WASHINGTON. D.C. — President Donald Trump signed a defense funding bill on Friday that will provide service members a raise in salary, better housing conditions and establish a new branch of the military. Amidst the contention on Capitol Hill over the impeachment proceedings, the Armed Services committees in the House and Senate passed a final...
VTA report recommended no changes to board member appointments
The public on Friday got its first look at a long-awaited report from a consultant detailing how to improve the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, but there were no suggestions to elect VTA board members — who are currently appointed by their cities — as some Silicon Valley transit activists had hoped. A Board of Directors elected...
Silicon Valley Leadership Group appeals to business leaders on $100B transit ballot measure
A trio of Bay Area planning and business leaders are ramping up efforts to promote a years-long initiative to get a $100 billion tax measure for transit investment on the ballot in Nov. 2020, as opponents of the measure start to push back. The measure, called FASTER Bay Area, is backed by The Silicon Valley...
Zoe Lofgren’s bill to provide green cards to undocumented farmworkers passes House
WASHINGTON. D.C. — A bill that would give undocumented farmworkers a way to earn citizenship status passed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, marking a major victory for agricultural workers. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, or H.R. 5038, was a major bipartisan agreement spearheaded by San Jose Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. It passed, 260 to...
Evergreen college district sued over development deal’s collapse
Four months after threatening litigation, a prominent San Jose developer has sued a major community college district after negotiations over a swath of land stalled and a high-profile development deal fell apart. “I think this case will raise important issues about the relationship between developers and public entities and how they go about getting property...
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo raises eyebrows with Mike Bloomberg endorsement
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s announcement Tuesday that he’s endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, just one week after his last pick, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., dropped out of the race is raising eyebrows from critics. Some are questioning the Silicon Valley mayor for backing a billionaire after Harris dropped out because she didn’t have enough capital...
Silicon Valley congressmembers may soon vote to impeach the president
WASHINGTON. D.C. — Democratic leaders in the House announced two articles of impeachment Tuesday morning, charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. “It is an impeachable offense for the president to exercise powers of his public office to obtain an improper personal benefit while ignoring or injuring the national interest,”...
San Jose lawmakers to discuss transforming BART stations into transit communities
The Valley Transportation Authority has spent years developing a plan to create new, vibrant communities around transit hubs, especially at a time when BART is expanding its reach in Silicon Valley. On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council will hear a report highlighting VTA’s major goals for Phase II of BART’s Silicon Valley expansion project, just...
Environmental activists urge VTA to shift funds from highway projects to mass transit
Dozens of young environmental activists implored the Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors to declare a climate crisis during its last meeting of the year this week. The group — including many local high school students — asked the board to commit to a zero carbon emission bus fleet, forswear future cuts to bus service...
The competition is on for policing new BART stations, including San Jose
As Bay Area mass transit services struggle to protect public safety, Silicon Valley law enforcement agencies are competing for a chance to police the new Valley Transportation Authority transit centers in Milpitas and San Jose when BART trains start rolling into Santa Clara County for the first time in 2020. An Alameda County Grand Jury...