Local officials are reporting a sharp uptick in homeless people seeking health services in South County – a trend they credit to successful outreach. South County patient encounters with the Valley Homeless Healthcare Program — which provides mobile and fixed-site primary care, substance abuse and oral health services — have exceeded last year’s totals. As...
Bay Area public transit riders can use bank cards to ‘tap-and-ride’
The long-awaited rollout of the new generation of the Clipper Card payment system started Wednesday, with Bay Area travelers now able to pay for public transit trips more efficiently and conveniently. Clipper will transition the individual cards of passengers over the next 12 weeks with new features that will allow people to instantly add money...
Santa Clara County joint lawsuit halts federal grant guidelines
President Donald Trump’s administration has backed off from upending federal grants to permanent housing programs — for now. A lawsuit filed by Santa Clara County and 10 other governments and nonprofits against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last week has pushed the department to revise federal grant guidelines for homeless funding...
San Jose climate goals pivot from leaf blowers
San Jose residents have been clamoring for a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers for years, complaining about their noise and pollution. In response, the City Council began reviewing a proposal to encourage the use of electric leaf blowers through a subsidy program. The city is moving forward with a green subsidy more than a year and...
San Jose mayor looking for ‘change agent’ governor
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan hosted several gubernatorial candidates at a tiny home site Friday, in the hopes of showcasing the city’s approach to slash homelessness through building temporary housing — and to get their buy in. During a tour of the city’s newest tiny home village at Cherry Avenue, Mahan said he’s looking for...
San Jose residents to get rebates on energy bill
Customers with San Jose Clean Energy, the city’s primary energy provider, are set to get a break on their energy bill come January. With the company’s reserves flush with cash, it has announced a plan to distribute $25 million in rebates to about 330,000 of its customers. “Energy costs were lower than expected in 2025,...
East San Jose charter school at risk of closing
An East San Jose charter school serving immigrant families is at risk of closure. Escuela Popular, a bilingual and bicultural school, could close its doors after serving the community for almost 40 years due to a state law that requires all charter school teachers to be fully credentialed. The school, part of the East Side...
Santa Clara County cancer center carries on amid funding woes
The recent passage of a countywide sales tax measure is expected to soften federal funding cuts to Silicon Valley’s largest public hospital system. But it won’t avoid cuts entirely — and places like Santa Clara County’s premier cancer treatment center could still be affected. It’s estimated that roughly 18% of all Santa Clara County cancer patients will be...
Audit calls for changes after San Jose firefighter drug tampering
A city audit is recommending the San Jose Fire Department strengthen its drug tracking and inventory security after painkiller thefts by a firefighter led to patients receiving morphine from tampered vials. The audit, released Monday, recommends Fire Chief Robert Sapien’s department updates its policies on storage and access to paramedic drug kits, timing of inventory inspections, as...
Santa Clara County struggles to keep mental health workers
Santa Clara County is struggling to retain its behavioral health workforce. A recent report from the University of California, San Francisco examines the gaps in the county’s Behavioral Health and Services Department. It shows that between February 2024 and February 2025, 28% of behavioral health workers employed by the department and contracted agencies are no...