Steady crowds have streamed through most COVID-19 testing sites since the start of the pandemic. But that wasn’t the case this weekend at Santa Clara County’s newest — and largest — testing site at the county fairgrounds. That’s largely due to the bad air quality fueled by massive wildfires burning across the Bay Area. The...
Free student meals harder to come by in South Bay
East Side Union High School District was handing out 6,000 free lunches daily after COVID-19 shut down schools earlier this year. Now, with classes back in session, that number has dropped to about 120 a day. When the pandemic hit, the federal government issued a waiver allowing schools to distribute free lunches without checking to...
Santa Clara County to test 5,000 daily at fairgrounds for COVID-19
Santa Clara County opened a new drive-through COVID-19 site at the County Fairgrounds with the aim of testing 5,000 people a day — the largest in the Bay Area. Announced Aug. 18, the appointment-only, high-capacity location is expected to complete 1,000 daily tests by the end of this week and continue to expand. Tests are...
Silicon Valley donors open wallets in response to COVID-19
The ultra-rich are a dime a dozen in Silicon Valley. A recent tally counted 76,000 millionaires and billionaires living here, and nearly a third of adults are considered “upper income,” according to recent data from the Pew Research Center. Although many of those are generous to charity, it has been difficult to channel that largesse...
Congress goes on recess with no coronavirus relief measure in sight
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans hoping for another coronavirus relief bill from Congress will likely have to wait at least another month. House Democrats were unable to reach a compromise with Senate Republicans and White House officials in recent weeks — and now Congress is on its August recess. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, told San...
Santa Clara County assessor staff wins fight to work from home
Workers at the Santa Clara County assessor’s office won a key battle Friday afternoon when they were all allowed to work from home following a decision by County Executive Jeff Smith. Assessor Larry Stone had argued he wanted more workers to be in the office on rotation, a policy that prompted more than 150 workers...
Outdoor services offer lifeline to South Bay salons struggling to survive
Denise Russell hasn’t paid rent at her 3,600 square-foot San Jose beauty salon in six months. Dustin David Salon’s landlord is sending rent collectors to his home in Los Gatos. He’s several months behind. Although they’re now able to provide services outdoors, South Bay salons are reeling over the state’s months-long flip-flops on whether they...
School resumes in San Jose as teachers decide where to set up class
Public school resumed in San Jose Aug. 12 with some teachers working from home and others from campus after a last-minute deal between the district and union gave teachers the option they had been demanding. “A lot of my colleagues had a lot of anxiety going into the first day of school,” said Patrick Bernhardt,...
Khanna pushes $5 billion bill to provide free masks as Biden seeks mandate
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden is urging governors to implement mask mandates to stop the spread of the coronavirus. “Every single American should be wearing a mask when they’re outside for the next three months at a minimum,” he said during a Thursday news conference in Delaware. Biden said wearing masks...
Coronavirus LIVE BLOG: July 30 to August 12
Catch up on our current Coronavirus LIVE BLOG here. 2 p.m. Aug 12: Governor announces slew of business relief plans Despite the promise of financial relief for small businesses from the Paycheck Protection Program, many people still found their hands empty after applying for the money. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’s moving forward a plan to...