Milpitas became the first Santa Clara County city to require face coverings this week in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Beginning Friday, workers and customers must wear masks inside essential businesses in the South Bay city. The city’s actions come as six Bay Area counties now require face coverings when in public, including...
Silicon Valley Holocaust remembrances keep memories alive — virtually
Tamar Jacobs has for years recounted memories of living in Nazi Germany alongside family, friends and Jewish community members. This year she took part in Holocaust Remembrance Day while standing in front of a camera. Sheltering at home during COVID-19 mitigation efforts in Santa Clara County, the 91-year-old Holocaust survivor was interviewed for one of...
Surviving the pandemic: How to get into a homeless shelter in Silicon Valley
With nearly 10,000 homeless residents sleeping on Santa Clara County’s streets every night, regional leaders say they’re concerned the novel coronavirus could rapidly spread among one of the county’s most vulnerable populations. County leaders have ramped up their efforts to protect the homeless community from a massive outbreak in the South Bay, which quickly emerged as a...
Santa Clara County had the first U.S. coronavirus deaths, officials say
Santa Clara County may have had the earliest coronavirus-related deaths in the nation, pointing to weeks of the virus circulating in the county before anyone realized, according to new autopsy information revealed this week. The county’s medical examiner-coroner released data on three newly identified coronavirus cases that resulted in death dating back to February 6....
As Earth Day turns 50, Silicon Valley leaders celebrate virtually
Not even a pandemic can stop Silicon Valley from celebrating Earth Day, hundreds of residents and local leaders proved Wednesday. Nearly 700 attendees tuned in for an Earth Day Zoom call hosted by environmental advocacy group, Green Foothills, where speakers from youth activists to politicians talked about local environmental protection efforts and the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic’s...
Newsom loosens stay-home order restrictions as hospitalizations stabilize
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced the state’s first step in loosening the restrictive stay-at-home order that has shut down businesses, schools and kept residents inside except for specific tasks. Hospitals that were once barred from pushing forward so-called elective surgeries, or procedures that could wait, can begin doing those operations again, Newsom said Wednesday...
Coronavirus LIVE BLOG: April 9 to April 22
Catch up on our current Coronavirus LIVE BLOG here. 6:45 p.m. April 22: Santa Clara sees rise in illegal dumping Santa Clara officials said Wednesday that the city is getting “increased reports” of residents leaving things like mattresses and other bulky household wares on public streets. The dumping comes at about the time that the city...
After much debate, VTA and BART see eye-to-eye on Silicon Valley project
Bringing Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to Silicon Valley has proven difficult due to costs and because BART and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) officials haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but on Friday the agencies made a breakthrough. Officials have agreed to use what is known as a “single bore stacked platform configuration,” meaning...
Silicon Valley schools scramble to close enduring gaps during COVID-19
When Bay Area schools closed overnight in mid-March, Miyuki Takeda-Bajan’s daughter couldn’t afford to take time off from her studies — she had an upcoming SAT exam and AP courses. But direction from the school district was slow to arrive. The junior at Pioneer High School in San Jose’s Blossom Valley scoured the web for free testing materials...
San Jose eviction bans leave renters more confused than confident
Renters affected by the novel coronavirus in San Jose are triple-protected from evictions through May 31, following city, county and state-passed laws stopping landlords from removing residents for not paying rent. But rather than feel protected, the separate laws have created confusion for many residents and small businesses untangling the details as record numbers of Californians...