Theft and vandalism of campaign yard signs is a perennial problem every election season, but Cupertino is seeing an unusually high volume of complaints this year in the sharply divided City Council race. Cupertino City Hall has received 23 formal complaints regarding yard sign thefts, compared with just six during the last election in 2024....
San Jose conference highlights digital divide facing Latinos
As artificial intelligence reshapes Silicon Valley, Latino leaders are pushing for a bigger role in deciding who benefits from the technology and who might get left behind. That question was at the center of a two-day conference in San Jose, hosted by the New York-based Hispanic Federation, which brought together nonprofit leaders and community advocates...
Bay Area’s first ‘living levee’ opens at Palo Alto Baylands
A cool breeze swept through Palo Alto’s Baylands Nature Preserve as local and federal representatives opened the Bay Area’s first nature-based horizontal levee — a project officials hope protects against rising sea levels and helps filter wastewater going into the bay, while boosting the native marshland ecosystem. Dozens of representatives from various agencies, from Palo...
San Jose may bar officials from signing nondisclosure agreements
As community distrust of data centers grows, San Jose is considering banning councilmembers from signing confidentiality agreements that bind them from publicly discussing development projects. The Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday unanimously voted to have the city manager create a policy to ensure transparency with developments, including data centers. The committee — comprised of five members...
Mountain View pilots AI translation services at public meetings
Access to Mountain View City Council meetings is expanding, with the city launching a pilot program that allows residents to follow along in more than 60 languages. Mountain View is testing out Wordly, an artificial intelligence-powered service that provides real-time audio and text translation on personal devices. It debuted at an Environmental Planning Commission meeting last...
Silicon Valley water agency selects new CEO
Santa Clara County’s largest water supplier is turning to a longtime employee to lead the agency into its next chapter after a tumultuous split with the last CEO. The Valley Water board of directors voted 5-2 Tuesday to appoint Aaron Baker as its next CEO. Baker, chief operating officer of water utility, takes over Jan....
Silicon Valley immigrants to face stricter green card requirements
Federal rule changes taking effect later this month will make it harder for immigrants applying to live and work in the U.S. Starting Sept. 18, obtaining a green card will require a greater burden of proof that the applicant won’t become a “public charge” who is dependent on government benefits. As part of the process, green...
Amazon data center project in Gilroy upsets locals
An Amazon data center under construction in Gilroy is frustrating a local transparency group and residents who are voicing concerns about the city’s lack of openness in allowing the project to move forward. Americans for Transparency, a grassroots initiative led by Gilroy resident Georgine Scott-Codiga, filed a formal demand of violations with Gilroy asking for an...
Palo Alto scales back rail redesign plans amid rising costs
After more than a decade of designing, debating and dreaming of grade separation at three local rail crossings, Palo Alto’s elected leaders are preparing to narrow their scope and focus their energy on one location: Charleston Road. Formally, the City Council remains committed to exploring grade separation on Charleston, East Meadow Drive and Churchill Avenue....
The Biz Beat: San Jose market specializes in meat skewers
A few months ago, puffs of smoke began wafting from a shopping center in North San Jose. The source: Chinese barbecue meat skewers being cooked in the parking lot. One Step Food Market, a small specialized grocery store in Pacific Rim Plaza II, served up the skewers as a temporary advertisement for the shop’s February opening...