Santa Clara County officials were in the throes of a mental health crisis four years ago and took action to expand treatment. That progress is about to be scaled back as the county confronts an extreme budget shortfall. The Behavioral Health Services Department faces a $100 million deficit in the coming fiscal year due to...
San Jose’s mask policy holds despite federal ruling
A federal judge has temporarily blocked California from enacting a law that would ban federal agents from wearing masks — but a similar policy in San Jose remains intact. On Feb. 9, federal Judge Christina Snyder ruled that California’s “No Secret Police Act” appears to be discriminatory since it only bans federal agents from wearing...
Super Bowl sets South Bay public transit ridership record
Public transit ridership to and from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for the Super Bowl hit an all-time high with 30,000 trips — although not without a few bumps along the way. VTA tallied 28,000 light rail trips and 2,600 bus rides for the big game, which the National Football League said drew 70,823 people....
Silicon Valley lawmakers criticize Mahan, endorse opponent
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s moderate campaign for California governor has fared well with billionaires and tech moguls. But two progressive state lawmakers in his own backyard are less enthused. Democratic Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Alex Lee are spurning Mahan’s bid for statewide office as a “handpicked” vessel for big tech’s movement to consolidate control...
San Jose lawmaker’s housing bills advance through Congress
A pair of bills spearheaded by Congressman Sam Liccardo that aim to speed up the approval process for new residential projects advanced through the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week as part of a bipartisan housing package. The bipartisan act aims to alleviate the housing shortage by streamlining housing regulations, updating certain programs in...
San Jose’s largest school district looks to close schools
Santa Clara County’s largest school district could close up to nine elementary schools due to declining enrollment — a game changer for the district as it redefines its future. The San Jose Teachers Association is urging San Jose Unified School District to consider restructuring the system due to enrollment and equity issues. There are 41...
Billionaire techies back Matt Mahan’s run for CA governor
Billionaires and tech moguls are spending mountains of cash to catapult San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan to the front of the race for California governor. Recent campaign finance reports show Mahan has raised more than $2 million, though he has touted raising a total of $7 million so far on social media. Google co-founder Sergey Brin,...
Conservative heads San Jose mayor’s governor campaign
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has bristled at being labeled right-leaning while stressing he’s a lifelong Democrat. His hiring of a self-described conservative to run his California governor campaign could fuel fresh skepticism. Mahan’s 23-year-old campaign manager, Adrian Rafizadeh, registered as a Republican in 2020, voter records show. Rafizadeh previously worked on Mahan’s mayoral campaign from...
Here’s who paid for San Jose mayor’s Super Bowl ad
From Peter Thiel-linked tech investors to the creator of “Law & Order,” several notable people are gunning to vault San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s bid for California governor to frontrunner status — starting with a Super Bowl ad. The 30-second ad, which vaunts Mahan for making San Jose the “safest big city in America,” brought the...
San Jose councilmember seeks state Senate seat
The election year has barely started — but a handful of Silicon Valley races are shaping up. San Jose Councilmember David Cohen announced his run for California Senate District 10, which represents parts of Santa Clara and Alameda counties. The district’s current seat holder, Aisha Wahab, is running for Congressional District 14 held by Eric...