Congressional Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” could deal a bleak, brutal blow to Santa Clara County’s public hospital system — the second largest in the state after expanding just months ago. President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July signing of H.R. 1, his watershed budget bill, has county leaders anticipating more than $1 billion in revenue losses...
Sunnyvale public safety chief all about community engagement
Sunnyvale’s new public safety chief wants to uphold his department’s unique, integrated approach to providing service and engaging with residents. Daniel Pistor started as chief of the Department of Public Safety June 22, after former Chief Phan Ngo retired in April. The department is uniquely structured, as all sworn officers receive police, fire and EMT...
Santa Clara County weighs bringing back zero bail
Dueling forces could swing Santa Clara County’s jail population back and forth, as officials look to revive zero cash bail and move those numbers down. County leaders recently mulled over the idea at a public safety hearing late last month. It’s unclear when or how they will push the debate forward — largely because it’s...
Return of Campbell summer concerts a boon for businesses
Campbell is ready to groove again after one of the region’s largest free summer concert events was canceled last year. The annual Campbell summer concert series is returning this year after downtown construction led to a yearlong hiatus, and the city is anticipating the economic windfall. The free concert series, featuring live music from local...
Mountain View weighs El Monte ‘road diet’ after pedestrian fatalities
Long-awaited road improvements are beginning to take shape on El Monte Avenue, a traffic corridor in Mountain View that has a record of pedestrian fatalities. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee weighed in on an early design for safety improvements along El Monte Avenue, as well as an adjacent portion of El Camino Real, at a...
New building reforms change pace of San Jose development
San Jose officials are celebrating the rollback of a long-standing environmental law, which has been a hurdle for housing production. Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 30 signed two bills, Senate Bill 131 and Assembly Bill 130, which bring significant reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — allowing many developments to circumvent an environmental...
Pro teams look to invest in Santa Clara school sports field
A football field in Santa Clara could be on tap to receive a long overdue upgrade. The 49ers Foundation and Bay Area Host Committee may partner with Santa Clara Unified School District to rehabilitate Townsend Field, which is connected to Buchser Middle School and home to the Santa Clara Lions Youth Football and Cheer club....
Next Santa Clara County assessor could reshape the valley
The outcome of the $13 million special election for a new Santa Clara County assessor will shape housing development and school funding in Silicon Valley. Nominations will be open from July 14 through Aug. 8 for candidates seeking to do one elected job: Determining property taxes. Candidates who wish to avoid paying a filing fee...
Sunnyvale’s retail protection plan falls short
One of Sunnyvale’s proposals to build more housing threatens to demolish several grocery stores, and city fixes haven’t patched the problem. The Sunnyvale City Council unanimously approved an overhaul of the Village Center Master Plan Tuesday. The new plan redefined how seven aging retail spaces, called village centers, will be zoned for commercial, residential and...
Apple rescues Cupertino’s transit project
A significant West Valley interstate project was about to be abandoned. Then a tech giant stepped in with millions of dollars. Cupertino, in collaboration with VTA and Caltrans, can move forward with the Interstate 280 and Wolfe Road interchange improvement project thanks to a roughly $4 million donation from Apple to bridge the remaining funding gap....