID-19 stimulus package, if Congress passes the Biden-backed bill. The latest COVID-19 stimulus package passed the House early Saturday morning in Washington along...