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San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo will likely be on another continent when voters decide who will replace him next month. On Wednesday, the city Rules and Open Government committee approved Liccardo’s travel request to Egypt from Nov. 4-12. He’s flying on his own dime to the U.N. Climate Change Conference to speak about San Jose’s innovative...
Election 2022: Changes could be coming to Silicon Valley water agency
Motivated by what they call poor management and a lack of accountability, three political newcomers are challenging two longstanding incumbents to represent Santa Clara County’s wholesale water supplier. Two seats on the Valley Water board of directors are up for grabs in Districts 6 and 7, currently belonging to Tony Estremera, who has been on...
San Jose homeless handed lifesaving tools
Fire extinguishers, Narcan and headlamps aren’t gifts that typically elicit a giddy reaction, but the cruel reality of living on the streets of San Jose can change that. For homeless residents in Santa Clara County, encampment fires, drug overdoses and collisions between people and vehicles are part of life, and with that comes death. Homeless deaths...
Santa Clara County doctors could strike over working conditions
There may not be any doctors working at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in a few weeks. Health care workers at county-run facilities are ready to strike, following two years of stalled negotiations with the county, increased workloads and decreased staffing. Valley Physicians Group, a union representing 450 doctors, authorized the right to strike this...
Former San Jose school leader wins $2M discrimination case
Women earn about 83 cents for every dollar men make. For the first-ever woman superintendent at one Silicon Valley school district, that number was closer to 81 cents compared to her male predecessors. Former Evergreen School District Superintendent Kathy Gomez won a more than $2 million settlement, after a federal court validated her claims last month...
Grand jury shunned accused Santa Clara officials
Santa Clara County’s civil grand jury failed to interview the majority of Santa Clara councilmembers it condemned for alleged misconduct in a controversial new report. Three of the five councilmembers admonished in the report — Kevin Park, Raj Chahal and Anthony Becker — told San José Spotlight they were never contacted by the jurors. They...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley water officials want misconduct report before election
After several delays, it’s unclear if the investigation into a leader of Silicon Valley’s largest water supplier will be made public in time for the upcoming election. Gary Kremen, a Valley Water board member running for another term in November, is the subject of an independent investigation following a series of complaints accusing him of...
Santa Clara County candidates sound off on education
As ballots start arriving in the mail this week, Santa Clara County education leaders are making it easier for parents to learn which candidates will make children their top priority. The Santa Clara County Office of Education contacted more than 200 candidates running in local and state races with a survey asking them to pitch their...
Downtown San Jose gets Google — and a power grid
Google is coming into San Jose and bringing its own electrical grid. The tech behemoth is opening a massive complex in downtown San Jose and wants to construct its own electric distribution system, or microgrid, to power the 80-acre site. By the end of this year, San Jose will approve a business plan to make...
San Jose releases withheld Liccardo emails
A new trove of Mayor Sam Liccardo’s private emails released by San Jose raises more questions about the city’s practice of improperly withholding public records. The city last week released 132 pages of previously withheld documents, prompted by a lawsuit by San José Spotlight and the First Amendment Coalition. The emails detail Liccardo’s conversations with city...