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Cindy Chavez was standing outside her apartment complex last week when a Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy approached her clutching paperwork. She was being served a restraining order, the deputy explained, to protect the officer who killed her son. Chavez is not related to Supervisor Cindy Chavez, a San Jose mayoral candidate. The temporary restraining...
Silicon Valley schools score average on LGBTQ inclusiveness
Two Santa Clara County school districts are creating safe school environments for LGBTQ students, but a new report shows more progress needs to be made. Both Santa Clara Unified and San Jose Unified school districts received middle-tier scores according to the 2022 Equality California Safe and Supportive Schools Report Card, which rates districts on LGBTQ...
Follow the money: Silicon Valley’s 2022 general election
Silicon Valley voters this year will have their say on several key county positions, four San Jose City Council seats and three Santa Clara City Council posts as the November election draws close. The race to replace Mayor Sam Liccardo, who terms out at the end of the year, continues to be the most heated...
Union leaders call for ousting of Santa Clara mayor
A major union workers group is throwing its support behind a Santa Clara official running to replace current Mayor Lisa Gillmor—who advocated for prevailing wages not to be paid on a major development in the city. The Santa Clara and San Benito Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, a group that represents more than 35,000...
San Jose State wants to honor its track legacy
San Jose State University students are closer to having a running track of their own to honor legendary athletes who left their mark on history. The local college is looking to build the Speed City Legacy Project, which includes a track and legacy center at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Assemblymember Ash Kalra secured $9...
Top Santa Clara County official plans to step down
After more than a decade leading Santa Clara County, longtime Executive Jeff Smith is leaving the top post next year. “Having worked here for 13 years so far and maybe close to 14 years when I retire in July, it seemed like a reasonable time,” the County CEO told San José Spotlight. “We have a great team...
San Jose invests in solar power to reach climate goals
San Jose plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two decades to meet its carbon neutral goals, including utilizing solar power. On Tuesday, the city council approved four contracts worth an estimated $530 million to build out the city’s battery storage to access and store more solar energy through its San Jose Clean Energy...
San José Spotlight defends reporting amid legal threat
Following San José Spotlight’s reporting that revealed Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor lobbied the governor to help a major real estate firm save money on a massive project months before it cut big checks to support her reelection campaign, attorneys for the developer are pushing back. In a letter sent to San José Spotlight this...
Silicon Valley mental health workers rally for better wages
Low pay, heavy workloads and unprecedented worker shortages: that’s the reality facing mental health professionals at one of the largest behavioral health providers in Santa Clara County. Dressed in purple shirts and carrying signs, more than 50 members of SEIU Local 521 rallied Wednesday in front of Momentum for Health’s headquarters in San Jose. They’re demanding...
How can San Jose schools address active shooter fears?
As more families learn to live with the daily threat of school shootings, San Jose residents are pushing to address campus violence before tragedy strikes. A Pew Research Center study released last week reveals nearly two-thirds of parents worry about their children’s safety at school. The study shows 32% of parents are extremely concerned about potential...