A study highlighting the roles of immigrants in San Jose and the struggles they’ve faced during COVID-19 is leading the city to create more inclusive relief measures. New American Economy (NAE), a national nonprofit immigration research and advocacy organization which last month released the study “New Americans in San Jose Metro Area,” examined the role...
Santa Clara County struggles to breathe life into mental health services for ex-inmates
Santa Clara County supervisors are vowing to save a critically underfunded mental health program that often is a last resort for hundreds of former inmates in need of medical help. Community Awaiting Placement Supervision (CAPS) helps place former Santa Clara County inmates into mental health treatment programs. They are ordered, upon release, to receive outpatient...
Khanna pressed on protests, coronavirus aid in virtual town hall
Rep. Ro Khanna fielded questions from more than a dozen constituents Tuesday at a town hall, many of which centered around the election, coronavirus relief or the nationwide protests calling for police reform. The virtual event, which was live-streamed on Facebook, garnered nearly 1,000 views. One constituent asked the Fremont Democrat why some politicians who...
San Jose leaders approve recommendations to address COVID-19 health disparities
San Jose leaders unanimously accepted 30 recommendations Sept. 1 from Santa Clara County’s Health and Equity Task Force to tackle growing health disparities in the time of COVID-19. The recommendations include translating emergency information, contact-tracing, extending rent relief, distributing food and adding additional COVID-19 testing sites. Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco said as of Aug. 31, more...
Waivers pave way for some Santa Clara County schools to open
Although distance learning is the new educational normal for Santa Clara County, some public schools and one private school have received waivers for in-person learning. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered distance learning for counties on the state’s COVID-19 watch list but schools could resume in-person learning if their county had been off the watch list for...
Elections: Funding, postal service protections take center stage
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The November presidential election could be in jeopardy unless lawmakers protect the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and provide more funding to state governments, according to multiple witnesses who recently testified before House lawmakers. “Voters should not be forced to choose between their health and their fundamental right to vote but...
South Bay lawyers predict surge in bankruptcies as stimulus money dries up
South Bay attorneys are bracing for a wave of new bankruptcies from individuals and small businesses that have exhausted their unemployment benefits and federal stimulus money. The number of cases filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court’s San Jose division has declined precipitously over the past five years — plummeting more than 35% to 2,718...
Thousands protest racism at the March on Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thousands gathered at the Lincoln Memorial Friday morning to protest racism and police brutality, exactly 57 years to the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech calling for racial justice at the same spot. “He talked about his dream (that day) but he also talked about how he...
South Bay Republicans see hope as Trump accepts nomination
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Republican National Convention concluded Thursday night with President Donald Trump vowing to defend “the American way of life” as he formally accepted the GOP nomination for president. “This is the most important election in the history of our country,” said Trump, who spoke from the South Lawn at the White House....
Websites become new focus of disability rights in age of COVID-19
As a blind man, Guillermo Robles successfully sued Domino’s Pizza because the chain failed to build a website that was as accessible to him as its brick-and-mortar restaurants. Now as COVID-19 pushes more businesses, communication and emergency services online, accessibility law experts say the sooner websites comply with disability guidelines — such as providing audio...