Councilmember Sylvia Arenas is recommending San Jose break with its sister city in Russia, adding its voice to international efforts to isolate the country over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Her proposal will be heard by the City Council in the near future. “Ending our city’s formal diplomatic relationship with Russia’s municipal government in Ekaterinburg...
State contest bound to divide Asian voters in Silicon Valley
In a contested California Assembly race where more than half of voters are Asian Americans, four Asian Democrats are vying for the job. Assemblymember Alex Lee, who won the Assembly District 25 seat in 2020, is running for the same job in a new district. His district, which used to encompass Santa Clara, Alviso, Northern San Jose and parts...
Silicon Valley lawmakers want to update public meeting law
California legislators want to change the rules for public meetings following the harassment of local officials in Los Gatos last year. State Sen. Dave Cortese and Assemblymember Evan Low introduced a bill Wednesday to update the Brown Act. The law, created in 1953, governs conduct at public meetings of legislative bodies. Cortese says the law mostly focused...
Fremont official claims mayor denied recognizing Black colleges
Fremont’s first African-American councilmember in almost 65 years criticized the mayor for not approving a proclamation honoring historically Black colleges. During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Councilmember Teresa Cox accused Mayor Lily Mei of refusing to approve a proclamation recognizing the contributions of Ohlone College, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and the Divine Nine–historically Black...
Silicon Valley lawmakers advance bill to improve fast-food working conditions
A dramatic change to fast-food worker protection could upend the franchise framework, and while labor advocates are happy to see it advance, franchise owners aren’t entirely onboard. State assemblymembers voted 43-13 on Thursday to approve amendments to Assembly Bill 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST). The bill envisions a state-appointed council to...
Silicon Valley lawmaker’s single-payer health care plan faces ‘uphill fight’
A bill proposing a state single-payer health care system, which would be the first in the nation if passed, has a swell of public support. But it’s unclear if that will be enough to make it over the finish line. Assembly Bill 1400, also known as CalCare, would address issues such as the lack of...
Gov. Newsom touts transportation goals in Santa Clara
With trains roaring in the background, Gov. Gavin Newsom joined local and state officials in Santa Clara to promote some transportation and infrastructure investments in his budget package. The proposed budget, released earlier this week, includes $9.1 billion in new transportation spending. The new source of funding advances clean energy projects to address greenhouse gas emission concerns, increase...
Silicon Valley candidate ends state campaign, endorses progressive opponent
State Senate hopeful Jaime Raul Zepeda is ending his campaign and instead throwing his support behind fellow candidate Aisha Wahab. Zepeda, who was running for the state Senate District 10 seat, announced the end of his campaign Monday. The state redistricting process—which occurs once every 10 years on the local, state and federal levels—established new...
Police reform, other new laws to watch in Santa Clara County
As the new year begins in California, so do a set of laws designed to better regulate police departments across the state. This comes in the wake of protests in 2020 that targeted police misconduct and violent crowd control tactics. Residents in Santa Clara County will also see a handful of other significant laws coming...
Silicon Valley lawmakers to run for reelection in redrawn districts
Four South Bay assemblymembers intend to run for reelection in newly drawn state districts, but one has to relocate. Assemblymembers Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto), Evan Low (D-Cupertino), Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) and Alex Lee (D-San Jose) are running for reelection in districts that have changed in size, population counts and number. The new redrawn state...